Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was July 18th, and my god, was Teresa bored. The pile of comic books on the bookshelf had been memorized, their pages marked with fingerprints. Teresa, or Teri as some people called her, was a well-known nerd in her town. She had won the town science fair twice, first when she was 12 and again when she was 14. The awards for these victories were hung on the wall above her bed. She'd also gotten a perfect score in bowling once when she was 13, and received a $100 dollar certificate for Waffle House as a prize. The last and most impressive of her achievements, as Teresa believed, was how it only took her 6 years to read all 2,000 sci-fi books at the Memphis Public Library. This was a city record, apparently.

All of the glory and local fame she had from these achievements would've kept the most insatiable snobs content. Teresa, however, was different. She'd grown bored of her hometown, even with its clean streets and beautiful views of the Mississippi River. She'd seen it all before, and over time, Memphis had lost the magic she saw in it when she was younger. It was high time for a change. 

Of course, she couldn’t make a big change yet, especially not with $86 to her name. That was only enough to buy a few t-shirts at Hot Topic, and maybe a couple bracelets if she were lucky. Teresa already went to Hot Topic biweekly when going to the mall with her cousins, and she already owned myriad bracelets made by her own two hands. Teresa thought, What is one thing I’ve never done? The first thing she thought of was painting her nails, so she decided to do that. The plan was nearly flawless, except for one crucial factor: Teresa owned no nail polish.

She couldn’t go shopping, of course. The mall was too far from her house to walk or bike, and Teresa didn’t entirely feel like asking for a ride. That left only one option: to borrow some from her sister, Becky. She worked at the elementary school closest to their house as a janitor. This meant she’d surely be home, unless, of course, she had gone bowling with her friends. The sisters loved each other despite their feuds, and Becky didn’t mind lending Teresa things in times of need.

Becky was studying herself in the pink, cat-shaped, post-it covered mirror she owned when her sister stepped into the room. Teresa almost flinched because the room was so brightly colored, with magenta walls and purple lighting. There was also a fluffy pink blanket on Becky’s bed that she wouldn’t let anyone else touch. Teresa couldn’t fathom why, but she assumed it was because of the eating disorder Becky had suffered during her teenage years. She wanted badly to ask if it was true, but she knew that it would take hours to get through Becky's defenses. She only needed one thing, anyway: nail polish. 

“Becky,” Teresa said to no avail. “Becky!”  Still nothing. Teresa sighed, knowing she’d have to use Becky’s full name to get her attention. This wasn’t too uncommon. She shot Becky her usual childish yet obviously pissed glare, saying Becky’s name in full through gritted teeth. 

“Beckett."

“Geez Teri, you could kill an angel with that voice,” was Becky’s reply as she turned around to look at her little sister. “Anyways, whatchu want?”

”Can I look at your nail polish? Also, why do you talk like that?” 

“Yes, and because it’s the way popular girls talk. You should talk like this if you wanna be popular,” Becky replied as she flopped down on her bed. “Never. Also, thank you!” Teresa said this as she grabbed a bottle and left.

Teresa returned to her room a few minutes later, heaving a sigh of relief at the duskier surroundings. The walls were stone grey and there were Marvel and DC posters everywhere. Many green things could be found, like glow-in-the-dark galaxy stickers and a fuzzy green blanket. Teresa sat down on her fuzzy, green bean bag chair, and held her hands out in front of her. Her nails had been bitten down until they barely extended beyond her fingertips, but they’d have to do. Maybe she'd repaint them when they regrew. 

After about 5 minutes, she was done. Not feeling the need to paint her toenails (she didn’t own any sandals), she put the polish on her dresser. She’d return it later. Maybe. She didn’t know, unlike so many things where she was nearly an expert.

Teresa may have been a top student at her school and aspiring scientist, but she wasn’t a fashionable girl. Her wardrobe consisted mainly of graphic tees, sweaters, Bermuda shorts, and sweatpants- all rather frumpy. Maybe it made her feel pretty to have one thing of nail polish. She liked herself, she just felt a bit unattractive. Not that it mattered when she had matters to attend to on her computer.

It took a minute to boot up, and once it finally started, Teresa logged into MySpace: the place where she shared her cool science. As she was posting Science Facts Volume #3875, a notification popped up. 

“Francine Airflow added you to his top 8… who even is this!?” were the words Teresa exclaimed as she checked his profile to see if he was a creep. Gotta be safe, amiright? Upon checking his account, she found out that he wasn’t a creep in the slightest. He was the guy whose fandom site she’d been following on Geocities! This filled her with glee. Maybe the rest of summer 2006 didn’t have to be so boring after all.

Later, around 10:30 PM, Teresa heard a knock on her door. “Come in,” she said. In came her little brother, Felix. With his wild orange hair, bright blue eyes, and boundless energy, Felix was a force to be reckoned with. It seemed, however, that Teresa couldn’t love him more.  

“Oh, Hi Felix!”

”Hi sis! I’m just curious, would you like to  have a drawing competition?”

Teresa thought it over, and there weren’t any downsides she could think of. “Of course!”

”Great!” Felix led her to the dining room. Her older sister Gabriella was sitting there, eating a sandwich. 

“Good evening Teresa! How are you?”

”I’d say I’m doing pretty good. Felix and I are gonna have a drawing competition.”

”That sounds nice. Would you two mind if I judged your drawings at the end?”

Felix and Teresa looked at each other as if speaking telepathically, then said, “Yes!” In unison.

Twenty minutes later, they were done. This time Teresa had drawn a big building that looked like a school, and a tiny girl surrounded by people on the campus. Felix just drew Super Mario. 

“Sorry Felix, but Teresa’s drawing just has more meaning. I think she wins,” Gabriella declared. 

Felix made a brief pout, but then gave Teresa a hug. 

“Goodnight, big sis!”

”Goodnight.”

Chapter Text

Teresa woke up that morning far too late for her standards. It was 9:00 AM, and she usually got up at 6:00! She dragged herself out of bed, her limbs cooperating in an unwilling manner. She ran the brush through her medium length blonde hair, wincing as a few strands of her chlorine-damaged hair ripped out. It was damaged so badly that the ends had turned green, which was because she went over to hang out with her cousin Oracio near daily during the summer and often swam in his pool. Usually she’d do that, but today was different. His mother had insisted that all of his extended family come to the East End Skating Center for his birthday. Oracio had complained, but his mother had persisted and he'd eventually given in.

After a bit of thinking and shuffling through her closet, Teresa had compiled her outfit: a Green Lantern shirt from Hot Topic and some camo Bermuda shorts. To make Oracio happy, she had borrowed an orange bucket hat from Felix. She knew all too well that her cousin liked everything his way, and would've made the dress code orange had his mom allowed him.

An hour later Teresa was in the back of her family’s minivan, which her mom had bought a year after having Becky. She was sat next to Felix, whose company she enjoyed despite his hyperactivity tiring her out. He was like a ball of boundless energy, and he always seemed to be running or shouting. Apparently their mom used to be like that, but had learned to manage herself as she grew up. Teresa only hoped Felix could do the same.

As she gazed at him and listened to him sing along with the radio, she felt grateful to have such an amazing little brother. It was hard to believe he was already 11. It felt so surreal, like time had stopped 5 years ago. Alas, it was 2006 now, and everyone seemed to be 5 years younger than they actually were. Teresa’s gaze drifted to her 26-year-old sister, Gabriella. Her relationship with Teresa could be compared to Meg’s relationship with Amy from Little Women, really. Gabriella gave Teresa a safe place to let out her emotions, and Teresa gave Gabriella something to write about. This aspect of their relationship was plain to see, and Teresa was ever grateful for Gabriella’s unconditional support.

Teresa’s mom parked the minivan in a spot near the door. Out of an orange station wagon nearby came Teresa’s older cousin Margarita, wearing a sparkly, iridescent bodycon dress with dangly bismuth earrings. Boy, did she make Teresa feel underdressed.

“Hi guys! It’s such a good thing Oracio agreed when I asked him to let me invite my boyfriend to come with us!” Margarita swung her arms euphoniously as they walked inside, like there was music in her head. Teresa had developed a theory that her uncle Justin was from California. You might think she was crazy, but there was a perfectly good reason. Margarita, or Margie, acted so much like a valley girl that people would occasionally ask her if she was born in LA.

Looking at Becky and Gabriella’s outfits made Teresa feel a little better, as their simple outfits made Margie look highly overdressed. Becky was in a purple blouse with magenta tracksuit pants, whereas Gabriella was sporting a red button-up coat with light pink bootcut leggings. Their shoes didn’t matter considering they’d have to wear skates either way, but Margie had still gone the extra mile and worn stilettos. Despite the fact that Margie looked like a model, her heels didn't have as much personality as the shoes Teresa and her sisters wore. Teresa's were a pair of highlighter green track sneakers from 5 years ago when she'd joined a track charity event for her school. The pins were stored in a little box in her room, and she had added beads to the laces as soon as the event was over.

Teresa kept to herself while they were skating, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Margarita and her boyfriend. They looked so happy together, dancing and occasionally kissing each other. Teresa was rather unromantic, but seeing Margie so blissfully in love touched a part of her soul she didn’t even know still worked. “You’ll find someone, Teri, someone,” Teresa muttered as she sunk down the wall. This peaceful melancholy was interrupted rather unceremoniously by her cousin Bonnie’s arrival.

Bonnie was a bit of an oddball. She didn’t follow anyone’s expectations, and still made everyone happier in spite of that. Upon seeing Teresa sliding down the wall with a somber expression and thousand-yard stare, she knew exactly what to do.

”Hey Re-Re! Why so gloomy?” Bonnie said as she skated over and pulled Teresa up.

”I’m not gloomy, Bonnie. It’s just my RBF.” Teresa, Bonnie, and Oracio had decided to use special nicknames for each other when they were little, so Teresa was Re-Re, Bonnie was Bon-Bon, and Oracio was J-J due to his middle name being Justin. Both Teresa and Oracio had long since stopped using them, but they weren't in a position to tell Bonnie their thoughts about the nicknames.

”C’mon, you gotta be thinking of something depressing to have that face. Let’s dance, it’ll cheer you up,” Bonnie said as she led Teresa to the middle of the rink.

Like magic, the lights started dimming as Bonnie led Teresa through the rink. No! God, please no, Teresa thought. Slow music started playing the moment she thought that, as if the DJ was taunting her. Welp. I may was well do that stupid Test Tube Tango dance I choreographed a few years ago, considering I can't actually slow dance. Teresa decided this quickly enough, then began to lead Bonnie through the dance.

10 minutes in, and Bonnie had begun to get the hang of it. The slow songs only lasted for about half an hour, then everyone there for Oracio’s birthday would have to go to the party room. She would’ve left already if not for Bonnie. Looking over, Teresa saw that Oracio was dancing as well. With a guy! Teresa couldn’t believe her eyes. Who was he, and when had Oracio met him? Teresa tried to ignore it, but she couldn’t deny the growing sense of sorrow. Why did everyone find people so much like them, while she hadn’t even met two? Teresa pushed it down, trying harder to dance like a pro with Bonnie. Even though she couldn't find love, she could still prevail in other areas. 15 minutes later Teresa got her wish, pleasantly surprised at Bonnie’s sudden prowess. It’s because of me, Teresa thought. Bonnie would be flailing her arms and falling over without my help. Wait…. Teresa, snap out of your ego. You would still be sinking down the wall if not for her.

Around then Bonnie’s little sister Wadine gasped, and Margie turned her head to see what was so surprising. She gasped as well, and skated over to them with her usual loving grin.

”Hello, you two! One of you has got to be good at tango, otherwise how would you dance so wonderfully?” Margie giggled.

”.. it's me, Margie.” It didn’t matter how nice Margie was, she still made Teresa uneasy. Maybe it was the rich girl appearance, maybe it was her high-pitched giggles. Maybe it was something entirely different. Teresa wasn’t alone, as Margie seemed to feel similarly around Bonnie.

”I thought so,” Margie giggled. ” You seem like the type of girl who would know tango. You must be having a splendid time as well, Bonnie!” Teresa could kind of hear how uncomfortable Margie was. It made sense, but it really was a shame that Bonnie’s goofy behavior was so off-putting to her. Teresa only trusted Bonnie to listen when she felt sad because she’d spent years building up that trust. The slow skate was over now, and they were walking to the party room for lunch.

Like with many things, Oracio thought birthday parties anywhere but your own house were childish. Teresa didn’t mind much, since it was a celebration either way. Bonnie loved this type of party, and her little sister Wadine loved it even more. She was sitting next to Felix, talking about cars or something. Teresa found it funny how Wadine and Felix were practically besties despite Felix being twice her age. At 5, Wadine was the youngest person there, followed by Felix, then Bonnie.

Teresa looked over at her mother, talking to her Aunt Miriam and Aunt Blossom. She decided to listen as she ate her hot dog, while appearing to be studying the wallpaper.

“…..and then, Margie told us about her boyfriend. I was irritated, considering she hid him from me for three years. As hard as I tried to break them up, she persisted. I ended up compromising that they could keep going out if Margie got her GPA to 4.0 by the end of this year. Her relationship’s in limbo, but was my decision justified? I feel like I might’ve been a bit too harsh.”

Teresa decided that she had heard enough. She tuned out the rest of the conversation, wondering how Oracio would receive her present: a Bunsen burner. He didn’t like science as much as her, but she had seen him taking interest in physics once before. This probably wasn’t enough to justify getting him something chemistry related, but Oracio had become extremely secretive since hitting puberty. What could Teresa go off of other than his past interests?

When it was finally present time, Oracio opened Teresa’s first. She gulped, wondering what he’d think. His reaction when he opened the Bunsen burner was…. Less than desirable.

”This is ok, I guess,” Oracio muttered before pushing it away. Teri was floored. His ‘ok’ in reaction to her burner was the most negative reaction anyone got that afternoon! He even took Felix’s low effort, messy crayon drawing of him better. This was no doubt the worst thing that could’ve reasonably happened.

While walking out to the car, Teresa kept her head down. She couldn’t believe her cousin’s painful apathy. It felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart by a sword with all her insecurities etched into the blade. Usually she'd sing along with the radio after stuff like birthday parties, but Oracio had snatched each bit of vocal capability she could muster with his cold ‘ok’. She had done the best she could! Did he not know that it cost her five years of her allowance!? She had been saving to give great gifts like that and buy cool shirts. Knowing he didn’t like it, she might as well just walk over to his house when she arrived home and take it back to the store for a refund. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she pressed her forehead against the window. Why didn’t he at least acknowledge her efforts or the price of that wonderful machine?

Later, at home, Teresa pulled out her flip phone and punched in Oracio’s number. It rang almost immediately.

“Teresa, what is it?” This was a sign he was annoyed. Teresa was a step ahead of him, however. Her sorrow from earlier had morphed into anger.

“Why were you so dismissive of my gift earlier? You could’ve at least said thank you.” Teresa concealed her anger with mild annoyance. Over the years, she had learned starting conversations in a confrontational tone angered the other person, which stressed her out.

“Because it sucked, ok? I don’t like chemistry anymore.”

”Well what do you like!? I need future gift ideas, for Christmas and stuff!!” Anger was starting to rise in Teresa’s voice, showing that she meant business.

“I like finance, architecture, business, and I guess physics.” Oracio seemed tired of Teresa when he said this.

“Great! I’ll get you a swingy ball apparatus. Hopefully it’ll be less expensive, considering that Bunsen burner was 430 dollars! That’s 5 years of my allowance, Oracio!” Teresa’s anger was getting more prevalent here.

“I’m not a scientist and you know that. A Bunsen burner is more like an insult to my interests than an actual gift of value.”

”How was, say, Felix’s drawing he made in 10 minutes on the day of the party better than my burner!? Or Becky’s magazine!? She gets those things all the time thanks to Gabriella being a KLEPTOMANIAC!!” As much as Teresa hated to slander her family, what she said about Gabriella was true. Working at Tesco’s, she always stole magazines nobody bought at the end of the week.

“Teresa, that picture Felix drew was cute. I was actually a little endeared, since he put time into that piece of art. Becky clearly put thought into the magazine she gifted me. Gabriella’s gift was definitely the best, since now I know what oath I should take in life. Your burner, however, isn’t going to help me in my life other than giving me some quick cash from selling it. In a year I’ll become a man, Teresa. You’ll become a woman in two. You should think of your future for once instead of superheros and zany experiments.”

Teresa was mad before, but this caused her to boil like water in a forgotten kettle. “Nice try Oracio, but you missed some pretty vital facts. Firstly, Gabriella wrote that essay three years ago. She thought it’d be funny as a prank then, forgot about it, and decided to change the date on the paper and print it so she wouldn’t show up at your party empty-handed. Secondly, the only reason you liked Felix’s drawing is because it inflates your massively bloated ego even more! You disliked my burner because it reminded you that the world isn’t yours and yours alone; it’s everyone’s. Thirdly, you only liked Becky and Gabriella’s presents because they’ll help you on a path where the ending point justifies you thinking you’re better than everyone else even though there is no scientific evidence. Lucky for you, I’m a scientist, so I can show you the truth which is supported by facts: you’re nothing but an egomaniac with no appreciation for expensive gifts that his cousin spends restless afternoons and crap tons of money on. My conclusion, Oracio, is that you need to take your massively inflated ego to counseling, and SHUT UP!” Teresa screamed the last two words as loud as she could, then slammed her flip phone shut and threw it onto her desk.

After the gravity of what she had said set in, Teresa curled up in a ball on her bed. Why had she said that!? She was supposed to be the nice, overachieving, perfect cousin, not the screaming lunatic she had become on the phone. It’s not your fault, the voice in Teresa’s head said. Teresa called the voice Evil Teri, because it sounded like her but meaner, and kept giving her bad ideas.

She pulled her notebook off of her desk, opened to the next empty page, and began to write.

Teresa’s Theories #391:

I have Evil Teri because my brain has a portion that’s like Oracio: egotistical and nasty at times. I don’t want to show this side in person, so it comes out in her.

Teresa looked down at her paper. It was such a sad theory, but it no doubt held some truth. Tears started flowing down her face as she shifted from curled up in a ball to lying down. She buried her face in her pillow, soaking the case. That was fine. At the moment, nothing could get worse.

She heard a knock at the door. “Come in,” Teresa said. It was her dad.

”Hey, my sister called. She said you and Oracio had a fight.”

”That’s true.” Teresa’s dad got her like nobody else. She’d lie to the world, but never lie to her dad. They shared a common experience of being autistic, so he was able to understand her.

”She also said it was about your Bunsen burner. I completely understand why you’re mad at him for not at least thanking you for the gift. It was really cool, shame on him! Anyway, I need to know if you can tolerate the birthday dinner at his house. It’s gonna be pretty crowded, and of course he’ll be there with his massive ego.” He chuckled a bit. “We could watch Batman Forever at home if not. Either way, I’ll respect your choice.”

“Thanks dad.” Teresa felt happy that her dad was giving her a fair, unbiased choice between two detailed options. Usually her mom would forget details which made it hard for Teresa to tell, and Becky would judge her if she said she wanted to stay home. “I would like to go if it means I can swim in the pool, however.”

“Understood. Just know, you have to wear your suit while we walk over there.”

Teresa chuckled, “Dad, I always do! You know that.”

They fist-bumped, then Teresa’s dad left the room. Teresa changed into her green swim shirt and shorts. Becky had called green swimsuits of that style ‘tacky’, but Teresa loved it. It was unique, one of a kind, and so her.

The pool at Oracio’s house was a big rectangle, and it was an in-ground pool. The shallow end was 2 feet, and the deep end was 7 feet. Teresa was 5’11, so she preferred to swim around the 6’0 mark. It was awesome, feeling the cool water surrounding her body in the 80 degree weather. Becky was sitting on a couch on the deck, sipping her pink lemonade and wearing an orchid monokini. Gabriella was swimming even deeper than Teresa (she was 6’5 somehow) in a red tankini. Felix was playing sharks and minnows with Wadine at the 3 feet area. He was in orange swim trunks, and Wadine was wearing a lavender swim dress.

Teresa didn’t eat anything much at the party. She just swam as a means of avoiding Oracio. An hour later her family went home, and Teresa noticed the mailbox was full. Nothing needed to be said. She and Felix raced over, and he got there first as usual. Opening the mailbox, he collected the usual bills, flying through until he stumbled on a bronze colored envelope with Teresa’s name on it.

“Teresa, some guy named Murphy from Nevada wrote to you!” Felix shouted.

Upon reading the address, Teresa corrected him. “It’s not a guy named Murphy, it’s a school named Murphy!”

“What kind of fool names a school Murphy!?”

”I don’t know.”

Her parents insisted she get dressed and then read the letter to everyone, as it must be important. She came out of her room in her clothes from earlier minus the bucket hat, and began to read:

Dear Miss Teresa Petal Syensch,

Teresa cringed at the usage of her middle name, but went on.

You have been accepted to the Murphy Academy of Las Vegas.

Teresa’s whole family gasped.

“This sounds like an awesome school for you! Seems like the place where there’ll be more nerds for you to befriend,” said her dad.

”This school will be great on a college application someday! You get it, little sis!” Gabriella encouraged.

”Please, take this opportunity. It’s so rare, and you don’t get ones like this every day,” her mom implored.

”This sounds like the perfect place for a geek like you. You can find a geeky best friend to tell us about,” Becky joked, her voice snarky.

“And best of all…..” Felix got up, took a big breath, and yelled,"I get to be even prouder of my big sis! You go, Teri!”

”There’s more.” Then Teresa shushed them.

You will have a student tour guide to help familiarize you with the building. His name is Francine Airflow.

Teresa gasped.

“Why did you just gasp, sis? Do you know this guy?”, Gabriella asked.

”I’m ok, Gabs. It’s just…. This guy added me to his MySpace top 8 yesterday!”, Teresa exclaimed.

”Seems like that geeky best friend I mentioned has already been made.” Becky winked.

Teresa could only smile.

Chapter Text

Teresa had invited Bonnie over to make cool bracelets. Bonnie was endlessly jabbering about one thing or another, but Teresa couldn’t stop thinking of the school. How grand would it be? It was in Vegas, after all. She’d heard about the crazy casinos and bars there. Teresa hoped it wouldn’t be like that, but she was unsure. It was a private school. What was Francine like? Teresa knew he was nerdy from his Geocities site, but what was he like in person? If he were a jerk, it wouldn’t matter how nerdy he was. 

Keep in mind: time had passed since that letter had arrived. It was August 19th now. Teresa had pondered and thought about those questions until she’d started longing for the school year to start. She was leaving tomorrow, thank the stars. They were having her favorite food for dinner as a goodbye: Steak-Umms and grilled cheese. There were only 5 minutes left until dinner, so Teresa and Bonnie started putting the bead kits away.

”By the way, would you like to hold one of our cousin gossip sessions at the park tonight? I can sneak you out,” Bonnie asked.

”Does Oracio have to come?”

”I think so, why?” Bonnie then remembered. “Oh, you two haven’t gotten over your fight yet. That must be why you didn’t invite him for dinner.”

“Nope.” Teresa slumped down in her chair. That fight she’d had with her cousin had left her exhausted and petrified at the thought of seeing him in public.

Despite occasionally having outbursts, Teresa was not a confrontational person. The majority of her family agreed that she was the most amiable out of everyone, in fact. This intense dislike of confrontation did cause some problems however, like her tension with Oracio. 

Dinner was scrumptious, but Teresa felt like it was wrong somehow. She knew her dad had bought all the right stuff and made it the exact right way, but it still felt… strange. It was as if the sauce had been laced with the strange tasting spit you get when you’re crying. Why was that? Teresa wasn’t crying, as far as she knew. Maybe this was a sign she would start crying, and she had ruminated so much it hurt her. She couldn’t really tell.

Later, Teresa was awoken rather unceremoniously by Bonnie.

”Bonnie, what did I tell you? I don’t want to see Oracio.”

“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Bonnie was always quick to apologize. “It’s just, maybe you two could make up, or……” Bonnie trailed off. As much as Teresa didn’t want to see, let alone talk to Oracio, she knew it wouldn’t do any good procrastinating the inevitable. She could sleep during the 11 hour car ride to Tucumcari, New Mexico tomorrow anyway, what would maybe two hours awake matter?

Ten minutes later, Teresa found herself in the sidecar attached to Bonnie’s bike. She had to admire Bonnie’s strength; carrying a 5’11, 140 pound 16 year old girl wasn’t a small feat, especially considering how old Bonnie’s bike was. It had been an heirloom on her side of the family since Teresa’s Great Aunt Mildred had bought it and painted it a nice shade of gold in 1970, but it had been repainted twice in the 36 years Teresa’s family owned it. In 1986 Great Aunt Mildred got in a freak bus accident, losing her legs and leaving the bike to Teresa’s Aunt Blossom. Aunt Blossom decided that the harvest gold color didn’t fit her personality, and painted it a muted rose gold. The bike was Aunt Blossom's primary method of transportation until she finally bought a car in 1994. Not knowing what to do with the bike that was now considered sacred, she kept it in the garage until 1996 when Bonnie found it. In 2003 Bonnie had painted it a pale blue to reflect her personality, which was the bike’s current color. The two girls had arrived at the park while Teresa was thinking about this, and they hopped off of the bike. 

The large gazebo with 8 tables wasn't far now. Through the darkness, Teresa could see Oracio sitting at one of the far tables. He was wearing a set of orange pajamas, tapping his feet even though nobody was around to admire his expensive shoes. Seeing him there so calm and unassuming filled Teresa with a sense of dread, a knot tying in her stomach. Remembering what she said earlier caused the knot to tighten, the invisible cord coiling into a pile. She had called him that awful word earlier without a second thought. Knowing him he'd shun her for ages, maybe forever, and she'd fall to the ground in a ball of compunctious sorrow. All of those assumptions caused Teresa to halt, her legs jelly and her shoulders quivering in fear.

"Teresa?"

"Bonnie, I'm sorry, but I can't do it."

"Do what? Talk to Oracio? Teresa, you can do it. You're a warrior! You're the strongest, most resilient person I know!" Bonnie pleaded, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"I can't. Do you know what I said during that phone call, Bonnie!? Do you know how hurtful it was!? Do you know how horrible I became!?" Teresa had already started walking towards the bike.

"Teresa, you could never be horrible! You always let me cry when I need someone, and no one else ever does!"

"Bonnie, you only cry to me!"

Bonnie inhaled as she thought about what to say next. "Fine," Bonnie replied, her voice turning cold. "Just know you're not getting a ride back with that attitude."

"I don't need a stupid ride anyway, I can run 15 minutes just fine!"

 Teresa ran out of the park's parking lot and into the grass. Soon enough she was on a sidewalk, her fast footsteps emotional and erratic. She knew the route home. She'd taken it many times when she'd had an argument. However, she couldn't remember a single time she took it with water in her eyes.

About 15 minutes later, Teresa bursted into the back door of her house. She nearly collapsed onto the rustic couch that was sitting in the entryway, she was so exhausted. Instead of doing that, she trudged to the staircase and ascended, careful not to awaken her parents. Soon she reached her room and just fell forwards onto the bed. She promptly curled up into a ball and started silently bawling. The tears soaked the knees of her leggings, which had been made carefully by her Great Aunt Mildred 20 years ago. They had little pink polka dots on them, and the base color was a sickly shade of brownish-green. Teresa pulled them off and threw them into the garbage can across the room.

She then hurled herself off of the bed, propelled by her fury. She yanked her suitcase out from under her bed and threw it open. The events of that night had compelled her to rearrange her luggage. Sorting items had calmed her down for the entirety of her life, and there was no discernible reason why it would stop working now. She pulled out the checklist she’d made earlier.

“Clothes… check. Sketchpad… check. Laptop… check.” Teresa checked the mirror. The face looking back at her was still red, but she assumed that she’d cool down before she woke up.

Chapter Text

Teresa woke up at the usual time that morning. The first thing she did was check the mirror. Her hair was tangled and her face was smothered with pillow creases, but she otherwise looked fine. Good. No one could know about the events that had taken place last night. She hopped out of bed, and started tangling to get dressed. There was no time for thinking; she had a day of driving with one 7-hour break in Tucumcari, New Mexico. 

After only a few minutes of brushing, Teresa deemed herself presentable and hoisted her suitcase over her head. She then hauled it down the stairs, her spindly legs threatening to collapse with each step. She used the handle to pull it out to her mom's minivan, and chucked it into the trunk. She crawled into the backseat, then conked out.

A few hours later Teresa woke up, the sunlight assaulting her eyeballs as she peered out of the window. 

"Good morning, sleepyhead," her mother said as she turned on the radio. 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' by Panic! At The Disco blared out of the speaker.

"Good morning to you too, mom. Also, where exactly are we?" Teresa asked.

"We're just about to go through Little Rock. Would you like to get breakfast?" Her mother replied.

"I feel like I'm too excited to eat right now."

"Ok."

Teresa linked her headphones to her iPod, then rolled down the window. The wind blowing onto her face as Fall Out Boy's latest album, From Under The Cork Tree, blared in her ears created a sense of tranquility. She zoned out for a little while as the music washed over her like water in a shower.

Eventually, Teresa and her mother reached a small mom-and-pop motel in Tucumcari. They scrambled into the room, slept for seven hours, then scrambled out of the room. While they were driving the last stretch, Teresa couldn't help but admire the neon lights in Tucumcari. She wondered how beautiful it would be driving through here at night.

Strangely, the last portion of driving seemed to go incredibly quickly. Next thing Teresa knew, she was hugging her mom and walking into the building where she'd spend the next 6 months or so of her life. It was so... extravagant. There was a gold-encrusted fountain in the main hall, and the walls were coated with murals and bulletin boards of all types. A particular mural of the moon on purple skies and the sun on black skies caught her eye. A sign next to it said, 'Painted by Paris Brunson'. Unfortunately, she didn't see that someone was coming.

"ACK!"

Teresa found herself tangled up on the floor next to a girl in a stone grey painters' smock with honey blonde hair and purple earrings. 

"My gosh, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" The blonde girl said this as she pulled Teresa upwards. 

"I'm alright, don't worry. By the way, what's your name?"

"Paris."

Teresa gasped, then pointed to the mural she'd been looking at. "Did you paint this?"

"Why yes, I did. I'm very proud of it."

Teresa beamed. She had barely been in the school for three minutes, yet she had already met such a legend. 

"So, what's your name?"

"I'm Teresa Syensch."

"Why hello, Teresa. You're sort of a legend, at least to my friend Fran. He goes on and on every day about how cool and smart you are, and he's always one of the first to read your weekly science fact posts on MySpace.

“I know this may sound strange, but I only have one thing to say. What is said friend’s full name?”

“Francine Anita Airflow.”

Teresa gasped, then a massive smile spread over her face. “Golly, this is the best coincidence of the century! I’ve been following Francine’s geocities site for three years, I barely believed it when I saw that he’d be my tour guide for the school, I-”

Teresa got cut off by the bell. Paris took off, going west. Teresa followed her, and soon arrived in a large room. The room had a stage at the front, and there were several rows of seats. This must be the auditorium. Teresa walked around for a few minutes, before sitting next to a large blond boy. He was muttering something. Teresa leaned closer to listen. 

"Blond, blond, and more blond..... This school seems to be made of blond."

"What do you mean by that?"

The boy turned around to face Teresa. His hair was curly and short, settling on his head like a bird's nest. He was wearing a bright, almost acidic yellow jersey atop a sweatshirt that was the color of straw. He puffed his chest and scoffed, taking Teresa in. 

"I suppose you're new here."

"Right." Teresa sounded like she was trying to make herself sound stronger.

"Well, Nerd-Brain, I'mma give you some advice about livin' here, and you better take it." The boy spoke pretentiously, almost with an accent, like he thought he was better than everyone else. Teresa had met people like him before, and she knew that it was better to sit and let them blab about how great they were than to argue.

"Now, you may think you know this school from its reputation; that's all lies. The teachers and principal advertise it as a 'Paradise of learning', 'School of wonders', and the like. Really, though, it's a jack of all trades, master of none schoolified. I thought the athletics were good at first, but they could be ages better if our school didn't have math or science programs. The arts suck money from math and science, the math and science suck money from sports, and sports suck money from the arts. it's a vicious cycle with no winners. If you let yourself enjoy the science classes you get into a bit too much, remind yourself to watch the football games and attend the art shows. They're good, sure, but they could be better."

That scared Teresa straight. Were the programs really eating each other up like that? She reassured herself that any science was good science, but now she wasn't too sure. Soon, the presentation ended and students got up. Teresa instinctively went to the front of the room instead, knowing she'd find her tour guide. Once she arrived, she stumbled around for a minute until the principal found her. 

"Hello, madam. You must be Teresa Syensch."

"That's me!" It came out a bit louder than Teresa meant it to.

"Welcome to The Murphy Academy, Teresa. I'm Ms. DuPont, your principal."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. DuPont." They shook hands. 

"I expect you know who your tour guide is?"

"Yes, I do." Teresa felt welcomed and comfortable.

"Great! I'll let him take it from here."

Ms. DuPont walked over to another student, and a redheaded boy walked over, fluttering his hands a bit as he walked.

"Greetings." The boy talked with an accent Teresa couldn't quite trace. His hair looked extremely fluffy, like fur. His outfit was quite peculiar: he had on a red dress shirt with golden yellow suspenders, which were holding up his greyish yellow breeches. To tie the look together, he had on an electric blue bowtie with yellow polka dots. 

"Hello. I'm Teresa."

"Why, of course you're Teresa! Who else would you be, Thalia?" He laughed, before extending his arm and shaking her hand. "Sorry if I was a bit too, y'know, there. I'm Francine."

"It's nice to meet you, Francine. I've been following your geocities site for three years, I never imagined I might meet you in person. Heh." Teresa was smiling. She had just met this guy, how was she so comfortable around him already? 

"I've been following your science facts on MySpace too, Teresa. It's an honor to meet someone so, well, honorable."

"Thank you." The two linked arms as they entered the hallway with their peers.

Chapter Text

The cafeteria was abuzz with chit-chat. Fran edged slightly closer to Teresa, gripping her arm tighter.

"Sorry Teresa. I'm just a bit pensive, I never know what's gonna happen on the first day and you're tall enough to shield me if there's a food fight."

"True."

Fran led her to an octagonal table. Paris was deep in conversation with a blond girl Teresa didn't recognize. There was also a brunette girl reading a book. 

"Hi Teresa! Fancy meeting you here."

"Hello again, Paris." Teresa sat down between her and Fran. 

The blond girl piped up. "Hello! I'm Lin. Nice to meet you, Teresa!" She shook her hand. 

"Nice to meet you, Lin! How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks!" Teresa took mental notes about Lin's appearance. She was wearing a canary yellow shirt and grey camo cargo shorts. She was a bit plump, and her curly blond hair was bunched into a messy ponytail, which reached the middle of her back.

The brunette girl on the other side of the table looked up from her book and smiled at Teresa.

"Hi. My name's Sutton." 

"That's a beautiful name, Sutton. I'm Teresa."

"Welcome to the Murphy Academy, Teresa. I'm new here, would you mind if we got used to the building together?"

"I wouldn't mind that at all, Sutton. I'll be here for you if you need me."

Sutton smiled, which brought out the beauty of her amber eyes. "Thank you." Sutton went back to her book, and Teresa had a good look at her. Her straight brown hair had an amber tint, and it seemed to fall onto her shoulders. She was wearing a sweater over a dress shirt, and a plaid yellow skirt. On top of her head sat a saffron bow. 

Teresa finished her lunch before long, and began analyzing her schedule in an attempt to find her dorm number. Apparently, they wouldn't be having any actual classes until next Monday; only introductions to certain classes, placement tests, tryouts, and stuff like that. There wasn't anything else scheduled for today, which left the students to find their classes in advance, check out the library and sporting areas, and just generally hang out. At 12:30 Teresa got up. She went to the restroom, then walked across campus to the girls' dormitories. She was in room A1.

Teresa opened the door, and walked in. Sutton was sitting in her bed, reading a book. Two other girls that Teresa didn't know were sitting on another bed, whispering and giggling. One had blonde hair, and the other had black hair. Teresa put down her suitcase and began to take her things out. She put her school supplies on the desk under her bed and her clothes in the 4 girls' shared closet. The blonde girl eyed Teresa critically, then spoke. 

"Hello! Nice to meet you, I'm Sally." Sally shook Teresa's hand. Sally's hair was a silvery pale blonde, and it collected in wisps on her shoulders. She was wearing a pink beret with a silver band, a pink cardigan over a white camisole, and a plaid pink skirt. 

The girl still sitting atop the bed slid down and shook Teresa's hand as well. "I'm Pepper. What's your name?" 

"Teresa." 

Pepper gasped in delight. "What a wonderful name!" Pepper had a much darker complexion than Sally. Her hair was in a braid, but it would've most definitely formed a cloud of raven ringlets had it not. She was wearing a black leather jacket over a purple tunic top and black leggings. 

"Anyway, where are you from?" Sally asked.

"I'm from Memphis, Tennessee," Teresa replied. 

"I've heard about Memphis on the news, it seems nice there. Is it?" Pepper questioned.

"It's blisteringly hot in the summer, but fairly mild in the winter. The spring and summer there are especially nice," Teresa answered.

"How are the malls and shops there? Do you like to go shopping?" Sally asked. Teresa sensed that there was a pattern to how Sally and Pepper asked questions. She predicted that Pepper would ask the next one.

"The malls are fairly clean, much like the city itself. I went to a specific one with my cousins every 2 weeks before I came here," Teresa replied.

"How about the boys? Are they any cute?" Pepper asked this, just as Teresa had predicted. 

"I didn't talk to many. My fellows on the mathletes picked me up and lifted me into the air once after I won us a competition, but that's about it," Teresa answered.

Sally and Pepper gasped in unison. "MATHLETES!?"

"Yes, mathletes. I was an adored member of the mathletes for two years. I might even go as far as to say that they had it out for me since I was a 7th grader."

Pepper walked backwards and almost fell over, as Sally began talking. "Honey, no..... Being on the mathletes is like, killing yourself socially. You really shouldn't do it unless you're totally shameless." Pepper followed up with a distant-sounding 'yeah...'

"I'd say I'm a special case, though. Social suicide barely matters because I'm already almost dead socially," Teresa soothed. 

"Still, it's risky. I'm trying to help you, oh-kay?" Teresa had noted that both Sally and Pepper spoke with a valley accent. 

"I would like to decline your assistance, Sally. I've survived 16 years as I am, what's different now?" Teresa declined. 

"Suit yourself then." Sally climbed onto her bed and motioned for Pepper to join her. Teresa left in search of the library.

Chapter Text

Teresa was walking across campus to the library. She felt the warm breeze sift through her hair and circle her like a lion circling its prey. It felt wonderful to have the last laughs of summer surrounding her while she walked to a place that would almost certainly become one of her favorite places on campus: the library. The fact that it had an entire building to itself was a great sign, because Teresa couldn't fathom a mediocre library having an entire building to itself, let alone one at such a prestigious school. In short, she had high hopes. 

Opening the door, Teresa was starstruck. The roof was a gorgeous glass dome, and a crystal chandelier hung from the center. The chandelier should've been a wonder of the world, it was so shiny and beautiful. There were rows of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on two sides of the building. In the middle of the room there was a circulation desk in front of two offices. The desk was stocked with such wonders as a massive printer, a book return box, and two state-of-the-art computers for checking out books. Under the dome, there were several tables with computers for schoolwork, and three plush loveseats.

Teresa walked into the sci-fi section, where she met an astonishingly short girl shelving books. 

"Hello," the girl said. "Anything you need?" She turned to face Teresa. 

"I was just looking for Jurassic Park," Teresa said. "What's your name?" 

"Matilda Marshall." Matilda returned to shelving books. Teresa noted that she was wearing a white cuffed shirt and white plaid skirt. Her hair was extremely straight, and it was a yellowish shade of off-white.

"Your hair is the straightest hair I've ever seen on a living being," Teresa commented. 

"Thanks. When my mom noticed how straight my hair was, she nearly had a seizure." Matilda threw some of her hair onto her back. Teresa slid past her, and soon found the Jurassic Park book she wanted. Smiling, she brought it to the front desk. 

"Hello! I am your librarian, Dr. O'Brien. Would you like to check out the book you're holding?" Dr. O'Brien was a perky blonde woman wearing a red dress. 

"Yes, I would."

"Very well." Dr. O'Brien took the book out of Teresa's hands, and scanned it. "What is your name?"

"Teresa P. Syensch." Teresa often shortened her middle name to simply P because she thought it made her sound mature, like she was already a professional scientist, and because Petal didn't fit her very well.

"Here you go, Teresa. It will be due on September 11th."

"Thank you!"

Teresa walked into the main section of the library, where she immediately recognized someone. Someone with red hair, yellow suspenders, a red shirt, greyish-yellow breeches, and a blue bowtie with yellow polka dots. He gazed over at her, his hazel eyes widening.

"Teresa!" Fran put his book down and bolted over to her as the librarian shushed him.

"Fran, it's so nice to see you. How has your day been?" Teresa asked. 

"It's been good because I'm in the same dorm as Lin, but bad because I also have to share the dorm with this jerk named Troy and this absolute BUFFOON named Charlie. Seriously, how badly can one kid want a reaction?" Fran chuckled. 

"My dorm is decent, too. I got roomed with Sutton, but I also got roomed with these girls named Pepper and Sally, who are prime examples of the popular girl archetype," Teresa added.

Fran gasped. "Pepper and Sally!? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for you! Putting up with those girls is torture even when you're not in their dorm!"

"I mean, they seemed nice until they told me not to join the mathletes. What kind of idiot doesn't know a future mathlete right when seeing one?"

"Yeah, Teresa. They're bullies. I have the diary entries and tear-soaked copy of The Lightning Thief to prove it," Fran sighed. He pulled Teresa over to the loveseat, where they continued their conversation. 

"Wait, you like Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Fran threw a piece of gum in his mouth. Teresa looked at the box, which read Cinnamon Chewing Gum-For focus and studies!

"I like Percy Jackson too!"

"Fran smiled. "I knew we'd be friends."

Teresa smiled and read her book, wondering if Fran liked Jurassic Park too. It couldn't hurt to ask, she decided.

"Hey, Fran, do you by any chance like Jurassic Park?" Teresa asked.

"Why yes, I do. Is that what you're reading?" 

"Yup!" A smile spread across Teresa's face like butter spread on toast. Her and Fran were so similar, it was like their friendship was written high in the stars by divine spirits. For once, they'd listened to her pleas. She had finally found someone like her after 15 years of searching, and she couldn't be happier.

Chapter Text

Teresa's first week had been quite good. She'd enrolled in band, and passed the entry exams for AP classes with flying colors. For some reason, Sally and Pepper had always given her judgy looks when she'd left for band first thing in the morning. On September 5th, Sally took it further than just judging.

"Wait!"

Teresa spun around, eyeing Sally quizzically. "For what?"

Sally sighed, and hopped up from her swivel chair so fast that it spun around several times. "I am sorry, but I cannot stand here and watch you throw away your life like this. You're digging yourself into a deeper and deeper hole of nerdiness and scruple," Sally declared.

"I'm not digging myself into a hole, Sally. I'm opening doors for the future. Every hour of reading and working on assignments now will land me a great job and give me opportunities. I thought I declined your assistance two weeks ago, what happened to 'uninterested?'" Teresa retorted.

"Yes you are." Sally sounded dismissive of Teresa's carefully weaved response, lighting Teresa's fuse.

"No, I'm not." Teresa's tone grew increasingly annoyed. 

"You are, admit it. Geez." Sally seemed to want Teresa's fuse to go off. She kept pushing and pushing. Teresa looked as though she was about to erupt like she had when talking to Oracio during that phone call. Suddenly, she sighed, and said, "I'm not. End of story." Teresa left, slamming the door behind her. 

Great, she thought. I'm late for band, I'm angry, and I probably look like death. She strolled down the halls, every footstep quick as if she were trying to remove herself from the floor. When gas leaked, it contaminated the air because it was lighter than oxygen. Teresa's anger did the same. Anyone who matched or succeeded her height of 5'11 would breathe in poison and die. From Teresa's great height, she looked down on what few other students there were in the halls. Most classes didn't start until 8:00, and band had started at 7:45. Here she was, a lanky girl with purple-framed specs, green braces brackets, and enough acne to fill a small vase, walking through a boarding school hallway at 7:47 AM on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006, in Vegas. 

At 7:50, Teresa rushed into the school's music hallway. She bursted into the band room, interrupting the song they were in the middle of. 

"Teresa, you're five minutes late. Do you have a late pass?" Mr. Brown, the band teacher, asked. 

"No. I'm late because of a squabble I got into with my roommate. I'm sorry for interrupting," Teresa explained.

"Ok, I understand that. I'll let you off because it's early in the year and you're new, but be warned."

"Thank you, Mr. Brown." Teresa shuffled towards the bass drum shamefully. She wished she had a mirror to make sure she looked at least somewhat presentable. At least my clothes are clean. I could be in a much, much worse position than I'm in, she reassured herself.

"Now, let's start again," Mr. Brown commanded, and the band began to play. Teresa had a knack for rhythms, which was in part because of her head for numbers. This was an advantage because counting beats helped her know when to play. She only had trouble with one song, which she played the timpani for. She hoped it would get easier soon, as their concert was in less than three months.

After band, Fran rushed over to Teresa, his flute case swinging back and forth in his hands. "Teresa, what happened with your roommate!? Seriously, when you walked in you looked like death!"

Teresa sighed, "Sally tried to persuade me that I'm on a bad path doing what I am."

Fran gasped. "Oh no she didn't! Teresa, you're doing amazing, Sally is delusional." 

"I know." The two walked and talked until they got to the band lockers. Fran went into the narrow corridor to put his flute away, and Teresa waited for him. They continued chatting all the way to their homeroom. The teacher was Ms. Caverly, a dark-haired woman who wore navy blue blazers and matching dress pants. She greeted them with a smile. 

"Good morning to you two! How have your days been going?" said Ms. Caverly. 

"Good," Teresa and Fran said in unison. 

"Jinx," said Fran.

Teresa laughed, then took her seat. The rest of the day seemed to fly by, and it was the end of the day before she could comprehend it. Soon, she was in her dorm working on her AP Calculus homework. Pepper slammed open the door, and yelled, "Teresa!"

Teresa looked up from her calculations. "What is it?"

"Sally wants to see you in the locker room. She's got something prepared."

"Tell her I'm not interested." Teresa began writing again, but Pepper persisted. "Please, Teresa. if you don't go then she'll be mad at me. That's a lot worse than what she wants to do, trust!"

Teresa's expression softened. Why would Sally be mad at Pepper if she didn't show up? Girl World really was cryptic. Teresa sighed, and said, "Fine. I'll go."

Pepper squealed, "Oh my gosh, thank you SO much! I promise this'll be worth your time, I promise!"

"A makeover?" Teresa asked Sally in the locker room. 

"Yes, a makeover. Sorry Teresa, but you're MAJOR depressing and frowning at your appearance would give me wrinkles. We don't want that, do we?" Sally was speaking in that fake-nice, sickly sweet tone that someone might use to persuade someone.  

Teresa sighed. "I'll let you do it if you agree to leave me alone in the future."

"Sounds like a deal! Now, let's get to work." Sally grabbed Teresa's hand and began scrutinizing her wrist. 

"Ah! May I ask what you're doing?"

"I'm checking your veins so I know what colors to use, silly!" Sally spoke as if this was common knowledge. However, Teresa didn't know much about anything beauty related, much less the vein test. 

"Why do you need to do that?"

Sally sighed. "Teresa, the color of your veins reveal your undertones, which help decide what colors look good on you! Blue and purple veins mean cool undertones, and green veins mean warm undertones. If you've got veins of both colors, you're a lucky neutral soul."

Teresa didn't bother to ask any more questions until Sally said that she was a 'cool'. Then, she reached up and pulled off Teresa's glasses. 

"Give those back! I need them to see!" Teresa was blind as a bat without her glasses, some might say. She had a prescription of -4.90 in her right eye, and -4.75 in her left eye. While she could make out most large details such as people, vehicles, billboards, and buildings without her glasses, she couldn't see smaller details like words from a distance away. 

"Geez girl, it's not that bad! I can see, and that's the only thing necessary for what I'm about to do. If you needed to see that badly, you would've gotten contact lenses."

"I'd have contacts if I trusted myself to handle them," Teresa snapped. "And I don't." 

"Oh, shut up and close your eyes." Sally pulled out a makeup palette and a brush. She got some pale purple powder on the brush, and started applying it to Teresa's eyelids.

"Wait, aren't you supposed to put on the foundation first or something?" Teresa asked.

"Wow, you actually know something about makeup! Shocker. I would apply foundation, but I don't have the color you'd need. I'm a neutral, so my foundation wouldn't work on your face."

"Ok."

Sally spent the next fifteen minutes working on Teresa, then she put her tools down and admired her handiwork. "Ok, you can open your eyes and put your glasses back on."

Teresa did just that, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw a bedazzled version of herself that she'd only seen before at events. Sally had dolled her up in lilac eyeshadow, pale pink lip gloss, and even mascara. "Uhh... Thanks." Teresa smiled. 

"Also, you have very pretty almond-shaped, emerald-green eyes. Never thought I'd be complimenting a geek, but here we are."

"Well, I never thought I'd be thanking a popular girl or hearing the word 'geek' used in a non-negative context, but here we are."

Sally smiled. "No problem." She sighed. "Well, I'm off to photography club. See you in French!" 

"See you in French." Teresa went back to the dorm. 

"Oh my gosh, Teresa! You look gorgeous!" Pepper was beaming at Teresa. 

"Why, thank you."

"I told you you wouldn't regret it, and look what's happening! You're not regretting it!"

"Thanks, Pepper." Teresa laughed quietly for a second, then sat back down to her AP Calculus homework.

Chapter Text

"...We'd like to call the following students down to the main office. They are Michaela Anderson, Tamara Chavez, Charlie Cunningham, April Fredericks, Sutton Larson..."

Teresa didn't look up from her book. In the few weeks that she'd been living at the Murphy Academy of Las Vegas, she had found out just how many troublemakers she shared an environment with. Michaela was a notable one. She was constantly late to classes, and often missed homeroom entirely whilst trying to get ready. Teresa had seen that enough times. 

"...Troy Sanderson, Timothy Schmidt, Teresa Syensch..." Wait, Teresa was being called down? She hadn't done anything awful once or done anything kind of bad several times. Why in the world was she being called down to the office? Teresa gulped. Maybe she'd flunked her first AP Physics quiz, and she was going to be put in regular Physics. Or worse, they would take away whatever bad grade she'd gotten and give her a zero instead. 

Teresa may have looked ok as she walked down the halls to the office, but she was definitely not. Her heart was thumping inside her ribcage like a prisoner trying to break the door to their cell. Her legs had the consistency of Jello, and she wanted to curl up in a ball and die right there on the polished tile floor. What could possibly be the reason for this call-down? 

When Teresa opened the door, her arms felt like Jello too. She wondered that if she were in this state when she died someday, would scientists turn her into Jello powder? She didn't care much to keep wondering as she took a seat in the office. 

"Hello Teresa. I'm sorry to disrupt your morning, but I was wondering if you'd help us out." Ms. DuPont looked calm as usual, but she seemed almost excitable today.

"With what?" Teresa sat up a bit straighter. If the staff wanted her help, then surely she wasn't in trouble. They wouldn't want help from a delinquent criminal, would they? 

"With tutoring. See, most of our students are doing either fine or better than fine academically. There are some exceptions, of course, like April." A girl walked into the office. She was wearing a red tulip skirt, a crimson blouse, and a kelly green headband. Her hair appeared to be dyed red, and it was cut in a bob. "Hi. I'm April." April's voice sounded similar to Teresa's, in that it was squacky. She sat down. 

"Hi, April. I'm Teresa." Teresa didn't know quite how to proceed. She hadn't had much success interacting with people who were failing one or more subjects in the past, as she could simply not comprehend how they were failing. Success had always been sort of second nature for her, and she couldn't fathom the concept of having to work harder than others to learn the same material. 

"Good, good. Now, I'd stay here, but I need to introduce the other tutors to their students. Have a splendid day." With that, Ms. DuPont got up and left the room. For a few minutes, deafening silence filled the room. It seemed that neither one knew what to say to the other. Teresa watched the clock tick, while April tied and retied her shoes. After a few minutes, April spoke up. 

"I'm failing English." 

"What!? How!?"

"I....." April shrugged. "I can't really read." 

"Uhhh...." This made Teresa scratch her head. She could barely fathom how one couldn't read by high school. Maybe April was actually a fourth grader who had been bumped up by mistake. Maybe she'd had bad teachers who wouldn't help her. Maybe, if she'd just gotten the right support earlier on, she'd be able to read by now. "Um, how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Ok, scratch the first idea, April was not younger than everyone else. In fact, she was two years older than Teresa. 

"Have you had bad teachers?"

"I'm in special classes. All of my teachers are kind of the same."

Teresa sighed. "Well, why can't you read?" This may have sounded desperate or exasperated, but Teresa was out of questions. 

"The letters kind of get up and crawl around the page when I look at them. I can write fine, but once I finish a letter it runs off too!" April sounded close to tears. 

"Oh my, that sounds hard."

"It is." April really was crying now. She sniffled, and hid her face in her arms. The room filled with her sobs, which made Teresa want to help her. There was something about crying people that made Teresa's empathy chemicals flow out like water flowing out of a burst dam. 

"Hey, um, uh, do you need a hug?"

"Leave me alone. You wouldn't understand. You can read anything!" 

"I may be able to read almost everything, but that doesn't mean I will! I tend to curate most things I read so I won't get stuff I'm not gonna like."

"That doesn't make me feel any better!"

Teresa smacked herself in the face. Why, in the name of mercy, had Ms. DuPont thought that it'd be a good idea to pair smart kids with failing kids? They couldn't relate to each other at all! For conversations to be successful, Teresa thought, one had to at least understand the other. It was better to relate and understand, but understanding was usually enough. For her and April, however, it was hopeless. Neither could understand the other, which was why Teresa wouldn't be able to tutor April effectively. She'd go on with the same problem, and it would be all Teresa's fault. 

"Listen, I have to tutor you. Ms. DuPont obviously paired us up for a reason, even if I don't know it."

"Wait, you don't know everything?" 

"Of course I don't. Nobody knows everything."

April rose her face a bit. She seemed to be blushing, which was common for crying people. "Thank you." 

"You're welcome. Now, when and where should I tutor you?" Teresa felt a bit reassured that maybe, this tutoring thing with April wouldn't be completely hopeless. 

"The library's nice. I like the atmosphere there. I think that 3:00 PM sounds like a good time."

"Ok, 3:00 PM in the library it is. See you later!" 

"See ya." April and Teresa left the office and headed in separate directions. Teresa headed to her math class, handed her late pass to the teacher, and took her seat. It was next to Fran, which was nice. After a few minutes of Algebra, she found a note on her desk. She picked it up and read it.

              so what did you get called down to the office for? was it bad? -fran :9

Teresa took a second to think, then wrote her response. 

               I got assigned to tutor a girl named April. Apparently she can't read, and she's failing English. -Teresa :)

She passed the note back to Fran, who looked at her like he felt sorry for her but felt like it would be rude to say anything. He put the note in his pocket, then got back to work. Why had Fran given her that look? Did April have a bad reputation or something? No, that couldn't be. She had seemed so sweet.

During Teresa's last period of the day, study hall, she got an email. She promptly opened it up.

Teresa, 

Hey girl! I heard from Lin during physics that you're tutoring this girl named April. hate to burst your bubble, but there's a story about April that you should definetly hear. Two years ago, our school's drama club thought it'd be a bright idea to show the musical Wicked. Somehow April got the role of Glinda despite the fact she literally can't sing. she had trouble the whole time, but somehow kept it together until Popular. she couldn't sing a word of the song! they paused the show so her understudy could take over, and she got kicked out of drama club. Sorry for spreading gossip (I know ya don't like it) but I think you deserve to know. love ya (platonically)!

Sally

Teresa didn't know quite how to feel about that. For one, Sally shouldn't have sent that email, regardless if Teresa deserved to know about April's blunders in drama. Also, April wouldn't have been able to get into drama club since she was failing English and couldn't read, so she was quite sure that Sally had lied to humiliate April. Instead of doing the logical thing (which was probably nothing), she wrote an email to Fran.

Dear Fran, 

Hello. How are you doing? I feel fine, but I need to vent to you about something. Sally sent me an email saying that she'd heard about me tutoring April from Lin. She also sent me a story where April was playing the role of Glinda in drama club, and she got replaced with her understudy and kicked out of drama club halfway through the show. I thought about this for a few minutes, and came to the conclusion that April wouldn't have been able to join drama due to her grades and inability to read, and Sally was lying to humiliate her. Does Sally lie to humiliate others often? You've gone to school here longer than I have, so I would like your input. Thank you.

Your friend, Teresa

After a few minutes she got a reply. 

Teresa,

I would've replied a minute or two sooner, but I was in shock because of what Sally (allegedly, you didn't send me proof but I still believe you dw) did. She's using the same tactic she used last year to humiliate me. The stretch-truth-then-email-that-stretched-truth-to-someone-close-to-the-target strategy is one of her favorites. Our school did, in fact, perform Wicked two years ago, but April wasn't even in drama. Truth is, the girl who played Glinda graduated last year. In case you're wondering how she attempted to use this tactic on me last year, I'll break it all down. Paris had chosen me to help her with research for a history project, and Sally emailed her about my supposed bad grades in history and told her to choose 'a more qualified candidate'. Luckily, Paris knew that it was malarkey and asked the principal to be moved into a different dorm (they used to be in the same dorm). Sally almost ruined one of my most amazing friendships, in summary. You can do what you want about the April fiasco, but I'd tell her about it. She deserves to know what Sally's done. 

Your (best) friend, Fran

Teresa audibly gasped, and was about to attempt processing this, but the bell rang. She put her stuff away and began leaving to go to the library. Guess she'd have to process as she went. Why in the world would Sally want to ruin helpless people's lives? Teresa attempted to think of a reason. Maybe she held a grudge against redheads. Maybe she didn't like people who weren't girls with.. Teresa didn't know Sally's criteria for a good target, but she did know that she had to save April from whatever Sally wanted to do to her. Shakily, she took a deep break and pushed open the library's door. 

Chapter Text

"Hi, Teresa!" April sat at a round table in the library. She was smiling a brilliant toothy grin, which showed that she had a decent-size tooth gap. Teresa swallowed, gave her famed nervous grin and chuckle, then took a seat across from her. 

"Hi, April. How's your day been?" 

"It's been pretty good. My teacher gave me some flash cards to study with." She pulled the cards out of her pocket and passed them to Teresa. She took a minute to read them, then shuffled them and began. 

"How do you spell 'Intelligent'?"

"Uhhh.... E-N-T-E-L-L-E-J-E-N-T."

"Nope, that's not quite right. Here's a hint: some letters can sound like others."

"How does that work exactly?" April looked very confused. 

"Take G and J for example. Their sounds are kind of similar, so G is allowed to take J's place sometimes. This happens in the word 'intelligent'."

"I don't get it. I get the sounding similar part, but I still think that 'intelligent' should be spelled with a J."

Teresa facepalmed. April's questions were beginning to irritate her. Not just because she couldn't understand why they'd need to talk about these things, but also because Teresa didn't know exactly why intelligent was spelled with a G instead of a J either. Sometimes, dumb people had amazing ideas because they were too dumb to understand the status quo. "Well, look at it this way. The last four letters of 'intelligent' are the same as the first four letters of 'gentleman'. Would you spell 'gentleman' with a J?"

"Uhh... Maybe? I mean, 'gentleman' sounds like it should start with a J. But every time I try to piece the word together in my head based on sound, the J sounds too much like I'm trying to emphasize the first syllable. So, I use a G, but when I tell people how I spell it, they tell me it's wrong. Then I wonder which letters I got wrong, and next thing I know I've spent twenty minutes on one word."

"Ok, I think I've got something. You say that you use a G in 'gentleman' to not emphasize the first syllable, so the same would apply to the last syllable of 'intelligent'."

"That sounds... better. I think I might get it more now, but were the rest of the letters right too?"

"Most were, and few weren't. The first E and the second-to-last E were supposed to be Is."

"Is that the same problem as J and G?" 

"Yep."

"Ok. Thanks for telling me that. You're really nice, you know that?" 

"Aw, thank you!" That gave Teresa more questions about Sally. Why would she want to hurt such a sweet girl? As far as Teresa could see, April had no fatal flaws despite her inability to read and somewhat quick temper. As they kept on with the flash cards, Teresa tried to balance her rumination and tutoring efforts. Sometimes, though, names almost slipped.

"How do you spell Sal... I mean, 'saltation'?"

"Uhh.... S-A-L-T-A-Y-S-H-U-N?"

"No. In case it helps, you added the y and had the wrong last four letters."

"Is 'saltation' one of those words where T-I-O-N means the sound 'shun' for some reason?"

"Do you think it is?"

"Um, yeah."

"Alright. With that in mind, spell it again."

"S-A-L-T-A-T-I-O-N." 

"Yes, you got it!"

"Hooray!" April held up her hand for a high-five, which Teresa gladly did. She had proven herself wrong by helping April, and she felt amazing about it. 

If only Matilda Marshall didn't break the moment.

"Excuse me, you two are being disruptively loud. If I or any other library attendant hears more than normal speech out of either of you, you'll both be kicked out for the rest of today."

"When did you get the authority to tell us that?" This was a great example of April's temper. She wasn't really the type to listen unless someone had a legitimate, prominent display of authority, which Matilda didn't. Teresa considered it modesty, but April considered it a major inconvenience and pitfall.

"Since two dang years ago," Matilda snapped. Then, she left to shelve more books. 

"April, maybe we should end this session and finish tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me! Honestly, any room with Matilda in it is an awful one, and I would've picked a different area if I had remembered that she works in the library."

"Why is that, if I may ask?"

"Two years ago, she offered to tutor me. I accepted because I wanted to not suffer anymore, but she wasn't helping me. Those bad experiences together quickly eroded our friendship, and in turn hurt my friendship with Paris too. One day, I caught them gossiping about me in the locker room before gym, which made me snap."

"What did you do?" 

"I smacked Paris with a dodgeball during class. She was relatively unaffected, but I still think I scared her a bit. As for Matilda, I purposefully put poison ivy in all of her shirts after finding some outside during lunch the next day. She itched so badly she had to go to the hospital, and I got a month's detention for harming another student. That's also why she never wears short-sleeved shirts or tank tops. Her arms itched so much, they're permanently red from all the itching." April looked shameful and small. She was looking at the floor like she was about to cry.

"Oh golly, that's awful! Wait, how did they know it was you who did the poison ivy?"

"I was known for being aggressive and I still am. Any more questions?"

"Well, I've got something to say—"

"I didn't ask if you had something to say, I asked for questions."

"I know, but this is important—"

"I don't care! ANY MORE QUESTIONS!?"

"OH MY GOLLY, WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN FOR ONE SECOND!? I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU ABOUT HOW SALLY SHAW SENT ME AN EMAIL SAYING THAT SHE KNEW I WAS TUTORING YOU AND LIED THAT YOU WERE IN DRAMA SOPHOMORE YEAR AND GOT KICKED OUT HALFWAY THROUGH WICKED BUT I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T BE LET INTO DRAMA SO I ASKED FRAN FOR HELP AND HE TOLD ME TO TELL YOU BUT YOU WON'T LET ME!"

April went silent for a few minutes, then spoke. "S-Sally lied about me?" 

Teresa sighed. "Yes, she did. I think she was trying to humiliate you. She tried that on Fran last year, using Paris as her outlet.

April gasped quietly, then asked another question. "Paris isn't all bad?"

"No, she's always been cordial and kind to me when we've talked? Did she use to be mean?"

"She's always been snarky, and she's also quite a hot-head. That's why she paints so much."

"She paints to cope with her anger?"

"She always has. Like Matilda's insecurity about her arms, it's gotten more prominent over the years."

"How long have you known them?"

"Since kindergarten. We were our own girl group back then. Over time, things changed. Paris met Lin in 6th grade, and Matilda met Bowyn in 9th. I never met anyone new, so I stayed friends with both of them until that day during our sophomore year when I found them gossiping about me like I said."

"Geez, I'm so sorry for you." Teresa began to feel sick. If a sick person's vision was swimming, then Teresa's vision was preparing to dive into the pool.

"Don't be. It's my fault. If I could've just controlled my stupid, annoying, obnoxious temper, I'd still be friends with them."

"It's not your fault, at least not entirely. They shouldn't have gossiped about you." Her vision began to climb the ladder.

"You really don't think it's all my fault?"

"No. I only think it's partially your fault. Blaming yourself entirely for something that isn't all on you is a bad habit to have and an even worse one to break. I know that for a fact."

"Thank you. I'll go to my dorm now." 

"I will as well."

When Teresa got to her dorm, there was a deadly silence. Sally was quietly fidgeting on her bed, her expression resembling that of someone who had been waiting for a long time. Pepper looked nervous and tense, like something was about to happen but she was too polite to say anything. Sutton was doing homework, unaware of the building tension. Teresa sat at her desk and did homework like usual. A couple hours later, she went to dinner like usual. The others at her table were chatting quietly, but Teresa couldn't make out any words. She just focused on her usual nightly routine, but the feeling of being atop a diving board remained. Surely it's going to pass like most feelings, Teresa thought. She then shut her eyes and slept.

A few hours later, Teresa woke up. She'd definitely jumped into the pool in her dreams, because her vision was swimming. She shakily climbed out of bed and ambled to the bathroom. After finding a mirror that wasn't covered in lipstick drawings and gossipy post-it notes, she looked at herself. Her face was deathly pale, her fingers wiggling up and down like they did when she was typing. Her knees were trembling and struggling to hold her up. She staggered into a stall and collapsed over the toilet bowl as she puked. She felt soft hands lift her hair up. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Paris. Her honey blonde hair shimmered in the faint moonlight coming from the window, and her eyes were filled with worry. 

"I-I don't know. I just feel ill," Teresa mumbled. Then, Paris helped her stand up and walk over to the nearest bench. 

"What's happened today? I read somewhere that some people puke when they get emotional and I want to know if that's happened to you."

"Well, I was in homeroom when I got called to the office. I was apparently tutoring a girl named April Fredericks. She couldn't read, and I couldn't understand why not until she explained. Then she thought I could read anything."

"Yes, I know April. At least, I used to. Please continue."

"Then, I went to my next class, and told Fran about this through a note. Later, I got an email from Sally detailing a fake story about April being in drama and getting kicked out halfway through Wicked. I told Fran about this, who told me to tell her. I tutored her shortly after, and grew to understand her better. We got too loud, so Matilda told us to quiet down. April made a sassy comment, and then we left. We talked as we left, but I eventually ended up yelling about what Sally did. April was very surprised."

"That does seem like something Sally would do. Please, go on."

"Well, then April and I talked about you. She said you're snarky, a hot-head, you met Lin in 6th grade, and you paint to cope with your anger."

Paris sighed, "Everything April said is true. What she doesn't know is that I also help the freshmen and sophomores' art teachers sometimes during study hall, because I do my work fast, which bores me, which morphs into frustration."

Teresa thought of what April had said about Paris flinching when referred to with feminine pronouns. Couldn't hurt to talk about that too, she thought. "April also said that you flinch when people call you a 'she'."

"That's true as well," Paris said. "I've never been quite comfortable being referred to as a girl, but I also don't know what else I could be."

"You can always research. Last year when I was a sophomore, one of our units in health was gender studies. I could send you the paper I wrote for my final to help you out." 

"Thank you so much. I would appreciate it. Also, we need to get you to the nurse since you threw up."

Teresa laughed a little. "Yeah. Thanks for being here for me. What pronouns would you prefer for the time being?"

Paris smiled a warm smile. "You're welcome, Teresa, and I think they/them would do for now."

"They/them it is then!" Teresa and Paris started walking to the nurse's office. 

Chapter Text

It had been a week since the vomit incident, and everything had been going swimmingly. Paris and Teresa had agreed to keep that between the two of them. They called it their anti-guys secret, since Paris had realized that they were non-binary with the help of a few articles. Everyone who knew them was supportive, which was a bit surprising considering that most people were only used to ‘male’ and ‘female’. Teresa tutoring April was going well, too. Slowly but surely, April had begun to get better at spelling words. Teresa felt rewarded by the looks of gratitude and admiration that would light up April’s face. The only bad thing about the tutoring was Matilda’s spiteful glares from between the bookshelves while she worked. April would always get irritated when this happened, but what Teresa noticed more was the occasional flashes of pink light that seemed to follow Matilda. One lunch, she asked Fran if he knew anything about it. 

“Hey Fran, mind if I tell you strange that happens in the library?” 

“Go right ahead, Teresa.” 

“Sometimes, I see pink flashes of light in between the bookshelves. For some reason, they follow Matilda Marshall. I have no clue as to why this could be. Do you?” 

Fran gasped and replied, “That’s wonderful!  So many people have theorized that Bowyn may be haunting the school, but I’d never gotten any evidence until now!” Teresa, confused, said, “Fran, back me up a bit. I’ve never heard a thing about someone named Bowyn haunting us.”

”You haven’t? That’s a shame, everyone deserves to hear the legend of Bowyn Richards.”

”So tell me!” Fran had created endless suspense, but Teresa was getting impatient.

”Bowyn was a girl who loved chairs. She was beloved by the other students, but not so much by the teachers. Last year, on May 29th, she suddenly drowned during gym class. Many students believe that she lived on somewhere as a ghost, but the myth varies. Some say she’s at the pool because she died there, while others suggest the cafeteria because of the chairs. But the pink lights you see between the bookshelves may be a sign she’s actually there instead of a reason she could be. Plus, her and Matilda were best friends when she died, so of course she’d want to be there! It’s perfect, I daresay.”

”Hold on, Fran. If the conditions are perfect, how do we know this isn’t a setup or prank?” 

Fran sighed. “We don’t. But here’s some food for thought: Matilda has been seen in the library much more often this year than in previous years. She’s even withdrawn from a few clubs. What other reason could there be?” 

“The clubs she withdrew from could’ve been sports instead. Sports have jerseys, which show arm skin past the wrist. There could be external factors for her leaving clubs.”

Fran sighed again. “You’re right, but I just know Bowyn must be in there. It’s in my gut, an intuition or something. Even if she’s not there, can you come with me to try and find her? It’ll make my week, probably.” 

Teresa agreed, “Sure. But we need to plan.” 

“We’ll plan in the meantime. For now, let’s get to our classes since lunch is over.” 

“Ok.” The next week went pretty usually, except for the planning. Teresa and Fran batted emails back and forth, tossing around ideas like hailstones in the heavens. Eventually, they settled on the night of October 13th, which would be good since it was a Friday. The plan went like this: The day would be normal until 7:30 PM, which was when most students went to their dorms. Instead of doing that, Fran and Teresa would meet at the Big Tree near the center of campus, which was a popular spot to hang out during the day. Then, they’d walk together to the library, and look for paranormal activity to (hopefully) track down Bowyn. It was a decent plan, but Fran felt that ‘paranormal activity’ was too vague, so he added the pink lights to their criteria.

At 7:40 PM that evening, Teresa was sitting on a bench by the Big Tree. Her heart was thumping with adrenaline and eustress. Usually these things ended in tears, but Teresa couldn't have worried to save her life that night. Fran arrived in ten minutes, and they walked in harmony to the library. It was 8 o’clock when they arrived, giving them only half an hour to do their thing. They began to search between the bookshelves. After 5 minutes of fruitless efforts, Teresa noticed that the Jurassic Park book cover was bright pink instead of the color it was meant to be. 

“Fran! I found the paranormal activity!” She quietly called. Fran bolted over and looked.

“Yep, this must be it.” He attempted to pull out the book, but when he did, a girl popped out. She had pigtails, and a knee-length ripped dress. Her whole body glowed bright pink. 

“Who are you people?” She looked quite confused.

”I’m Fran and this is Teresa. We were looking for you. You’re Bowyn, right?” 

“Yeah, I am. It’s cool that you found me. Or, as I like to say, coolness!” Fran chuckled. “Well, that’s nice. We should probably get going.” Fran and Teresa left, and each went to their dorms.

Chapter Text

Teresa woke up at dawn, confused. Where had she been last night, again? Oh, right…. She had found a ghost with Fran. Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her wrist and dragged her to the bathroom. The next thing she knew, the bathroom lights were on and Sally was angrily standing over her. 

“You weren’t in our dorm until 8:30 last night. Where were you?” 

Teresa was still half-asleep, though visibly shaken up by the events that had just taken place. She responded, “Nothing out of the usual, Sally. I just wanted to take an extra-long shower.” 

“Don’t lie to me, Teresa. Your hair was completely dry when you arrived. You were in your day clothes, I might add, which makes it seem like you were somewhere else on campus. We both know that it’s against school policy to go out in your pajamas. Now tell me, where were you?” Sally’s tone had begun to rise, but Teresa still felt she had room to lie and get this over with quickly. She also felt there was room to change the subject. “I was helping April Fredericks with her English homework. I tutor her as well, do you know that?” 

Something about those two sentences fired Sally further into interrogation instead of diffusing the conflict. She scoffed, “Don’t even talk about that idiot! She’s bad enough as a gym classmate, let alone an excuse! Whatever you were doing, it must’ve been pretty important considering you never even showed your face at the dorm building!” 

Teresa had no logic left, as Sally had her cornered. However, she had privacy to protect, which gave her a new idea: Blame Sally for invasion of privacy, which seemed like the only viable option left. Having three siblings, she was amazing at accusations like this. She also wondered why Sally would care, as she didn’t seem like the type to care about whereabouts over what people were doing, so she decided to include that. “Wait, why do you care anyway? You and I barely ever talk, and you don’t seem like the type to care about stuff as menial as whereabouts. Also, you’re invading my privacy by prying like this.” Teresa tried to sound hurt, but being a tonal failure, she wasn’t sure if she did. 

Sally gasped, not out of surprise, but out of fury. “Oh, privacy? Puh-lease, this is a boarding school! Secrets are meant to be spilled, that’s why I love coming here! If we had privacy, would there be a reason for me to come at all!?” Sally had begun to sound manic. “Last chance. Where were you!?” 

Teresa had given up, and let her emotions take over. All the ire she had flooded out of her in a poisonous, enraged flow.  “You can’t just shut up for once, can you!? You have to keep prying and prying like you’re a gosh darn news anchor! This is why you don’t have any friends other than Pepper. This is why you sent me that email lying about April being kicked out of drama when really, she was never in it! You can’t keep your mouth shut! You yap like it’s your job, when really, we’re all sick of your blabbing! You worm people’s secrets out of them all so you can make personal attacks, and guilt them about it if they keep their privacy intact! I may hunger for information sometimes, but I know when to stop! That’s something your parents never taught you, isn’t it!?” Sally gasped. Somehow, Teresa had drained Sally’s emotion. She was shaking like jello with a shocked expression. Teresa dragged her back to their dorm, and put her in her bed. Then, she rested for a few hours and cooled down.

The next day went by normally. She went to classes, ate lunch, went to more classes, tutored April in the library, went to her dorm and did the homework she hadn’t finished in study hall, then went to dinner. She noticed that her drink tasted strange, but tried not to overthink about it. She hated to overthink. When she was done, she put her tray and cup on the return shelf, then left. She lurched unsteadily through the halls, her arms swinging loosely by her sides. She felt herself smiling at nothing and having to blink a lot to read the bulletin boards. Eventually she slowed down, beginning to feel groggy. 

Halloween Dance

We are having our annual Halloween Dance on Tuesday, October 31st, 2006.

The event will take place at 7:30 PM. There will be snacks and punch available. 

We hope to see you there! 

That was the last thing Teresa read before she passed out.

Chapter Text

Teresa woke up on the cold, hard floor of a dark room. She rubbed her forehead, noticing how parched she was as a quiet groan escaped her mouth. What time was it? What was she doing here? She tried to work up memories, but none would come. She was alone with her thoughts in a dark room. She shakily sat up and tried to look around using what little light came in from the windows, and was greeted by an unpleasant fact: The room was spinning. Weakly, she got on all fours and crawled to the nearest table or shelf. She pulled herself up into a standing position, her hair falling into her face and blocking some of her vision. Slowly, Teresa staggered towards what she thought might be the door, occasionally tripping over her long legs. She reached for the door handle, only to be stopped by a tan man with a tail instead of legs. In her groggy, half-asleep state, Teresa slipped and fell backwards in surprise. 

The tan man was dressed like he came from a previous time. His turtleneck sweater said, "Murphy Academy Of Las Vegas Annual Trivia Competition, 1985". He was somewhat chubby, and he was wearing half-rimmed glasses. "Hi there," he said. 

Teresa blinked and clicked her tongue for a minute, then replied, "Um, who are you?" 

"Don Baker. It's a pleasure to meet you. Oh, by the way, what year is it?" Don seemed genuinely curious. This, paired with his sweater from the 80's, made Teresa wonder if he had been a student here beck then. "Uh, it's 2006. Why do you ask?" 

Don gasped, then said, "2006!? That's 20 years I've been dead now!" Teresa was completely and utterly dumbfounded. 20 years this guy had been dead, and haunting the school. She decided to ask some questions. "How did you die? What room is this?" 

"This is the band room, I like to stay in here and play the piano all night unless people are in here. And, earlier, a girl dragged you in here when you were still asleep. I just hid in the closet while you were asleep. Then, you woke up, and tried to leave, so I popped up." 

Teresa now wondered who could've dragged her in here. No ideas came up immediately, so she decided to think about it later. Don answered her other question. 

"As for how I died, I got bullied by a kid named Yang for all of my high school days. He'd taunt me by stealing my food, and then use it to make the most disgusting things. His brother Ying tried to help, but.... It went too far anyways. One day after classes, Yang kicked me down the stairs. The stairs were much steeper back then, and the hardness of the tiled steps and concrete base made it worse. When I was done rolling down, both of my legs were broken and blood was pouring out of my wounds. The stairs weren't used very often either, so Yang was able to make a quick getaway without drawing any attention. When Ying found me it was too late, and worse, the teacher who finally noticed blamed him. He got expelled and sent to prison, and I had to watch the whole thing from the afterlife."

"That's... That's horrible." Teresa was at a loss for words. She curled into herself on the floor. 

"Hey, it's ok. I was pretty mediocre anyway. A hamburger would've been more useful in adult life than me. Y'know, do you think that if I snuck into the cafeteria and possessed a hamburger, I'd taste it?" 

"Well, they don't make hamburgers every day, but you could check." 

"They don't!? Wow, you new people really don't get to experience the good things. They made hamburgers for almost every dinner when I was alive."

"Wow, sounds like a time to be alive." 

"It was. Y'know, you should probably go to your dorm now. The clock says it's 3:30 AM." 

Upon hearing that, Teresa pulled herself up using the door handle and clunkily walked out onto the brick pavers of the campus. She recognized the Big Tree, so she used it to figure out where her dorm was and stumble back. She shimmied up the ladder and collapsed into bed. 

The next morning, Teresa woke up and everyone was gone. She checked her watch, which read 12:45 PM. Wait.... 12:45!? She had slept for 9 hours and missed all of her morning classes! She threw herself out of bed, hastily brushed her hair, and ran into the main building. She sprinted to the cafeteria, only slowing when she saw her usual table. She plopped herself next to Fran, panting. Fran, concerned, shouted, "Where were you!? I was so worried!" Teresa replied, "I ended up falling asleep at 3:45 last night. You see, I passed out in the hall after dinner, and woke up in the band room. I met another ghost, talked to him for a bit, then went back to my dorm. Also, my head hurt, the room was spinning, and I couldn't walk very quickly. I also tripped sometimes." 

Fran looked concerned. "Teresa, the symptoms you're describing are those of a hangover." He gave her his water bottle. "Take a sip, please. You need to re-hydrate, alcohol is a diuretic so it dehydrates you."

Teresa took a sip, then responded in worry. "...I was hungover?"

Fran took a bite of his sandwich, then replied. "Yes, it seems so. I have no clue how since alcohol is forbidden in schools like this one, but I don't know what else it could be."

With this bit of confirmation, Teresa began to spiral. "Oh my gosh, what will I tell the school if they find out? What will my parents say?" 

Fran gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder, which Teresa sincerely appreciated. "The thing is, if you tell the school you got drunk somehow and ended up hungover, I don't entirely think they'd believe you. The two of us could try to think about it, though." 

"Sure. So, at dawn the day after we found Bowyn, Sally dragged me into the bathroom and tried asking me about my whereabouts. We yelled at each other for about 10 minutes, then I dealt the final blow and went back to the dorm. I slept until morning and the next day went normally, but my drink tasted strange at dinner. Then, I put my tray and cup on the shelf, but when I began walking back towards the dorms, I was walking unsteadily and my arms were swinging more loosely than usual. I had to blink a lot just to read the bulletin boards, then I passed out after reading one. And I already said the rest." 

Fran thought for a minute, then replied, "The only idea I'm getting is that Sally spiked your drink, and considering how awful we already know her to be, that's a real possibility."

Teresa gasped, then asked, "Wait, where would she get the alcohol?"

Fran answered, "Our vice principal drinks on the job. She must've stolen it from him somehow. Mind if I change the subject? I understand that this might be hard for you." 

"Thank you. Please do change the subject."

"So, there's a Halloween dance coming up. I'd like to go with you as Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson." 

Teresa gasped with delight. "Yes, of course I'll go with you! Wait, where are we going to get costumes?"

Fran shrugged. "I was thinking we could wear normal clothes since they do, and they don't have any well known clothing except Annabeth's Yankees hat. We could ask around to find one." 

Teresa smiled. "Sounds good!" She took another sip of Fran's water. "Also, do you want this back?" 

"You can have it. I don't get thirsty too often anyways." 

"Aww, thank you!" 

"Anytime."

Chapter Text

Ever since Teresa had come to the Murphy Academy, Fran's life had just kept getting better. Was it fine when they were MySpace and Geocities mutuals? Yes, but it was glorious to know her as a person, face-to-face. She was like a light that had turned on, and he could see all the best things he couldn't before with her source of light. Life was good. 

Today was Monday, October 16, 2006. He found himself tasked with the mission of finding a Yankees hat for Teresa to wear when they went to the Halloween dance dressed as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase from the PJO series. He pictured the plan as if it were on a to-do list. 

How To Find A Yankees Cap

1. Finish my homework first- I'll probably forget otherwise! 
2. Ask my dorm roomies. If one of them has a Yankees cap, I won't have to search other places. 
3. Ask the people in my classes. I'll either have to send emails, or find everyone. I'll probably do email first, then look for them.
4. ???

Fran thought the plan was pretty good. It was thorough too. He didn't have step 4 yet, of course, but he'd work that out as he went. Perhaps he'd ask his teachers. He walked into his dorm, set his bag down, and pulled out that night's homework. In about 30 minutes, he was done. He put his homework away and spun around to face his roommate, Charlie. He attempted a whistle to get Charlie's attention. 

"Oh, hey Fran? Anything ya need, my Gouda buddy? Haha!" Charlie slapped his knee and climbed down from his bed. 

"Would you happen to have a Yankees hat or know anyone who does? My friend Teresa and I are going to the Halloween dance as Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase from PJO, and we need one to represent Annabeth's."

Charlie shook his head, his short curly hair swaying along with it. "No, sorry. Troy might, but you'll have to wait until he's back from football practice." 

"K then. Thanks anyway." Fran grabbed his copy of Percy Jackson and the Sea Of Monsters, then climbed up and into bed. He snuggled up under the blanket and opened to where he'd left off. He'd begun reading it that summer, but hadn't made much progress since July when he found out that he was going to be a tour guide to one of his most admired online mutuals. Since then, most of his summer had been trying to plan, blogging on LiveJournal, and writing fanfic in his notebook. He'd hid said notebook under his mattress, but there was still a chance his mom might find it. She was a nit-picky, uptight woman who would certainly find fanfic unnatural and weird, especially the kind Fran had been writing. She also found many of his core characteristics unnatural. While he tried not to let it get him down, it was upsetting how she struggled to accept many of the things that made him him. That was why he'd been so ecstatic to come here in the first place: any opportunity to get away from her was priceless. 

Fran was almost done reading the book when Troy walked in. He was wearing his signature letterman jacket with a pair of jeans. He waved a hello to Charlie, then sat at his desk staring off into the distance. Fran decided that he would ask right then. 

"Hi Troy."

"What do you want?" Troy was rather brash, and Fran found this off-putting. He persisted, nevertheless. 

"Would you happen to have a Yankees hat or know someone who does? My friend Teresa and I are going to the Halloween Dance together, and the character she's dressing as wears one a lot."

"Do I look like a Yankee to you?"

"Uh, no?"

"Yeah, so I don't have one. Why do you need one anyway? Will your precious girlfriend die if she doesn't wear one?"

Fran sighed. "For one, Teresa isn't my girlfriend. For two, Annabeth's Yankees hat is mentioned very often in the books, and I daresay it's iconic. So, yes, finding a Yankees hat will improve our costume substantially."

"Puh. Live in denial, I guess." Troy left the dorm. 

"Denial!? Of what!?" Fran shouted. Then he realized that Troy must've been insinuating that he had a crush on Teresa. The nerve! Not once in his life had Fran felt much romantic attraction, and he didn't think this year would be any different. But then again, he did invite Teresa to the dance. And he gave her a water bottle. It was plastic, but still! Well, friends could go to the dance together and share water, actually. Right? Right?? Fran wasn't sure. Teresa probably would be. She was always so logical, so smart, so.... so dreamy. Her eyes were like the emeralds on his mom's birthstone necklace. Somehow they managed to be striking and bold as well as generous and friendly. Teresa was all of those things. Could... Could it be? Could he be developing a crush on Teresa? Like with many questions in his life, the answer was 'I don't know.' He wished he'd know more. Teresa probably did, as with many things. She could probably cure cancer if she wanted to. She was an enigma, yet Fran felt like he understood her wonderfully. Sometimes, he wondered if she was actually a goddess, testing him. If she was, he wanted to impress her. Not just because she was a goddess, but because she was wonderful. Everything about her made Fran smile naturally, and that meant he was ecstatic. He put on fake smiles so much at home just so his mom wouldn't criticize him, but he'd rarely smile on his own unless he was joyous. And with Teresa, he was. 

Fran climbed down and decided to write Teresa an email. 

Dear Teresa, 

Hi there! I was wondering if you've had any luck finding a Yankees hat so far. I tried with my dormmates, but none of them have one. I figured I'd ask you if you'd found one before continuing my search, since I wouldn't want us to end up with two. Have a wonderful day! 

Your friend, Fran

Fran hit send, and awaited Teresa's response.

Chapter Text

Teresa pulled her signature ponytail through the back of the Yankees cap. She had taken longer than usual to brush it today, as it was the night of the Halloween Dance. Though she didn't care very much about beauty, she would always go the extra mile for special events. This time, the extra mile had been borrowing the hat. Both her and Fran had agreed that the hat's inclusion brought their costumes to the next level. Teresa left the locker room and dorm building, going towards the Big Tree. That was where her and Fran had decided to meet up before the dance. 

Fran was sitting on a bench ripping up a fallen leaf when Teresa arrived. He immediately hopped up and greeted her. "Hi, Teresa! How are you?"

Teresa smiled. "Pretty good, thanks. How about you?"

Fran gave his trademark grin. "I've never been better. You look gorgeous, by the way."

Teresa blushed a bit. "Aww, thank you! Guess what?"

"What?"

"Where I live, it's almost 9:30 right now."

"Oh, cool! I don't get to experience time-zone magic when I'm commuting back-and-forth from school, since I'm from Carson City. It's in-"

"Nevada."

"Wow, I kinda didn't think you'd know that. Since when most people think of Nevada, they think of Vegas, even though Carson City is the capital-"

"Well, yeah, I don't just know science. How else would I get so far?"

Fran chuckled. "Haha, you're right. I should've thought of that. Why don't we head to the gym now?"

They began walking when Teresa remembered something. "Mind if I tell you something?"

"Go ahead."

"When I'm close with someone, I like to hold their hand, regardless if I have feelings or not."

"Do you wanna hold hands with me? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, it is."

"Of course! I love holding hands, I'm glad to see someone else like it too."

"Yeah." Fran and Teresa gripped each other's hands as they continued walking to the gym. 

When they opened the door to the gym, they saw many Halloween decorations. There was a table in the back with chips, punch, and all sorts of knick-knacks on it. Heck, there was even a fountain for chocolate fondue! A disco ball was hung from a hook on the ceiling, and several speakers were mounted on the walls. Mr. Brightside by The Killers was blasting, and many students were dancing, whether alone or together. The usually very sweaty gym had been transformed into a mystical wonderland where everyone who went to the school could forget their troubles and live a teenage dream, if only for a night.

"Wow, it's beautiful in here," Teresa remarked. 

"Yeah. It always is," Fran agreed. 

"Why aren't they playing Halloween music? It's Halloween."

"They used to, but everyone except the freshmen called it childish, so they play other music nine-tenths of the time."

"Shame. I really like spooky music. But this music isn't bad."

"Yeah. I personally like it. Also, I'm thirsty, can we get punch?"

"But what if Sally spikes it? If what we think is true, she won't hesitate." Teresa had apparent trauma from the drink-spiking event, as evidenced by her paranoia. 

"There's too many people here. She cares about her image, and spiking a drink won't look good."

"Thanks for your reassurance. I admit, I'm thirsty too, let's go get some."

Fran and Teresa walked towards the refreshments table. They picked up 2 cups and poured themselves some of the punch. Teresa took a sip, and it was very sweet but undeniably fruity. 

"How is it?" Fran asked.

"Very sweet, but not to the point where the fruit is untasteable."

Fran took a sip. "You're absolutely right," he agreed. 

Teresa giggled. She was the type of person to laugh when she was nervous, giggle when she was happy, and frown when she was fine. "Yep. I don't think I'll be having more after I'm done with it."

"Me either, haha." They finished their drinks and threw the cups away, when the lights began to dim and the song that had been playing ended. All the singles in the room retreated to the walls, and all of the couples began to dance. 

"Oh. Uh....... Can I ask you something, Teresa?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Can I... Uhhh......" Fran leaned in closer and whispered. "Can I dance with you?"

Teresa gasped. "Um."

Fran sighed. "I knew you'd say no." He was beginning to leave when Teresa stopped him. 

"Wait! I didn't say no, I was just surprised! Of course I'll dance with you, I'd be delighted!" 

Fran turned back around. "Oh, that's good. Let's start, then." After a bit of awkward positioning, they got into a comfortable pose and began to dance. Fran's hands were resting on Teresa's lower back, and Teresa's were perched upon Fran's shoulders. They were swaying to the music with everyone else in the room, and were incredibly close to one another. Teresa gazed into Fran's eyes, taking in the soft, chocolatey brown. The gentle country guitars of the song filled the gym, and everything was harmonious, even if it was only for one night. Teresa swore at all costs that she wouldn't let tonight go to waste. She would make the most of it. While dancing, she sort of spaced out, listening to the lyrics of the music. 

He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star
He's the song in the car I keep singing, don't know why I do

Teresa tried, but she couldn't find out what song it was. Fran probably would, considering his knowledge of pop culture. Maybe she'd ask him when they were done dancing. Soon, the song ended, and the next one was a classic: Queen's Somebody to Love. She thought back to July, even though July felt like a million years ago. She had felt restless and bored, like she was missing something she had never had. Now, she knew Fran, and that void was gone. It was impossible to be bored or restless around him. She and Fran kept dancing in impeccable harmony, spinning like a merry go round with only a few people. It was truly magical. The lights had turned purple, making the room feel hazy yet delightfully airy. Teresa felt dazed, but it was a good kind of dazed, like zoning out to her favorite music. Eventually, the lights returned to normal and all the couples separated. Fran sighed in contentment, then asked Teresa a question.

"Whew, that was fun. Do you wanna go back to our dorms now?"

"Sure, I guess. Actually, can we just sit and talk near the Big Tree until we're more tired? We can probably bring some of the chips from here."

"Sounds good! Let's get chips and go."

They walked to the refreshments table, got their chips, and held hands as they left the gym.

Chapter Text

Teresa was lugging her stuff to the computer lab. Usually she'd use her laptop, but it was dead and she couldn't get the charger to work. So, the computer lab it was. When she entered, she coughed because of how dusty it was. Most people probably didn't come here unless they were desperate, since laptops were so accessible. She sat at a computer near the door, and signed in. She checked her email as she always did, and she had one. She opened it up.

Hi there! 

This is Paris Brunson, leader of the student-run Pottery Club. We're having our first gathering Tuesday, November 7th, at 5:00 PM. We'll be working on the wheels, and offering assistance to anyone who needs it. It will be in room 249. We hope to see you there, newbies and artists alike! 

Sincerely, Paris

Teresa thought for a minute before realizing that November 7th was today. She was unsure what she could do about this. She wanted to support Paris, but didn't know how she'd be able to show up considering that it was already 4:15. Wait.... She could work on her AP Chemistry project for 30 minutes, then go to Pottery Club across the building. Perfect!

Fran was sitting in the school newspaper office, typing a story. Lin was sorting photos she'd taken to go with the story he was writing, about the Halloween Dance. While everyone else at the dance had been dancing and having fun, she was photographing the event. Fran respected this, as he knew all too well that he had been dancing with Teresa for the majority of the dance and hadn't gotten down any ideas. His fellow club members had teased him a bit about this, but he didn't mind. What he did mind, however, was how this event had revealed something to him: He did, in fact, have a crush on Teresa. He sighed, pushing his laptop to the side and throwing his feet onto the desk. 

"Hey Lin, mind if I vent a bit?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"So, I danced with Teresa at the Halloween Dance."

Lin was done sorting the photos, so she began to arrange them. "Yes, you did. Good job!"

Fran took his feet down and pulled over the laptop. "But the thing is, now I'm absolutely sure I've got a crush on her and IT'S SO AWKWARD! Half the time I don't know what to say to her because she's just so wondrous!"

"Why don't you tell her the truth?"

"That'd be confessing."

"That's my point! Nothing's better about keeping your feelings in, it just makes you awkwarder." Lin sipped her Coke. "So confess. What's the worst that can happen?"

"She gets shocked, then she gets mad, then she never talks to me again."

"That's unlikely. Teresa doesn't seem like the type to leave someone despairing like that."

"What if she makes an exception?"

"She wouldn't do that."

"How do you know all this?" 

"I just do."

Fran sighed once again. 

Teresa was lugging her stuff once again, but this time, she was lugging it to room 249 for the Pottery Club. She was no artist, but she had admired many beautiful sculptures and clay containers, which lured her to the club. Plus, she wanted to support Paris. They were friends, after all! A few more minutes of walking, and Teresa was at room 249's door. She walked in, looking around the room. There were wall-to-wall windows on the opposite side of the room, and some drying racks were in front of them. The pottery wheels were all in the back of the room, and there was a decently-sized table in front of them. Behind them there was a utility sink, some storage shelves with labeled bins on them, and a door. Only 2 or 3 other people were in there, including Paris, who smiled when they saw Teresa. 

"Hi, Teresa! It's nice to see you. You can put your stuff on the leftmost drying rack, we never really use that one." Teresa followed suit, and listened for Paris to give more instructions.

"Now, go to the storage shelves and get a sponge, wooden knife, wooden rib, needle tool, and a cutter."

Teresa grabbed what she thought were all of the tools, and set them down on the shelf attached to one of the wheels. She was about to take a seat when Paris added, "Wait, grab a smock from the hook on the door first. Clay wrecks your clothes like gossiping wrecks your friendships, and wearing a smock will prevent that. Afterwards, get a bucket and fill it with water. I'll get the clay for everyone while you're doing that." Teresa went over, grabbed one of the smocks, put it on, got a bucket, and filled it up. She carefully took the bucket to her wheel, where she sat down and waited. It seemed that Paris would be sitting next to her, as the shelf had all the same tools Teresa's shelf did.

Paris took their seat and handed Teresa her clay. "So, first, you'll wanna roll it around until it's a pretty good ball."

Teresa rolled the clay in her hands, getting used to the texture until it looked pretty much perfect. Paris continued their instructions. "Now, slam it down on the center of the wheelhead. It's ok if you mess up, you can just push it to the center." 

Teresa slammed the clay down, and she only had to push it slightly to center it. Paris did the same, but they didn't really have to center it. "Look down, there should be a switch on the side of your wheel. I want you to flick it, then press the pedal lightly to get it going slowly so that you can make a seal for your clay. Like this." Paris demonstrated the seal. Teresa looked down, and there the switch was. She flicked it, then lightly pushed the pedal with her foot. She put her pointer finger in the specified spot, and took it off when she'd made the seal.

"You'll wanna slap the clay really hard on the wheel to get it as perfectly centered as possible. Like this." Paris demonstrated, seeming to take all of their anger out on the lump of clay. Teresa tried to do the same, smacking her clay like it owed her money. Eventually, Paris spoke again. "Now, soak your sponge in your bucket of water and squeeze it out onto your clay." Teresa swished her sponge around in the water, then squeezed the water onto her clay.

"You'll cup your hand like this..... And squeeze the clay like so. This should cone it up." Teresa tried squeezing the clay, but it wouldn't budge. She remembered that Paris had been keeping their elbows on their thighs when squeezing. She tried that, and it worked. In fact, Teresa realized that was probably the intended way to do it.

"Now, butt your hands against the clay. Close your hands around it, and push it down and forward with the little part under your thumb that's a bit thicker than the rest of your hand." When Teresa tried to butt her hands against her cone and flatten it as intended, she found herself unable to do it. "Also, you'll need to add water using your sponge if it gets too dry. If it's too dry, you won't be able to shape it." Teresa watered her cone, and that fixed the issue. "Keep coning up and down until all of the clay is moving together." Soon enough, all of the clay appeared to be together, so Teresa flattened it one final time and waited for more instructions.

"Now, we're done with centering. We're now starting the next big step: shaping. First, cup your hands around the clay without squeezing it. Then, drive your thumbs into the middle of your clay until you've made a little divot." Teresa wiped her hands on her apron to get rid of the unpleasant clay sensation smothering them, and cupped the clay. She drove her thumbs into the center of her clay mound until she had what looked to her like a divot. 

"Grab your sponge and wet the divot you made, then put your thumbs back in and make the divot into a bigger hole." Teresa swished her sponge around in the bucket, squeezed the water out, then cupped the clay once more and put her thumbs back in the divot. “Make the divot bigger, until it’s a proper hole.” Soon enough, Teresa no longer had a divot, but instead had a hole. “Drain all the water from the bottom of your hole, and I’ll teach you how to check the thickness.” Teresa did as she was instructed. 

“Stop your wheel, take your needle tool, put your pointer finger on the side of the needle, and push the tip into the bottom of your clay.” Teresa aligned her finger with the needle, and pushed the tip into her clay. Paris instructed, “Your bottom needs to be about this thick to continue to the next step.” Teresa pulled the needle out, and it was just right.

“Now that everyone’s bottoms are thick enough, we can go on. The next step is where we’ll begin shaping the clay, and today we’re gonna make bowls. You’ll turn your wheel back on, wet your clay, cup one hand around it, and wrap the other one around the rim.” After a bit of fiddling, Teresa got her hands in the correct position. “Move your hands upwards in the same position. Eventually, we’ll be ready to pull out instead of up.”

 Teresa pulled upwards until Paris said, “Ok, we’re going to start pulling out now. You need to start at the bottom because that’s where the most clay is. Allow me to demonstrate.” Paris moved their hands into the position, and gripped the bottom of their clay with one. They pulled the clay out so that it widened the partially-formed bowl. “You’ll need to do this for a while. Once you’ve got a shape you’re happy with, feel free to turn off your wheel and go get a board.” 

Teresa pulled out 4 or 5 times, then deemed her bowl finished and turned off her wheel. She went to the shelf of boards and grabbed one, bringing it back to her seat and waiting for the others to finish. Eventually, when everyone was done, Paris said, “The final step is to cut your piece off of the wheel. Squeeze some water onto the wheel in front of your piece, then pull your cutter taut. Be careful if you’ve got a wire cutter, since they can give you very painful cuts.” Teresa wet the front of her wheel, and pulled her cutter taut as she was told. “Now, put the taut cutter on the wheel and, keeping it taut, slide it under your piece to cut it off of the wheel. When it’s detached, put it on your board.” Teresa tried to slide the cutter under her piece, but her cutter got caught in one of the wheel’s ridges. She tried to get it out, but she cut her thumb in the process. “Ouch!” Paris looked over, taking in the situation. “You know what, Teresa? I’ll take care of your piece for today, and clean up your wheel. Go to the nurse.” Teresa tried protesting, but Paris insisted, “Go. Those cutters are old, you need to get your wound cleaned professionally. Plus, the water the cutter was sliding through had clay in it, and clay can contain all sorts of bacteria. You don’t want that in your system.”

Teresa left the room, but not before hanging up her apron and washing her hands. The nurse was in room 230 down the hallway, so it only took her about 2 minutes to get there. The nurse looked up from her paperwork to face Teresa. “Hi there, what do you need?” Teresa lifted her hand to show her thumb to the nurse. “Oh dear, that is certainly a bad cut. How did you get it?”

“I was about to take a piece off of the wheel during Pottery Class when my cutter got stuck. I tried to pull it out, but I cut myself in the process.” 

“In that case, I’ll disinfect it before I put a bandage on it. Clay is a natural material, so it can have all sorts of nasty germs in it. I feel bad for you though, that sounds like a painful way to cut yourself.”

“It was indeed painful, but I’ll be ok.” The nurse returned from the shelves with supplies. Teresa winced as the nurse disinfected her thumb, and stopped wincing when she put on the bandage. “You should be all good to go now. Be safe!” Teresa thanked her and left.

Chapter Text

Thanksgiving was sort of a dark horse holiday. Most people didn't decorate for it, and those that did never really did a ton. Teresa disliked it because she always got way too far into her head on Thanksgiving nights, causing her to lose sleep and be grumpy the next day. This Thanksgiving would probably be different, however. She was away from home for the first time ever, and that always shook things up. Well, she'd been out of the house before, but this year it was a prolonged absence, from late August to December 1st. They got an extra-long Christmas Break, since many students at the school were of the homesick type, and when she was home, she'd be there until early January. After she got back here, she'd be here until the middle of June.

Teresa walked down to the cafeteria line for dinner. Apparently they had a Thanksgiving feast each year, which many people looked forward to because the food would be ever-so slightly nicer. Though, after eating all 3 meals here for several months, everything started to taste the same. She still wondered if the difference in taste was as slight as everyone had made it out to be. When Teresa got her food and entered the cafeteria, she peered around until she spotted Fran, who was sitting at an octagonal table with Paris and Lin. She made her way over, taking a seat one away from Fran so they could both have personal space. Fran looked up from his meal and smiled at her. 

"Hey there, Teresa! How's your day been?"

"Pretty good. Is the food really as good today as everyone makes it out to be?" 

"Well, I think so, but I'm also a supertaster. You'll have to eat it yourself to decide."

Teresa took a bite and was amazed. The turkey was cooked very well, being tender while still tasting like it was cooked properly. Gravy was almost definitely involved in the cooking process, as she got notes of it sprinkled through, and there was even a very faint kick of spice to make it taste more interesting. It was also texture heaven, which made Teresa heave a sigh of satisfaction as she felt that sometimes, texture was just as if not more important than taste. It was delicious. 

"You're more than correct, this is scrumptious!"

Fran took a bite of his roll and grinned warmly. "Thank you. I think they put in so much effort cooking because they're sorry we're not celebrating Thanksgiving at home. They don't have to be sorry for me though, I'm glad to be celebrating Thanksgiving here instead of with my horrible mother."

Teresa cocked her head in confusion. "Your mother is horrible?"

Fran's face fell. "Yes, she is. She's a bit of an ableist, and when I was diagnosed autistic at age 12, she said out loud for me to hear that she'd rather have a corpse for a child than have me."

Teresa gasped, livid. "That is so offensive! I can't believe she'd say something so horrible in front of such an impressionable child!" 

Fran sighed. "Of course you can't, and that is why you're so awesome. You are such a sweet, wonderful, morally upstanding person that you can't even begin to justify the truly terrible actions of people like her."

"Even if I could justify that, I would refuse to. Nobody who exists or ever will exist should say such horrible things."

"And despite how wrong it is, she still treats me like I'm a second-rate human." Fran's voice quieted. "That's actually why I came here. T-to get away from her."

Teresa felt that he would probably start crying soon, so she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Hey, hey, it's ok to admit that. It may be difficult to say, but getting it out is crucial. When I tried holding in all of my problems and quirks, it made me want to die, so I got a journal. I haven't used it since getting here, though, despite the fact that I brought it with me."

Fran sat silently for a few minutes, than asked, "How many friends do you have back home?"

Teresa replied, "None, unless you count my family."

"And how many friends do you have here?"

Teresa counted on her fingers, than said, "Maybe 4."

"Maybe that's why you haven't used your journal. See, before I came here I had many more issues with my life and like, stomachaches. I got bullied badly then, but since I've been coming here, it's been different. People don't bully me, like at all. They actually value my opinions, and treat me like I'm not a bad human. I think that everyone here is more accommodating, you can get out your thoughts verbally and don't need to write about them as much."

Teresa took a few minutes to process, then said, "That seems like it could be true. I'm also less... exhausted? at the end of the day here."

"That's exactly it! See, I used to be exhausted after every day too, but then I came here and I've had a ton of energy left at the end of every day I've spent here. That's also given me the strength to join clubs, whereas when I was in middle school, I was too tired to do any, and I never stuck with one to the end of the school year."

"I mean, earlier this month, I went to the pottery club so I could support Paris, and ended up having a great time. Well, I also cut my thumb on the cutter and had to leave early, but I didn't let that ruin it for me. I came back next time, which was this Tuesday."

Paris butted in, "And you made a wonderful mug this time."

Teresa blushed like she always did when receiving compliments. "Aww, thanks! I didn't personally think it was that good compared to the mug you made, but I'm glad you liked it."

Paris smiled. "Well, I've been making pottery since I was 11. The mug you made was only your third piece. It's normal to not be as good when you're starting out. In fact, my first piece was supposed to be a cup, but I cut it wrong and it ended up as a planter instead. Can you believe that?" 

Everyone at the table laughed, not to mock Paris, but simply because of how unexpected that was. Lin wrapped her arm around Paris's shoulders. "Well, Paris, a planter is nothing to be ashamed of. Your sister likes plants, right?"

"Lin, I'm an only child." This time, everyone laughed louder. Lin was always unpredictable and never logical, but that was what made her so funny. Speaking of Lin, her cheeks reddened, and she said, "Oh. Was it your mom, then?"

Paris chuckled at Lin's repeated mistakes. "It was my dad, actually. He really did love it though, it being the planter. He still keeps a small succulent in it on our coffee table."

Teresa asked, "What does your mom do?"

Paris replied, "She runs a grocery store. When I'm at home, I help her with it very often. In case you'd like to know, my dad teaches biology at our local high school."

Teresa smiled. "That's very cool!"

After 30 more minutes of dinner, everyone left to get ready for bed.

Teresa woke up in the middle of the night. Try as she might, she couldn't go back to sleep, so she got out of bed. She tried to take a look around the room, but it was pitch black. The pitch black didn't scare her though, she knew where the door was. She went to the locker room, and walked around. The moonlight illuminated her surroundings from a window. When the room was occupied the blinds were usually closed to protect privacy, but nobody was in here besides Teresa. She took a seat on one of the benches and took out her hairtie. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders, her side bangs cloaking her face. She got up and walked over to one of the sinks, and took a long, hard look at herself in the mirror.

Wow, she looked different. Teresa hadn't looked so hard at herself since August. The ends of her hair no longer had their signature chlorine green, and had returned to their natural pale blonde. Her green eyes, which had been dull and bored back then, were now shining and full of life. Why? Why did Teresa look so much more alive here? She was quirky and unique wherever she was, but here, she was so much happier about it. Back home, she had been exiled in a sea of mainstream men and skin-deep drama. Here, everything was meaningful. You couldn't go an inch without reason, and Teresa loved it. She felt like she belonged here, but she didn't belong at her old school at all. She felt like there were many places she belonged. She belonged here, she belonged at home with her family, and with Fran.

Fran truly was an angel. It felt like he was a gift from the heavens, sent to make the planet a better place, especially for Teresa. Teresa just couldn't talk to anyone like she could talk to Fran. They were so different, yet they fit together like pieces in a puzzle. It was like they both spoke an obscure language, and had never met anyone else who spoke it. It was a breath of fresh air to know him, yet he was chaotic and dramatic enough to keep her from going limp with boredom. In a world of grey circles, they were the screaming colors. They were the paint splatters on a white wall. They were eclectic patches on a black leather jacket. After 15 years of being the sole screaming color she knew, she had found another neon. Together, Teresa and Fran lit up their world. They were a force to be reckoned with.

Teresa felt herself drifting, and went back to her dorm. She crawled into bed and slept without dreams.

Chapter Text

Teresa woke up one morning at 8:00 AM. She hopped out of bed, checked her calendar, then realized that today was the day everyone went home for Christmas Break. She continued to pack her stuff, since she'd be home for around a month. With the chaotic nature of her family, there was no telling what she might need. Her roommates were all still sleeping, but she kept packing. Soon, she was done, so she put her bags down and took her clothes into the locker room to change. 

The lights were off in the locker room. Teresa turned them on, found a stall to change in, and changed. She had chosen a long-sleeved sage green shirt, and a set of grey sweatpants. She picked up her pajamas, which were really the clothes from yesterday (she couldn't be bothered to change into night clothes), and went back to her dorm room. Sutton was up, and she was putting her books into her suitcase. Sally was also up, but she wasn't packing. Instead, she was taking selfies at her desk.

"Good morning, Sally. Why aren't you packing?"

Sally scoffed. "I'm staying here over break. My parents can't be bothered to come and get me, anyways."

Teresa gasped, then sat down to her suitcase. Even though she was still nervous around Sally due to the drink-spiking incident, she couldn't help but feel a little bad for her. Her parents must be worse than I presumed, Teresa thought as she picked up her bags and left. She went to the cafeteria, since that was where they had been told to go while they waited. She spotted Fran's table, and strolled over. Fran was wearing a red puffer jacket and soft-looking pants. He smiled when he saw Teresa. "Good morning, Teresa. How are you?"

"Good, thanks. Crazy to believe we're both going home, isn't it?"

Fran sighed. "Yeah, it really is. Mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Do you have a phone?"

"Yes, but I left it at home."

Fran pulled a post-it note out of his pocket, and wrote down a few numbers. He passed the post-it to Teresa. "It's my phone number. You see, it's been so wonderful knowing you that I want to communicate over break. Call me, please."

Teresa smiled, and she couldn't deny the tears welling up in her eyes. "I will. You mean so much to me, you know that?"

"Can you give me an object for scale?"

Teresa laughed. "You mean more to me than the universe does."

Fran beamed and gave her a hug. "You mean the same amount to me." Teresa felt a hot tear drip onto her shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?"

Fran nodded. "Yep. It's just... I'm going to miss you an amount that nobody, not even Einstein, can comprehend. You're like... what is it?"

"A soulmate?"

"I think so. I feel like we were friends in some other life as well, you know?"

"I do." Then, Teresa saw her dad in the corner of her eye. "I think I've gotta go. I'll call you when I get home, and maybe even sooner if I can find a public telephone near my hotel." 

Fran waved goodbye. "Take care."

Teresa smiled as she left with her dad. As soon as they got into the van, her dad said, "Teresa, I am so proud of you. The principal gave a very good report. She said that you're doing amazing in all of your classes, and you're even tutoring someone."

Teresa beamed. "Yep! I've been doing awesome!"

"There's more. She also said you're making more social connections, and that you joined a club."

"I sure did."

"I'm even more proud of all that than I am of your academic achievements. I bet it's nice having a support system."

"It really is. There's Fran, Paris, Lin, and I think that's it."

Teresa's dad smiled. Teresa couldn't see his face, but she could tell by the way he spoke. "See? I knew this would be wonderful for you. I'm gonna stop talking now so I won't talk your ears off, but keep in mind that I am so unbelievably proud of you."

Teresa felt warm and happy inside. She pulled her iPod out of her pocket, and plugged in her headphones. She played a mix of various artists she liked, including Lemon Demon. She felt that Lemon Demon was the type of artist Fran would like as well. The song playing was a newer one called Nothing Worth Loving Isn't Askew. Eventually, Teresa fell asleep in her seat despite having loud music on.

A day later, Teresa hopped out of her dad's van, and took in the sight of her house. It seemed almost foreign, after having been gone so long. She opened the back door of the van, got her luggage, and carried it into the house. Her sisters and brother were watching a movie on the couch, but they paused it when they noticed Teresa.
Becky was the first to talk. "Hi Teresa! How was Vegas?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, Becky. Actually, it was pretty good!"

Gabriella came next. "Did you make any friends?"

"I made 3!"

Lastly, Felix bounded up front and yelled, "AND WHAT OTHER AWESOME STUFF DID YOU DO!?"

Teresa laughed at hearing her brother's astonishingly loud voice for the first time in months. "Well, there's a lot to say. I joined the Pottery Club, I tutored someone, I danced with someone at the Halloween Dance, I-" Becky interrupted, "You danced with someone!? Come up to my room, tell me everything."

Teresa sheepishly followed her sister upstairs, and joined her in Becky's eyehurtingly bright room. 

"So, who did you dance with?"

"I danced with Francine from the acceptance letter, also, he goes by Fran-"

"You danced with him!? That's adorable! Are you gonna arrange for all of us to meet him sometime!?"

"What- no! Even though it's true that I've bonded with him over these few months more than I've bonded with anyone else ever, I've still only known him for a few months!" Teresa made a break for it, sprinting out of Becky's room and into her own, slamming the door and locking it for good measure. She threw herself onto her bed, panting. The familiarity of her bedding was comforting, and she bundled up to take a nap.

An hour or two later, Teresa heard her mom calling, "Teresa! It's time for dinner!" so she got up and went downstairs. She walked into the kitchen, where her mom was waiting for her. "Oh Teresa, I'm so happy you're home! It's wonderful to see you. How was school?"

Teresa scooped some mashed potatoes onto her plate. "It was pretty good! I made 3 friends there, and I had a great time!"

Teresa's mom squeezed Teresa into a hug. "I missed you so much. Why don't we finish getting our plates and sit down at the table?"

Teresa nodded, got some steak with mushrooms, and carried her plate to the table. She sat next to her dad. The steak was cooked well, and the mashed potatoes had evidently been peeled beforehand with extra care to make them perfectly textured. Golly, it had been so long, Teresa had nearly forgotten what a homecooked meal tasted like. She finished her dinner, went for seconds, and ate those quickly as well. 

"My, Teresa, you certainly seem hungry," her mom remarked. 

"I sure am. While I was at school I almost forgot how good of a chef you are, because everything started to taste the same."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy."

Teresa smiled. "I'm glad I'm happy as well."

Soon everyone was done with dinner, so they put their plates in the sink and went off to do what they wanted to do. Teresa was still pretty tired, so she went upstairs, got out one of her long nightgowns from Great Aunt Mildred, and went to take a shower. After months of using the bare-bones showers they had at the school, Teresa was excited just to be using a showerhead with multiple settings. She turned on the water, set the showerhead to a medium-pressure setting, and got in. The water was soothingly warm. Teresa squeezed some shampoo into her hand, wet her hair, and lathered it until her hand came down covered in suds. Then, she stepped back into the water, and rinsed her hair out. She got some conditioner, rubbed it into the shafts of her hair, and rinsed that out as well. 5 minutes later, she was done, so she got out and dried off. She changed into her nightgown and went to bed. 

Teresa woke up. The first thing she noticed was that the room wasn't pitch black. She wasn't in her dorm room anymore; she was at home for Christmas Break. When she woke up the next morning, she wouldn't awaken to her dormmates' shenanigans. She wouldn't go to AP Calc and her seat with Fran in second period, as there were no periods. She was home. 

Strangely, Teresa wasn't relieved to be home. She was actually a bit.... bored? She didn't know. After having a routine of wake up, get dressed, go to breakfast, go to morning classes, go to lunch, go to afternoon classes, go back to dorm for homework and relaxing, go to dinner, go to locker room to shower, and go to bed, for several months, she was restless with spare time. Maybe she'd just call Fran a lot. Yeah, that would work. They could talk for hours on end if they tried. 

Teresa got onto her knees in bed. There was a window at the foot of her bed, which she often gazed out of when she couldn't sleep. Tonight she gazed once more, the stars blurring in her vision, which, without her glasses, wasn't so great. She saw the moon hanging in the sky. She couldn't tell if it was a waxing gibbous, a full moon, or a waning gibbous due to her flawed vision. When she put on her glasses, though, she could tell that it was the former. She saw several stars that made a shape, though she didn't know if it was an official constellation or her mind playing tricks. Either way, something was written in the sky there, for all to see. 

Teresa laid back down, and sighed. She wondered if she and Fran were written up in the sky somewhere too.