How about a few review replies before we start?
I'm only answering the ones that have asked me questions, though. If you haven't but still reviewed, the much thanks to you.
SilvaGirl: Honestly? This takes place after the movie, and -!-SPOILER-!- I assume other Wybie is no more. Y'know? Poor thing.
Purple Moonshine: Indeed, this section will be (hopefully) alive with CxW fanfics. And yeah, you're totally right. I would LOVE to write a nice, romantic story but...they're eleven so...not gonna work. XD
All other reviewers: Woah. I didn't expect many reviews. XP I love you all.
Now...ONWARD.
I'm giving up on doing this alone now
Cause I've failed and I'm ready to be shown how
He's told me the way and I'm trying to get there
And this life sentence that I'm serving
I admit that I'm every bit deserving
But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair
-Be My Escape, Relient K
"I can't believe you're scared of macaroni and cheese."
Coraline poked at the gelatinous mass of noodles and what she hoped was real cheese, "is that what this is?"
Wybie nodded, "it's what it said on the menu."
"Did it say anything about it coming to life and eating your family?" Coraline asked, "because it looks suspicious to me."
"I haven't heard anything about sentient pasta, but when I do you'll be the first to know," Wybie smirked.
"Scoff if you must," Coraline said snidely, "but I swear to God this thing is breathing."
"You're exaggerating," Wybie sighed, though Coraline noticed that he hadn't touched his lunch either. The lunchroom at Ashland Academy was loud and messy. No matter how clean it was before the sixth and seventh graders came for lunch, within the first second, there was a stain on the floor. Some believed evil spirits were the cause, one that wanted to smite the janitors, but Coraline thought the cause was beyond that of which the human mind could fathom. Well, the eleven year old mind.
"You really should take pills," Coraline carried on, "for your know-it-all syndrome."
"There's no such thing as know-it-all syndrome," Wybie retorted.
Coraline gave him a pointed stare, "oh, well you would know, wouldn't you?"
"Shut up."
"You shut up."
"I told you to shut up first."
"I told you second."
"I win."
"You do not!"
"Ahem," both kids stopped bickering at the sound of a new voice. Had Coraline paid any attention, she would have noticed that this was the boy from her science class, "can I sit here?"
"Uh…" was all Coraline and Wybie managed to say. They were a bit embarrassed to have been caught in another one of their senseless arguments, and something about this guy made them both feel weird in different ways.
Wybie immediately sensed something off about this guy, having gained sharp analytical skills from all his experiments and inventing. He was able to tell when something wasn't quite right.
Coraline, on the other hand, couldn't seem to take her eyes off this boy. She couldn't pinpoint why, but there was an odd feeling in her stomach that had been set off by his arrival.
"Are you guys…okay?" The boy asked warily.
"Huh?" Coraline snapped out of her daze, "uh, yeah, sure. Sit."
The boy nodded, and Wybie cast him one more suspicious glance before poking at the glob of 'food' on his try. He'd try to eat it if he didn't think it would kill him.
"So…" The new boy said, "I'm Sebastian."
"Coraline," Coraline told him.
"Wybie," Wybie continued to look at him suspiciously, but he made it less obvious now.
He had no idea why, but the way that kid looked at Coraline made Wybie's skin crawl.
"You're gonna fall, Jonesy."
"I am not," Coraline replied as she stepped precariously over the stepping stones of the creek, which was located not too far from the Pink Palace apartments.
"I'm not rescuing you if you do," Wybie continued, lifting up a rock on the bank and looking under it. Wybie wanted to look for snakes, of course, after he'd given up on Super Snail, who died shortly after Cat chewed on him. But, if the boy had gone to look for snakes, Coraline wouldn't have joined him, and he enjoyed her company more than he wanted a snake. Besides, frogs were interesting too.
"I wouldn't need you to rescue me," Coraline stuck her tongue out at him before hopping to the next stone, "especially not from a five inch deep creek."
"Five and a half inches, approximately." Wybie corrected her.
"Well sorry," Coraline said sarcastically, "Have I offended thee?"
"Not yet," Wybie didn't look up as he looked down in the creek, "keep going and I won't give you a ride to school tomorrow."
"Oh, how disappointing," Coraline jumped to the next stone and then onto the opposite bank, "I don't get to ride your screaming metal death trap."
"It's not a death trap," Wybie said defensively, "would I ride it if it was?"
"Yeah."
Wybie realized she was right and fell silent.
"Anyway," Coraline went on, "what do you think of that new kid?"
Wybie stiffened, "I dunno," he said evasively, "don't really know him."
"Yeah, me neither," Coraline admitted, "but he doesn't seem that bad. He's not always talking and shoving bugs in my face like this other guy I know."
Wybie held back a grin, "I happen to know that having bugs shoved in your face builds character."
"According to my dad, everything builds character," Coraline lowered her voice in an impression of her father, "Go shovel the snow, it builds character, go prune that tree, it'll build character. The food is too spicy, you say? Think of it as a challenge. The prize is character."
Wybie couldn't hold back his laughter any longer.
"I'm totally serious!" Coraline, in spite of herself, was laughing as well, "I've apparently got character coming out of my--woah!"
Just as Wybie had predicted earlier, Coraline slipped off the smooth, wet stone she was standing on and splashed into the creek.
"Coraline!" Wybie stood up immediately, and sighed when he saw she was all right. Her hair and clothes were sodden, though, and she looked severely ticked off. Wybie kept his mouth shut, desperately holding in an "I told you so". He reached out his hand to help her up, and, surprisingly she didn't pull him down to the ground this time. Coraline looked down at her soaked clothes and groaned.
"My parents are gonna be so ticked…" she muttered, "mom told me not to play around here anymore."
"Just tell her you were out building some character," Wybie smirked. This time he was able to dodge her impending whack to his arm.
You have not seen the end of Sebastian. If only you could see what I have in store...