this love is good, this love is bad [wenclair]

chapter 30.1: it feels like one of those nights

A/N: tried something new, hope i guys like it
also guess who's flopping math and latin 😍💅 might have to put this on pause again if i get another bad grade (study, it's good)

October 31, Friday

Alice's point of view

"NO!" she screamed out.
Two of the holes for the laces of Cascina's corset had just ripped open.
"No, no, no!"
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry..."
"No, no..."
"The outfit is awesome without it," I tried.
"Oh my fucking god, what am I going to do?! It starts in an hour—"
"AN HOUR?? I have to start prepping, I'm sorry, Cass."

~ ~ ~

five minutes earlier, Wednesday's point of view

"Please explain. WHY do you have AN IRON AND the table in your room??"
"Callate, and give me your shirt, Stan," I replied as I finished ironing the left leg of my pants. "Can you put this on my bed, thank you."
He placed his crumpled shirt on the ironing table before carefully taking my pants and laying them on my bed.
"And to answer your question, one always has to look neat."
He shrugged his shoulders in agreement.
"Not us pulling a Janice and Damian!" Stan laughed. "You know, how they go to prom together in Mean Girls?"
"Yes, I know," I sighed.
"Except you're actually into girls and not just queer-coded, and I am nothing near 100% gay," he added thoughtfully. "We have the spirit, though."
"Sure thing. Except I'm old school, and technically, you didn't ask me to go to the ball with you."
"I should've expected that from you."
He scraped his throat and got on one knee while I started to iron his shirt's sleeve.
"The fuck don't."
"Wednesday - whatever middle name I don't know about - Addams..." he started, ignoring me completely like always.
People weren't listening to me anymore. I was starting to lose my authority around here.
"... are you willing to platonically go to the extremely serious Halloween ball organized by our lovely school with me?"
While continuing to iron, I pushed him over with my shoe, which made him lose his balance.
"I don't do friends."
He was laughing on the ground.
"I give you a 4/10 for the effort, though."
He stayed on the ground, waiting for me to help him up. I normally wouldn't do it, but I got exasperated pretty quickly.
"You're so boyfriend-coded," he joked.
"I hope a meteor lands on you someday."
A loud scream came from next door.
"NO!"
"What's the time?"
"We have an hour left," Stan answered.
"I'll go check, you continue this, and please go shower," I ordered.

~ ~ ~

Enid's point of view

"Who's dying?!"
I had just sprinted upstairs and gotten into Alice and Cascina's room.
"Nothing," Alice said. "I just—"
"NOTHING?! You just fucking ruined my outfit!" Cascina shouted.
"Girl, it was an accident. I tried to help. I told you I'm sorry! I can't do more!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"What the hell do you expect from me?"
"I'm going back to my room," Wednesday said.
I didn't even notice she was there in the first place.
"No please stay," Cass asked. "You're really good at sewing, could you maybe—"
"No."
"Can I borrow your sewing kit then maybe?"
"Yoko has it," she replied, walking away.
"Now where the fuck is Yoko?!"
"No idea," Alice replied. "But I really have to change now."
"She's at Divina's, they're getting ready together. I can go get the kit if—"
"It's fine! I'll just completely get rid of the corset."
"You literally have the same one in a different color," Alice retorted, sticking her head out of the bathroom door.
"You don't get a saying in this, outfit vandalizer."
"I was just trying to help!"

~ ~ ~

Divina's point of view

"You look amazing," I smiled.
Yoko came closer and kissed me on the lips tentatively.
"Thank you."
"So now that we still have some time... what are we going to do?" I grinned.
"Well, I still gotta do my makeup."
"You're such a tease."
She laughed.
"I think you might have to stitch up the hem again," I said, pointing to the hem of her dress.
"Fuck, yeah. It's falling apart again. I knew I shouldn't have bought it secondhand!"
"Don't be silly, you spared yourself over two hundred dollars."
She nodded in agreement.
"Good thing I thought of bringing Wednesday's sew thingy," she commented.

~ ~ ~

Alice's point of view

"Don't push!" I exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, can I have the curler after you?" Stan asked.
I happened to be the only one on the whole floor to have a curling iron, so not only our dorm was using it, but also three other girls from another dorm. There was literally a waitlist. Everyone was fighting for that last-minute retouch. And of course, some tried to cut the line, like Stan.
"You'll wait like everyone else," I replied.
I was busy redefining some curls, but I didn't have that much work overall. I would be done in a second.
Another person came into the room. It was Wednesday. I could feel her presence.
"Can I use it real quick afterwards?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, her bangs aren't banging right now," Stan laughed.
I saw in the mirror how Wednesday thought about reinstating waterboarding for a hot second. I also saw how Stan was kind of right about the bangs.
"Yes, it's fine."
The other girls in the room all groaned, including Cascina.
"It's just for the bangs, right?" I made sure.
She nodded.
"She can't just cut like that!"
That was Cascina. I didn't even answer. I didn't like how she'd been with me earlier.
"Come on, Al'," she tried.
"You don't get to 'Al' me."

~~~

Stan's point of view

I grabbed the makeup palette and started applying some concealer to her neck.
"Don't. Back off."
"We have to be there in fifteen minutes, I was just trying to help," I said.
"There's nothing wrong with arriving fashionably late. And next time you come into my personal space, I will personally kill you, Stan."
I continued to cover up Wednesday's strangulation marks.
"Come on, Miercoles, not everything has to resume in death."
She grabbed my forearm to remove it.
"Everything eventually resumes in death."
I took my hand back and continued.
"Dark. Someone had a bad dream," I laughed.
"Not funny."
I knew that by shutting up and not asking questions, she would talk, eventually.
She might try to be all mysterious, but she stayed pretty easy to read.
"I swear it's like every night I discover another way of dying. And it's getting more and more realistic."
I tried to find a good answer.
"Well, at least, if you die tonight, your bangs look decent now."
The corners of her mouth almost lifted up.

I'll take that as a win.

~~~

Alice's point of view

"I don't think I'm doing the treasure hunt either," Enid said.
I turned away from the mirror to look directly at her.
Because our bathroom was so busy, I had gone downstairs to use Enid and Yoko's. It was way calmer there, and Enid was good company as always. I was doing my makeup.
"What? You said you'd come!" I didn't mean to make it sound like a reproach, but it did sound like one.
I kind of meant it like one, too.
"No, I said—"
"But you literally texted me yesterday that—"
"I'm sorry."
I sighed, looked back at my reflection, and applied some extra eyeshadow.
"It's fine."
She was still standing there, I might as well try to have some small talk.
"Any family coming to visit tomorrow?"
I saw her shake her head from the corner of my eye.
"Me neither. Chloe's pretty mad at our parents about that."
When they told her over a phone call, my sister cried. She wasn't adjusting well and really hoped they'd come.
"Me neither," I repeated to myself.
Before I could forget, I added, "While we're on the subject..."
Was it too much to ask for? No, and asking anyway couldn't hurt.
"Chloe isn't going to the treasure hunt thing either, so could you maybe— well, not babysit her but like—"
"Yeah basically babysit her," she finished. "Of course! No problem."
"Thanks."
Having someone you could count on felt nice.