BloodforInk: You've got that right! Haha.
"A little sage to banish the evil spirits!" Alice cried, launching into Betty's room without warning.
Betty paused writing in her journal, cringing at her mother's arrival. Though she'd long since been used to her mom coming into her room without so much as a knock, she found herself irritated by her quip at her new friends expense. Elena had been great and Cheryl had really made an effort to be friendly with her, making for one of the best times she'd had since Polly had been taken away. "Mom!" She protested.
"I'm not joking Betty!" Alice exclaimed, waving around her sage in perfect melodramatic fashion. "That family is pure evil! I'm wondering if the Blossoms didn't kill Jason themselves. Sacrificed him to some dark pagan god that they worship in that insane mansion of theirs. And what are you doing inviting Elena Lodge over? That family of hers is even worse then they are. Not to mention that psychotic roommate of hers."
"Mom Cheryl and Elena aren't their families and-" Betty inhaled a deep breath, opting to put aside this particular battle for the moment. "Mom does Polly know? About Jason?"
"I told her." Alice replied. The elder Cooper woman conveniently chose that moment to set aside the last of the sage, turning back around once she'd gathered herself, as well as her story a little better. "But half the time your sister doesn't even know what day it is."
"Mom why were you so against them being together?" Betty pressed, longing to retrieve even the tiniest of scraps about Polly from her mother.
"Many reasons. That family. Everything they touch it rots."
Betty rose to her feet, her heart racing a mile a minute. Now. Now was the time to ask. "Mom, I was thinking... Maybe it's time I go visit Polly."
Alice pulled Betty's hands into hers in record time, launching straight into diversion mode. "I am so proud of you for dealing with that dragoness and her little sidekick after they waltzed in here-"
"They didn't waltz in here Mom. I let Cheryl in of my own free will and did the same with Elena! She's my friend and Cheryl... Cheryl's not so bad. Elena's really been trying to get her to see the effect her words have on people."
"Oh please." Alice rolled her eyes. "Is she the patron saint of wayward Blossoms now, like Nell? What is it going to take Betty?!" She exclaimed, utterly incredulous at her continued association with these people. "Veronica? Archie? Cheryl? How many times are you going to let these people hurt you?"
"Until I learn my lesson Mom."
It was as her mother walked away, that Betty realised what she needed to do. She thought of all her years of loyal friendship with Archie, how kind Veronica had been in spite of everything that had happened, how Cheryl had extended a hand last night and of how Elena had made her feel a little less alone after losing Polly over the summer.
Betty pulled out her phone to message Elena, resolved in her decision. Walk me to school?
Betty got her reply from her only a minute later. Sure! Be there in ten!
"It hasn't changed a bit." Patrick remarked as he and Nell stepped into Pop's the following morning. A cheery smile on his face, he looped Nell's arm through his as they went went and found a free booth, all the while Patrick hummed a happy line tune under his breath.
"You're in a good mood." Nell remarked as they sat themselves down, a little surprised at his sudden jovial attitude. Last night he'd been mostly quiet after Cheryl had left, though he had made an effort with Elena despite his shitty mood, which she'd appreciated. Surprisingly though, when he'd gotten up with her that morning to go to Pop's with her for breakfast, it was as if a lightbulb had flicked on all of a sudden within him.
"I've got a plan Nell," he nodded to himself, still quiet but with a clear sense of determination within him. Patrick's shaky self from the previous night seemed to be receding, as the confidence of having something laid out before him took hold. "I'll annoy her into liking me again one way or another."
Nell couldn't help but snort at his wording, though she was soon distracted by the sight of a fast approaching Hermione. Nell perked up at once, poking Patrick repeatedly on the arm and forcing him to look up from the menu he'd grabbed as she pointed Hermione out to him. "Look! There's Elena's mom now." Nell waved as Hermione caught sight of them, smiling fondly as the other woman blinked in surprise.
"Hey!" Hermione greeted, the picture of nonchalance as she returned Nell's smile with a warm one of her own.
She looked so beautiful today. Of course she looked beautiful everyday, but today Hermione was doing a particularly good job of making Nell want to sit down and simply stare adoringly at her all day. She had seemingly hastily done up her hair in a ponytail, and little stray bits of hair were poking out which Nell longed to reach out for and tuck back in. A little bit of a red flush was forming on her cheeks, making her look adorably frazzled. That same restless ache she always felt around her pressed its hand up against Nell's chest, warm and all consuming as ever. Nell found herself fighting with all her might to maintain eye contact with Hermione, and to not turn to Patrick and gush about her.
"Hey," Nell beamed, hoping to god she didn't look as happy to see her as she felt. "You- um- You- Hey! Oh god I said that already."
Hermione merely chuckled at her nervousness, pulling out her pen to take their order. "Do you and um-" Hermione's eyes fell on Patrick, a questioning look on her face. To her credit Patrick thought she did an admirable job of acting like they'd never met before, finding the her fake ignorance almost believable. Ah the Lodges. If they weren't in the mafia they would make for amazing actors.
"Patrick. Patrick Blossom, my best friend and lifelong pain in my ass. Patrick this is Hermione Lodge." Nell introduced, none the wiser to the tension she'd just introduced to the room.
"Elena's mom, right?" Patrick pointed, extending his hand out to her. He fought back a smirk as she shook his hand, noting her barely concealed disdain for him peeking through momentarily. She'd never liked him he supposed, due to his connection to Hermosa. That and he'd been a Blossom living amongst the wolves. She'd always given him the evil eye when he'd worked for Hiram, and from the look of things that wasn't about to change any time soon. She must be loving this. "She's a sweet kid." Who he couldn't believe belonged to her and Hiram. Were their evil genes so strong that they had cancelled each other out when they'd had her?
"That's very kind of you." She replied, wearing a tightly wound smile that Patrick could only envision was from her imagining she had her hands wrapped around his throat. Once she was finished taking their orders, Hermione turned her attentions immediately back to Nell, seemingly resigned to the fact that if she couldn't set one of her capos on him she had to ignore him. Patrick took a second to stare down at the floor, a smile overtaking him. It wasn't often you had the upper hand over a Lodge, and he planned on savouring every single second of it.
"You know that furniture place you were telling me all about?" Hermione asked, confident as ever as she looked at Nell with that all too charming smile of hers.
Nell nodded, not sure exactly where this was going. "Yeah of course."
"Would you mind taking me some time? My living room is looking a little sparse, plus you did such a good job with your place I'd love your opinion."
Nell blinked in surprise, her mind working overtime to reboot itself. Had she just asked to spend time with her? One on one? "Sure!" She found herself saying before she could overthink it, a pleased smile erupting on Hermione's face. "Oh ah-" Nell motioned for Hermione to hand her her pen and pad, which she handed over without a fuss. "You can call me and we'll arrange a time." She offered, handing the items back to her.
"I will." Hermione agreed, a barely concealed chunk of amusement in her tone.
"Okay."
Nell was still smiling anxiously as Hermione headed back behind the counter, her fingers tapping erratically as it slowly dawned on her what she'd just done. Her continued silence made Patrick frown, as well as her refusal to meet his eyes.
Patrick peered over to where Hermione was hanging up their order, retracting his head a second later to assess Nell's face.
She still wasn't looking at him.
"OH. MY GOD."
Nell squirmed guiltily, gesturing frantically for him to keep his voice down. "SHUSH!"
"YOU-" Patrick checked himself, lowering his voice considerably along with his head. "She's your straight lady crush?! Nell!"
Nell cringed, burying her face in her hands. "I know!"
"Your teenage roommate's mother. Your married teenage roommate's mother." He surmised, shaking his head to himself. Not to mention a full on mafia wife. He had to spell this out for her in a way that didn't land him into shit. If she was interested, Patrick wasn't about to let her drag Nell into Hiram's crosshairs. "That's a bad idea. A very, very, very bad idea!"
"Uh weren't you the one that said they could be separated?" Nell protested, emerging from her hands. "MAyBe yOu caN bE THe sOMethIng nEw!"
Patrick waved off her words. "I was younger, more naive then! I mean I know you like Elena, but trying to become her stepmom is a little too much."
"Shut the fuck up." Nell grumbled with a half-hearted glare, kicking the snickering Patrick under the table.
"OW! What are you wearing soccer boots under there?" Patrick swore, rubbing at his now throbbing shin. "Look this is all hypothetical, right?"
"Right."
"I mean, what are we even arguing over? She's straight." Patrick shrugged. "And even if she wasn't that'd be way too much drama, right?" He couldn't worry about both Cheryl and Nell potentially getting involved with someone like Hermione Lodge. No way. He'd steer her clear of this particular landmine.
"Totally. I can handle a nice, friendly shopping trip. No issue whatsoever. Totally platonic. Why are you so bothered anyway?" Nell queried.
"I just think you can do better than someone with as many strings attached as her." He replied, putting on an unaffected air, that Nell seemed to thankfully buy. Really though, do they make that much string?
Hermione briefly returned soon after with their food, with Nell squeaking out her thank you and Patrick getting himself put on a hitlist somewhere when he promised her a big tip. However just as the pair were beginning to finish up with their breakfasts, they spotted at the same time an all too familiar redheaded pair marching into the diner in search of someone. Patrick inhaled a deep, steadying breath as he took in the first sight of his parents in years. Something told him they hadn't suddenly developed a craving for Pop's cooking.
Nell shot him a look of concern. As his best friend, she knew his history with them better than anyone. If this got ugly, she was ready and willing to rip off that wig of Clifford's and shove it down his throat. "Are you-"
Patrick flashed her a reassuring smile, giving her a nod. He was okay. He'd been prepared for this when he'd decided to come back. But he was grateful to have his best friend by his side for this particular battle. "I'm good. In fact, I'm glad they're here." Patrick poked his head out of the booth, grinning and waving as Penelope and Clifford caught sight of him from their place by the door. Some things never changed. His mother looked permanently annoyed and his father had fume pouring out of his head at the sight of him. Ahhhh it was good to be back.
Patrick popped his head back into the booth, his shit-eating grin still affixed to his face. "I think they saw me."
Nell's whole face filled with distaste as the implications of his words truly hit her. God she hated seeing the vampires out in the wild. "I should have ordered some garlic."
"There, there." Patrick cooed, patting Nell mockingly on the hand. "I'll get rid of them."
"My, my, my look what the cat dragged in." His mother remarked, her tone just as smarmy as he remembered. "What are you doing here Patrick?"
"Hold on-" Patrick held up a finger to them as he took a big swig of his coffee, letting himself savour the taste for a few seconds before finally swallowing. He retracted his finger. "Okay go."
"Still just as childish I see." Clifford observed, barely able to contain his sneer.
"Well I don't know Cliff, are we talking about my attitude or your mother's choice in brides?" Patrick pondered, his grin increasing tenfold as his father's anger increased.
"Watch it-"
"Or what?" Patrick blinked, his face a perfectly neutral palette. "We're in public and I can hit back now. Plus Nell's a biter." Nell nodded along in solidarity.
"If you think after what happened to Jason, we'll allow for you to scheme your way back into the family fold- You're sorely mistaken." His mother spat, eyes filled with pain. The sight wasn't surprising to Patrick. Jase had always been her favourite, the golden child. Even though Patrick could recall at least ten different instances off the top of his head, where he remembered Jason complaining to him about about how much of a control freak she was. He hadn't been as fond of her as she had been of him. Though he had nothing to go off of, Patrick didn't suppose that had changed much as he went into teenagehood.
Patrick redirected his thoughts elsewhere, a technique he'd been deploying quite a lot lately since he'd gotten the news. He couldn't let himself think about it. If he did he he'd drown in the guilt and all the what ifs. And really, did he have any right to mourn him? Get it together. He had to be brave for his sister and not let his emotions rule him. The first step in getting Cheryl back was for her to see he wasn't afraid of their parents.
Patrick's nose furrowed at her words, finding himself rather shocked that his eyes could even roll back that far. "Get back into the family- Jesus you two think the world of yourselves. Why does everybody think I'm a master schemer?!" Patrick exclaimed, more to himself than the people around him. "I'm only a half decent liar, I'm terrible at math and quite frankly-" Patrick crossed his arms, kicking his feet up on to the seat next to Nell. "-I hate maple syrup! Wow!" He clutched his chest, shaking his head to himself. "God that feels so much better off my chest!"
"What. Do. You. Want?" Penelope seethed.
"So glad you asked Pen!" Patrick straightened up at once, his hands on the table. "I'm here for Cheryl."
"Cheryl?" Patrick just barely resisted the urge to throw something at them both for the immediate distaste in their voices.
"Yes CHeRYl." Nell mocked, her face crinkling with disgust. "She just lost her twin. The girl's hanging on by a thread and you two couldn't give a rat's ass."
"Quiet trailer trash." Penelope snapped.
"Ooooo never heard that one before." Nell snorted, mildly disappointed.
"Do drop the caring brother act Patrick, Cheryl despises you." Patrick swallowed the lump in his throat that his mother's words caused. "Who do you think told us of your return?"
"Woooow." Patrick sighed in faux disappointment. He couldn't blame her. "What a nark. Even so, I think she should have an adult in her life that doesn't want to marry her off to the nearest cousin."
"We know who you married." Clifford informed him, in what Patrick supposed was supposed to be an ominous voice.
"Well we did announce it in the paper." Patrick remarked, his tone dripping with condescension.
"It truly cemented the betrayal."
"Ah well," Patrick shrugged in resignation, "I figured you guys wouldn't approve. Being as we're not related and all."
"Keep clear of the company, as well as Cheryl." Penelope warned, her gaze unflinching as the two of them began to walk away. Her gaze fell on Nell momentarily, before returning to her only surviving son. "We still have ways of keeping you in line."
Patrick chuckled at the threat, his shoulders shaking. God, were they even trying? "I could say the same. You let him lay a finger on Cheryl and everything I found gets uploaded to the internet."
"Including all the pictures I took of your Sisters file." Nell interjected, a brief look of surprise flickering on Penelope's face. If Penelope Blossom had been anyone else, she would have reached out, tried to connect with her over their shared history with the sisters. But she'd stood by and let her best friend be punched and kicked and beaten within an inch of his life. Nell was sorry for what had happened to her, but it was no excuse for all she'd gone on to do. That was what Nell told herself, as she rose to the occasion to back up her friend all while ignoring the pit in her stomach as she did so. "Let Clifford try expanding nationally with something like that on the family reputation."
"It pays to be an ally." Patrick gushed, without a hint of shame in his voice.
With seemingly no more witty retorts, Penelope and Clifford scurried out of the diner just as fast as they'd entered it. Nell silently noted the audience they'd garnered, most of whom were craning their necks to stare at them. Patrick proceeded to wave like the Queen at the spectators, making Nell look down at her empty plate both out of embarrassment as well as shame.
Patrick caught sight of the conflicted look on her face, stopping at once. "Nell don't."
"I feel crummy." Nell said, remorse colouring her tone.
"If your positions were reversed she'd have done the same to you, without a bit of guilt." He reminded her, shifting her own cup of coffee closer to her to drink. "Get some coffee in you. And revel! They're clearly in the crapper if they're that bothered by my being here."
"Okay, okay." Nell conceded, sipping at her coffee. "But what if they go after you?"
"I'm formulating a few retaliation options should that be the case." Patrick smirked, in a deeply smug way that told Nell that his parents should be far more worried than they were. "I did some research on the plane."
"Do I wanna know?"
Patrick shook his head. "Ignorance is bliss my friend."
For the cheap rented office space that it was, Cheryl had to admit that Hermosa had done a nice job of making the space her own. It was a dark academia lover's dream space. Antique furniture, wooden bookshelves, a globe and even a portrait of herself hung above the desk she was sat across. Clearly this business of hers paid well. She supposed Riverdale had more cheating spouses than she realised.
She clasped her hands together as Hermosa sat down in her chair, eager to get the investigation going as soon as possible. "So Cheryl, you said on the phone you'd like for me to look into someone?"
"Yes." Cheryl confirmed with a nod. "My two-faced schemer of an older brother Patrick."
Hermosa blinked in surprise, only just forcing back the shocked laugh that threatened to erupt from her throat. This was too good. "Oh? And what is it exactly about him you want me to look into?"
"Everything, duh! What's he been up to all these years? What black hats and wrong-doers has he been befriending? Why has he suddenly returned to town, acting like a lost puppy who wants to be my chum all of a sudden!? I mean the oversized, positively Gigantes-esque nerve- There's got to be some sort of dirt on him out there that I can use to banish him once and for all from my life. Patrick was never that bright, he wouldn't think to cover his tracks! So help me God, I won't let him intrude upon my life any further, if my name isn't Cheryl Marjorie Blossom!" Cheryl released a breath, clutching both of her fists tightly. "Do you think you could do all that?"
"I don't see why not." Hermosa smiled. "You have the cheque?"
"Of course." Cheryl handed it over, trying her best to ignore the uneasy sensation in her stomach. She was right about him. She had to be. All she needed was for Hermosa to give her the confirmation.
Once Hermosa had looked over the cheque and had her sign everything she needed to, Cheryl extended her hand for her to shake. "How about a report in a weeks time?" Cheryl asked. "Would that be sufficient enough time for you to do your job?"
"Oh don't worry," Hermosa assured her, a hint of amusement in her tone, "that should be more than enough."
"Wow." Elena blew out a breath, as Betty finished recounting her early morning conversation with her mother. "She is-" Elena stopped herself from using a particularly bad word as a teacher walked past them in the halls. "She is absolutely coming back as a dung beetle in her next life."
Noting the sombre look on her face, Elena sighed as she wrapped an arm around Betty. This was comforting right? She was being friendly. She took some deep breaths, the tenseness in her shoulder relaxing somewhat. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. "Want me to set Nell on her?"
Betty's lip quirked up at that, making Elena's heart soar. "What's her problem with my mom, anyway? Not that I blame her."
Elena retrieved her arm, thankful to have it back at her side. "Nell didn't take too kindly to some of your mother's reporting on her college, and apparently they've been beefing ever since."
"Wow."
"Yeah," Elena acknowledged, "Nell may be a hyper feminine softie but she knows how to hold a grudge. Have you ever seen a Nell v Alice showdown? They're epic." Betty shook her head, her amusement clear on her face. "Ohhhhh you have to! It's a beautiful thing! WWE wrestlers watch and take notes."
"They're that bad?" Betty laughed.
"At last years fair Nell threatened to drop kick her into the lake," Elena chortled, making Betty do so along with her. "It was amazing! If they cross paths at Taste of Riverdale I'll have to video it."
The pair came to a halt outside the AV Club's designated room, Elena's heart pounding furiously. How did people do this? Just walk into unfamiliar rooms and not obsess over how they were coming across? She'd Googled and watched about half a dozen YouTube videos the night before, but it had all really boiled down to one thing: jumping into the deep end. She couldn't find more people to hang out with if she didn't try, right? So what exactly was it that was fuelling this fear of hers?
You'll get attached. You'll do something to piss them off. Then they'll leave you. It was always going to circle back to her father, wasn't it?
Fuck him. You pulled yourself back up without any help from him. What reason do any of the non awful people in your life have to dump you? Elena fought back on the barrage of negative thoughts, her body slowly but surely releasing the tension held within. If they still hate you even when you're nice and listen and do everything you're supposed to do, then you don't need people like that in your life.
"Meet you next period?" Betty asked, an unspoken question following. Do you need me to go in with you?
"Save me a seat." Elena nodded reassuringly, waving the blonde goodbye as she headed down the hall.
Okay let's go. Elena squared her shoulders and opened the door to the room, her heart pounding furiously as she made her way inside. She spied Ms Grundy at her desk immediately, the teacher looking up as she came to meet her at her desk. "Elena!" She greeted, a small smile of pleasant surprise on her usually neutral face. "You're here!"
"I am." Elena gave her a wave she instantly regretted, pulling her hand down and resting it atop her shoulder bag. Bah! She cringed, trying not to think about it.
"Well let me introduce you to everyone." She rose from her seat, gesturing for Elena to follow her. At the back of the room Elena spied three figures all crowded around one desk, seemingly enraptured by whatever it was that they were studying. As they drew closer Elena could see an overflowing box of various old speakers and microphones placed by what looked like Dilton's foot, as well as about half a dozen tangled up wires that were threatening to spill out and trip someone up.
Sensing their lack of awareness, Ms Grundy cleared her throat to gather the group's attention. Dilton, Ben and Ethel jumped to attention, startled by the sound. "Good to see you all hard at work! You're all familiar with Elena, I presume?" All three of them nodded in response, Ben a blank slate, Ethel smiling a tad shyly and Dilton offering her a goofy tip of his scout hat that made her smile in spite of her nerves. Was it just her or was he always dressed in his uniform?
"Elena you know Dilton of course, and this is Ben Button and Ethel Muggs." The three of them murmured hello to her, all clearly feeling just as awkward as she did. "Elena's going to be joining you! I trust you'll all make her feel welcome." Ms Grundy gave her an encouraging nod, as if to say she was just across the room if she needed her. Elena nodded back, grateful and rather comforted by the gesture. The teacher made her way back down to her desk, leaving her alone with the trio.
Dilton took a step forward, hands behind her back as he assessed her. Elena had the feeling her motives for being there were being thoroughly pondered if the looks the other two were shooting her were anything to go by. "You're not typically one for social engagements."
"I'm branching out." Elena shrugged, bracing herself as she just slightly opened up the tightly sealed vault that contained her feelings. "I'm trying to be more social and people-y and you guys seem nice. Plus I loved going to the AV club back at my old school so..." Elena did her best to feign indifference, plastering on the most friendly smile she could muster. She hoped it said approachable and potential friend-like, though she suspected she looked a little demented. Oh god. Was she showing too much teeth? Elena lessened the intensity of the smile. There. That was better.
"You're not like... Here to scope out the nerds so all the jocks can pull a Carrie on us, are you?" Ethel asked, a hint of anxiety poking to the surface. Elena's face fell, as she took in the barely veiled fear in their faces. High school hadn't been kind to them, that much was certain.
Elena stared back in sympathy, her hand creeping upwards to her bag strap for something solid to grip. "No! No way! I know I'm friends with Cheryl and she hasn't exactly cultivated the nicest reputation at school-" Ben let out a snort at that. "-but I know she would never go that far. And neither would I. That's- That's evil. I was bullied. While it doesn't exactly do wonders for your self-esteem it does however leave you with an abundance of empathy."
Dilton hadn't spoken for a while, his face etched into careful consideration. Ben was frowning, whether he was listening or didn't believe her, Elena couldn't really tell. He had one of those default neutral faces like her Mom, that were impossible for her to get a half decent read on. Ethel however, seemed to take her words to heart. "You? You were bullied?"
"Donna Sweett was the ringleader's name. Her and her friends spent my first go around freshman year making my life hell." Elena found herself saying, much to her surprise. She hadn't spoken all that much about it since giving Cheryl, Toni and Nell the headlines, but it'd certainly made a dent in her confidence. For whatever reason she'd pissed Donna off for just not fitting in, breathing, or deigning to exist at the same time as her. Her and her friends had sensed she wasn't one for fighting back, and so they'd set their teeth in her, ripping her apart piece by piece. Everything from the way she styled her hair to the way she walked was fair game, and they had slowly but surely upped their twisted little game from teasing, to name calling, to tripping, pushing and shoving and eventually cyber bullying. Elena didn't like to remember the specifics, as sharp, ghostlike pains seemed to writhe and twist in her heart whenever something called her back to that horrible place. But one day, a combination of dealing with Donna, losing her grandparents, everything that had happened at that horrible party of Elio's and the loss of his friendship and the numb feeling all of these events had brought about, had led to her finally finding the power to fight back, one last spurt of anger spurring her on. Donna had tripped her whilst she'd been walking by her desk, giggling at the sight of her teary-eyed on the floor like the sociopathic little bitch she was. So Elena had rose to her feet and gathered herself, smoothed out her school uniform, grabbed Donna by the ponytail and had smacked her face first into the wall. The last time she'd seen Donna, blood had been gushing from her nose like a waterfall, and Elena would have bet money that she'd get some decent facial bruising to boot. She could remember laughing as she'd been ordered to the Principal's office for the first time in her whole academic career, oddly at peace with it all. Her parents had been called, and to their credit they'd fought for her, getting her sentence reduced down to a suspension. Like the issue wrecked weirdos that they were, they'd been pretty proud of her actions. But Elena had been at a knife's edge for the second time that year. So that weekend, when her Mom and Veronica were gone, Elena had opted to tell her father everything. Right down to the last awful detail. She'd gotten as far as her grades and not wanting to go back, before he'd blown the remaining tatters of life to smithereens.
"What I'm trying to say, is that I just want to get through high school without any crap and some people to talk to. That's it." Elena sighed, making her peace. "And I imagine you guys feel the same."
Dilton broke the silence by shifting aside, nodding for her to come join them. Though she might have been mistaken, Elena thought she saw something akin to respect in his eyes. "Come Lodge, I'm interested in your take on this."
Elena dumped her bag with the others, closing the gap between Dilton and Ethel. She looked down at the table to find a speaker laid out on the surface. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's dead." Ben explained, poking it with a finger. "We're trying to get it fixed for the drama club, without it the stage is down a speaker."
"What happened to it?" Elena frowned, glancing at the mish-mash of wires that were protruding from it.
"Reggie Mantle."
"Ah say no more." Elena nodded, pursing her lips as she looked the item over. She reached a hand out, glancing between the three of them. "Can I?"
All three gave their consent, and Elena set off to work putting the speaker to rights. She looked up occasionally to see the three friends watching her closely, so much so that Elena got the sense that this was some kind of test. She briefly paused to grab an AVO meter from the group's box of various nick knacks, her mind otherwise occupied from thinking about how she was coming across to the others. She couldn't help but smile as she reached the end, the group jumping in surprise as the speaker roared back to life. She'd missed this.
"It's alllllive!" Elena cried after a moment of silence, displaying her finest jazz hands. Should she have done that? Jokes were supposed to be a good way to break tension, at least that was what her Google search last night had said.
Ethel was the first to break, letting out a light little laugh that made Elena whole being soar with relief. "Wow! You're good." Ben displayed no indication that he was impressed or unimpressed, but Dilton merely offered a polite nod of respect.
Elena flushed at the compliment, finding herself unable to meet Ethel's eyes. How did people respond to nice comments again? "Thanks."
Ben -face still as blank as ever- raised a single, questioning eyebrow. "How do you know how to do stuff like that? You don't seem the type."
Despite her anxiety, Elena couldn't help but pull a face at that. She crinkled her nose, tilting her head at him. "What's my type?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "The kind that blasts folk music and writes poetry in their spare time."
Elena laughed at that, pulling up a chair to sit down in. "I look like I write poetry?" Her shoulders shook as she rubbed at the ache that had formed in her neck, a side effect that often came if she bent it for too long.
"You're not?" Ethel stated, smiling along with her as the others followed suit and sat themselves down.
"God no!" Elena shook her head. "Let's just say my attempts in class made Emily Dickinson roll in her grave. Though I am partial to some Joni Mitchell, I will admit." Elena propped the speaker back up, patting it gently on the top before turning to the rest of the group. "So what else have you guys got?"
The four of them quietly worked in tandem for a while, pulling out a few items that needed tending to or ones that were acting up but they couldn't figure out the cause. Elena offered her opinion here and there, but was mostly happy to listen and watch as the others went through their various processes. Despite how quiet they were being they seemed happy enough to let her participate, which Elena supposed was a win in her column. Most of the time she had spent around other people her age were with extroverts, so every time her brain generated a new thing to fixate on about how she'd definitely done something wrong, Elena had to knock it down with the reminder that they were like her. Everyone couldn't pour their hearts out all the time. Sometimes you had to scrape and chisel at someone's outer layer to get to the human being at their core.
As Dilton pulled out his laptop to show them how far along in the editing process he was with a video for the school's website, Elena's eyes caught on one of the pins attached to Ethel's sweater. She audibly gasped, pointing at the pin in question, which was of a Tardis. "Doctor Who fan?"
Both Ethel and Ben's faces transformed with delight, both lighting up at her question. "Yeah!" Ethel grinned. "You too?"
"Only my entire life!" Elena squealed excitedly. Was this really happening? She only ever got to fantasize about scenarios like this. "I've never met anyone outside of Tumblr who watches it."
"We do watch parties all the time." Ben replied, "What did you think of David Bradley showing up as One?"
"I was kind of iffy at first, but I figure if you're going to re-cast get someone as good as him." Elena reasoned. "God I'm gonna miss Peter Capaldi."
Much to Elena's surprise, she found Ben nodding along in agreement with her. "He's my favourite so far."
"Mine's still Ten." Ethel smiled, a dreamy look in her eyes as she settled her face in her hands.
"What a shock." Ben snorted, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "You should have seen her face when he came back for the 50th, people in Australia could hear her screaming."
"I wasn't screaming, I was just-" Ethel struggled for words, making Elena's grin increase tenfold. "-expressing my passion."
"You were screaming." Dilton retorted in perfect deadpan, his eyes still on the laptop screen as it began to load up the home screen. "She still can't watch The End of Time without ugly crying. She's positively obsessed."
"Don't listen to him, I still can't watch Doomsday to this day without getting gut punched." Elena assured her, causing Ethel to smile.
"Eh." Dilton pulled a face. "I wasn't particularly sad. The romance brought the show down." Ben made a noise of agreement.
Elena spared a glance at Ethel, who let out an identical sound of outrage at the comment. "It humanized him to the audience!"
"He's an alien!"
The four of them then launched into a debate about the pros and cons of each various romantic ships within the show, with them all eventually coming to the agreement that Amy and Rory would forever be the standard against which everything else should be measured. As they offered some feedback to Dilton, the four of then simultaneously moved on to discuss Star Wars, Star Trek and the MCU (Elena was the sole member of Team Cap on the table), before the sound of the bell ringing broke them out of their impassioned discussions.
"That was cool." Ben remarked, as the four of them began to gather their things. He was nothing if not a man of few words.
Elena had to agree with him. How long had it been since she'd sat down with people her age, and talked endlessly about all the geeky things that she loved and they loved in turn? She felt as though someone had lit a fire beneath her, and now her entire body was glowing, sparkling like a firecracker with her newly obtained energy. She felt... Good. Really good. Was this what being an extrovert felt like all the time? No wonder Cheryl did all those extracurriculars. Having people you felt safe around, who you didn't feel were judging you and who you could ramble to excitedly about anything and everything was awesome.
The first to leave, Ben gave them all a brief wave before heading out the door to join the throng of students already walking to class outside. Elena felt a stab of worry in her chest. Oh god, had she talked too much? Had he been dying to get away from her?
Ethel caught the look on her face, a gentle expression forming that made Elena's fingers unclench from their place on her bag strap. "Hey don't worry, Ben's just... Ben. I thought he didn't like me at first, but it turns out he just finds it a lot, you know, to be around new people."
"Oh." The spike of panic that had been threatening to pierce her chest melted at once. "Is it bad, me coming? I don't wanna make him feel-"
"No, no way!" Ethel shook her head. "You have to come again, today was so much fun!" She exclaimed, nudging her briefly in the side. "It was great finally having another girl!"
"Oh- I- Thanks!" Elena smiled. "For having me, I mean. You were all so nice."
"No problem. Elena should come next time, right Dilton?" Ethel called to the boy, who was only just coming to join them.
Dilton nodded, shouldering his bag. "You bring a new voice, a new expertise to our group Lodge. I'd be happy to battle whatever challenge the administration throws at us with you by our side." And with that, Dilton left the room without so much as a backwards glance.
Elena turned to Ethel, her brows raised. "I think that was Dilton for, yeah sure."
"I think it was." Ethel agreed, turning to go. "I'll see you next period. We've got history together, don't we?"
"We do." Elena recalled, "back row by the window usually, right? If I get in early enough I'll grab a seat by you." Elena let the offer hang in the air, willing herself not to shrivel up into a ball and run from the other girl like she was Speedy Gonzales. What if she said no? She could never look her in the face again. They didn't have a ton of classes together, maybe if she got in and out of each class before Ethel they could avoid awkward run-ins and-
"Yeah that'd be great!" Ethel replied, clearly surprised by her words but enthusiastic all the same. "I'll urm-" Ethel shuffled awkwardly, anxiety clouding her expression. "I'll see you then!" She finally squeaked, before launching out of the room before Elena could even formulate a response.
Elena smiled, shaking her head to herself. It was nice to know that maybe someone was just as much as a worry-wart as she was. Now she had to think about what she was going to say to Ethel in class.
Elena paused in the doorway as she glanced at Ms Grundy, who looked up from her desk briefly who give her a thumbs up, before returning back to her work at once.
Elena nodded to herself as she left the room, pride rushing though her veins in a rush. Out of her Howard Hughes era, for sure.