Wendy didn't see Peter at all the day after that. Not in the back of the classrooms or in his trademark spot in the hallway. Growing worried, she decided to sneak off to Neverland before lunch. "Peter?" she whispered walking from the path into the woods.
"He said you'd show up here." Wendy sighed. It was Felix, who Wendy had secretly nick named Peter's trophy husband. He practically worshipped the ground he walked on.
"Where is he?" Wendy asked impatiently.
"He'll be here in a minute. Sit, stay a while." Wendy rolled her eyes, but did what she was told.
"Where are all the other Lost Boys?" Wendy asked after a while.
"They usually don't show up until later in the day." The pair fell into awkward silence. There was nothing to talk about without Pan giving them some common ground.
"How long have you known him?" Wendy finally asked in desperate need for some kind of conversation.
"As long as I can remember." Wendy nodded.
"And have you always been such close friends?"
"Yes." Wendy was growing increasingly tired of Felix's cryptic answers, but there was no one else around.
"So what's he really like? There are obviously rumors about who he is and what he's done, but they can't all be true." At first Felix just laughed. Then he spoke.
"You know it might be easier to ask these things of Pan himself," he pointed out.
"You're right. Forget I asked," Wendy mumbled.
"He doesn't have a family. He lives by himself on the edge of town. I pretty much live there too, but being as I have something relatively close to a family I can't stay. It's not the best situation, but he does what he needs to survive."
"Oh... Well I'm glad he has you. You really love him," Wendy said after a minute. What he needed to do to survive? What did that even mean?
"Love? I don't love anyone. His well-being concerns me that's all." Wendy just shrugged. However he choose to see it.
"Having fun you two?" Wendy's head whipped around at the sound of Peter's voice.
"I didn't see you in school today and I was getting worried... So I came to ask Felix where you were," she explained uneasily, not sure why she felt the need to justify her being there.
"Well I'm glad you two are enjoying each other's company," Peter said plopping down next to Wendy. She blushed and looked down. How did he manage to make her feel guilty when she hadn't done anything wrong at all?
"So Peter where have you been all day?" Wendy asked angry at both herself and at him for making her feel this way.
"Not that it's any of your concern, Darling, but I had to take care of some things." Take care of some things? What did he and Felix just sit around thinking of new ways to be cryptic and "mysterious?"
"You're maddening you know that?" Wendy replied irritably.
"Yes, actually I do," Peter answered giving her that awful smirk she hadn't even realized she missed. What was happening to her?
"Are you alright Darling? You look troubled," Peter said watching her face.
"That depends. Do you actually care? Or are you just being patronizing?"
"Me? Patronizing?" Wendy just shot him a look.
"Well, yes. But never towards you Darling. No, no for you I have a special brand of humor." Wendy wanted to ask exactly what that was, but one look at the ridiculous smirk Peter was wearing told her she didn't want to know.
"You fascinate me Peter. You say you don't care about me, but you want to know what's troubling me. Isn't that a bit of a contradiction?" she asked feeling satisfied.
"Do not mistake my curiosity for concern, Darling," Peter warned, but there was a smile in his voice. Two could play at this game.
"Wouldn't dream of it Pan," Wendy replied sweetly. Peter looked at her taken a back for a second, and them smiled.
"Well played Darling," he congratulated sounding impressed.
"Thank you." Wendy giggled, a little impressed herself.
The other Lost Boys filed in soon after that begging Wendy for more stories. She knew she should be getting back to school before people started to notice her repeated absences, but they were so excited. She had no idea her storytelling ability was great enough to have an impact on anyone, but here they were begging to hear stories of princes, dragons, and adventures. Wendy smiled. A few stories couldn't hurt.
"Alright guys, that's the last story for today. Wendy bird has to get home," Peter said as the school day neared its end.
"So soon?" the Lost Boys asked sadly.
"Yes!" Peter snapped. Then more calmly, "You'll see her tomorrow." Wendy looked over at him confused. What was that for? Were they not allowed to be upset at her leaving?
"Don't worry guys; I'll be back with more stories tomorrow," Wendy promised. This seemed to placate them and the satisfied teen headed up the path away from her unlikely friends.
"You didn't have to be so hard on them you know," Wendy said once they were back at the school.
"I wasn't being hard on anyone. They don't have some claim on you. They can't just dictate when you come and go. I was simply trying to tell them that." Wendy didn't know whether to be flattered or worried.
"Why Peter is that jealousy I hear?" she asked genuinely surprised.
"Jealously? Why would I possibly be jealous of any of them?"
"Because I was paying them more attention than you?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Darling. Who you pay attention to does not concern me in any way."
Wendy grinned despite herself. "I think it does," she said smugly.
"I think you should get used to disappointment," Peter replied before pulling her close to him, "Besides, if I wanted your attention I'd have it."
Wendy froze in shock, her cheeks reddening. He knew he was right and she hated him for it. She hated even more that she couldn't bring herself to move. She knew she should, but there seemed to be a magnetic force between them preventing her from moving.
"M-My brothers will be here soon," was all she managed to say.
"You think your brothers scare me?" Peter asked smirking.
"No that's not what I'm saying at all. I just... I have to go."
"I suppose you do. Until tomorrow Darling," he said finally releasing her.
"Yeah. Tomorrow," Wendy said walking off and fighting the senseless urge to hurl herself back into his arms.
"There you are!" John called when she finally found them. Much to her surprise, they were exactly where she told them to meet her.
"I can't believe you guys actually listened to me," Wendy said still mildly in shock.
"It's because we trust you and respect you. Something that should go both ways," Michael said pointedly. Oh no.
"Look guys-" Wendy started to say, but John cut her off. "We saw you with him!"
"Can we please talk about this at home?" Wendy begged, not wanting to hash out family drama in the school parking lot.
"Fine. Let's go." Wendy sighed and trailed after he brothers towards home.
John and Michael wasted no time. As soon as they were in Wendy's room, they tore into her.
"What happened to staying away from him?" Michael demanded closing the door.
"Guys you don't understand. We were just talking-"
"First he's helping you find us , then you're 'just talking!' What's next?" John asked suspiciously.
"You guys are completely overreacting. It's nothing!" Wendy tried to tell them.
"No overreacting would be telling Mom and Dad," Michael calmly pointed out.
"You wouldn't do that would you?" Wendy asked. Both her brothers fell silent.
"John? Michael?" Wendy tried to search her brothers faces, but they wouldn't meet her eyes. She stared at them in disbelief. After all they'd been through they were just going to betray her like that?
"Out!" she shouted springing up. She was done trying to explain herself to these two. She was done with being told what she could do and who she could hangout with. And she was especially done with the fact that they were actually considering telling their parents. That was the number one rule of being siblings-you always covered for each other.
"Wendy, we're sorry. We just don't want to see you get hurt," John said, but she wasn't having any of it.
"I'm the oldest! I make my own damn decisions! Now out out OUT!" she shouted pushing them out of her room. She waited until they were gone to grab her bag. She wasn't running away exactly-it had only been one fight. She just needed to get away from her family for a little while. As quietly as she could, she opened the window, climbed down, and ran out into the street.
