Author's note:
I do not own Scooby Doo and Squid Game.
The chapters are long and the events take a while to happen, I apologize for that.
English is not my first language, so I will certainly make mistakes while translating. I apologize for this and thank you for pointing out corrections.
I am not a professional writer and this is my first fanfic, so I will surely make mistakes that people with more experience don't make. Please bear with me.
Chapter 3
Fred: Thanks for pushing Daphne away, Dinkley. You always stick your nose into my work, now you will stick your nose into my dates as well?
Velma: What the hell are you doing, Fred? You know Daphne loves you!
Fred: I know, then I had a chance to ask her out and you screwed it up!
Velma: "Ask her out"? Really? For a real date? So why it seems one more casual bullshit in which you two spend a night together then pretend nothing happened on the following day?
Fred: Can you tell me exactly whats the problem about it? Or, at least, can you explain why should I care about what you think of it all?
Velma: Jinkies, how can you be so insensitive, how can you take advantage of her feelings? Daphne wants you to love her!
Fred: But I do love her!
Velma: This is not love, Fred! And until you're ready to give her everything she deserves, I WON'T LET YOU DO IT ANYMORE! Hear me? I WON´T LET YOU HURT MY BEST FRIEND'S FEELINGS!
Fred: So, if it´s not exactly like your definition of love, its not love? If a case solved is explained by someone else, the case was not really solved, right? Everything has to be your way, bossing everybody around…
Marcie looked back and my eyes met hers. I immediately felt a chill down my spine, as I understood she totally agreed with what Fred just said. I gasped, but took some courage to continue talking.
Velma: OMG, Jones, dont be so stupid, can´t you see she wants a real relationship? Not this kind of high-school-bullshit you´ve been doing for years!
Fred: Now I should start a relationship just because you think it´s the right thing to do? It doesn´t matter if it works for me and for her, things have to be your way?
Velma: It´s not my way, Fred, it´s her way! Its not "working" for her at all! Can´t you see you are hurting her feelings? You give her hopes just for one night, then on the following day you go out with another girl and tear her apart!
Fred: Oh, I love her but you disagree about the way I love her, so I am hurting her feelings… can you hear what are you just saying, Velma? You are so bossy and immature that you can´t even make sense… If Daphne had a problem about it, she would tell me…
Velma: She is trying to tell you, Fred! For years! But you are too stupid to understand! She follows you, she helps you, she does silly things just to be around our cases, she´s trying to build a relationship, believe me, I'm her best friend, I know her since kindergarten…
Fred: Oh, sure, how could I forget Velma Dinkley knows everything? I met her first, remember? I know her more than the way your arrogance supposes.
Velma: You met her first, but since we were, like, 12? You´ve been the asshole who's been running away from her, so I guess you have absolutely no idea about how Daphne feels.
Fred: Who are you to talk about running away from someone, Velma? Just take a look at poor Marcie Fleach, you´ve been deceiving her for a decade because you´re afraid of getting married! You hate your in-laws, you´re terrified of adoption… you're afraid of becoming your mother, aren't you? And become everything you hate most? I know you're afraid that your relationship with Marcie will turn into the relationship your parents had! But, still, you dare to point your finger at me, at my failed engagements and at my casual relationships… When will you admit that you and I are alike, Velma? In every small detail? We both had our lives screwed by our parents, and we just don´t want to pass on this shitty legacy!
Fred Jones has a lot of faults that I hate, the one I hate most is being very shrewd during an argument. His answer was so unexpected that Marcie gasped and walked away, a gesture that proved he was right. Another fault that I hate: he's always right.
Fred: Do you know how it's like to grow up feeling guilty about your mom's death, and then find out she's alive? And she decided to leave you and your loser dad to marry her teenage-times boyfriend? Do you have any idea how it's like to have the same name as your father and spend sixteen years being exactly what he expects from you, just to keep the name he built clean? Do you have any idea how many sports I had to do, how many stupid trophies I had to win to make him proud, and in the end nothing was enough? I've lived this shit, Dinkley, college, military service, this stupid police career, everything I do in my fucking life is for him, and you know what's worse? The more I try to not be like him, the more I look like him. I speak like him, I act like him, I demand from others just like he demanded from me, so I will just end like him. I will screw people´s lives up just like he did and…
Velma: You will be abandoned just like he was abandoned by your mom? Then you do it first, so nobody will ever abandon you? Is that your personal reason to be such a selfish jerk to Daphne?
Fred: No, Freud, I would talk about my reasons to not get involved if you stopped pointing your hypocritical fingers at me…
Velma: Hypocritical fingers, Fred? I am the daughter of two Nobel laureates, my sister Madelyn is the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, and I decided to become a simple forensics expert! I was raised to repeat the steps of Curie family, and when I gave up my science career to solve mysteries, I died to Dinkley family. My parents don´t care about how happy I am solving crimes, helping people and living an ordinary life, to them, I am just a failure as a scientist. So, don't tell me about pressure, toxic parents and high expectations, I live this shit every day. But, unlike you, I don't use my pain as an excuse to hurt people, I don't think my feelings matter more than others´ feelings!
Fred: This is what you say to yourself to make you feel better, Velma, but… does Marcie agree? Marcie doesn´t get hurt? Or she feels like Daphne and she hopes that one day you'll grow up and have a real relationship? Because your ten-year-old-failed engagement looks as serious and as mature as my one-night stands.
Suddenly, I discovered Fred´s scariest fault: he is just like me. Or am I just like him? My heart rate increased and adrenaline made my legs shake. This time, Marcie didn't look back, she just walked away with her head low, a gesture that she does when she's sad.
Fred: Velma, stop forcing me to live the kind of life I don´t want, you don´t even practice what you preach…
Velma: Listen Fred, this argument ends here. Do what you want with your own life, and I'll do what I want with my life, I don't care! But this is not about me, about you, about our toxic parents or about Marcie, it's about Daphne! It's about a sad girl who has been constantly abandoned by her own family, you can´t do this to her too! You can´t play with her feelings, Fred, I won´t let you do it, you understand? If you don´t want a real relationship, you should dump her and let her move on with her life.
Fred: Why should I dump her if we have something special?
Velma: "Something special" was special when you both were in high school, it won´t be special for the rest of your lives. Daphne wants to get married and have kids, just like her sisters.
Fred: Right. Said the ten-year-old-engagement girl… Funny how you know exactly what Daphne wants for her life, but you completely ignore what Marce wants for hers. Focus on your girl, Velma, and let me focus on mine.
This time, Marcie looked at me quickly and I saw some anger in her eyes. My cheeks blushed involuntarily.
Velma: M…Marcie is not the focus, Fred. I mean…at…at least we're trying, I'm not perfect, but at least I'm trying to make her happy and give her what she wants…that´s why we´re on a relationship…
Fred: Velma, you clearly can´t fathom the issues that a relationship will bring…
Velma: No, Fred, I have no idea about relationship issues, I've been wearing this stupid ring for ten years just for fun and to make the department's metal detector beep...
Fred: I meant a relationship with Daphne, stupid, I´m not talking about your relationship. Marcie´s parents are amazing, that´s why you are together for years. Now, please, imagine Nan and George Blake… and those sisters. Four sisters-in-law, Dinkley, FOUR! They will ruin in one month all the love and friendship we built since our childhood. Moreover, Daphne and I live in different worlds, can´t you see it? I can´t be part of her world, and I will ruin her life if I bring her to my world. You love to say I'm immature, but I´ve already thought several times about the fact that this relationship won´t work…
Velma: You don't know anything about dealing with Marcie's parents, so shut the fuck up. You know what? I won´t argue with you all night. Do whatever you want with your life, but stop playing with her life. Let her go, Fred! Let her date a handsome CEO, let another guy endure her parents, whatever! The only think you can´t do is let her think that one day you´ll finally propose to her!
I was so nervous that I didn't notice Daphne approaching silently, I only did when she touched my shoulder to let me know that I had forgotten my purse with her. I can´t say exactly when she has arrived and how much of that conversation she overheard. By the melancholic expression on her face, I can say she heard enough. Marcie came to me and held my hand to make me walk faster and leave them alone to talk, but Daphne just gave me the purse and left without saying goodbye. Fred called her back and ran after her, but she got into her car before he could reach her. I walked beside Marcie in silence all our way back home. At our door, when she started looking for her keys, I tried to explain myself.
Velma: Marcie, I know you heard everything and maybe Fred is a little bit right about me and our relationship, but I´d like to say that…
She laughed scornfully and looked at me with some anger in her eyes.
Marcie: Fred is "a little bit right"? Oh, Velma, please, don't say anything, ok?
