Oops. LMAO.

When Opposites Attract - Chapter 15

The next morning approached a lot faster than usual, as if time knew I was dreading my eventual return to school. The notion of skipping class crossed my mind once or twice while I got ready, but the fear of getting in trouble (with who, I wasn't sure) stopped me from going through with it. I had never skipped school before, let alone done anything remotely bad. The worst of my offenses were among the lines of borrowing glitter pens from friends in second grade and forgetting to return them. By the time I gathered enough courage to leave, I was met with the sight of Giggles; she had parked right in front of my house and was leaning against the side of her car. She looked hopeful when she noticed I came outside.

"Can we talk?"

I hitched my backpack higher on my shoulder, biting my lip as I thought things over. Giggles had never done anything to me maliciously. In fact, she tended to come to my defense whenever something unfavorable happened at my expense, although her timing could use some work. But I couldn't definitely say that she held any ill will towards me. Still, I found myself considering not speaking with her at all as I got closer to the street. Ignoring her (and maybe even everyone) for the rest of the year would sort of solve my problems, wouldn't it?

My conscience told me that no, it would not solve my problems- not even sort of solve them. I sighed, slowing to a stop and crossing my arms expectantly, doing my best to look so busy that she only had a moment of my time. It seemed to work, because Giggles' eyes widened momentarily at my expression.

"Talk."

"I was hoping we could talk on the way to school…?" she said hesitantly. It sounded like a question.

I got in the car.

The initial portion of the drive was in silence, albeit for Giggles' usual tunes of choice on the radio. I wasn't sure how to broach the conversation; how was I supposed to casually bring up what happened the night before? I slapped Splendid of all people. The town hero wasn't so heroic after all, it seemed. At least to me, anyway. I knew everyone else in the room saw the same thing happen, but people's perceptions tended to get muddled when their idols' behavior was called into question. It didn't even cross my mind that the others could possibly think of me poorly after last night, but once it did, a ball of anxiety began to form in my stomach. That and something else, something hotter, unfamiliar. Anger. I was immensely thankful that Giggles broke the silence first.

"Flakes… I'm really sorry about what happened at my party," she began, "I didn't think things would go so far-"

"Did you think at all?" I muttered under my breath, biting my tongue immediately after. Yikes. That was a lot, even for me; I was unused to the anger simmering beneath my usual demeanor- it put me on edge. I was on edge since yesterday. "S-Sorry… that was mean."

"…but you're right, y'know? I didn't think. Nobody else did either."

The way she was talking confirmed what I believed- that other people were involved in whatever happened. It was a group effort, apparently.

"…a-are you going to tell me what you guys were planning to do?"

A moments pause. Giggles' hands tightened a bit on the steering wheel, and she sighed, quickly glancing over at me before her attention returned to the road. I had never seen her like this before- so tense and uneasy. Ironically, that made me calmer; if she was so serious about this conversation, she was probably being truthful with me. It also probably meant she was going to answer more of my questions if I played my cards correctly.

"…god, this sounds so messed up out loud." She worried at her bottom lip, licking traces of lipstick from her teeth before she continued. "Splendid really, really likes you. He asked Petunia to, like, try and set you two up together, and since I'm her best friend, of course I'm gonna help her out, y'know?"

My lips parted with nothing to say. Splendid liked me. Bits of what Flippy said to me after the party flashed through my mind. On some level I knew he was telling the truth, but hearing Giggles say it too made it a whole lot clearer. It seemed as if she took my lack of response as anger or disbelief, because she started babbling even more.

"But I swear all I did was try to get him to come to the movies with us. And set up truth or dare. Everyone knows that game always creates the most adorable couples. I didn't know that Petunia was going to dare you to kiss him- and I had no idea that Splendid was going to act like… like-"

"An a-asshole?"

"A total asshole." Giggles breathed out a nervous laugh. "Between you and me, he always thinks he's invincible whenever he drinks… n-not like that's an excuse, but-"

"Did you tell him w-what costume to wear?"

My question obviously caught Giggles off guard, because her eyebrows quickly shot up in surprise before she composed herself.

"No… although. Um. I kinda told Flippy to be a wolf? I thought it would be cute."

Well. That alone made enough sense to be true. Flippy wasn't the type to get dressed up for a costume party, let alone wear something like wolf ears if he did. I could easily imagine Giggles whining at him in between classes until he agreed to it. This tidbit still didn't explain why Splendid was dressed up as the Woodsman, though. Or any of the other weird feelings I had about the situation. My thoughts kept returning to Petunia, and how she had been looking at me lately. How she was making me feel. The alarms that rang in my head whenever we spoke alone.

"Don't y-you think i-it's a little weird that we were a-all dressed up from the same fairytale?"

Giggles pursed her lips as she thought over my question, tapping bubblegum pink nails against the steering wheel. She had pulled into the student parking lot, letting the car idle in her usual spot while we were talking. I was hyperaware of Petunia's vehicle right next to us, although the car had been empty, from the looks of it. She was always early to school- her duties as the class president called for nothing less.

"I mean… yeah. But I didn't tell Splendid to do anything. The only other person who knew about your costume was Petunia since we all got ready together. You could ask her if-"

"I-I don't want to talk t-to her." I said before I could stifle myself, and Giggles finally turned to regard me fully, looking genuinely surprised.

"…you're not mad at her, are you?"

The puree of feelings still brewing in my stomach told me that I was, in fact, mad at her. And why wouldn't I be? She blamed me for getting attacked. She shouted at me in front of our friends and a good portion of the student body. And even when she apologized, the atmosphere between us afterwards seemed off, colder. Every conversation I had with her felt like I had to either walk on eggshells or face her temper yet again. All of this made me feel like she sicced Splendid on me during the Halloween party for some reason. I was humiliated because of her yet again. And my instincts told me she was doing it on purpose- but I couldn't pin down an exact reason why. All I knew was that Petunia made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I had to take that feeling seriously until I could figure out what was going on- with Giggles' help or not.

"No…" I couldn't believe I was lying to Giggles after she had been so honest with me. I had to tack on something else. "I-I just… need to cool down."

"Oh thank god." She said dramatically, leaning back in her seat. "It's so hard trying to be friends with two people that hate each other-"

"But y-you need to tell her t-that me a-and Splendid aren't e-ever ever going to be a thing. I don't like him. A-at all."

Giggles gave me a curious look, before she sighed with finality, nodding her agreement as she unlocked the car. Her hand paused at the door handle, however, and she bit her lip again. Something was making her hesitate. I watched on, silently goading her to speak until she did, her voice softer than before.

"…I'm totally in no place to ask you for anything, so I'm really sorry, but… can you promise me you won't say anything to Petunia?" she asked, glancing up at me.

The request admittedly caught me a bit off guard. I wasn't planning on really speaking to Petunia about anything, let alone this, so why did Giggles feel like she had to ask me? I didn't even get a chance to respond before she kept talking, attempting to explain the situation.

"It's just that the plan was to not mention the matchmaking thing to you until after you and Splendid got together- which isn't gonna happen now, obviously! It was supposed to be a cute surprise for your one-month anniversary or something. And I promised Petunia I'd keep it under wraps. I already feel awful about breaking that promise, and she'd be so mad if she found out I told-"

"I-it's fine, Giggles-"

"You don't understand, Flakes." The seriousness in her tone made me pause. I'd never heard her sound so distraught before- it was different than the rather superficial things Giggles tended to have fits about. "Promises are like contracts. And people don't break promises here."

Something in what she said brought a wave of nostalgia right over me. Flashes of a kitchen table in a cozy apartment. The back seat of a car. The swings at a playground. The squeeze of a pinky wrapped around my own. My mother. She was big on promises. As far as I knew, the only one she broke was right before she died, when she said she would be home to see me soon. Did growing up in Happy Tree instill that value in her? Why else would Giggles say people don't break promises in this place?

"I think a-all of you keep forgetting that I'm not from here." I said as steadily as I could manage. Giggles' expression fell as I allowed what I said to sink in, the closest thing to a threat I've ever made in my life. An implication. I hope she knew just how frustrated I'd become over the past few months. I was tired of everyone walking on eggshells around me, tiptoeing around just what I needed them to say. I was tired of being so compliant all the time. She seemed to understand that I was prepared not to be anymore. Giggles was poised to respond, before I interrupted with a raised hand, pinky finger extended towards her. "I won't say anything."

"…right. I know you're still in the dark about… everything, mostly. I'm sorry. I have to get you up to speed." Giggles linked her pinky with mine, the motion familiar as we squeezed our digits together, solidifying our deal. She began to pull back, but something made me harden my resolve. Confusion clouded her features as she realized I wasn't letting go of her. I figured I wouldn't get any answers unless I asked for them. Demanded them, even. It was the least my friends could give me.

"Promise?" I asked, and we studied each other for a moment before a knowing smile ghosted her lips. Something told me Giggles was smarter than she let on.

"Promise."

I finally released her.

With that, we got out of the vehicle in unison. I shut the passenger door with my hip before we headed for the school building. The leftover tension between us from our conversation melted away as we got closer to the main entrance. I felt somewhat relieved at how the discussion had went, but I couldn't ignore my growing anxiety as we approached the front doors with no idea what was waiting for me on the other side. I could safely say Giggles was my friend. However, I couldn't say the same about the others.

The first warning bell rang as we made it to the row of lockers in the science wing. It was a small comfort in Giggles still walking with me, even though her first period class was on the opposite side of the building. She leaned against the locker next to mine as I unzipped my jacket, hanging it on the hook before I began to search for the correct notebooks. I didn't even notice that she was still looking at me until I heard a squeak of "Omigosh-" to my side. I glanced over to see Giggles regarding me with the same curious look from before, although her expression was growing more and more incredulous by the moment. She grinned slyly at me.

"You and Flippy are that serious, huh?" she asked.

"…I don't know-"

She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes and I could feel my cheeks warming involuntarily. What had I said that prompted such a reaction? I was in the dark.

"Honestly, Flakes. You can't be that naive." She scoffed. "Did he drive you home after you left?"

"…yeah."

"And what did you do after that?"

"I made tea…"

"Did the tea burn your neck?"

"W-what?"

My free hand instantly slapped over my throat. I didn't lie when I mentioned the tea, but I realized I may have skipped over a few details as memories from last night came flooding back. Namely of Flippy, in the cramped space between the island and my stove, on my counter, eventually on my neck. My face was burning a furious red. I could tell without even seeing myself.

"Do y-you have a-a mirror?" I asked.

Giggles snickered at me, but she did search in her backpack, eventually procuring a small handheld mirror from one of the side pockets. I took it thankfully, flipping open the compact and getting an instant shock from what I saw. A hickey was blooming on the skin of my throat, small but proudly vibrant against the usually pale surface. Shit. I hadn't realized it was even there, probably because the hood of my jacket kept it obscured.

"Are you still sure you onlyyyyy made tea?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"S-shut up. I-is it noticeable?" I huffed, trying to get the heat at my face under control before I had to go to class.

"I'd wear my hair down if I were you." Giggles gave a playful tug to my ponytail before she left with the final bell.

I was out of time to contemplate. I just followed her advice to the best of my ability, shaking my hair out of its ponytail and mussing it up to make sure it look like I had messy hair at least a little on purpose. Crimson locks draped over my shoulders and down my back- and covered the bruise pretty decently, from what I could tell. Eventually even I couldn't stand around any longer than I already had, so with a shut of my locker, I finally headed into my classroom.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that everyone was working already, to my embarrassment. I hated walking into class even a moment late; that meant the class would look up at me, the teacher would make some sly comment about my tardiness, and I'd feel awkward for the rest of the period- but that seemed not to be the case for today. Even Professor S. was too busy helping somebody with their work to notice my entrance. I took my chance and headed to the back of the room as inconspicuously as possible. The next thing I noticed as I travelled down the aisle, was that Splendid wasn't in class at all- his usual spot at his desk was empty. A quick glance to the front of the room showed that Petunia was absent as well. Huh. I wondered what they were up to- if they were even in school for the day.

Cuddles caught my eye before I made it to my seat, and he gave me his usual smile, although it took a more sympathetic turn as he leaned over Splendid's chair.

"Hey, Flakes… are you feeling any better? Giggles told me what happened."

I could feel my eyebrows lifting in surprise before I could stop them. Oh, right. Cuddles was probably handling things in the kitchen during the infamous game that unfolded last night. I was a little thankful that he didn't see me get embarrassed in front of everyone- but my heart warmed at the knowledge that Giggles told him about it. More people cared than I thought, it seemed.

"O-oh! Um. Yes, I-I'm fine. Thanks for checking up on me…"

"No problem. We have your back, yeah?"

"Yeah."

I smiled faintly at him, before I set my bag down and settled in my chair. Flippy had already started with whatever experiment that was assigned to us, and after my blunder a while ago, I was perfectly okay with letting him take the lead this time. It looked like he was writing down the results for the both of us on the packets Mr. S. handed out at the beginning of class. It was a few moments before I realized that I was staring, and it seemed that he noticed, because a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips before he glanced over at me.

"Morning, Flaky."

"U-um, hi. Good morning…" I said quietly.

In all honesty, I was trying to keep composed. It was hard trying not to remember last night's events while I was in such close proximity to him; the energy between Flippy and I was still charged with something I couldn't quite place, an intensity that was foreign to me. I wondered if he felt it too. I wondered if he remembered that he called me his. I wondered if he actually wanted to be with me-

My thoughts were interrupted when a gentle hand brushed against my cheek. I blinked, watching silently as Flippy caught an auburn lock of my hair, studying the way the curls danced around his fingers before tumbling down his hand.

"I thought you seemed different. You let your hair down, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah…"

"It looks wild when it's out like this. Like a fire."

"…a fire i-in a good way?"

Our eyes met for a moment, before he gave me a slow once over. My cheeks were ablaze as he studied me, grinning- he definitely knew just how jittery I felt near him, didn't he? My heart leapt in my chest when he tucked the strand of hair back behind my ear, and before I knew it, he was turning back to the assignment on our desk.

"Definitely in a good way."

I bit my lip, glancing down to fight the pleased smile that threatened to show on my face when he complimented me. Maybe I'd start to wear it down more often- I used to be so frustrated with the wild nature of my hair, how I was never able to tame it with any brush or comb. I had grown used to just tying it up or braiding it out of the way, not wanting to bother with the nuisance of trying to manage it.

I was so busy thinking about my hair that I didn't notice Mr. S. eclipsing my vision until he cleared his throat. My attention instantly snapped up to meet him standing in front of our desk- and he didn't look happy. His arms were crossed, a clipboard tucked against his chest, and he gave an impatient few taps of his foot.

"Ah, Mister S-"

"Miss Porcupine. I know you're new here, but certainly you know lab safety protocol, don't you? You wouldn't have graduated to high school without doing so."

He peered at me from over the rims of his thick glasses. I bristled in embarrassment, sinking down into my seat by an inch or two. I could sense Flippy stifling laughter right next to me.

"I-I do, Sir."

"Then why is your hair out? You have an open flame at your station."

"I know, Sir, I didn't get a chance to tie i-it back yet. I just got here-"

"So. You walked in late?"

He sniffed and pulled out his clipboard, likely looking at his grade book, I was sure. Jesus, what was this guy's deal today? Mr. S. usually didn't grill students this hard about tardiness. One offhand comment, sure, but he always left it at that.

"N-not late! Just. Right before the bell rang- anyway I-I was going to say that F-Flippy had i-it handled until I-"

A snicker to my side. My eyes snapped over to Flippy, and he was still diligently filling out the worksheets- his own worksheet, anyway. Mine had been subtly nudged over to the space in front of me. A smirk was tugging at his lips.

"Your partner is doing all the work? Miss Porcupine, if you want a good grade in my class, you're going to have to pull your weight during the labs. That wouldn't be fair to Flippy now would-"

"Actually, Mister S." Flippy began, tilting his head up to look at our professor for the first time since he arrived at our table. "Flaky answered the last question when she sat down. I probably wouldn't have been able to complete it without her."

A beat passed between the two, and I could see Mr. S. grow increasingly flustered. He cleared his throat once, twice, three times, before he gave a nod and readjusted the papers on his clipboard. I lifted an eyebrow as I glanced between them. Just what was going on here?

"Ah, yes. Very well. Just. Be sure to tie your hair up, Miss Porcupine. I have rubber bands at my desk if you don't have a hair tie or what have you."

We both watched the man retreat back to his desk. When he was out of earshot, I deflated in my chair, breathing out an exasperated sigh.

"…asshole. W-what was his problem?" I mumbled, and Flippy gave a small chuckle, looking at me amusedly.

"He likes to get on somebody's case at least once a week. I think he has a quota or something so his ego doesn't get too deflated." He glanced to his side, gaze momentarily landing on Splendid's empty chair. "Could say the same about some other people."

I finally relaxed enough to giggle quietly, eventually getting around to wrangling my hair into a ponytail.

Class passed by in a blur. Although I ended up following safety protocol, Flippy had gotten so far into the experiment already that he didn't mind finishing it up. I took it upon myself to write down notes and answers for what he was doing so Mister S. wouldn't accuse me of being lazy again, not that I needed to worry about that anymore since Flippy defended me. It was still a little jarring to see; even some of the professors were nervous around him, apparently. I wondered if there was a story behind that.

When the bell rang, the class pretty eagerly filed out of the room, excited for anything other than chemistry. Splendid nor Petunia had arrived at all, which struck me as odd. Not so much for Splendid since he was called upon to fight crime and solve problems at a moment's notice, but Petunia was never late to class- let alone missed them. For as long as I knew her, I couldn't remember one time she was tardy or truant. She had a perfect record of attendance, as far as I knew.

"…hey, do y-you think the student council meetings run late sometimes?"

Flippy glanced over at me, raising a brow at my out of the blue question. We were heading out of class together, one arm of his backpack slung casually over his shoulder. The inhabitants of the corridors had since gone off to either lunch or some other class they had next, save for the occasional slam of a locker some distance down the hallway.

"Hm. Hell if I know. They're all human, so I'm guessing sometimes they could go past schedule."

I sincerely hoped that was the case. But Petunia's demeanor told me that it was improbable.

Before I could ask anything further, I walked straight into somebody. A quick, flustered apology fell from my lips as I stumbled back and out of the way, before I noticed just who I bumped into. Splendid. He looked like he usually did, except for a healthy flush on his cheeks- he'd probably just flown back from some emergency. He gave me a genuine smile, and I didn't know how to react. What was his deal? He was acting like nothing happened between us last night. Did he even remember?

"Hey, Flaky. How's it going?" he said cheerfully.

My mouth grew dry. I couldn't believe him- how could he speak to me so casually after everything? He didn't even apologize to me yet. I was at a loss for what to say, so I didn't say anything. Splendid's expression grew muddled with confusion, and he finally glanced behind me to see Flippy standing there. His eyes narrowed from behind his mask, before he lowered his voice- although Flippy could still obviously hear. Maybe that was the point.

"…is he bothering you?" He asked in a near-stage whisper, reaching out to touch my shoulder. "Because I can definitely get him off your back if-"

I shook my shoulder from his hand before he could finish, instinctively taking a step back towards Flippy. Now he just looked bewildered by my choices, especially when a warm, protective arm dropped over my shoulder. I didn't try to hide how I shifted closer to him, away from Splendid. In all honesty I wanted to get as far away from him as possible. Another, quieter voice in my mind reminded me that I wanted to slap him again. My hands burned at the impulse.

"Wh… what's going on, Flakes? I need a sign if you want my help-"

"I-I don't want your help, Splendid." I snapped, not even thinking before the words escaped me. He looked absolutely lost, like what I was saying wasn't even processing in his mind.

"…I don't understand."

"I. Don't. Want y-your help. I-I want you to leave me alone. Do you even remember what you did last night?" The anger I felt earlier in Giggle's car had returned to me twofold, in a quick flash of a speedy pulse and clammy hands. "…I want an a-apology."

"What…?" A nervous, incredulous laugh. He couldn't be serious. "What did I do?"

At this, Flippy scoffed under his breath, and Splendid's eyes were on him in an instant. If looks could kill, I was certain that they both would be dead on the floor. The tension between the three of us was nearly suffocating. It felt as if it were flooding the entire hallway, like we'd all drown in it if this confrontation didn't end soon.

"You always had a selective memory, didn't you?" Flippy mused smoothly, leaning down and gently pressing his lips to my cheek. It seemed like Splendid's eyes were boring through me now, his gaze searing a little lower than my face. My neck. My cheeks flushed momentarily at the realization he was staring directly at the bruise there. "You kissed her last night. Just about ruined Gigs' party with all the bullshit you started."

I felt myself getting pulled backwards, Flippy using his arm on my shoulder to guide my body behind his own. My eyes widened as he released me to step closer to Splendid, putting distance between the two of us as he approached him. It was then that I realized Splendid's actual height; he usually floated down the hallway, but with his feet secure on the floor I could tell that he was an inch or so shorter than Flippy. The both of them were still rather tall in general, but that didn't change the fact that Splendid came up to right underneath Flippy's eyes. He was built differently, too; his body lithe and agile from all the running around he probably did. Flippy was bulkier in the muscle department, strength clearly brimming right underneath his arms and chest. Despite this, they were right in each other's faces, neither of them showing any sign of backing away anytime soon. Splendid tipped his head up in defiance.

"Trust me when I say I almost broke our truce when you touched her. You're lucky she beat me to the punch and slapped you." Flippy's tone had run cold, a sign of anger that he was doing everything to control. A sign that Splendid had better back down- and fast.

Realization flashed across Splendid's features at the mention of what we both did. At least it was all coming back to him now, although I was stuck on the truce that Flippy mentioned. What truce? What happened between those two that they needed to call a truce of sorts? The more that was revealed to me, the more questions I ended up having.

"F-Flaky… I didn't know I-"

"She said she wanted an apology. I suggest you give her one before I finish the job she started last night, hero."

"…Fine." He seethed, and I winced. I'd never heard Splendid like this before; his voice sounded like he'd rather pull teeth than apologize to me- probably because Flippy was the one telling him to do so. His gaze finally fell on me; regret burning behind his eyes as he swallowed thickly, a tense muscle in his jaw leaping from the action.

"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again." Splendid grit out, and for a moment I wished that the circumstances were different. Apologies weren't supposed to happen like this. A small part of me still held onto the hope that he would do it differently, show that he cared more about being a decent person than whatever drama he had going on with Flippy. The moment passed. Splendid looked between us both one last time before he shook his head, bumping shoulders with Flippy as he stormed past, eventually disappearing down the hallway.

It took a second for me to realize I was clutching the back of Flippy's shirt, and pretty harshly at that; the fabric was wrinkled by the time I came to and released it. Flippy relaxed as soon as Splendid was gone from sight, finally turning around to face me. His hands came to my shoulders as he looked me over with genuine concern, before he pulled me into a warm hug, planting a quick kiss to the top of my head.

"Are you alright?"

I had been so caught up in their confrontation that that I wasn't paying attention to my own reactions, how I was gripped with anxiety just watching them interact like this. My pulse had been racing in my ears and I didn't even notice. It was a struggle to form a response that made sense right now; in an immediate sense I was okay. Flippy swooped in to protect me. What I wasn't okay with was the seemingly endless list of questions I had running through my mind. I could hardly stand being in the dark on seemingly everything much longer. A shake of my head answered his question, and Flippy's brows knit in worry.

"I'm sorry… I should've just told him to leave before he tried to even-"

"N-not that, um. Thank you for t-that, by the way…" I mumbled, "I just. I-I'm so… lost… I don't know what's going o-on here. Nobody will tell me a-anything… except for you."

I finally looked up at him fully, to find that his expression had softened a great deal. The near-feral intensity present in his gaze from earlier was long gone.

"I need a-answers."

Flippy studied me for a moment or two, seemingly sizing me up for whatever response he was about to give me, until he thought better of it and shook his head. Before I could protest, his hand moved to grasp mine, and he was ushering me down the hallway in the opposite direction Splendid had headed. I followed along, struggling to keep pace with his longer strides.

"Where a-are we going?"

"We're going to get those answers, Flakes."

I love how my characterizations evolve whenever I keep coming back to add onto this. I don't think Flaky is spineless. I never thought she was. She's just anxious and other people take that as weakness, imo.

Prepare for a lot more drama next chapter. I had these sitting on my computer for ages.