Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Here we go again.

Varian groaned and rolled over in his bed to stare at the ceiling, his hands skipping expertly over the careworn Rubik’s cube he was fiddling with.

Another new school, another skipped grade. Another year of trying to make friends. Another year of being ignored.

Another year of mistakes.

Usually the colorful stains on his ceiling from chemical experiments gone awry comforted him, but today they only served as a reminder of everything he’d ever done wrong. They seemed to be accusing him, Why can’t you just be normal?

Actually, if he tilted his head, one of the splatters almost looked like a hand with an accusatory pointing finger. That was kind of neat.

Varian shook his head and spun his cube around. Don’t get distracted. He should be getting ready for tomorrow. He still had to find all his books and pack his backpack and pick up his lab table so his cat wouldn’t get into it tomorrow while he was gone. He also had to dig his lunch box out of the depths of the garage, and find some clean clothes somewhere— preferably a shirt without acid burn holes in it— and skim his summer reading book so he knew what it was about. And he still hadn’t eaten anything yet this evening. There was too much he needed to do.

Despite the vague sense of guilt gnawing in his chest, Varian started looking for other shapes in the stains.

Then his bedroom door whined open, and he shot upright, fumbling the Rubik’s cube. “Dad! I told you, you can’t just— oh.”

Varian’s cat looked up at him and meowed loudly. He padded across the room and leapt up onto the bed.

“Hey, Ruddiger,” Varian said, a smile catching the corners of his mouth as the cat butted his head against Varian’s hand. As always, Ruddiger had come in at exactly the right time, and Varian was thankful for the distraction. Ruddiger meowed again, more insistently this time. “Oh, you’re hungry,” Varian realized. “Alright, let’s go.” He sat up and shoved the Rubik’s cube in his hoodie pocket, then followed Ruddiger as the cat raced excitedly downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Son,” Varian’s dad, Quirin, greeted him from the stove. “I have your supper. I’ve been keeping it warm for you.”

“Hi, Dad,” Varian said absently, scooping dry cat food into Ruddiger’s bowl. “Thanks.” As he caught the unmistakable smell of grilled cheese, he realized that he was starving. He turned around to see Quirin pushing a plate across the counter to him. Varian took it and turned to head back to his room.

“I haven’t seen you all evening,” Quirin said conversationally as he began picking up the kitchen. “What have you been doing up there by yourself?”

Varian stopped and slowly turned back around. “Um. Getting— getting ready for school,” he lied, giving Quirin what he hoped looked like a genuine smile.

“You have everything packed and ready to go?”

“Y-yeah, almost.” Varian picked at the crust of his sandwich with one hand. He really didn’t feel like discussing anything that had to do with school right now.

“Would you like to drive with me to go check up on the fields to take your mind off of tomorrow?” Quirin asked, a hopeful lilt in his tone, though he didn’t turn around to see his son’s expression. “I know you’re nervous.”

“Pfft— nervous?” Varian waved a hand dismissively. “Nah, I’m not— ‘m not nervous, heh. Ah!” The unattended grilled cheese sandwich had begun sliding off the plate. Varian slapped his free hand on top of it before it fell.

Now Quirin did turn to look at Varian, one eyebrow arched in disbelief. “Varian, are you sure you’re—”

“Yep, I’m fine, I just have a couple more things to pack,” Varian said quickly. “Which I am going to do right now, bye!” Freed from conversation obligations, he pivoted on his heel and ran back upstairs.

“That was close,” Varian muttered to himself as he leaned back on his door to close it.

He set the plate down on his desk and looked around his room. A voice in the back of his mind began pointing out every little detail of the mess piled up everywhere, but he shook his head to silence it; he had too much to do right now to bother with cleaning up his room.

Still, now that Varian had noticed it, he couldn't ignore the state of his room. And maybe he’d find his schoolbooks and binders while he picked up, he reasoned. He gathered the pile of worn t-shirts draped over his desk chair and put them in the laundry basket, then set to work cleaning up the papers and books and pieces of deconstructed Wii remote off the floor. In only fifteen minutes, Varian had picked everything up to the point that it looked tidy, and he was pleased that he’d managed to accomplish at least one thing that evening. And what was more, he had found most of the textbooks he would need for school tomorrow. He brought the books over to his desk and almost set them down on top of the grilled cheese sandwich.

Oh. He still hadn’t eaten. Varian muttered a curse and took a bite, disappointed but not surprised to discover that it had cooled off to room temperature. Of course he had forgotten something— he should’ve known his sense of accomplishment wouldn’t last.

Varian flopped down in his desk chair and stared sullenly at the wall, slowly eating his sandwich. How was he gonna do it this year? He couldn't even remember to eat food unless it was right in front of his face. What made him think he was going to survive junior year of high school? Especially at a new school… Frustrated, Varian ran a hand through his hair— raven black except for one dyed strip of teal.

And it wasn’t only the fact that he was going into a new high school that was making him nervous. He’d done enough research on himself to know that some kids who skipped grades "struggled to fit in," and his experiences at his last high school had confirmed that he was a member of the “some kids” group. The students in his own class saw him as a younger kid and wouldn’t treat him like an equal, and the kids his age thought he was aloof and too arrogant for them. Not to mention that Varian’s inclination to… experiment didn’t exactly put in a good word for him. The memories chased him almost constantly.

It wasn’t just the loss of his mom as a little kid that had landed him in therapy.

Of course, Quirin had assured Varian that he was just caught between two unfriendly groups of kids, and that the ones at his new school wouldn’t be so unkind. That was why he was switching schools.

Yeah, right.

He needed a distraction.

Without really thinking about it, Varian flipped open his old PC and booted up Minecraft. He’d recently been inspired by his favorite Minecraft YouTuber to take a stab at Survival Mode, and though the results of his previous attempts had displayed a low success rate, Varian wasn’t about to give up on it yet. He just needed more practice, probably.

Varian lost track of time, absorbed in trying to keep the game going for longer than twenty minutes. It wasn’t until his dad came upstairs and knocked on his door that Varian came back to the real world.

“Son, it’s ten thirty,” Quirin said, opening the door. “Are you headed to bed? You have to wake up early tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Yeah, I-I’m going to bed,” Varian mumbled, stroking Ruddiger’s head— the cat had come back in at some point and had settled on Varian’s lap. Varian closed his laptop and pushed Ruddiger off.

Quirin nodded, a fond smile crossing his usually-stern countenance. “Alright. Good night, Varian. Six thirty tomorrow morning.”

Varian groaned, but nodded. “Night, Dad.”

Quirin left, and Varian scrambled to gather his school stuff and throw it all in his backpack before falling into bed. This was it. He was going into eleventh grade at a new school. It was a thirty minute drive from his house, way up in the city. No one would know who he was. He had a chance to start over.

That thought was encouraging. Varian smiled slightly and closed his eyes. No reputation tagging along after him, freezing him out. No old memories. New faces, blank slates. Corona High. He could start over.

Chapter Text

Was this everything? Eugene ran through his mental checklist one last time. Yes, he was certain he had everything ready for the new school year. He had worked all summer to change himself, had practiced the new Eugene until he had it perfected. He’d officially shut down his YouTube account. He’d reformed his lifestyle— from now on, no more cheeky heists and pranks performed in petty attempts to gain attention. That was what his old persona, Flynn, would’ve done. And he was Eugene now. His old life was behind him, and he was totally prepared to start anew.

…Mostly. He still had one more thing to do. The only problem was, he had no idea how to go about doing it.

Well, he didn't have time to worry about that tonight. That issue would present its own solution in its own time— he was sure of it. He just had to wait and trust that the right moment would be pretty obvious when it did show up, so he didn’t miss it.

Eugene straightened up and glanced almost instinctively across his room— he’d been doing it for about five years now, after all. But then he shook his head. He really needed to throw out his Xbox setup; it kept distracting him, tempting him. He had to remind himself of why he’d resolved to abandon his ten-year-old dreams of being a career Minecraft YouTuber. He was tired of being known as That Guy, the one who wanted to play video games for a living. The one who had nothing to his name except for his one and a half million followers on YouTube— which, though pretty impressive, if he did say so himself, meant nothing to interviewers when you tried to get a job. He was tired of being no one but Flynnrider.

But he had fixed that problem. Flynnrider was gone; he’d posted his last video at the beginning of the summer explaining that he was ending his SMP story and stepping away from YouTube. All he had to do now was bring Eugene Fitzherbert and all he could do into the light.

As for his other problem… Eugene smiled as an idea hit him. He grabbed his phone and wallet, then stood and went downstairs. He found his dad, Edmund, sitting in the living room and watching a home remodeling show.

“Eugene, my dear boy!” Edmund said enthusiastically when he saw his son. “Aren’t you glad you’re not a fish?”

Eugene was taken aback by this bizarre form of greeting, and he couldn't help but blurt, “What?” even though he quickly realized what his dad was about to say.

“Well, at least you get a break!” Edmund’s face was split in a huge grin even though he hadn’t told the joke yet. “Fish don't get vacation; they're always in a school!” He threw his head back in a burst of laughter that gave far too much credit to the hilarity of the punchline. “Are you ready for the big day tomorrow?” Edmund patted the spot next to him, inviting Eugene to sit and watch the show with him.

Eugene shook his head to the offer. He threw a thumb over his shoulder. “Can we go to Target real quick? I need to pick something up for tomorrow.”

Edmund frowned thoughtfully, then checked the time. He stood up with a grunt and turned the tv off. “Yes, I suppose so. But we must hurry back; it’s already seven o’clock.”

“Thanks.” Eugene shoved on a pair of sneakers and grabbed the car keys off their hook.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into the Target parking lot.

“I’ll wait here for you,” Edmund said, pulling out a paperback book. Eugene nodded, then turned the car off, hopped out, and jogged inside.

“Oh, man, this really is not my area of expertise,” Eugene muttered to himself as he stepped into the jewelry section in the Target. Shimmery silver and gold glinted at him from racks of necklaces and earrings, all clamoring for his attention. He didn’t know where to look first. A bracelet, he decided. She always wore bracelets. But how to choose one she’d like? Eugene stepped tentatively toward the counter, where rows of delicate bracelets waited patiently behind a wall of glass. There were so many different options, and Eugene wasn’t sure what kind she’d want.

Best not to overthink it, right? Except… none of them really looked like her style. And they were too expensive, anyways. Eugene bit his lip. He debated texting her to get her opinion, but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“Can I help you?”

The voice startled Eugene out of his thoughts. He looked up and met the gaze of a young woman who looked remarkably like Selena Gomez. “Um.” He glanced back down at the bracelets. “I’m looking to buy a bracelet for a friend,” he explained. “None of these are what I’m looking for, though. Do you have anything… less fancy?” And less pricey.

The woman smiled cheerfully. “Of course! Right this way, sir.” She stepped around the counter and led Eugene through the maze of display cases to a wall of colorful jewelry. “I hope you find what you’re looking for here!” she said, then twirled and left.

Eugene turned his attention to the selection, pleased and relieved. The ones here were definitely much more along the lines of what he was searching for. She would love these bursts of colors and charms much more than the elegant curls of gold adorning the bracelets he’d been limited to at the counter. He smiled as his gaze fell on a bracelet with an alternating pattern of pink, sky blue, and green beads: it was perfect. He grabbed it and checked out, accepting the little box the woman offered to package it in.

Eugene made it back to the car and set the box down in the center console. His dad closed his book and reached for the box, curious to see what it was Eugene had needed to buy so suddenly.

“A bracelet, eh?” he mused as he lifted it out of its packaging. “Is it for Rapunzel?”

Pretending he was preoccupied, Eugene turned the car on and pulled out of the parking lot before he nodded. “I thought I should get her a first-day-of-school present. You know, a little something to start off the new school year.” That was what he planned to tell Rapunzel it was for. Just a fun little trinket from one friend to another.

Edmund nodded. “Did you get something for Cassandra, too?”

Eugene winced. “Um, yeah. I mean, no.” His mind raced for an excuse that wasn’t also a lie. “I don’t really know what I’d get for her, anyways. She’s picky when it comes to jewelry.” That much was true.

Edmund was silent for a couple of minutes, as if he was trying to read his son’s mind. Then he started talking quietly to himself, as he often did when he was deep in thought. “Perhaps he just hasn’t found a gift for Cassandra yet?” Edmund murmured, loud enough that Eugene could hear every word he uttered. “Or is he bluffing, and he hadn’t even thought of her when he went to buy the bracelet for Rapunzel? I believe it must be the latter of the two, considering…” He trailed off, and Eugene suddenly felt a prickle of discomfort on the back of his neck. He had an idea of what conclusion Edmund had arrived at. He risked a glance at his dad.

With a grin, Edmund turned to look back at Eugene. “My dear boy, have you finally worked up the courage to confess your undying love for your beloved Rapunzel?”

“GAH! DAD!” Even though it was exactly what he’d feared Edmund would say, Eugene was so startled he almost missed a stop sign; he slammed on the brakes at the last moment. “NO! It’s not like that at all!”

“Really?” Edmund sounded genuinely surprised. “What is it like, then?”

“It’s—” What could he say? It wasn’t like that, not really. But it also kind of was. Yes, he’d realized he had a growing crush on his best friend over the summer break. Yes, maybe the real reason he’d quit YouTube was because he wanted to impress Rapunzel with his initiative and to be something she’d want, not just a geek obsessed with a Minecraft SMP. And fine, maybe the bracelet was a first attempt to solve his problem— how to tell Rapunzel he liked her. But it wasn’t like that. But maybe it also kind of was?

Ignoring Eugene’s attempts at answering his question, Edmund launched into what had recently become his favorite story. “You know, when I was in college, I fell in love with a beautiful young woman who was in one of my classes. I knew I had nothing to lose, so—”

“Yes, yes, I know, you were very forward and you asked her out to dinner,” Eugene sighed. “Rapunzel’s different, Dad. I can’t do something like that. I’ve known her since first grade, she’s not some stranger I can just ask out.”

“Perhaps not,” Edmund agreed. “But you would save yourself much pain if you were honest with her, instead of dragging it out and waiting for the perfect moment.” As Eugene pulled into the driveway of their house, Edmund put a heavy hand on his son’s shoulder. “If you keep waiting for the perfect moment, you’ll be waiting forever, because such a moment doesn’t exist.”

Maybe Dad’s right, Eugene thought to himself. He crammed the last textbook into his backpack, then zipped it, stood, and picked it up, testing its weight. He swore this thing got heavier every year. He couldn't wait to dump them all into his locker tomorrow and forget all about them.

Then he took the tiny brown box from where he’d set it on his desk and opened it. Eugene smiled at the colorful little bracelet that sparkled back at him. She was going to love it, he just knew it. He closed the lid and slid it into the side pocket of his backpack. You can do it, Eugene. Tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Cass was in the middle of buttering a slice of toast when she heard her dad call that the school bus was rolling up to the bus stop at the end of her culdesac.

“Ugh, already?” she groaned, whirling around to glance at the clock on the microwave: almost six-fifty. She was not ready for the unreasonably early school morning routine to start up again. She abandoned the toast and ran down the hall to her room to snag her backpack and phone. After slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she came back to the kitchen for her breakfast, which was sitting forlornly half-buttered on the kitchen counter.

“Cassandra! I meant now! ” her dad shouted again, more sharply this time.

Cass snapped a curse. “Okay, okay, I’m going, bye!” she yelled back, then shoved the toast in her mouth, swung her backpack all the way on, and raced out the door. 

She barely made it in time. She leapt up the bus steps, the doors closing as soon as she was clear. Hands free and no longer running, she took the toast out of her mouth.

“Almost left you behind, Miss Alvarez,” the bus driver said, chuckling through his bristly brown mustache as though he’d just made a hilariously clever joke. “That wouldn’t be a very good start to your school year, now, would it?”

Cass ignored him, as she had almost every morning since first grade. She paused and glanced around the bus, grabbing the pole by the steps for balance as it began moving, then started down the aisle once she had found who she was looking for.

“Hey, Raps,” she said, dropping into the empty spot next to her best friend once Rapunzel moved her purse off the seat. “Ready to do this again?”

“Morning, Cass!” Rapunzel said brightly. She was wearing her favorite overall dress today, the one she’d spent two months embroidering with tiny forest creatures and intricate swirling vines and flowers. “Totally ready. This year’s gonna be so fun, I just know it! What about you?”

Cass gave her a look, then bit into her toast sullenly. “Would be nice if the bus came a little later.” She pulled out her phone, opened her photos, and tapped on an album labeled “raps’s hair”. She passed her phone to Rapunzel. “So, first day of school. What do you want to start the year with?”

Rapunzel scrolled through the photos, giving Cass time to finish her breakfast while Rapunzel made her decision. “So, I know I almost always go for this one for the first day back,” she said, turning the screen back to Cass so she could see the elaborate hairdo captured in the photo, “but I was thinking about doing something a little simpler this year.” She scrolled again and tapped on a picture of a young girl facing away from the camera, her curly brown hair done up in a single bubble braid.

“That one?” Cass brushed the crumbs off her legs and took her phone back, then held her hand out. Rapunzel, familiar with the routine after seven years, dug around in the side pocket of her backpack and pulled out several hair ties. She handed them to Cass, then turned around.

“Oh, wait, just a sec,” Cass said, holding a finger up as her phone buzzed. “It’s Fitzherbert.” 

lol imagine having to ride the bus, was all he’d said.

Ugh, this guy was so annoying. We’re only riding the bus today because we’re waiting for you to get your license so we can all get our first cars together, you ungrateful idiot! she thought, then quickly texted a reply: nobody cares, youre not special .

maybe not but i get to sleep in longer cause im driving this morning, Eugene replied.

then why are you awake bragging about how you dont have to be awake? Cass challenged. She felt a triumphant smile tug at the corners of her mouth, knowing he wouldn’t be able to give a good answer to that question. When he still hadn’t responded a minute or two after her screen showed he’d read her message, she allowed her smile to widen to a grin. She showed the conversation to Rapunzel.

“Jeez, it’s not even seven am yet and you guys are already fighting?” Rapunzel said, her voice full of something almost like wonder at Eugene and Cass’s ability to turn everything into an argument. 

Cass frowned slightly. That wasn’t what Rapunzel was supposed to take away from this. “We’re not fighting,” she said. “The point is, I won. He’s completely lost for a comeback.”

“Come on, Cass, can’t you be nice to Eugene for just one day?” Rapunzel pleaded. “You know, try to start the year off on a good foot?”

“Ugh.” Cass rolled her eyes. There was no way Rapunzel would ever understand. “Whatever, just turn around.”

Rapunzel’s brows knit, but she dropped the topic and obeyed. Cass gathered Rapunzel’s hair and began bunching sections together and securing them with the hair ties. Rapunzel turned her head slightly. “Well, did you get your schedule?” she asked.

Cass was grateful for the change of subject, frustrated as she was with how poorly Rapunzel had reacted to her playful victory over Eugene. “Yeah, I got the email a day or two ago,” she said. “Turn your head back. I got into AP math and history.” Cass would never admit it out loud for fear of sounding supercilious, but she was a tiny bit disappointed that those were the only two AP classes she’d been allowed to take. She would’ve taken all her classes as AP if she’d been able to.

“Hey, we both have AP history!” Rapunzel said excitedly. “I wonder if we have it the same hour— that would be so fun!” 

“Yeah.” She hoped not. Cass hated herself for being annoyed by Rapunzel getting into AP history, too. Not that she didn’t enjoy sharing classes with her best friend— of course not. But Rapunzel had a tendency to outshine Cass at everything she did, and it was like she didn’t even have to try. While Cass was endlessly pushing boulders uphill to get to the top of her class, Rapunzel seemed to sail effortlessly past Cass at every opportunity. And Rapunzel didn’t even seem to notice it. Her ease made Cass’s struggles feel like a joke, and she hated it. It wasn’t fair. Cass was hoping to get a class apart from Rapunzel, because then she could finally prove her worth without having to compete against her perfect friend.

“Are you still doing my hair?” Rapunzel asked, snapping Cass out of her melancholy thoughts. Rapunzel reached behind her to feel what Cass was doing with her hair. Cass realized with a flash of embarrassment that while her mind had been distracted, her hands had gone on autopilot. She had absently been pulling hair ties in even after she’d used all the ones she needed, and now there was a mass of hair ties tangled in the ends of Rapunzel’s long blonde hair.

“Sorry, Raps, I… I got distracted, I guess.” Cass quickly yanked the extras out and readjusted Rapunzel’s hair. “There, all done.” She handed the leftover hair ties back to Rapunzel, who tucked them into the side pocket of her backpack. 

Rapunzel pulled her hair around to inspect Cass’s handiwork, then tossed it back over her shoulder with a grin. “What would I ever do without you, Cass?” 

“You'd learn to do your own hair, probably,” Cass deadpanned. “Anyways, you're gonna have to start doing it soon. As soon as Fitzherjerk gets his license, I’m done playing along with you. I’m getting a car.” Because Eugene’s birthday collided with the beginning of the school year, he still wasn’t old enough to have his license. Rapunzel hadn’t wanted him to feel left out if she and Cass got cars, so she had promised him they would wait. Cass couldn't believe she’d agreed; this bus was miserable.

“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about that!” Rapunzel enthused. “Just another month or so and we’ll all be able to drive! I'm SO excited!”

Cass let Rapunzel chatter on, offering a “wow” or an “mhm” when called for. Meanwhile, her mind wandered to thoughts of the upcoming school year. She'd been told that junior year would be harder than sophomore year, but she wasn’t worried— she was ready for it. She was going to work harder this year than ever before. Her dad didn't believe in slacking, and neither did she. “Never give anything a lazy effort, Cassandra,” he always said. “Always give your very best, and your teachers and peers will respect you for it. If a teacher tells you your paper has to be three to five pages long, don't turn in the minimal amount; write five.”

Cass smiled to herself, resolving silently, I'll write six.

Chapter Text

Rapunzel loved the first day of school. It was so busy and chaotic and exciting! She loved figuring out where all her classes were and seeing which teachers she got and meeting the kids she would have classes with that year. Everything felt fresh and new and unexplored. And sometimes it was a little overwhelming, sure, and confusing, definitely, but hey, this day only came once a year! The first day of school always passed by in such a rush that she barely had time to take it all in.

When the bus finally rolled to a stop in front of Corona High, Rapunzel was among the first kids eagerly jumping to her feet and grabbing her things. “Come on, Cass, let's go find Eugene!” she said, grabbing Cass’s hand and pulling her up. She still remembered the sense of accomplishment she had felt the first time she had practiced driving to school, and she wanted to be able to congratulate her best friend.

He wasn’t hard to find— he was just pulling into the parking lot when Rapunzel and Cass caught sight of him. Rapunzel dodged around other students, trying to catch Eugene’s eye. When he finally looked up and saw her, she bounced up on her toes and waved at him. “Come on, Cass!” she chirped again, breaking into a run and dragging her friend along behind her.

Rapunzel waited while Eugene’s dad told Eugene something, Eugene nodding impatiently like he’d heard it a thousand times. Then they both got out of the car, and Eugene got his school stuff out of the backseat. Mr. Edmund attempted to hug his son goodbye, but Eugene ducked around his arm. Rapunzel giggled as Mr. Edmund, unfazed, settled for clapping Eugene on the back— rather hard, judging from Eugene’s pained expression— and walked around to get in the driver’s seat. 

“Have a good first day, Eugene!” he called as he closed the car door. “And don’t forget what the father buffalo said to his child when he left for school: bison!”

“Bye, Dad,” Eugene said, an almost reluctant tinge to his words, as if he were embarrassed to be seen with his energetic father. Mr. Edmund grinned and backed out of the parking spot, and then, finally, he was gone.

Rapunzel rushed forward and hugged Eugene. “Hi, Eugene! Oh my gosh, can you believe we’re juniors now?”

Eugene broke out of her embrace a little more abruptly than Rapunzel was used to, but she paid no mind to it. “Yeah, halfway done,” he said, walking toward the school building.

“And then, after one more year, you’ll be able to start Minecrafting professionally,” Cass said, a teasing bite in her tone.

Eugene laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, about that. I didn’t tell you guys? I shut down my YouTube account. I haven’t touched my Xbox since June.”

Rapunzel’s jaw dropped. “Wait, really? You never told us anything about that!” She couldn't deny feeling a little hurt that it had slipped Eugene’s mind to tell her about something so important to him, but she reasoned that he probably had a lot on his mind and a reason for giving up his childhood dream. 

“Really, Fitzherbert?” Cass tilted her head, a wry grin on her face. “I gotta say, I’m impressed. It takes a lot to quit a five-year career like that.”

Eugene missed her jibe, mistaking it for sincerity. “Thank you, Cass,” he said gratefully, putting one hand over his heart as if to signify how genuine his words were.

Cass rolled her eyes and shook her head, shooting Rapunzel a smile that said, Can you believe this guy? He’s hilarious .

“So why did you quit?” Rapunzel asked, ignoring Cass.

“Ah.” Eugene seemed at a loss for words. “Well— I guess I just… felt it was time.” He glanced at Rapunzel with an odd, unidentifiable expression on his face— almost discomfort, but mixed with something else— then looked away again just as fast.

After a few seconds of silence, Rapunzel realized that that was all the explanation she was going to get. His mind was clearly on something else right now. She desperately wished to know what he was thinking, but she decided not to pry; she knew Eugene would share when he was ready… whatever it was. 

“Come on, I wanna find my locker and get rid of as much of this junk as I can before the bell rings,” Eugene said into the awkward silence, stepping into a brisker pace. He led the girls through the sea of students toward the main building. He stopped to pull out his schedule paper to check his locker number, then began scanning the halls as he walked.

It took a few minutes, but finally, Eugene stopped in front of one. “Aha!” he cried triumphantly, poking his schedule paper. “Locker number six-two-five!” He shoved the paper into his pocket, then dropped his backpack on the ground and set his locker combination. Rapunzel darted forward to unzip his backpack for him. She started handing him books.

It occurred to Rapunzel that she didn’t know which books he’d need to keep. “What’s your first period?” she asked.

“Uhhh.” Eugene pulled his schedule out of his pocket again. “Chemistry.”

“Aw, we don’t share first period classes,” Rapunzel said, disappointed but not surprised. If she was being honest with herself, it was what she had expected— the school was so big, she’d be lucky to share even one class with her friends. But it never hurt to hope, and there were still six or seven periods full of possibilities. “Hey! You guys wanna compare schedules and see if we do have any classes together this year?” she asked, lighting up. “Maybe we even share a homeroom!”

“Sure,” Cass said with an indifferent shrug.

“After I finish this,” Eugene said through his teeth, grunting as he tried to force a thick binder into his already-overstuffed locker.

“Eugene, do you want your pencil case or are you putting it in your locker?” Rapunzel started searching other pockets in his backpack for it.

She saw Eugene stiffen out of the corner of her eye. “Hey, uh, Blondie, I think I’ve got as much as I can fit in my locker right now. You can just leave everything else in my backpack and I’ll just carry it.” He dropped to his knees and zipped up his backpack.

Rapunzel tilted her head. Okay, now Eugene was definitely acting uncharacteristically antsy. “Eugene? Is… something wrong?” What had she done wrong?

“Who, me? What? No, no, I’m fine.” Eugene swung his backpack over his shoulder, then his expression changed as if he’d remembered something. Whatever had been bothering him suddenly disappeared, and he became the Eugene she was used to again. “Oh! Rapunzel, how could I have forgotten!” He reached into the side pocket of his backpack and pulled out a jewelry box. “I saw this at Target the other day and it made me think of you. Thought you might like it.”

Rapunzel took the box and opened it. She gasped. “Oh my gosh, it’s so cute!” She lifted the little bracelet, admiring its colorful beads. “Cass, look! Isn’t it adorable?”

Cass’s tough-girl exterior cracked to reveal a genuine smile. “It is. It was very thoughtful of him to pick that out for you.”

“Thank you so much, Eugene!” Rapunzel reached up to throw her arms around his shoulders. His expression was unreadable as he hugged her back. He looked like he was about to say something, but then seemed to change his mind.

Rapunzel slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. “I love it so much, thank you!” As she glanced up, she caught Cass giving Eugene a look that she couldn't decipher. Eugene shot her an equally confusing look in return. Rapunzel didn’t let her smile falter, but her mind was racing. There was definitely something going on here that she didn’t know about, and she was determined to figure it out.

Eugene coughed. “Oh, uh, Rapunzel, didn't you want to compare schedules?” Just as fast as it had appeared, the old Eugene was gone again, replaced once more by this… whatever attitude it was.

Rapunzel was having trouble making her smile look genuine. “Right!” Maybe she’d said something wrong? Was he mad at her for something? When she’d been going through his backpack for him, maybe? Unease and a vague sense of guilt filled her chest.

The three found an empty bench back outside, and they sat there to look over each others’ schedule papers and see which classes they had when. Rapunzel made an effort to ignore her nagging thoughts and participate wholeheartedly, but it was too late for that. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had done something wrong, and she had no idea what it could be. She hoped Eugene would tell her what was bothering him soon. She fidgeted with her new bracelet. This was all so confusing. Suddenly, the first day of school couldn't go by quickly enough.

Chapter Text

Overwhelming. That was Varian's first impression of Corona High on the morning of the first day of school. There were more people here than he had ever seen in one place in his whole life. It was nothing like the small-town schools he'd always gone to back in Old Corona. The Corona High campus was huge, laid out in numerous buildings like it was a college.

Varian turned around in his seat to catch a glimpse of the main entrance as Quirin pulled into the parking lot on the side of the school building. He'd seen the school once before, of course, during orientation a week ago. But he'd forgotten how big it felt. 

Quirin told Varian goodbye as Varian grabbed his backpack and hopped out of the car. Varian murmured a distracted reply, his gaze flitting from one thing to the next as he tried to take it all in at once. There were several students milling about in the parking lot, but the majority of them seemed to be flowing toward a side entrance. Varian glanced back, but his dad's car was already gone. He inhaled, then followed the crowd.

Varian was acutely aware of how small he was in comparison to everyone else as he stepped into the courtyard. Did everyone else notice, too? He reached for the familiar comfort of his Rubik's cube, which he’d stashed in his hoodie pocket. He put his head down, focused on the colors flying between his fingers.

The attempt to relax worked: as the pieces of his cube fell into place, so did his thoughts. He needed to find his locker first. Then he needed to figure out where his homeroom was.

Varian risked a glance around, trying to remember where the lockers were. Through that door, right? He squared his shoulders and took off, refusing to let himself appear lost or nervous. He ducked between two upperclassmen standing in the doorway, then stopped in the hallway to fish his schedule paper out of his backpack with one hand. With his other hand, he never stopped spinning his Rubik's cube around, solving and unsolving and resolving it countless times.

His homeroom was labeled as an unhelpful combination of a letter and three numbers. Was it in a different building? Varian closed his eyes, trying to remember orientation, but it was all a blur— he hadn't really been paying attention that day. He regretted that now, obviously.

“Stupid,” he hissed at himself. 

Now what?

Varian looked up like there would be some convenient neon sign pointing him to where he needed to be. Was he supposed to ask someone for help? Everyone seemed to be going somewhere, and in a hurry. 

Except for one boy. Varian felt a prickle of unease raise the hairs on the back of his neck as he caught the gaze of a boy with a hawk nose and a shock of reddish-brown hair shooting out from underneath his hoodie hood. He was standing by an open locker, a textbook in hand, but he wasn't moving to put the book in. He dropped his gaze and made himself look busy as soon as Varian made eye contact, but Varian could tell he'd been staring.

Varian watched the boy for a second or two, then went back to what he'd been doing. Creepy. But a moment later, he saw the boy move to cross the hall from the corner of his eye. Varian whipped his head around, preparing for trouble.

“‘Ey.” The boy gave a shy wave. “Sorry for starin’.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and offered an awkward smile.

Varian didn't know what to say, so he decided not to say anything at all. 

The boy paused, then barreled on: “You’re pre’y good at that thing, eh?” He pointed to Varian’s Rubik's cube. “Tha's what I was lookin’ at. Din't realize I was bein’ rude. Sorry.”

Varian gave an involuntary nervous laugh. “I-it’s fine. Hah! I, uh—” He trailed off, self-consciously tucking his Rubik's cube back into his hoodie pocket; he didn't want to draw any more attention to himself than necessary. 

“‘Ow fas’ can ya solve it?” The boy gestured again at Varian.

“Nine point forty-eight seconds,” Varian replied, bracing for the usual gush of admiration and awe his answer usually elicited from the inquirer. His mind raced to fantasies of the boy's reaction attracting others to see what was so exciting. The ideas filled him with conflicting feelings of pleasure at being the center of attention, and an irrational nervousness at being singled out as somehow different from the other students. If he was going to be noticed, he wanted it to be on his own terms— not like this.

However, to his surprise and somewhat to his relief, the guy only whistled appreciatively. “Tha’s pre’y fast, eh?”

Varian nodded, unable to resist the temptation to infodump. He held out his cube. “Part of the speed comes from the cube itself. Turn one of the sides.”

The boy’s mouth dropped open in astonishment as the piece slid under his fingers like it was on ice, then clicked into place.

“The faces are magnetized, so they move where you want them to at the slightest push. The magnetic pull locks the face into place once it completes a turn. But the real speed is in the method. The proper finger positioning is what’ll help you shave off valuable seconds, because even with magnets, the cube will only work as well as the person using it. So you have to h—”

“Tha’s really neat,” the boy commented, interrupting Varian’s flow. Varian blinked, then realized he had forgotten where he was. Right. The problem at hand. Focus, Varian.

“Uh. I-I— S-sorry, heh. I got— carried away, I guess,” Varian said stumblingly, shoving his cube in his pocket again. What was the problem at hand, again? Locker. Locker and homeroom. Right. Should he ask this guy for directions? Varian didn't get the sense that he was the sharpest tool in the shed, but maybe he would at least know his way around campus.

“Aw, I don’ mind. I don’ get most’a it, but it’s pre’y cool either way. I’m Dwayne,” the boy offered. He stuck his hand out in a manner that was much too enthusiastic for a handshake offer.

“Varian.” After a brief hesitation, Varian shook Dwayne's hand. He still had a lingering feeling of discomfort from being singled out in the crowd and then embarrassing himself by talking too much, but it was hard not to like Dwayne's open, honest manner and his unique accent. He decided to ask him for help. “Hey, uh, Dwayne, any chance you know where my homeroom is? I— I'm new here. First day, y’know?” He handed his schedule paper to Dwayne, who took it with brows knitted in concentration, one hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

After a second, Dwayne's face lit up. “Yeah, mate, I can take ya there! I can even escort ya— tha’s my ‘omeroom, too! We’re both juniors!” He didn't even give Varian a second glance, as if he hadn't noticed that Varian looked more like a freshman than a junior.

Varian flashed a grin in relief, and he realized as he relaxed that his shoulders had been tense during the entire exchange. “Can you help me find my locker, too?” he asked reluctantly, hating feeling helpless but having no other choice. If he was going to ask anyone, it would be Dwayne. He seemed like the kind of guy who took everything with a smile and didn't even know how to judge another person, which made Varian feel like he was safe to ask dumb questions.

Dwayne squinted at Varian's paper again, then motioned for Varian to follow him as he took off down the hall.

Dwayne jabbed a finger at the schedule. “Would’ya look at that!” he exclaimed. “We share firs’ period, too!” He retrieved a crumpled piece of paper from his jeans pocket and handed it to Varian. “See? Righ’ there. We’ve both got history. Seems you an’ I were meant ta be friends, huh, Varian?”

Dwayne chattered about how the schedule worked, where different classes were located, and warned Varian of things that often confused new students, like the two lunch periods: “They split us inta two groups and give us lunch in shifts,” he explained. “Tha’s ‘cause there's so many of us, we can't all fit in the cafeteria. While the firs’ group eats, the second group has their fourth class, an’ then we switch. You're in the firs’ lunch period. I'm in the second.” 

Varian mostly listened, trying his best to commit to memory everything Dwayne said so he wouldn't get confused or lost again. He couldn't believe his luck, to have found a friend of sorts so quickly. 

But as soon as he thought that, the fears came crashing back in along with a slicing sensation of deja vú. The taunts of kids from his old school flashed through his memory. People he'd thought were friends. This had happened before. Varian cast an anxious glance at Dwayne, who was obliviously prattling on.

Would Dwayne turn on him, too? Varian’s brows furrowed, and he bit his lip. Dwayne didn't seem like that kind of person, but then again, Varian didn't know him very well at all. And he wouldn’t have thought any of his other friends were ‘that kind of person.’

There were too many unknown variables. Varian couldn't make any decisions based on what he knew, and he hated being left without a clear right choice. He wanted to be able to call Dwayne a friend… but he couldn't trust him. Varian's face darkened. He couldn't trust anybody. He'd learned that the hard way last time, and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. His hand tightened around his Rubik's cube in his pocket, but he didn't take it back out.

Chapter Text

The first two weeks of school flew by without anything noteworthy happening, and Rapunzel soon settled into an easy rhythm. She busied herself with getting to know everyone in all of her classes. To her immense disappointment, she didn't share any classes with either Cass or Eugene, but they did at least all have the same lunch period. That meant there were tons of new faces for her to befriend. She recognized many students from last year, but a large percentage of them were as of yet unfamiliar. Not for long , she vowed to herself.

However, this afternoon, she had to put her friendship efforts on hold. Her chemistry teacher had assigned a piece of homework on a topic she hadn't understood, and she was searching for help.

“Bye, Eugene!” she called, waving as he split from the girls, headed for the parking lot. Eugene waved back, an easy smile on his face. He still wasn't completely over whatever was bothering him, but it appeared to be troubling him less now. He had assured Rapunzel that she hadn't done anything wrong, so she had contented herself with trying to make him smile as much as possible while she waited patiently for him to tell her what was wrong.

Rapunzel turned to Cass. “Hey, Cass, did you understand today's lecture in chemistry at all?”

Cass shrugged, pocketing her phone. “Yeah, why? You stuck?”

“A little confused, yes,” Rapunzel admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She swung her backpack around to her side, unzipped it, and pulled out a piece of paper. She showed it to Cass. “I don't think I could do the homework without guessing half of this,” she explained.

“Mh.” Cass frowned thoughtfully as she scanned the worksheet. “Yeah, sorry, Raps. I don't think I could help you with this. You should probably ask someone in your class.” 

“I'll ask Eugene,” Rapunzel decided, pulling her phone out to call him.

“No, nononono,” Cass said abruptly. “Don't ask him. He's not gonna be able to explain it to you, either.” A tension seethed under her words, barely detectable— but Rapunzel had known Cass for long enough to hear it.

“Did you two squabble again?” she asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Cass said in a voice that told Rapunzel the opposite.

“Alright, what was it this time,” she said, throwing on a mock tone of exasperation.

Cass groaned, not having to fake her irritation at all. “That dimwit is convinced that nouns in German don't have to be capitalized, and you won't believe what his argument is for why they aren't,” she complained.

“He’s not a dimwit,” Rapunzel said defensively.

“He says it ‘doesn't make sense’ because ‘we don't do that in English’,” Cass continued, ignoring Rapunzel. Her accusations were accompanied by air quotes as she repeated Eugene's offending words.

“That sounds like he's being silly,” Rapunzel offered.

“He was completely serious,” Cass said. 

“Then maybe he's trying to be difficult to annoy you, I don't know.” Rapunzel was getting tired of Cass's gossip casting Eugene in a bad light, and she wanted to get back to the task at hand. The buses were pulling up. “Anyways, I still need help with chemistry.”

“Right.” Cass’s face cleared. “When’s it due?”

“Thursday. So, day after tomorrow.”

“Actually, I might know someone who could help you,” Cass said evasively. The bus doors opened, and the crowd began lining up to get onboard.

“I still think you're being unfair about Eugene,” Rapunzel insisted. Still, she had to admit that Cass was probably right: it was unlikely that Eugene would be able to explain the homework to her, either— Rapunzel spent more time helping him with chemistry rather than the other way around. She was open to other suggestions. “But… who is this friend of yours?”

“His name is Varian,” Cass said in a low undertone, glancing around to make sure the person in question wasn't within earshot. Rapunzel leaned in to hear her better over the cacophony of chatter all around them. “He's in my chemistry class, and he's really good.”

“Ooh!” Excited by the idea of meeting someone new, Rapunzel jumped on the only thing she knew about the boy. “I love his name! It's unique, like mine.” Focus, Rapunzel! “Do you think he'd be willing to talk to me?”

“I don't know. I don't talk to him, and he doesn't talk much to anyone else, so I don't know anything about him. I just know that he has an answer to everything our teacher asks, and he's always right. He even corrected her once.” Cass guided Rapunzel to an empty seat as they climbed onto the bus.

“Do you think you could take me to him?” 

“Sure. Chemistry is my last class before lunch, and I'm pretty sure he has the same lunch period as us. I can catch him as we leave class, and you can meet us then.”

“Sounds like we have a plan.”

The next day after fourth period, Rapunzel set off in search of Cass instead of heading for the cafeteria building. She found her pretty quickly, but she was without Varian.

“He said no?” Disappointment tinged Rapunzel’s words.

“No, he went to his locker. I haven't found him yet,” Cass replied.

“Let's go find him!” Rapunzel said. “Which way did he go?”

Cass pointed down the hall, and Rapunzel grabbed her hand and pulled her in that direction.

It only took a couple minutes of weaving through the flood of students before Cass stopped Rapunzel. “That's him,” she said, pointing at a rather short boy with black hair. He was bent over his backpack beneath his locker, his back to the hall.

“Varian?” Rapunzel called, stepping forward.

Startled, the boy whirled around, revealing a stripe of teal dyed into his hair. Oh! The dyed stripe was unmistakable. Rapunzel had seen him before— this boy was in her math class! He had offered a couple answers in class before, but no more than the average student, and certainly nothing like Cass claimed to have witnessed in her chemistry class. He must really love chemistry .

Varian dropped the binder he was holding, and looseleaf paper glided across the floor. “Oh, oh,” he muttered to himself as he crouched to collect the scattered papers.

“Here, let me help you,” Rapunzel offered hurriedly, feeling embarrassed for making him drop his binder. She crouched to pick up a piece of paper by her feet.

“N-no, it's fine,” Varian said. “I got this, don't worry.” He gathered a haphazard armful and stood up much too fast. His head collided directly with his open locker door.

Rapunzel's face crumpled in a wince: that had to have hurt . He'd connected with the door hard enough to evoke an audible bang when he hit. Behind Rapunzel, Cass blurted an “ooh” of sympathy.

“OW!” Varian yelled, automatically collapsing back to the ground and putting a hand to the back of his head. He snapped a curse, startling Rapunzel.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” she cried, rushing to his side. “I am so sorry!”

Varian gritted his teeth, his eyes closed tightly against the pain. After a moment, he exhaled a slow hiss through his teeth and nodded. He pulled his hand away from the back of his head, and Rapunzel winced again at the smudge of blood on his palm. He must have cut himself on the sharpened corner of the door.

At the sight of the blood, Varian's face went blank. “Oh, no sweat,” he said with obviously-forced nonchalantness, “it's just a little bl—” But before he finished the word, he trailed off into unintelligible gibberish and slumped forward, unconscious.

Rapunzel's eyes widened in alarm, and she reached out to catch him by the shoulders before his forehead hit the ground. She laid him back against the lockers, noting with surprise how light he was. She cast a nervous look at Cass, who met her gaze with an eyebrow raised, as if she couldn't believe this guy.

“He passed out from seeing his blood,” Cass explained indifferently. “He didn't hit his head hard enough to knock himself out.”

Rapunzel breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. Should we take him to the nurse’s office?”

“I'm not doing that,” Cass retorted. “If you want to bring him all that way, be my guest, but I won't help you with that.”

“Cass!”

“He's gonna come to in a few seconds, and the nurse won't be able to give him anything worth the trip for a headache and a cut on the back of the head. And anyways, it'll cost us like half our lunch break.”

“Oh, true…” Rapunzel but her lip. Then she remembered she had an Ace bandage in her purse. “Oh! Wait, I can fix him up real quick right here!”

“Rapunzel,” Cass groaned, but it was too late to change Rapunzel's mind. Rapunzel dug around in her bag and took out the roll.

“Do you have a plastic baggie? I'm gonna make an ice pack and use the bandage to hold it to his head.” In response, Cass rolled her eyes, but Rapunzel pretended not to notice. “Never mind, actually, I have one.” She unscrewed her water bottle and poured a few ice cubes into the bag.

Beside her, Varian stirred, then opened his eyes. “Agh,” he moaned. “The lights.”

“I'm gonna wrap this ice pack onto your head, okay? It might be a little weird,” Rapunzel said as she unrolled the bandage.

Varian nodded slightly, shutting his eyes again. She wasn’t sure if he’d actually understood what she’d said, but she took it for a yes anyways.

Humming to herself, Rapunzel set about wrapping the Ace bandage around Varian's head, placing the makeshift ice pack over where she thought the cut was. She ignored the looks she was getting from kids passing down the hall, as well as Cass's impatient grumblings. She thought it was only fair to help Varian, since she hoped to obtain his help for chemistry. Like a trade!

“I feel sick,” Varian mumbled, fingering Rapunzel's work. His face has relaxed from its grimace of pain, though, which Rapunzel hoped meant he felt a little better.

“That's because you blacked out,” Cass informed him matter-of-factly.

“I know. This’s happened before.”

“There! Better?” Rapunzel hooked the end of the bandage to itself. It could be neater, she thought, but it would do the trick.

Varian leaned forward. “Yeah—” He glanced back at his hand, catching sight of the blood again. His face paled. “ Noo .” His voice wobbled as he curled his fingers into a fist and shut his eyes. But then he exhaled and wiped his hand on his pants, the gesture brimming with determination. He stood up, as if refusing to embarrass himself any further. He ripped the Ace bandage off of his head, handed the unraveling mess back to Rapunzel, then picked the fallen ice pack off the floor. “I— uh— I-I’m really sorry. I didn't mean to bother you— to cause all that trouble. I'm just gonna. Um.” He staggered back a step into the hallway, which was mostly cleared now that they were five minutes into the next period. He noticed the loose papers still on the floor and moved as if to return to picking them up.

Rapunzel, wanting to save him more effort, scooped up the remaining papers and the binder and put them all in his still-open locker. “Actually, it's no trouble at all,” she said, “because I was hoping to ask you a favor.”

Chapter Text

Okay, where were they? Eugene checked his phone— lunch had started five minutes ago, but he had still seen no sign of either Rapunzel or Cass. It wasn’t uncommon for Rapunzel to be a few minutes late to lunch— sometimes she got distracted, or was talking to someone from class. But Cass was never late. Had they gone to the bathroom and gotten stuck in line? Everyone knew the bathroom lines at lunch and between classes were a deadly, time-sapping beast and were to be avoided at all costs. Better to go during class.

Eugene glanced around the entrances of the building again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Rapunzel's long blonde hair, but with no luck. He was about to get up from the spot he usually shared with the girls to go find some other friend to eat lunch with, when suddenly he spotted both of them coming in from the front entrance. He jumped up, then frowned as a third member of the party trailed in after them: a boy with a stripe of bluish dye in his hair, maybe a freshman judging from his height. Were Rapunzel and Cass eating lunch with him today? Why hadn't they told Eugene?

Rapunzel often spent the first few weeks of the school year having lunch with a wide variety of kids, from the popular gang of girls to the shy and quiet new kid to the football jocks. Eugene smiled as he thought of Rapunzel's sunny cheerfulness and her belief that no one was too insignificant for her undivided attention and care. That was one of the things he admired most about her.

Anyway, the odd thing about today was that Cass had gone with Rapunzel. Usually, on such days as this, Cass and Eugene would eat lunch on their own, or if the serpent girl was feeling particularly venomous toward Eugene that day, they would go their separate ways and Eugene would eat lunch with a group of guys he was friends with. 

Eugene couldn't ignore a twinge of curiosity at the sight of the guarded and reserved Cassandra sitting down at an empty table next to Rapunzel, right across from the new boy. And what was more, she appeared to be actually talking to the guy. Was today Opposite Day and he'd missed the memo? Was someone possessing Cass's body and pretending to be her? They were doing a horrible job, if they were. What was the world coming to?

Eugene couldn't resist the temptation of curiosity. He zipped up his lunch box and marched over to their table. He paused a few strides away and watched as Rapunzel slid a piece of paper across the table toward the boy, who took it and scanned it. His expression changed to one of understanding, then began talking with animated hand gestures. 

Ohh. Rapunzel must be asking the boy for homework help. He was probably a friend from one of her classes.

Feeling satisfied that he'd figured it all out, Eugene took the last few steps to the table and came up behind Rapunzel. “Hey, Blondie. I was wondering where you were.”

“Eugene! Hey!” Rapunzel said warmly, turning a radiant smile up at him.

Eugene swallowed. He offered her a wobbly smile in return. What's your problem? he snapped at himself. You look like an idiot. He cleared his throat. “Uh, mind if I join you guys?”

“Oh, of course!” Rapunzel scooted over and patted the bench like there wasn't plenty enough room at the table already— except for Rapunzel, Cass, and the other guy, the table was completely empty. Eugene dropped his lunch box on the table and sat down.

He was about to toss out a casual “So, who's this guy,” since Rapunzel hadn't introduced him to the boy with the blue hair yet, but suddenly Hairstripe himself spoke up.

“Hey!” he blurted excitedly, his face lighting up in recognition. “You're Flynnrider!” 

A deep unease settled in Eugene's stomach, and he cast a quick, involuntary glance at Rapunzel to see how she'd react to the mention of his internet alias. He didn't want to discuss this. “What? No. I don't have any idea what you're talking about. You can't prove anything!” His words were quick and clipped.

But Hairstripe didn't seem to hear Eugene, or was ignoring him if he did. He drummed his fingers rapidly on the tabletop and laughed, as if he couldn't contain his energy. “IIII am your biggest faaaaan,” he sing-songed, his voice low and throbbing with barely-repressed enthusiasm. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned the screen toward Eugene. The guy’s lockscreen was a piece of fanart someone had drawn of the main characters in Eugene's Minecraft SMP roleplay— Flynnrider front and center— standing in front of their home base.

Eugene had never met one of his followers in real life, though it had always been a dream of his. Hairstripe's excitement gave Eugene a burst of pride and confidence, and he fought back a smile. It was almost like he was famous.

“Well, then,” Eugene said, leaning forward on one elbow, “Flynnrider, nice to be met.” He gave the boy a smile, pleased with the reaction he was receiving. Maybe his years as a Minecraft YouTuber hadn't been such a mistake after all. He regretted it a little less now, anyway.

Hairstripe was grinning wildly now. “I would recognize your face and voice anywhere, you're my hero!”

Eugene laughed. “Well, ‘hero’ is a bit much—” 

The boy talked right over him. “I've watched every single one of your videos at least twice,” he gushed. “I know every piece of lore there is to know. You're my favorite character, obviously, and—” 

Eugene’s smile started to fade as he remembered why he'd quit YouTube in the first place. He shot a glance at Rapunzel. “Right, well, um, you saw my last one, then? Explaining that I was stepping away from it all?”

That stopped Hairstripe’s chatter. His face darkened. “Yeah,” he said in a different tone of voice. 

Eugene didn't know how to feel about the disappointment now radiating off of him. On the one hand, Eugene had known full well when he ended the Minecraft SMP that there were going to be a lot of people upset with his decision, and he'd tried to convince himself he was okay with that. But on the other hand, it was a lot different seeing that on the face of a real live person sitting in front of him than through a comment on a computer screen. I made the choice that was right for me, Eugene reminded himself. No one else can tell me what to do with my life. If I want to quit YouTube, everyone else will just have to deal with it.  

But then, as quickly as it had fallen, the guy's face lifted again. “But anyways, remember that time you fought the Wither with nothing but an iron sword and a potion of healing?” It was as if he had decided to completely ignore the fact that the SMP was over, at least for Flynnrider. 

Eugene felt a hot flash of irritation spike through him. “I don't want to associate myself with the SMP anymore, dude,” he said decisively. “I’m not Flynnrider. That's not who I am anymore.” He was quickly growing more convinced that his resolution to quit YouTube had been a good decision, and more and more tired of this conversation. “Would you please explain to me who this guy is?” he said in a low undertone to Rapunzel, hoping the noise all around them would cover for him.

Yet even over the loudness of the cafeteria, Hairstripe heard him. “I'm Varian!” he declared self-importantly, swinging an arm out as though it was some great accomplishment to exist. He'd been holding his phone in that hand, and as he swept his arm out it slipped out of his grip and skidded across the table. “Oh.” Varian stared at his empty hand for a second, then shook himself off and reached over to retrieve his phone. He checked its already-badly-cracked screen for more damage, then stuck it back in his pocket, looking somewhat mollified.

It was all Eugene could do to resist facepalming. What was this guy's deal? Was he always this… overly energetic? From the small noise Cass made on Rapunzel's other side, he gathered that, for once, she felt the same way he did. 

He glanced at the clock on the cafeteria wall. There was no reasonable excuse he could make to leave at this point; he was committed to spending the lunch period with Varian. He looked again at Rapunzel. She was trying not to giggle at Varian's expression. Was she really friends with this guy? She had a lot more patience than he did.

Varian gave a little burst of a laugh, though it sounded slightly forced. He glanced at Rapunzel, who was keeping a courageously straight face in her efforts not to embarrass him. As he did so, he seemed to remember something. “Gah!” He hit the side of his head with the heel of his hand in a gesture of “I almost forgot” and picked up a mechanical pencil that had been lying next to him. “Rapunzel, I was showing you how this worked.”

“Right!” Rapunzel leaned forward to see the piece of paper in front of him. Varian launched into an explanation of the worksheet concepts, astonishing Eugene with how much he actually knew. He wouldn't have been able to tell from the way Varian talked that the guy was a science nerd. Eugene almost wished he wasn't so annoyed by him, so he could ask for chemistry help himself. Heaven knew he needed it.

“Hey, Flynn,” Varian said abruptly.

“My name is Eugene , not Flynn,” Eugene informed him.

“I need to get my textbook from my locker to show Rapunzel a diagram,” Varian explained, and Eugene couldn't tell if he'd even heard the correction or if he wasn't acknowledging it. “You wanna come with me to get it?”

What, did this guy think they were long-time best friends or something? Of course I don't want to get something out of your locker with you! “Ooh,” he said, pretending to consider the idea, “no.”

Varian was unfazed. “I-if you come, I can help you with your homework, too.” He stood up and stepped over the lunch bench.

Eugene wasn't sure whether or not he should be offended that Varian was assuming he was dumb enough to need help with his homework, but he wasn't about to turn the offer down either way. It was like Varian had read his mind. “Sweet,” he agreed, standing up as well. A few minutes with him won’t kill me, he reasoned. And maybe it’d give Eugene a chance to talk some sense into him. Varian flashed a bucktoothed grin and practically trotted toward the cafeteria exit, Eugene close behind him.

“So, Flynn,” Varian said as they stepped out into the courtyard and headed for the main building.

Eugene bit back a sharper reply, instead opting for an exasperated, “Again, it's Eugene.”

“Why did you quit the SMP?”

Eugene had no idea how to respond to that. It was a valid question. He was silent for a few strides. “Listen, Veritas—” No, that wasn't it. What was his name again? “Var— V—”

“Varian.”

“Right, sorry. Varian. I'm gonna be completely honest with you: I don't know you very well, and the reason I quit is pretty personal. The best I can tell you is that I just felt like it was time. Life happens, and feelings change. I wasn't feeling the SMP anymore.”

Varian nodded. He stuck his hands in his hoodie pocket and tried another approach. “So who's gonna lead the story now that you're gone?”

Eugene sighed. That question was the reason he’d debated quitting for the longest time. It was something that had bothered him all summer and even now still kept him up at night. He had put a lot of passion into developing the storyline of the SMP, and it hurt to abandon it so completely. He mumbled, “I don't know. Maybe no one will. Maybe it'll end.”

Varian didn’t say anything for almost half a minute, perhaps sensing that this was a sensitive topic. Eugene was convinced that he’d finally upset the guy into shutting up. Then Varian said, under his breath as if to himself, “Maybe I could play in your stead.”

Eugene pretended he hadn’t heard. For the rest of the walk to the lockers and back neither of the boys said a word.

Chapter Text

Cass rolled down the window as she pulled into the dusty parking lot of the horse stables. She closed her eyes, inhaling the smell of horses and hay, and instantly felt all her negative emotions melt away. Nothing calmed her nerves like coming to the stables to say hi to her horse.

“Can you come this time, Dad?” she asked Captain as she turned the car off.

Captain looked thoughtfully at the ceiling and checked his phone from the passenger seat— he’d tagged along so he could take the car while Cass was at the stables, but Cass thought it was worth a shot to ask him to stay anyways. “Well, I do have work to do at the station with some files,” he said slowly, then added, “but, I suppose it could wait a couple of hours.”

Cass grinned. “That’s great. Come on, I want to go see if we’re early enough for me to brush Fidella this evening!” And with that, she leapt out of the car and dashed toward the stables, greeting familiar stablehands she passed on the way.

She came to a stop at Fidella’s stall, and the huge Clydesdale mare snorted excitedly and stamped a massive hoof at the sight of her owner.

“Hey, who’s my good girl,” Cass cooed, hugging Fidella’s head. “Have they brushed you yet this evening?”

“Miss Alvarez? Is that you?” a voice called, drawing Cass’s attention away from her horse.

“Mr Benny!” Cass turned and welcomed the old man with a smile. This was the man who had taught her to ride and showed her how to care for a horse when she was seven years old, and had offered to give her a horse of her very own for her tenth birthday. Though his ginger hair was turning white and his back often hurt too much to ride horseback, Mr Benny was almost like an uncle or a second father to Cass.

“Captain told me you would be coming to see her this evening, so she hasn’t been cared for yet.” Mr Benny laid a leathery hand on Cass’s shoulder and smiled up at Fidella.

“Thank you so much,” Cass said. Mr Benny nodded approvingly, then left Cass to talk to Captain. Cass brought Fidella out of her stall and began brushing her tawny coat. Once she had finished, she saddled the horse and vaulted onto her back, then rode her outside. 

The riding grounds were fine, but they got boring after a while, and Cass needed something new to keep her mind off of the insecurities that threatened to fill her thoughts. She was starting to regret introducing Rapunzel to Varian, because the two had hit it off after that first lunch period a week or so ago. Now, Rapunzel spent almost as many lunches talking to him as she did hanging out with her real friends. Cass kept expecting Rapunzel to move on, to tell him the usual “if you ever need a friend, you know where to find me” promise she told all her one-off lunch buddies, and to rejoin her lunch spot Cass and Eugene. But she didn't. Rapunzel seemed to have taken a genuine liking to him. Once or twice, she had even invited the guy to come sit at her usual lunch spot with Cass and Eugene. It was like she was trying to add Varian to the friend group or something, and Cass didn't like it. The three of them— Cass, Rapunzel, and Eugene— had been together since fourth grade. You couldn't just throw in another person in your second-to-last year of high school. Varian didn't belong, and frankly, she found him annoying.

And it wasn't like Cass could say any of this to Rapunzel, because that, of course, would hurt her feelings. So the only thing Cass could do was give Varian the cold shoulder and hope he got the message. And in the meantime, she could make the most of these little trips to visit Fidella and ride her frustrations away.

Cass glanced behind her to make sure Captain wasn't within sight— she had no desire to get in trouble with her strictly rule-abiding father right now— then rode Fidella over to a place in the back where the fence had caved in from a fallen tree limb a week ago. It hadn't been fixed yet, to Cass's relief. 

“Come on, girl, just like we practiced,” Cass urged, and Fidella leapt over the collapsed fence to freedom.

There was a scrappy forest right beyond the stable’s land, carefully kept at bay by dedicated stablehands with branch cutters. Cass had spent many afternoons staring longingly into the sun-dappled thicket, wishing that she could explore it. When an outstretching branch had fallen, perhaps out of old age or weakened by insects, and flattened the fence sitting beneath it, Cass had seen her chance.

Cass soon discovered that she wasn’t the only person who liked this swathe of trees. There was a narrow but well-maintained path winding deep into the forest’s heart. Cass followed it, thankful that she didn't have to pave her own way on horseback but regretting that she hadn’t brought a knife with her to cut stray stems.

A change in scenery was just what Cass had needed. She closed her eyes, taking in the smells and sounds of the forest, which was beginning to come alive here at the end of the day. She leaned her head against Fidella’s neck.

Then, without apparent reason, the horse stumbled to an abrupt halt. Cass was jerked upright, startled. What could have possibly spooked her? “Come on, Fidella, keep going,” she coaxed, giving her a light kick in the flank, but it was like the Clydesdale was rooted to the ground. She whinnied nervously and tossed her head. 

Cass leaned around Fidella to see what was the matter. “Oh, you can jump that,” she said. “It’s just a little log. You just cleared a fence, no biggie.” But Fidella only backed up a step. Cass sighed and dismounted. She’d have to try to lead Fidella around the log, and she could do that better from the ground where she could stomp down plants.

But as soon as her feet hit the ground, Cass saw what it was that was making the horse balk. She gasped softly, then crouched down to peer under the log that was lying across the path. Two pairs of eyes stared back at her, unblinking in terror. 

Cass reached a hand out toward the eyes, and they disappeared. She stayed frozen to her spot, as motionless as possible, and after a minute or two her patience was rewarded. A tiny fox kit poked its head out of the safety of its den and sniffed cautiously at Cass’s fingertips. Cass watched with bated breath until it whirled and darted back under the log, flashing a stubby, dark gray tail with a snow-white tip before disappearing into darkness. Cass bit her lip and grinned, trying to resist the urge to squeal. A baby fox had just sniffed her hand! Nature’s magic hung in the air around her.

She waited a bit longer, hoping to catch another glimpse of the foxes. A minute or two later, both kits stuck their heads back out and stared wide-eyed at Cass. They both had fuzzy coats the color of charcoal, though Cass could see hints of rust in the face of the smaller one. She wondered if foxes changed color as they grew up or if these two would always be dark. The larger kit— the same one who had sniffed her hand— was clearly the bolder one. It stepped forward and stretched its whole little body out to try to reach Cass’s hand again. But at that same moment, Fidella snorted. Both foxes squeaked and dove back under the log.

Cass figured the foxes wouldn’t come out again after that. She slowly stood up and took a few steps back to give the foxes space, then climbed back into the saddle and turned Fidella around. She didn’t want to scare the foxes out of their home by clomping her giant draft horse around their territory, and she had probably been gone long enough that Captain would check to see where she was soon.

Fidella seemed relieved to be heading away from the foxes now, and Cass didn’t even have to guide her back over the fence. As she pushed Fidella into a gallop across the riding grounds, Cass realized she was still smiling. Rapunzel would definitely want to see the little foxes. This could be Cass’s chance to talk to Rapunzel alone, in person. Cass knew she couldn't tell Rapunzel who she could and couldn't be friends with, of course. But maybe she could help Rapunzel see it from her point of view.

Chapter Text

“Like this?” Dwayne spun one side of Varian’s Rubik’s cube and showed it to Varian.

“No, no, no.” Varian shook his head and reached over his desk to take the cube back from Dwayne. He spun the same face in the opposite direction. “You have to get the sides aligned first. See how it lines up here?” He was about to pass it back to Dwayne for him to try again, but then everyone around Varian began standing up and shouldering backpacks. Varian glanced up, realizing abruptly that class was over. He hurriedly packed up his backpack, then stood by his desk and waited for everyone else to clear out first. 

He noticed with a tingle of relief that Dwayne stayed back with him. It had been just over a month now since the first day of school, but Dwayne had remained his faithful first period buddy the whole time. Varian’s lingering fears of betrayal were a little easier to ignore now.

Varian and Dwayne fell in behind the last person and headed out into the hallway. Varian’s second period classroom was on the way to Dwayne’s, so Varian pulled his cube back out and handed it to Dwayne as the two began making their way down the hall together.

“I dunno, Var, I don’ think I’ll ever get it,” Dwayne said, scratching his head and handing over the cube as they neared Varian’s destination. Despite the extra two minutes of practice time the hallway walk admitted them, Dwayne was still doing the move backward. Varian was getting frustrated with Dwayne’s repeated mistake, and was about to agree that it was hopeless when another person knocked into him from the side. Jostled, Varian lost his grip on his Rubik’s cube and watched it hit the ground with a wince.

“Oh— sorry,” the offender blurted, turning around. 

Varian paid him no mind, instead focusing on trying to regain his footing and rescue his cube. He watched helplessly as someone caught it with their shoe and kicked it. It skidded down the hall like it was on ice, prompting Varian to shove through the crowd to find it.

“Let me get that for you.” The person who had run into him— a tall, broad-shouldered boy— wove effortlessly through the stream of students and bent to retrieve the rebellious Rubik’s cube. 

He returned it to Varian, who took it with a relieved and grateful smile and checked it over for scratches. “Thank you.” Varian couldn't hide from his tone of voice the surprise he felt at the fact that this guy was helping him despite having no idea who he was.

The boy smiled back. He had an elegant, narrow face and dark brown hair pulled back in a bun on top of his head. “Of course. I’m so sorry for running into you. My name is Andrew.”

“I’m Varian.” He turned around to introduce Andrew to Dwayne, and was startled to find that the latter was staring daggers at Andrew. Varian’s smile dropped.

“‘Ello, Hubert ,” Dwayne practically snarled.

Andrew’s face twisted instantly into hatred. “It’s Andrew ,” he corrected menacingly.

“Varian, you don’ wanna be caugh’ up with the likes of this fellow,” Dwayne said, looking Varian dead in the eyes in a way that made him uncomfortable. ‘’E’s bad news.”

“Dwayne, what have I told you about interfering with other people’s lives?” Andrew said, and his pleasant air of a moment ago vanished on a breeze, replaced by a thunder that looked almost natural on his face. Storm warning bells went off in Varian’s head. He was all too familiar with this kind of talk. Andrew was one of those people who pretended to be your friend only so he could pull the rug out from under your feet and hurt you in the worst way possible. The tone in the tall boy’s voice brought back memories of his old school that stabbed like daggers in Varian’s mind. He took a step backwards, heart pounding. He had almost fallen prey to Andrew’s tricks. He couldn't believe he was stupid enough to miss the warning signs, again.

“You can’t tell other people who they can and can’t be friends with, remember?” Andrew continued. “Or did I not drive my point home hard enough last time?”

Dwayne flinched as Andrew raised a threatening hand, but to his credit he stood his ground. “Come on, Varian,” he said pointedly, maintaining eye contact with Andrew. “We should get ta class.”

Varian was all too ready to obey. His grip tightened on his Rubik’s cube, but he couldn't feel the corners shoving into his palms. He only felt an ever-heightening unease as he watched the situation unfold, and he'd seen enough to know that this Andrew was no one he wanted to associate with. 

Andrew pulled his attention away from Dwayne to glance over at Varian, thunder still crashing in his expression. Varian stepped backward too quickly and tripped over his heels, panic flaring too late for him to catch himself. He fell.

…But he never hit the ground. After several seconds Varian opened his eyes. Logically, he should've hit the ground by now. Unless he'd figured out some way to momentarily break free from the laws of gravity as a sort of fear response to falling.

Then he processed the hands gripping his arms, and he looked up.

Eugene frowned down at him. “You good there, bud? That was almost a nasty fall.”

“Eugene!” Varian scrambled to get his feet back under him and stood up. He felt his face grow hot, and he rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes went to his shoes, silently cursing his clumsiness. “Uh. S-sorry.” 

“It's all good,” Eugene replied, but his gaze was no longer on Varian. Varian followed his gaze and felt an odd sense of relief to discover that Flynnrider himself was glaring furiously at Andrew.

“ You .” Varian whirled around to see Cassandra. She was also looking at Andrew, but with a look in her eyes that was even more than hatred. It sent a chill down Varian's spine.

“Ah.” Andrew's response was dripping with an emotion Varian didn't understand. “ Cassie .”

“Don't you EVER call me that again!” Cass spat. She took two quick steps toward Andrew, and her fingers curled into fists at her side like she was preparing for a fight. Varian's stomach turned. He prayed it didn't come to blows.

“Varian.” Dwayne’s urgent whisper cut into Varian's thoughts like a jolt. Varian jumped; he'd forgotten about his friend. “If they figh’, you don’ wanna be anywhere near ‘em in case someun thinks yer involved.” And with that, Dwayne turned and took off down the hall. 

Varian nodded acknowledgement. He was only too glad for an excuse to dodge the drama, and stepped into class to find his usual seat before another student took it. He noticed his hands were shaking. He was such an idiot. How had he not realized the kind of person Andrew was? He had thought he had gone through enough of these people calling him “friend” to recognize the dangers by now. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It was a good thing Eugene and Cass had shown up when they did, because he didn't know what he would've done to escape Andrew without incurring his inevitable wrath.

Moments after Varian sat down, Andrew stalked in and sat on the other side of the classroom. Eugene and Cass followed. Cass cast an unpleasant glance at Varian and went to her seat, but Eugene came over to Varian's desk. Varian looked up, his eyes widening in surprise. Although he hid it better than Cass, Eugene had made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of Varian either.

“Varian, listen to me,” Eugene said, leaning over Varian's desk. “That guy— Andrew— is dangerous. Trust me. He's a walking red flag. Avoid him at all costs, got it?”

Varian understood Eugene's words better than he liked to. He nodded, his gaze dropping as his thoughts raced back to his old school. Had he only come over to warn him off? He hoped he could trust Eugene's judgement, Flynnrider or not. Sometimes it could be hard to tell which snakes were venomous.

“Oh, and on a different note, the student council just put these out today,” Eugene added. He took a crumpled flyer out of his pocket and handed it to Varian. “Looked like the sort of thing you'd be interested in.” Eugene slapped Varian's desk in lieu of a parting word, then went back to his own spot next to Cassandra.

Varian smoothed out the flyer, wondering what on earth could have made the one and only Flynnrider think of him. Then he gasped.

A science exposition . Varian scanned the paper, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Competitors were invited to bring an invention of their own design to present. He looked over at Eugene and Cassandra as an idea began to form in his mind. Maybe… Maybe if he could win the competition, he would prove to them that he was worth their time. That he was worth being their friend. He looked back down at the paper and traced the printed letters with one finger. He just had to win their respect. Impress them. And this was how he was going to do it.

Chapter Text

Cass sat down at her usual lunch table, pleased to find that neither of her friends were here yet. She'd taken the long way to the cafeteria from chemistry to avoid running the risk of crossing paths with Varian, and she'd been afraid she would show up late. As it were, she unzipped her lunch box and slowly began unpeeling an orange, rehearsing her script in her head. She knew exactly how her conversation with Rapunzel would go.

It wasn't very long before Rapunzel and Eugene came in together. Cass's heart sped up with anticipation and she shifted in her seat. She mentally prepared herself for the awkward conversation. 

But then, right as they were close enough for Cass to smile at them, Rapunzel turned as if something else had caught her attention and rose on tiptoes, waving. “Hey! Varian!”

Cass followed Rapunzel’s gaze, her heart sinking. A chilly anger constricted her throat as she watched the very person she had been hoping to avoid join Rapunzel, then come over to sit at her lunch table. Their eyes met for an uncomfortable split second, and then Varian looked down at his lunch box.

If Rapunzel noticed the tension arcing like zaps of electricity through the air, she didn’t show it. “So, how has everyone’s day been?” she asked cheerily.

“Pretty good,” Eugene said with an air of pride. “I absolutely crushed my German vocab quiz.” He turned to Cass and added scornfully, “Capitalized nouns and everything.”

Normally, Cass would have had a searing reply instantly ready to retaliate, but her attention was diverted by the unwelcome visitor as he dropped something under the table, bent down to pick it up, and hit his head on the way back up. She curled her lip.

“Oh my gosh, Varian, are you okay?” Rapunzel gasped as he hissed through his teeth.

Varian nodded, rubbing his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine! Don’t— don’t worry ‘bout it, hah.” He glanced at Eugene and then at Cass, as if he was taking stock of who had seen his fumble. Cass wanted to roll her eyes. We all saw you, dork. 

“Well, how has your day been?” Rapunzel asked him. At her words, Cass was suddenly plunged into a freezing emotion she couldn't name. She stared blankly at her best friend, chattering away with Varian like Cass wasn’t even there. The coldness of the emotion seeped into her thoughts, leaving her feeling numb. Rapunzel hadn’t even looked her way once. She hadn’t even waited to hear how Cass’s day had been so far. And now she was talking to this new boy like she’d known him for years.

As she watched, hearing nothing but seeing Rapunzel’s glowing smile turned on Varian, as if he deserved every ounce of friendliness she had, the anger from minutes ago returned, seething.

“Hey, Raps,” she said. The words came out a little more forcefully than she had intended, but it was fine. Rapunzel needed to know that she was hurting her.

Rapunzel turned to Cass, confusion dimming her smile for a moment. “Yes?”

“My day’s been okay, I guess. Not great, though.” Now Rapunzel had a chance to redeem herself: she could ask Cass why her day hadn’t been great.

But Rapunzel only raised an eyebrow as though she was talking to a little kid. “Okay? I… I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better,” she said slowly, in a tone that implied Cass had said something stupid.

And then she immediately turned back and resumed her conversation with Varian.

Fury and indignation and something like hurt churned under Cass’s skin. She looked at Eugene— she didn’t really know why. Maybe it was to see what he made of Rapunzel’s reaction. Maybe it was for the comfort of a pitying glance. She found no such thing. Eugene was watching her with a bemused smile, that same What’s wrong with you? look filling his eyes.

Cass jerked her gaze away, attempting to keep her face clear of emotion. But she couldn't help her eyebrows lowering into a scowl. There wasn’t anything wrong with her. The problem was all Varian. If he would just leave her alone, leave Rapunzel alone— no— if Rapunzel would leave him alone— then everything would be fine. It was because of him that she was feeling this— this— AGH! She hated being unable to control or even identify her own emotions. Maybe there was something wrong with her, after all.

Cass could still feel Eugene’s eyes on her as she focused her attention on her lunch. The foxes. She had to tell Rapunzel about the foxes. That would make her listen. And then she could get her best friend alone.

Give it a couple more minutes. She can’t talk to that guy the whole lunch period. She has to acknowledge me at some point. 

After a minute or so, there was a brief lull in Rapunzel and Varian’s conversation, and Cass jumped on it. “Raps, guess what.”

“What?”

Here we go. Cass ran over her mental script, making a few adjustments, then began. “So the other day, I went to the stables to check up on Fidella, and y'know the woods behind the fence? Well, the fence is broken in one part, wide enough for Fidella to jump over, so I took her out to ride in the woods. And—”

“CENTRIFUGAL!” Varian blurted, almost shouting as he slapped the table with both hands. Cass jumped. “That's what it's called. Centrifugal. Sorry, I just couldn't remember the word a minute ago. Continue.”

“Ohhh, centrifugal!” Rapunzel laughed. “Yeah, that makes so much more sense. Anyways, sorry, Cass, you were saying?”

Cass narrowed her eyes, deciding to take offense at the double interruption. Icy hurt at being talked over sliced into her heart. Had either of them even been listening at all? Since when had Rapunzel stopped caring about what Cass had to say? Was she trying to replace her with Varian because he was smarter and more fun to talk to than she was?

Does Rapunzel even care about me anymore?

Cass stood up violently. A sudden burning sensation had begun behind her eyes. 

“Cass?” Rapunzel’s brow was knit in concern. “What’s wrong?” She and Eugene shared a quick glance, but Cass didn’t notice.

‘What’s wrong’?

What a stupid question.

Cass stepped over the bench, almost tripping in her fervor, and ran out of the cafeteria. She couldn't cry, not here. There were too many people. But the tingly burn, so hot in stark contrast to the coldness of her emotions, was only growing stronger, and now she couldn't breathe. She had to get out.

Her first thought was to run to the bathrooms— they were the most private spot on campus. But then she remembered how long the line usually was during lunch. She wouldn’t even be able to get in before lunch ended. And she needed a safe spot now. 

Her mind jumped back to the log in the woods, and the little hole under it where the fox kits lived. What she wouldn’t give to crawl into that hole right now. She shook her head angrily; she couldn't believe she had wanted to bring Rapunzel to see it. It was too special of a place to share with anyone. Especially not someone who couldn't even pay attention to her long enough for her to get a single word out.

Cass had stopped running as soon as she’d reached the hallway. Now she glanced wildly from left to right, then chose a direction at random and took off again. 

“Cass!” It was Eugene.

She faltered for the space of a heartbeat, but the burning in her eyes reminded her that she needed to get away. Let him catch up to her if he wanted to talk to her so badly. She hoped he wouldn’t. She put on a burst of speed.

He was faster than she was in short sprints.

“Leave me alone, Fitzherbert,” she snapped as he came up alongside her. However, she instinctively slowed down to a speedwalk so he could keep pace nevertheless.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. His gentle way of expressing concern sanded at the jagged corners of Cass’s mind.

Not that she would show it, of course. “Fine.” She looked away from him, pretending to be scanning the walls for something.

“You don't look okay.”

“Very observant of you.” Tears were brimming in her eyes, though she had no idea why. The fact that she didn’t know why she was crying only made her angrier. She dabbed her eyes with the inside of her shirt collar to prevent them from spilling over and leaving telltale mascara stripes on her cheeks.

“I can’t help but notice you’ve seemed a little… touchy lately,” Eugene said. “Is something bothering you?”

Cass’s mind filled with so many comebacks at that question— the answer to which was so obvious that she couldn't believe he’d even asked something so stupid— that she couldn't decide which one to snap at him. Is there something wrong. She snorted derisively. She chose a retort and opened her mouth—

“Cassandra!”

Cass froze in her tracks. A shiver ran down her spine like nails on a chalkboard as she slowly turned around to see Varian sprinting down the hallway toward her. Great. Her favorite person. Just who she’d wanted to see right now.

Varian called her name once more as he reached her, breathless and gasping. 

“What do you want?” It came out harsher than she’d meant it to. She cringed internally at how it had probably sounded. She didn’t want him to know she hated him that much.

Varian flinched. His hands went into his hoodie pocket. “I-I just wanted to— wanted to apologize,” he said stumblingly, his eyes on his Converses.

Cass blinked, taken aback. “I— apologize?”

Now Varian looked her in the eyes, a fierce look blazing in his own. “Y-yeah. Um. I’m sorry for whatever I did that made you run off. ‘Cause I feel like it was because of me. Aand I’m sorry for hanging out with you guys and eating lunch with you guys and everything. I didn’t mean to cause any sort of— any sort of— of problems. And— I think you should go back and tell Rapunzel whatever it is you were going to say.”

If Cass had been surprised before, now she was floored. She opened her mouth again to reply, but this time, instead of a surplus of retaliations, she was left with nothing to say.

Eugene jumped into the empty silence. “You’re a good one, kid. Cass, I think he’s right. I don’t know why you've been acting so…” He trailed off for a moment, then shook his head and kept going, skipping the offensive adjective Cass knew he’d been thinking of saying. “But I think Rapunzel wants to know what you were going to tell her. I promise she wasn’t meaning to ignore you or whatever you think she was doing.”

Cass’s thoughts were racing, but she didn’t know what to think. He apologized. She looked at him; he was staring at the floor again. He apologized… She frowned. Even though he didn't do anything wrong. 

Because he hadn’t. She had wanted him to apologize. But now that he had, she realized that wasn’t what she’d wanted at all.

What did she want, then?

What’s wrong with me? 

She dabbed at her eyes again, trying to process all the emotions of the last five minutes, but she failed at even understanding what had caused all of them. 

A few seconds passed in awkward silence. Varian shifted uncomfortably. “Um.” He backed up a few steps, then turned, stumbled, and headed back to the cafeteria.

Eugene patted Cass’s shoulder. “What do you say we go finish lunch, huh?”

Cass nodded blankly, then let Eugene lead her back into the cafeteria.

Chapter Text

“I just don’t understand what’s gotten into her lately, Pascal,” Rapunzel said, staring down at her phone screen. “It feels like everything I say to try to help just makes her more upset.” 

Rapunzel’s panther chameleon began slowly making his way down her shoulder to her forearm as if to look at the screen himself. 

“I asked if she was free for me to come over to see the foxes today, and she said she was busy and it wouldn’t work out,” Rapunzel explained. Pascal paused his meticulous trek. One eye swiveled toward the text from Cass, the other eye up at Rapunzel. She sighed. “I know, I know, it’s just an excuse because she doesn’t want to see me. I’m not dumb.” Rapunzel tossed her phone onto her bed next to her, picked Pascal up, and flopped down on her back. “I just wish she would talk to me about what’s bothering her.”

It was Friday afternoon, four days after Cass had stormed out of the cafeteria in the middle of trying to tell a story. Rapunzel pretended it didn’t still hurt, but Pascal knew how she really felt about the situation. She’d told him everything. Her confusion had increased when Cass had told her about the family of fox kits in her backyard— which sounded amazing and exciting to Rapunzel— but Cass reported the news bluntly, then spun and left again. Rapunzel couldn't tell if Cass wanted her to come over and see them or not.

And, what was more, Varian didn’t come back to sit with them after that. Rapunzel had barely seen him for the rest of the week. Which made her wonder if Cass was upset because Rapunzel had invited him into the friend group. She had a tendency to be clingy sometimes… Was she jealous? 

Did she think Rapunzel was trying to replace her with a new friend?

“That would be very silly,” she said out loud to Pascal. “I would never do that.” She looked over at him; he was clambering over her phone on his way to the edge of the bed. As he walked, his tiny clawed feet tapped off of Cass’s contact, then opened her messages with Eugene.

“Pascal!” She sat up and scooped him up, then reconsidered. Maybe it was a sign. “Maybe you're right. Eugene would know how to help.” She set Pascal in her lap, then picked up her phone and texted, Do you know what Cass has been so upset about this week? 

i think shes jealous that you and varian hit it off so well, he replied, confirming Rapunzel’s thoughts. and then maybe shes also mad at herself cause he apologized for hanging out w you and told her hed leave you alone so i think that made her feel kinda bad for being a jerk to him yknow 

Well, that explained why Varian had suddenly left. Rapunzel bit her lip; this was getting complicated. How was she supposed to juggle making a new friend feel welcome and making sure her old friend didn’t feel left out?

What do I do?? I feel so torn, she told Eugene, throwing on a few crying emojis and a dizzy emoji for emphasis.

have you tried talking to her? he asked.

She won’t talk to me I asked if she wanted me to come see the foxes this weekend and she said she was busy

There was a minute before Eugene responded: i think itd be best if you tried to take your mind of it this weekend and readress the problem on monday. how about that science expo? ik you were excited about that

Oh, yeah! She had forgotten all about that. Ig that’s a good idea, she admitted to him, feeling a little guilty for putting Cass aside but glad to have a distraction. I am pretty excited about the expo

so whatre you thinking of making this year? Eugene asked.

She had no idea. A thousand ideas clamored for her attention. Can you call?

Moments later, her phone rang. A rush of relief flooded through Rapunzel at the sound of Eugene’s voice, smooth and comforting. In ten short minutes, Rapunzel had an idea for her invention worked out, and her nerves were soothed by Eugene’s support and the joy of creating. However, it soon became evident that Eugene would be unable to help her beyond coming up with an idea. 

“Hey, I know you're nervous about making the situation worse, and you could probably do this whole thing by yourself, no problemo, but Varian’s a whiz at this sort of thing, too,” Eugene suggested. “And he probably feels a little lost and a little alone right now. And while Cass may be upset about you hanging out with him, you both know that you aren't going to stop being friends with her. She can’t control who you hang out with. She’s just having some trouble adjusting— we all are. I’m sure it’ll work out in the end.”

“You want me to try talking to Varian?” Rapunzel asked hesitantly.

“He sure seems like he knows what he’s doing when it comes to science. You two could bounce ideas off each other so he knows you aren’t upset with him. Maybe I don’t like him much, but the guy needs a friend.”

“You’re so sweet for thinking of him,” Rapunzel commented. That was one of the things she loved most about Eugene: he was always trying to see the other point of view. He was always watching out for other people’s feelings. There was an awkward pause in their conversation as an unfamiliar but not-unwelcome tingle of warmth filled Rapunzel’s stomach, and then she said, “But what about Cass?” 

She couldn't help but remember that Cass had said almost the same thing about Varian when they first met— that he needed a friend— and now Cass was avoiding her. Would Eugene get upset, too? What if her whole friend group fell apart just because she wanted to befriend one person? The idea sapped all the warmth from her body and replaced it with dread. Maybe it was best to leave Varian alone and go back to the way things were before.

“I’ll handle Cass,” Eugene assured her, interrupting her whirlwind of thoughts before they picked up. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Rapunzel.”

“You’re sure?” she asked anxiously.

“Absolutely. It’s just girl drama, everything will be fine,” he insisted.

“Okay… thanks, Eugene.” 

A few minutes after Eugene hung up, Rapunzel found Varian’s number and called him.

He answered on the first ring. “Rapunzel?”

“Hey, Varian. How're you doing?”

“Why'd you call?” His tone was confused, and maybe a little hopeful. 

Rapunzel took this as a good sign. “Eugene told me why you've been avoiding me this week, and I just—” 

“I wasn't trying— o-okay I was, but it's not what you think— I'm sorry for avoiding you, it's not because I don't like you, I really like you, actually, please don't be mad at me,” Varian interrupted in a rambly panic.

“Varian!” Rapunzel cut in. “It's fine, really. You don't have to apologize. I was only worried about you. I wanted you to know that I do want you around… and I'm sure Cass does, too; she just doesn't know it yet. She needs time to warm up to you. I'm sorry that she's been so rude.”

Varian didn't say anything.

“I was wondering if you'd like to work on our expo projects together,” Rapunzel continued. “You’re doing one, right? I'm having a little bit of trouble getting started with mine, and since we both love science and inventing, I thought it might be fun if we worked together and helped each other out. I just need to talk through my idea with someone who could give me feedback.”

After a brief pause, Varian’s voice came through the phone: “When?”

“Oh, maybe after school on Monday? We could meet in the lab— that sounds like a fitting place to do science experiments!”

“Yeah, that… that sounds good,” Varian agreed. Rapunzel could picture his face shifting into a half smile as he said, “Thanks, Rapunzel. For— for checking in on me. And all that. I owe you one.”

“It's what friends do, right?”

“Are we friends?”

“Of course.”

There was a pause. “…It's nice. Having a friend.”

Rapunzel’s heart twisted for him. Was she really his only friend? That made it all the more important that she stick by him. “Hey, Varian?” she said on impulse.

“Yeah?”

“If ever you need help with anything… If you ever need a friend, I'll be there for you. I promise.”

Chapter Text

I’ll handle Cass, he’d said, so handle Cass was what he would do. Eugene swallowed. Dealing with Cassandra when she was angry was one of his least favorite tasks. But he cared about the wellbeing of the group’s friendships more than his own fears of Angry Cassandra, so here he was waiting at a table in a boba shop at ten am on a Saturday morning. He was scrolling anxiously through Google links, trying to find the answer to his oddly specific search, “what to say when your best friend hates your other best friend”.

The bell chimed as the door swung open, and he glanced up for the millionth time. Not her. Still. He went back to his phone, then did a double-take. Wait— His heart thudded.

Was that—?

Eugene stood up fast, bumping the café table.

“Lance?”

The newcomer turned toward Eugene, a look of confusion furrowing his thick eyebrows. Oh my gosh. It was him. Eugene’s hands had gone cold. The two made eye contact, and Lance frowned a little deeper, then gasped, a look of recognition washing his features in delight.

“It’s Eugene Fitzherbert!” he yelped, taking a few steps forward. For a few awkward moments, the boys just stood there, staring at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

Lance had shot up since the last time Eugene had seen him, more than ten years ago now. He was easily over six feet, broad-shouldered, with rich brown skin and a single ear piercing. He was wearing a red-and-gold letterman and— honestly— had an ease of style Eugene envied.

“You still planning to be president one day?” Lance asked.

Eugene cracked a grin. “You still put ketchup on your PB&J?”

“Don’t knock it till you cry tears of joy eating it!” And suddenly Eugene found himself in a bear hug, Lance shoving his fingers through Eugene’s hair and ruffling it around. “There’s no way, man!” Lance kept saying, and Eugene was exclaiming, “I thought I’d never see you again!” and they were both laughing too hard to answer each other’s questions anyways.

Finally, Lance pulled back and held Eugene at arm’s length. “Look at you! All grown up! Man, I still think of you as that kid in kindergarten who got the teacher so mad that we all had to sit out of recess for a week!”

“It was your idea to put the goldfish in the water table! I had no idea it could flop that high!” Eugene protested, grinning.

“Straight down Miss Nelson’s dress!” Lance was howling with laughter, one hand clapped to his forehead.

“Sit down, sit down,” Eugene urged, leading Lance back to his table. “What brings you back to Corona?”

“Oh, you know…” Lance waved a hand in the air vaguely. “Family.” He snuck a side smile.

Eugene slapped the table with both hands. “No way! You got adopted?”

“First grade, actually! The very next family I stayed with after kindergarten. You’d love Mrs. Emma-Jean. I always wished you could’ve met them. Anyways, we decided to move closer to town because Mrs. Emma-Jean’s mom lives here, and she has some health concerns, so Mrs. Emma-Jean wanted to be able to take care of her.” He leaned back. “Wow. Eugene Fitzherbert, after all these years!”

“I missed you so much, buddy,” Eugene agreed. “So, you going to school here now or something?”

Lance nodded. “Transferred this past week.”

“Don’t worry, it rubs right off,” Eugene assured him.

“So far, I’ve gotten a detention, stepped in a pile of mashed potatoes someone spilled on the cafeteria floor, and accidentally joined two clubs. I feel like I’m getting along pretty well. What about you? Who did you pick to replace me after I left?”

Eugene hesitated long enough for Lance to reassure him that he was joking. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a sensitive subject right now. Friend drama,” he apologized. “That’s why I’m here, actually. My friends Rapunzel and Cass are fighting because Rapunzel wants to let this new kid Varian into the friend group, but Cass is a bit possessive of our trio. I’m supposed to be meeting up with Cass this morning to try to let her talk it out with me instead of taking it out on Rapunzel.”

Lance pursed his lips, nodding. “That does sound tough,” he said sympathetically. “That’s why I never mess with girl drama myself, personally.”

“Yeah, well. I’m here for the long run. Better to let her vent to me than yell at Rapunzel for being friendly. She’s trying her best; she doesn’t deserve any of that.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Does Eugene Fitzherbert, lone king of the monkey bars, perhaps have a soft spot for Miss Rapunzel?”

Eugene’s face flushed pink, but before he could respond, the door chimed open again, and this time, it really was Cass. Eugene’s happy smile melted. Cass’s eyes landed on Eugene, then flicked to Lance.

“I see you’ve been waiting patiently for me,” she said drily.

Determined to hold onto the joy of the last few minutes, Eugene spread an arm toward Lance. “Cass! This is Lance! We were best friends in kindergarten!”

“At your service,” Lance added with a low mock bow.

Cass gave him a once-over. “…Cool.”

Lance cleared his throat, then stood up and patted Eugene on the back. “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it, then. It was great seeing you again, Eugene! Maybe we can meet up again sometime, catch up for real.”

Eugene smiled, but it was only a mouth smile this time. “Yeah. I hope so, too.” And then Lance picked out a table on the other end of the boba shop, and Eugene was left with Cass. He hated to admit it, but now he kind of begrudged her for breaking up his reunion with his long-lost friend. He couldn't let that resentment bleed into their talk. He gave himself a mental shake-off. Focus, Eugene! Your friend group is at stake here.

How to start? “Hey, Cass.” None of his pre-rehearsed lines really fit the situation, now that the moment to use them had actually come.

“Hey.”

This was awkward. “You want me to pay for your boba?”

A shrug. “Whatever. If you want to.”

Eugene shifted, then started again. “Cass, I know you’re feeling a little insecure about the whole friend-group-situation right now, and honestly? I get it. I am, too.” When Cass didn’t respond, he shouldered on. “Remember in fourth grade, when you started hanging out with me and Rapunzel? Well, mostly Rapunzel, because you hated me. And I was afraid that me and Rapunzel’s friendship would fall apart and she’d become better friends with you and forget about me. But it turned out all my fears were baseless, and it just took a little while for everything to shift around and settle again. I think that’s what’s gonna happen with this Varian guy. Either that, or he’ll drift off like the other people Rapunzel has brought into our friend group at one point or another throughout the years. She’s never trying to replace you. She just wants to make sure no one feels left out.”

Finally, Cass’s head shot up. “I know that she’s not trying to replace me, Eugene!” she snapped, and Eugene realized he’d said the wrong thing. “But guess what! I feel left out! And yeah, I’m being stupid and immature and selfish— I already know, I don’t need you to tell me that. I know I’m a jerk, and I hate myself enough for it already. I don’t know why I’m being so stupid about this whole thing, I don’t even care about that dork! You don’t get it. You don't get anything. So stop pretending you’re my therapist and you understand me perfectly and can fix everything that’s wrong with me! I don’t even know why I agreed to come here, since I knew this was what you’d try to do. I’ve had enough of everyone treating me like a bomb that’s about to go off.” She took a deep breath, then stood up. “Whatever. Enjoy your stupid boba.” She whirled, dark hair bouncing around her, and stormed right back out the door.

Eugene dropped his head into his hands. He’d ruined everything. Again. As usual. Why had he thought this would work? Cass didn’t want to talk about her feelings. Especially not to him. It’d been his dumb ego talking, thinking he could fix the issue. And now he’d made it all worse. FlynnRider complex, he sighed to himself. Being the main character in a roleplay game didn’t make you the main character in real life.

Well. There was nothing left he could do now. Eugene stood up slowly, defeated. And embarrassed, since the whole shop had probably heard Cass’s outburst.

One person had, for sure. As Eugene left the boba shop and started the walk home, Lance turned around in his chair, a thoughtful frown etched into his face.