nobody wiser

IVY: molly help i need a GIRL

IVY: this is a girl emergency + yk i like completely adore joey but i need a GIRL who isn't my sister!!!

MOLLY: flattered you're coming to me.

MOLLY: [image attached]

MOLLY: look whose sweatshirt i found in my hamper..

[DANIELLE CAMPBELL, CIS-FEMALE, SHE/HER] who’s that? oh it’s MOLLY PEARCE. i hear they’re 19 and are known as THE MANNEQUIN around NEW YORK CITY. they're also a SOPHOMORE at NYADA, have a voice like TAYLOR LOUDERMAN, and a member of the NYADA PLAYERS. they’re known to be LOYAL and RESOURCEFUL  and BLUNT and EXTRAVAGANT. some people say they remind them of DADDY’S MONEY, SHARP RED NAILS & A SHARPER TONGUE, OVERFLOWING GLASSES OF BUBBLY CHAMPAGNE.

Leo stared at Molly blankly as she refused to move. “Really?” he sighed exasperatedly, quirking a brow and staring at her in disbelief. There was no way that standing out in the hallway doused in a slushie was better than going with him to a bathroom. Once she came to her senses and reluctantly agreed to follow him, Leo nodded and tugged her into the nearest restroom. When he walked into the girl’s bathroom with Molly, some sophomore squealed about this being a girl’s bathroom and how he couldn’t be in there. “Grow up,” was all he said in response as he made his way over to the paper towel dispenser and started pulling out sheet after sheet to help Molly clean herself off. With a groan, the younger girl left the bathroom, promptly leaving them there alone. “Yeah, well,” his voice trailed off and he shrugged in response to her comment before handing her another clump of paper towels. He let out a weak chuckle at her question. “This school is fucked,” was the simple answer, “and our principal was a jock so he lives vicariously through those assholes or whatever. It’s stupid.” The rules didn’t apply to the athletes at their school. That was a fact and it was probably never going to change. “Luckily we only have a couple more months of this place,” he noted with another shrug. It hadn’t been lost on him that up until this point, Molly had been pretty much averting her gaze. When she finally looked at him though, really looked at him, his hard features softened. He let out another breathy chuckle and vaguely shook his head at her question. “Not really,” he told her honestly. Leo stared at her for a moment, still dripping with slush, before he clicked his tongue and reached for more paper towels. He briefly ran them under some warm water in the sink before stepping closer to Molly and placing one hand on the back of her head to tilt her chin up. “Let me,” he said quietly as he began to dab the area around her hair line and by her ears. As he gently cleaned her off, his gaze flickered between the spots he was wiping, her eyes and her lips. “So,” he drawled, chucking the used paper towels into the trash can before reaching for more and resuming the process, “you’ve been avoiding me.” Leo was nothing if not blunt and honest. He wasn’t going to dance around this. “Why?” he asked with a shrug, pausing and dropping his hand to his side as they locked eyes, “and don’t bullshit me.” 

🏙

if she hadn’t been shivering from the syrupy drink running down her face and arms, molly might have found the whole scenario comical, or maybe, karmic. between being uprooted from new york city, dropped in lima, and cheating on her boyfriend, she was certain life couldn’t get any worse.. and yet, she found herself staring into the eyes of the guy she was trying to forget whilst talking about the guy she cheated on. “clearly,” molly replied simply, her voice laced with the upmost disgust. it was hard for her to wrap her head around attending a school that clearly didn’t value the arts. since arriving at mckinley, the only kids she had heard of getting slushied were the new directioners, and that shit wouldn’t have flown at la guardia. in fact, the rolling tones were the equivalent to what the jocks clearly were at mckinley: untouchable. “and some of us have even less time here than that,” she replied flippantly, knowing all too damn well that possibility was getting slimmer and slimmer to none. each time molly talked to her mom on the phone and heard the clear happiness in her tone, she became less and less hopeful about a senior year return to the city. summer absolutely seemed more plausible.

molly was no stranger to having eyes on her. in fact, she’d dare to say she even thrived in settings where eyes were forced to watch her every move, but there was something different - heavier - about the way leo’s eyes were gazing at her. as he pushed her face back and began to actually help her, molly’s heart started beating rapidly in her chest. leo was dangerously close and the more attentive he was, the less control molly could feel herself harnessing. you’ve been avoiding me. molly shouldn’t have been surprised to hear leo state the obvious. he’d been nothing but honest from the moment they met, but his sudden brazenness in a tender moment caught her off guard. “i have a boyfriend,” the words came fumbling from her mouth before she could catch them. it was a simple explanation, but one that wasn’t backed up by any sort of emotion or passion. it was the equivalent of her saying i have a business partner. the longer she thought about it, the more molly thought maybe that was all warner really was. “i have a boyfriend,” she repeated again, her eyes not leaving his. if leo wanted honesty, she was going to deliver. “but i can’t stop thinking about you or what happened at candyland. i’m a horrible person,” obviously. “but i need to know if i imagined this,” there wasn’t a second before molly was drawing her arm around leo’s neck to pull him and their lips together. she leaned into leo and the kiss before pulling away slightly, eyes wide with realization. fuck. fireworks twice?

THERE I SAID IT

WHO: @mollypearce​ & leo mccarthy WHERE: mckinley high hallway  WHEN: monday, 3/1, in between class periods

It was obvious to Leo that Molly was avoiding him. Ever since Valentine’s day when they’d kissed not once, but twice, she’d barely even looked at him. He knew why. She had a boyfriend. A boyfriend in New York that she was always talking to or about that was plastered all over her social media but was nowhere to be found on february 14th. He clearly treated her like shit. Whatever. If Molly wanted to act like she hadn’t felt anything when they kissed and like she hadn’t been been flirting with him and egging him on for the last few weeks, then fine. Leo wasn’t the type of guy who put up a fight or begged or chased. He meant what he’d said to her—he didn’t like games. Relationships were cut and dry in his opinion. Either she wanted to be with him or she didn’t, and the ball was in her court. Leo was at his locker switching out his books when he heard the booming voice of some hockey player shouting, ‘yo new girl.’ Leo instinctively turned his head to look in the direction the voice was headed and of course, his eyes landed on none other than Molly Pearce. Great. He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, turning back to his locker to grab what he needed before slamming it shut. The second he heard the metal clang, the hallway erupted in a fit of ‘oooohs.’ Confused, Leo turned around again only to see Molly completely doused in a cherry slushie. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at the hockey player who was filling the hallway with his obnoxious laughter before he rounded the corner. It took some effort for Leo to put his pride and bruised ego aside, but he did it anyway as he walked towards Molly and gently grabbed her arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said flatly, tugging her in the direction of the nearest restroom. The resistance he felt from her made him instantly annoyed. “I’m trying to help you,” he reminded her, turning to look at her with an expressionless face and a shrug, “so are you going to let me or not?” 

molly’s love life was going up in flames - that much was obvious. between warner dodging her calls & texts and her dodging leo in the hallways, she was more conflicted than ever. on one hand, she’d arrived in lima in a happy, committed relationship. warner was an acquired taste, one that made miles look semi-pleasant by comparison, but when we they were together, their talent was undeniable. on the other hand, leo fucking mccarthy had been living in her mind rent free since their fated kisses outside of candyland. molly wasn’t naive enough to believe that a couple kisses outside of a cheesy valentine’s day celebration meant much more than what it was at face value, and it certainly wasn’t enough to ruin a relationship over. whether it was that logic or the silent understanding that she clearly couldn’t control herself whenever leo was around, she’d made a point of avoiding him, which was easy considering how much time rehearsals took up. if molly’s love life was falling apart, it seemed as if her social life was falling together. between the new directions, landing one of the lead roles of spring awakening, and slowly making friends, she was finding her own space at lima. molly had been on her way to hunt down one finn schuester when she heard the voice calling out for her. the seconds between yo new girl falling out of the dumb jock’s mouth and molly’s eyes zeroing in on the slushie in his hands felt painfully slow. unlike her brother, molly had paid attention to the ways of the natives. she knew what was coming for her. the cold ice slapping her in the face was hardly a surprise, but it didn’t make the shame or humiliation sting any less. for a quick second, as molly stood dripping wet in the middle of the hallway, eyes closed and voices snickering around her, she had wanted to cry. and she might have had it not been for the feeling of someone’s hand wrapping around her arm. when her gaze cut to leo’s face, molly was snapped back to reality and reminded of who she truly was - which was not someone who showed weakness in the presence of others (except for when on stage, of course). when leo began to pull at her, molly stayed rooted in the puddle of slush at her feet. she silently contemplated her choices: walk off alone in search of somewhere private or go with someone she knew... against all judgment, she reluctantly responded with a soft “okay,” before letting leo drag her into the nearest bathroom. “thanks,” while it may have sounded insincere, molly meant it. “you didn’t have to help me,” obviously, idiot. she let out a deep sigh as she pulled the drench jacket off, shaking it loosely over the sink. “how do those neanderthals keep getting away with this?” it wasn’t until she was leaning against the sink and grabbing paper towels from leo’s hands that she allowed herself to look - really look - at him. her breath hitched in her throat as she pointed towards her face. “did i get it all?”

FINN: mm not sure. but! jett is another intern at LPR so i could ask him. i could ask lj or leo even. whoever i see first! i've got you.

FINN: yeah exactly!

FINN: friday after school is perfect for me!! what's your last class?

MOLLY: thank you. i'd really appreciate it.

FINN: a couple of schools in chicago, oberlin college, osu, nothing too far from home!!

FINN: but thanks, i hope so to.

FINN: whatever i want?

FINN: cmon that's not fun! we should do something we both wanna do!

FINN: and im afraid my hobbies aren't the most riveting

FINN: unless you wanna drive around town and take pictures with me

FINN: we could do the mall and a movie? does that sound fun to you?

MOLLY: i'd love to go home, but since that's clearly not an option, i /have/ been wanting to catch lljj play. do you know if they have anything coming up?

MOLLY: take pictures of... lima? the grass?

FINN: hi molly!

FINN: yeah absolutely! i'm busy tuesday, thursday, and saturday with my internship and i have some studying and prom planning to do but we can definitely hang!

FINN: most food around here is pretty bad to be honest with you. north hills mall or the movies even seem a little more your speed?

FINN: i could even see if the country club is having any special events this weekend! i'm just gonna need to ask my brother for the car.

MOLLY: hopefully all your hard work at your internship pays off with college. where'd you apply to?

MOLLY: intrigued by the mall. any worthwhile stores? and please don't say macy's or sears.

MOLLY: hi. this is finn, right? this is molly.

MOLLY: pearce.

MOLLY: it appears that my brother and i will be staying here longer than we originally thought and in effort to make this time more bearable, i was hoping you'd be willing to hang out this week.

Whether or not a twin connection was a real thing could have been left up for debate, but in Miles’ mind, it was definitely real. He could tell that something was off with Molly. Their brains were usually completely in sync, but every time he looked over at her, he could tell that something was different. There was something on her mind. And the moment their grandma stepped away, he knew it was time for him to start digging. Hearing her talk about Warner was odd. It wasn’t news to him that things were rocky between the two of them. He was consistently on FaceTime with the guy, and it felt like he was connecting more with his best friend than his sister was. “You forgot about him?” Miles questioned, as he raised an eyebrow at her. He walked over and placed his pile of dishes on the counter as he stood next to her. She said her time at the Valentine’s party had been fine, but that didn’t sit well with him. Miles was an avid liar and performer himself, so he could definitely recognize it in his sister when she wasn’t being forthcoming with the entire truth. “If Ivy St. James gets the lead over you then we’ll sue. I’m sure that troll couldn’t act her way out a paper bag.” Did he hate Ivy? No. Did he think she was an overrated talentless Lima loser? Definitely. And he certainly thought his sister was way more talented. “My date was fine,” he replied, stopping himself from admitting that it was actually fun. He passed a plate over to his sister and shrugged, shaking his head. “I’m always confident. It’s a backwoods performance of Spring Awakening. Who cares?” He mumbled out, adding in another shrug. “You do remember we’re not here to stay right, Molly?” He questioned, waiting for her to finish one plate so that he could hand her the next one. “You seem to be getting a little attached. What was that whole thing about wanting to see some band in a basement?”

molly was self-aware enough to know and understand that her and her brother (but, mostly miles) were not everyone’s cup of tea. as wonderful and amazing as molly thought they were, she knew that wasn’t everyone’s experience. people saw miles as loud, opinionated, arrogant, and self-absorbed, and while maybe he was all those things to a certain degree, molly also saw the somewhat soft, thoughtful side... which was why she should have absolutely known better than to pretend like everything in her life was status quo. it had taken approximately .2 seconds for miles to clock the phoniness behind her facade,  and while it would have normally annoyed her, there was a small part of molly that was relieved she was being forced to talk through her problems. “yeah,” she signed. “i mean, i was obviously disappointed that he couldn’t muster up the strength to spend a night in ohio,” the sarcasm in her tone was clear as day, “but i ended up having a lot of fun with candy and ruby,” she said, alluding to their performance. “horrible taste in music, but decent company.” a small smirk occupied molly’s lips as miles’ dramatic side reared it’s ugly head. “if you think i’m worried about her, you must not know me at all,” okay, maybe the self-absorbed trait ran throughout the entire family. “are you worried about not getting moritz?” a stupid question considering she knew miles answer would be a resounding no. “are you going to see her again?” molly didn’t need nor want to know the details about miles’ date with nico, but his answer to the question would be telling. “i know that,” molly responded sharply as she placed the dish to the side and grabbed the next one out of miles’ hands. “but if we are going to be here for,” she glanced towards the stairs before returning to look at her brother. “the unforeseeable future, why not at least try to make friends?” molly had always been the softer one of the twins, and it showed in situations such as these. “i wan to see leo play,” she said honestly and simply. “he’s seen me sing on more than one occasion, so i think it’s only fair that i return the favor.” what she wasn’t saying was why she really wanted to see leo play. was it merely an excuse just to see him again? perhaps. as her mind filled with visions of leo and their stolen kisses outside of breadstix, molly’s mouth opened against her best judgment. “we kissed on valentine’s day.”

xan shook his head and held back laughter. “i’m xan puckerman. captain of the warblers. you know…your competition.” he said with a succinct raise of his eyebrows. he was interested in molly, but he wouldn’t call himself a fan. he definitely didn’t want some city show choir somebody’s autograph. he rolled his eyes as she bragged. “well i hope you had a thrilling experience winning that one. because it’s definitely not happening this year. I kinda think you chose the wrong school to transfer to.” he suggested.

molly liked to think she was nicer than her brother. she had the ability to bite her tongue in most situations, but since xan approached her with a clearly large ego, all that flew out the window. “competition is a pretty strong word for a group that sang two songs from trolls,” she snarked, her tone laced with the upmost judgment. “there are some decent voices on your team, but overall? nothing to lose sleep over.” molly pearce was nothing if not confident in her abilities, and if the new directions had any sort of sense, they’d utilize that. “it’ll be so sweet when we’re holding that trophy,” she paused before adding, “if you ask nicely, we might even let you look at it.”

What if I am? Do you have a problem with that? Leo stared at Molly with parted lips and eyes that were tirelessly searching her face for answers. He opted to wordlessly address her question by vaguely shaking his head. He didn’t have a problem with that. Not even close. He wasn’t surprised when she rejected the cigarette, so she shrugged in a way that said ‘suit yourself’ and brought it to his lips to take a drag on her behalf. Leo wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t some big shot heart throb at McKinley, but he’d had enough experiences to know when someone was staring at his lips like they wanted to kiss him. He’d seen that look before. At her question, he smirked. “What if I did?” he asked quickly, “do you have a problem with that?” Leo had been called a lot of things, but a bad liar? Or a liar period? No, not that. “I don’t lie,” he stated definitively and monotonously, “I came to see you. Is that so hard to believe?” He said it without batting an eye, with not a hint of uncertainty or bashfulness in his voice. He meant what he was saying. Molly had his attention and he was going to be open about that. “You’re right about one thing though,” he sighed, blowing smoke out through the corner of his lips and gently tapping the end of the cigarette to make the ashes fall on to the pavement, “this isn’t my scene.”

The fact that Leo had showed up to Candyland of all places was a telltale sign of just how intrigued he was by Molly. Ivy had a hard time dragging him to places even when they were dating. Granted, he’d grown a bit since then, but still. This was a feat. Bringing the cigarette back up to his lips, he let out a soft chuckle at her question and thought about it. “I don’t know?” he admitted, cig still dangling from his lips, “literally any other song that isn’t by some washed up boy band?” Leo didn’t come here to talk about song choices. He was in awe of Molly’s talent and it didn’t matter what she was singing—he was captivated regardless. But as she stood in front of him, quipping with him in a verbal war of who could be more clever or cunning, Leo realized he really was over this game. His question had been simple. Did she want him to stay? At her cryptic answer, he let out a sigh that gave way to a laugh as he licked his lips and waited for her real answer. Of course he was just met with another annoying question. Enough of this. Leo rolled his eyes and dropped his cigarette, quickly pushing himself off the wall and bringing both of his hands to Molly’s face to pull her towards him. He crashed his lips into hers with zero care for the trouble it would cause. He knew she had a boyfriend, but he also knew he was nowhere to be found. He was some ass who hadn’t even showed up for her on Valentine’s Day. She wasn’t with Warren or whatever. She was outside of Breadstix in below freezing temperatures with him. And this kiss, whether she admitted to it or not, had been earth shattering. Leo pulled away for a moment, breathless as his eyes fluttered open and he gazed right into hers, “does that answer your question?” he asked, staring at her for only a moment before he let his hands get lost in her hair and he pulled her in again, relishing in that glorious feeling of kissing someone new, someone he’d been wanting to kiss, for the first time.

🏙

did molly have a problem with that? there were a lot of things wrong with the current situation at hand, and all of them centered around leo. since meeting him, molly had knowingly crossed a series of boundaries. she had a boyfriend, and yet, it hadn’t stopped her from serenading leo, following him into secluded areas, and flirting. “no,” she finally replied, her tone laced with the upmost honesty. molly wasn’t certain about much of anything happening her life, but what she did know was that she enjoyed (perhaps a little too much) knowing leo had shown up to candyland for one sole reason: her. 

the seconds between leo’s sigh and his cigarette falling to the ground were excruciatingly long and molly found herself searching his face for some sort of answer - to what question, she wasn’t sure. it wasn’t until leo’s hands found her face and he was moving towards her that  molly’s heart started beating rapidly in her chest. leo’s lips were soft and the kiss passionate, and for a brief minute, molly allowed herself to get lost in the lust of it all. when they pulled away, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed, a coy smile was pulling on her lips. “not exactly,” she sighed dreamily, allowing herself to be pulled into for yet another earth shattering kiss.

molly had been so caught up in the moment - in leo - that she hadn’t heard her phone ring the first time. the second time, though? it was unavoidable. molly breathlessly disentangled herself from leo to pull her phone from her pocket. it wasn’t until she, and he, saw the name warner flashing across her screen that reality sunk in. she had a boyfriend and she’d just kissed someone twice, and not only that, but enjoyed it and wanted to do it again? molly’s eyes flashed up to meet leo’s, panic etched across her face. “i can’t-” she stammered, backing away from him. “we can’t. this was a mistake.” a big one. “i have to go,” she explained, turning on her heel and bringing her phone to her ear. she could only hope he didn’t hear her muffled “hey baby” as she answered warner’s phone call and disappeared into the night.