Chapter Eight: Bugging and Fussing and Meddling
Vriska fudged her way through finals, feeling as though she did well enough on her tests despite making a habit of ditching her fourth period. Actually, the first time she ditched, she ran into Meenah in the bathroom and they shared a joing. After that, it became a habit because Vriska kind of missed Meenah; missed hanging out with someone who was "actually cool" since Meenah and Aranea had broken up and Terezi was leaving her in the lurch. Regardless, after finals ended, word got out among the group that Feferi was hosting the holiday part. Of course her mom gave her a hard time when she went to leave for the party, trying to use the fact that it was Hannukah (it was the third night, not even the first) as some kind of bargaining chip, but Vriska had surprisingly taken a lesson from her sister and just ignored their mom, rather than continuing to engage. Besides, she'd rather spend Hannukah with her friends; with people who actually cared about her. So Vriska was making an attempt to enjoy the party, draped over the couch next to Jade, who was sitting on the arm of the couch leaning forward with the TV remoted clutched in her hands. Vriska still hadn't gotten to know Jade very well, despite knowing her for nearly two months.
"So Jade, you know John pretty well, right?"
"Mhm!"
"You don't think he has a crush on anyone, do you?"
Jade glanced up from the TV—she'd been flipping through the pre-programmed music channels—and blinked at Vriska.
"I don't… why?"
"Hey Vriska." Vriska looked up towards the other voice. Right. Terezi. They hadn't exactly been on speaking terms.
"What," Vriska grumbled at her.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Vriska glared at her, not budging. "You're already talking to me."
"I mean… about our fight."
"Oh. That. Well, go ahead," Vriska said, hoping that if they had an audience, Terezi wouldn't berate her again.
"Well… I'm sorry I blew up at you like that. I can't expect you to change overnight, but it doesn't seem like you're trying. I just… things aren't always going to go your way and I think you need to accept that and relinquish just a little bit of control and stop trying to manipulate everyone's lives."
Vriska didn't know how to respond for a moment. Terezi kind of had a point; she pushed Tavros around trying to make him an emotionally stronger person in the hopes he'd ask her out, and she was trying to get John wrapped around her finger. It was definitely worth a moment of thought.
"Yeah… I had been kind of thinking the same thing. I don't like being mad at you." Vriska was a bit surprised at her own honesty.
"And I don't like being mad at you! Can we stop being mad at each other?"
"Yeah. Scourge Sisters?"
"Scourge Sisters."
Vriska was relieved to have Terezi back, and the two fell into conversation like they'd never been angry at all. Vriska was only mildly distracted and pulled away from Terezi after John came into the room.
"Hey Vriska," he said, and Vriska stood to greet him, feeling a small thud in her chest.
"Hey, John. Nice to see you."
"Yeah… you look really nice tonight." Vriska blushed a bit. "Did you have a chance to watch that awesome video I linked you to?"
"What video?"
"You know… the one about the renegade hero who busted loose from the slammer to save the day."
Oh, right. He'd gone on about some dumb movie a few weeks back, before everyone got so busy studying. "John, the way you describe movies makes them sound extremely stupid. Why would I want to watch this crap?"
"Just do it, you won't be sorry. I mean, when you are not so busy or whatever."
"Uh, hey, guys." Vriska, once again, looked up from her conversation to see another person trying to get her attention. This time, it was Tavros. Vriska shifted in her seat, a bit uncomfortable. Tavros and John were both nice guys, but she hadn't seen them interact much, and she was just a tad nervous of what they would tell each other about her. John shifted with her, their knees just barely brushing each other.
"Hey Tavros!" John said.
"'sup, Toreadork?" Vriska spoke over him.
"I, uh… got this. For you," Tavros managed to say, thrusting a hastily-thrown-together gift bag into Vriska's hands. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Surely this was some kind of joke.
"This oughta be good," she muttered to herself as she started to go through the tissue paper. Vriska wadded up one of the pieces of tissue paper into a ball and tossed it lightly at John, who had an odd expression on his face. He looked flustered and embarrassed, but Vriska just went about her business with the gift wrap, eventually pulling out a small box of fluorescent blue dice; a full set. She thought Tavros would have gifted her something stupid, just for the sake of having a gift to give, in some kind of sad attempt to impress, but this was genuinely thoughtful. She looked at them in awe for a moment, and gave a soft sort of smile, and then Tavros smiled back at her. Wait. What if this was what he wanted? To make her look dumb and soft and sensitive in front of everyone? Like he could win her over so easily. She scowled at him for a moment, and then laughed.
"Nice present, Toreadork. Like I don't have plenty of dice."
"I just thought, uh, I…"
"'I, uh, um…' Please, Tavros, spare us all from your pathetic whimpering for a change."
"But-"
"What's your deal, anyway?" Vriska asked, stepping closer to him. "I don't see you hauling in presents for anyone else. I know I'm special and all, but if this is your way of showing me that you like me, then forget it."
Tavros flushed bright red, then scooted out of the room. Vriska wasn't sure what to make of it. He was either being actually nice to her, for some reason, or was trying to make her look stupid. But she couldn't give it a lot of thought, as John was upset by her treatment of Tavros.
"Vriska!" She turned around to face him. Oh. Oh, God. She'd shown John something she didn't want him to see yet. "What the hell are you doing?"
"What?"
"You're being really mean. He was only trying to be thoughtful." Vriska was mildly surprised that John was defending Tavros. She'd thought… well, she'd thought that John was somewhat jealous of whatever chemistry she had with Tavros.
"I didn't…"
"'Sup, everyone?" Dave entered the room, gathering everyone's attention. Vriska took a breath, then escaped the room, skirting just past him. She took a moment in one of the many empty hallways in Feferi's gigantic house. Well, was this whole thing going to change the way John thought of her? She thought they'd been doing well; well enough to make Tavros jealous; to make Tavros think he had to make this dumb, sweet gesture in the first place. She really hoped she hadn't just blown things with John. And she hoped she hadn't blown things with Tavros, either. Ugh! Why were things so complicated? Why did Vriska have to have feelings for both these guys, with no idea of how to choose? Well, she had more history with Tavros, but there was just… something, about John. But she always figured that if things were going to happen with Tavros, they would have happened by then. Well, maybe she would just have to take matters into her own hands. She took a deep breath, then returned to the party. John had moved to the kitchen table with Dave, but his eyes still flitted over to hers when she walked back in. She let out a sigh when he didn't move, and sat down next to Aradia, who must have only just arrived.
"So, Aradia, how're things with Sweaty McGee? Saw you in the neighborhood earlier," Vriska said, needling Aradia just for the sake of blowing off some steam.
"That's right, you two are neighbors…" Aradia muttered.
"Yeah, how did it feel seeing a nice house for once?"
"Are you referring to yours? Because if that's the case, I don't think I have an answer."
"What's wrong with my house?!" Vriska said, letting her anger come out just a bit.
"What's wrong with mine?"
"Isn't your family dirt fucking poor?"
"I wouldn't say that," Aradia said, seemingly without emotion. God, why did Vriska even bother talking to her? It wasn't as if she'd ever get a reaction.
"What?! God, don't you feel anything anymore? I just- ugh, I fucking hate you! Go find your stupid stinky boyfriend!"
"I think I will, actually, your company is pretty unpleasant, come to think of it."
Wherever Aradia went, she disappeared for a while. Tavros must have decided he still wanted to talk to Vriska too, since he parked his chair next to the couch. She flicked some of the popcorn from the bowl she'd pilfered at him, and he just flinched at it when it hit him in the face.
"You're supposed to catch it, dumbass," Vriska frowned at him. When Aradia came back, she had Equius with her, but she looked very out of it. Equius sat next to Vriska, with Aradia on his other side.
"Hi, Equius," Tavros said.
"Hello, Tavros." There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Equius spoke again. "Er, forgive me. I was merely thinking about my latest robotic project. You see, I have been designing a new kind of prosthetic leg."
"You trying to get Tavros out of his crummy-ass wheelchair, Zahhak?" Vriska piped up, only half-paying attention to the conversation.
"Please, Vriska, mind your manners."
"Don't think you can tell me what to do!" God, Equius was always up on his high horse. His family was only just barely better off than Vriska's, and yet he always acted like he was better than her and could order her around and shit. Maybe people like Tavros would tolerate that, but Vriska Serket certainly wouldn't. Equius faltered, and then turned back to Tavros.
"I could design and build a pair specifically to fit you, if you'd like."
"Thanks, Equius, but prosthetics won't help me. It's not my legs that are the problem, it's the spinal damage."
"But see, that's why I'm designing a new kind of prosthetic. It's meant to connect to the nervous system, though I haven't quite perfected it. Your nerves are like your body's wiring, so I am making a way to connect your wiring to the leg's wiring at the spine, whereas most prosthetics connect at a joint."
"You should go for it, Tavros. Maybe you won't be so useless then," Vriska said. Tavros took a deep breath.
"Sorry, Equius. I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with that," Tavros answered, and then he followed Gamzee outside. Vriska snorted derisively. What a moron. So Vriska was stuck there with Equius and Aradia, and honestly they were such an awkward couple that she had no idea what to say to either of them. She was still so conflicted between John and Tavros; she knew she had to choose one guy to go with, but only had one idea as to how to do so, and it involved waiting for Gamzee to come back inside. When she spotted him out of the corner of her eye, she went outside, and found Tavros alone.
"You are just so insufferable," she said. "Trying to make me look all soft like that in front of everybody."
"I… wasn't trying to make you look soft. I just thought you'd like them."
"So…" she paused for a moment, "that was a genuine gesture of affection?"
"Um… yeah? Not everyone messes with feelings like you do."
Vriska knew what she had to do next. She had to know what it would feel like. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"I just meant-"
Before Tavros could finish speaking, Vriska hoisted him up by the collar of his shirt and planted a kiss directly on his lips. Tavros was apparently so baffled by the situation he couldn't even reciprocate, and it was not nearly as satisfying as Vriska had hoped. She dropped him back in his wheelchair.
"God, you're an idiot, Tavros," she said, and then retreated back into the house.
Okay, so the Christmas partt was something fo a bust, but at least Vriska was sure of one thing—there wasn't a sprk between her and Tavros. They kissed and she'd felt nothing. It was all she could do to hope that she hadn't completely screwed things up with John. And then she remembered Terezi. Oh, she didn't say anything about the whole situation. How fucked up was it that Vriska's supposed best friend was too cowardly to defend her? Terezi was going to get such an earful! Vriska called her as soon as she got home.
"Hello?" Terezi answered.
"So, what, are you mad at me again?" Vriska asked, not even wanting to waste her time with a greeting.
"Vriska, I really can't talk right now."
"I can't believe that right after we made up, you're taking Tavros' side AGAIN."
"I'm not taking Tavros' side, I just—"
"Oh really. Then why did you not even try to talk to me afterwards?"
"Because you're a bitch!" Vriska faltered. She hadn't expected such a forthright, blunt answer. "And maybe I had other things to think about! You are not the center of my universe! I got mad at you because you manipulate and you yell and abuse your friends, Tavros most of all, and you think it's fine just because he's too nervous and afraid to say anything to you. Well it's not. And right after we had that conversation about you trying to get better, you go and embarrass him in from of ALL our friends, and it showed me that you're just as bad as everyone thinks you are, and unless you ACTUALLY shape your shit up instead of just saying you're going to, I am not going to pretend I'm fine with things. Now if you don't mind, I really can't talk now. I've had an incredibly emotional night because my MOTHER just had a MISCARRIAGE. Goodbye!" Terezi hung up on Vriska faster than Vriska could even process everything she just said. She slammed her phone on the desk and started playing Overwatch to blow off some steam, which pretty much resulted in her passing out at the computer at 2am.
She woke up groggily the next morning when her phone went off.
grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began pestering arachnidsGrip [AG]
GA: Vriska I don't understand you
GA: You wonder why we are all beginning to pull away from you but the way you treated Tavros last night is a prince example of why we are wary of your friendship
AG: Ohhhhhhhh my gooooooood
AG: Are you going to get on my case now too?
AG: First John, now you.
AG: Why do you even care so much?
GA: It's not right to speak to your supposed friends in the manner that you do
GA: I care because you're going to hurt someone
GA: And isolate yourself
AG: Fine, let me be isolated then!
AG: You think I don't know I have problems?
GA: No
GA: I know you are aware
GA: I just don't think you're going to do much about it
AG: UGHHHHHHHH
AG: Why do you always bug and fuss and meddle instead of minding your own business?
AG: My mess of a life isn't any of your concern.
AG: I'm so over dealing with your chiding.
arachnidsGrip [AG] ceased pestering grimAuxiliatrix [GA]
Ugh, Kanaya and her bugging and fussing and meddling. Why was she always in Vriska's business? Why was everyone always in Vriska's business? She could handle things, and she could do it herself, even if her methods left something to be desired. It was fine. Vriska was used to doing things on her own anyway. It was fine.
