Tobey didn't know what to do. For the past 24 hours, Fiend's sudden resurfacing had consumed his whole world. The grainy, indecipherable voice he'd come to know so well rang like echoes from a distant past in his ear. Only, this time, he didn't welcome it. He found it cold, calculating, and hellishly wicked. It taunted him, mocking his inability as a villain and, seemingly, his abilities as a hero. Seeds of doubt that had been planted from the minute he started working for WordGirl were rapidly germinating with the food Fiend was giving them. Tobey had to mentally smack himself once or twice just to keep his sanity intact.

Arriving at school the following day was extremely difficult. Though Becky was now aware of how far Fiend was willing to go, she still didn't understand their true nature. Tobey had witnessed it firsthand. He'd seen the blood that was shed upon Fiend's orders. Each time, the desperate look in the victim's eyes had punished his soul more and more. While he had never been told to directly murder someone, he'd seen the different villains heading out on their missions. These were always shown to their EVA chapter headquarters via a livestream. Tobey saw knives plunge into chests, guns shoot through heads, and he heard the cries for mercy.

So it came as no surprise to him that he couldn't control his body that morning. Opening his locker was a rather insurmountable task. His hands were shaking so badly that an earthquake couldn't have stopped them. He wouldn't have noticed, anyway. His mind was full of piles of cassette tapes, Fiend's preferred method of communication. This time, they'd made an exception just to get to WordGirl directly. Another thing Tobey remembered was Fiend's venomous curses sent in Becky's direction. The sweet, tough, heroic figure he'd come to cherish so deeply was in grave danger. Though he knew she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, that didn't stop him from having visions of a blood soaked WordGirl begging for her life.

"Tobey!" Her voice suddenly broke in.

"Ah! Becky!" He yelped.

"Hey, what's with you? I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!"

"Sorry," he said, "I've just…got a ton on my mind right now."

"Yeah, that goes without saying," Becky said. "Is it…Fiend?"

Tobey nodded. "I'm so scared of what they're gonna do if they get their hands on you, Becky."

"Tobey, I hate to sound nonchalant, but if we can beat other villains, then we can beat Fiend."

"Ah?" The ever present Bob chirped questioningly.

"Oh, well, when someone is nonchalant, that means that they aren't really taking things seriously. For instance, whenever we defeat Amazing Rope Guy, we're somewhat nonchalant because he's not the most…erm…challenging villain in the world."

"Don't get too cocky, Becky," Tobey said. "Beating villains like Amazing Rope Guy, Granny May, and The Butcher is one thing. Defeating Fiend? That's a different story."

"Maybe," Becky said, "I just don't want to develop an atmosphere of doubt, that's all."

While Tobey pondered this notion, he was suddenly struck out of nowhere by a ball of blond hair, purple clothes, and bright blue eyes. He felt a pair of arms encircle him tightly as a soft, yet very familiar voice squealed in his ear. The moment was over in a split second, yet it felt as if an eternity had gone by before he was able to collect himself. Unfortunately, the ball had yet to relinquish its grasp, making it difficult for him to return to a somewhat normal position.

"Violet, what the hell?!" He gasped when he recognized just who it was that had attacked him.

"EEEEEEEEE!" Came the response.

"Um…what?" Becky asked in complete confusion.

"Okay, okay, okay," Tobey said, finally managing to wrestle Violet away from him. "I get that something's happened and you're super excited to see me. Just calm down and explain yourself."

"Oh, I shouldn't have to explain anything," Violet sang, "…TOBS"

"Tobs?!" Becky asked, even more confused than before.

"Yes, Tobs," Violet said. "My new special nickname for my new special man."

Tobey suddenly realized what this was all about and blushed deeply. "Uh, Vi, could I see you in private, please?"

"Anything…TOBS," Violet said, batting her eyes.

"We'll…be right back, Becky," Tobey said.

He grabbed Violet by the hand and led her around to a more confidential space beside one of the lockers. Once there, he took a moment to assess the situation. He knew that, somehow, someway, Violet had gotten hold of the idea that he had feelings for her. His mother had, apparently, made good on her word. The only thing he didn't know was just how Violet had managed to hear something about it. After all, if his mother were pulling strings, she and Violet's mother would want to keep things hushed…wouldn't they?

"Violet, what the hell is this? Three months ago, you wanted to take my head off! Now you're coming up with nicknames for me?" Tobey whispered harshly.

"Oh, Tobey," Violet said, coyly straightening his bow tie. "You don't have to play dumb with me. Mom told me everything…and I'm expected at your house this evening."

Tobey swore he heard glass shatter somewhere. "Um…I'm sorry, I must have had something lodged in my ear. What was that?"

Violet smiled and narrowed her eyes. "I said…I'm expected…at your house…tonight."

"Yeah, that's what I thought you said," Tobey responded, feeling his cheeks go even more flush than before.

Violet giggled. "I can see you're interested, considering the rather fetching shade of red on your face. As for me, I look forward to tonight's events with great gusto…Tobs."

Tobey chuckled awkwardly. "Um…well…what about Scoops? Didn't you two have…you know…a thing?"

"Oh, he's old news," Violet said. "Besides, you're the one who set this whole thing up. My mom said that your mom said that you liked me. Don't be embarrassed, Tobey. It just means you're maturing…in fact, we're both maturing."

The tone in her voice when she said that made Tobey break out in a cold sweat. It was one of those vocal cues that girls gave whenever they were seriously interested in someone. He'd seen enough cheesy romance movies to know that. The depth of Violet's voice, pitch shifted somewhere in the middle so that an emphasis was placed on the word "both" spoke to him in so many ways. She was coming over that night…and it didn't appear that she would be leaving until she got everything she thought was coming.