telltale and skybound are COWARDS for scrapping aasim’s crush on louis

       Violet has added beLOUga, Bordy, Country Girl 👅, We Live in Aasimulation, and Mars Bar to a group chat.

Violet has renamed the group chat ‘Clem and I kissed, holy shit!!’

       Violet almost dropped her phone at the sound of Clementine coming back outside, the old screen door screeching against the metal frame.

She quickly turned it on silent mode, knowing the utter chaos that would go down once the message sent through, then gave a meek smile to Clem. “Hey, what’d Lee want?”

      “He conveniently forgot how to work the remote again.” Clementine sneered, sending a glance over her shoulder. “And kinda sorta gave us the boot. It’s ten minutes ‘til curfew.”

“Oh,” Violet frowned, shoving her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

    “Wait!” Clementine stammered abruptly, her fists balled tightly to her sides. “I-I mean, let me walk you home. If you want!”

Violet froze at the suggestion, and instinctively shoved her hands into her pockets. “Oh my, how chivalrous. Louis is gonna have to step up his game.”

      “What game?” Clem giggled, hooking her arm through Violet’s. “So, would it be okay?”

The gentle carefulness in Clementine’s tone almost melted Violet’s brain circuits, and she grinned before resting her head on the shorter girl’s shoulder. “Abso-tutely!”

       The walk was a lot shorter than Violet really thought it’d be. Sure, she was just outside of the suburbs but it felt so far.

“How festive.” Clementine piped up at the black cat statue on top of the trailer, peering down st them with tentative, watchful green eyes.

        Violet nodded, turning a small pumpkin by the stairs to reveal a pointy-faced jack-o-lantern. “My mom and Lou.. they’re both really into Halloween and decorations and all that.”

“We gotta get our costumes together soon,” Clem stalled, leaning back and forth on the tip of her toes as Violet started rummaging for her keys. “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”

         Violet grasped the jingling keys in her hand, and spun it around her fingertip. “I don’t think so."

Clementine let out a sigh of relief, and awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “Cool beans, cool beans.”

        “Maybe Brody’ll let us borrow her bird? Y’know, that parrot on the shoulder thing?” Vi suggested, trying and failing to unlock the front door with sweaty hands.

Clem giggled, crossing her arms and shaking her head at the thought. “That’d be really cool, but I doubt it. Remember when she stayed home from school for a week when Revali got sick?”

        Aha! There was a click inside the lock as Violet twisted the key to the right. “Yeah, I could barely get her to leave the house that month.”

She pulled the door open, and stopped in the doorway to look back down at the flustered Clementine. “I’d, um, invite you in but my dad’s gonna be home soon. He got really mad when Louis and I had a study sesh and I forgot to tell him.”

     “Oh, yeah!” Clementine nodded, blinking quickly and shuffling her foot. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

With an eye roll, Violet hopped back down from the doorstep and quickly pressed a kiss to the shorter girl’s forehead. “See ya, dork.”

      Violet let herself slump against the door behind her, and buried her face in her hands, leaving a blushing-like-crazy Clementine on the other side.

                   Holy shit.

Her eyes snapped down to her phone beside her, screen lit up with dozens of notifications.

4 missed calls from beLOUga.

56 missed messages from ‘Clem and I kissed, holy shit’.

The phone buzzed in her hands just as she picked it up, and she rolled her eyes at Louis’ persistence.

“What the FUCK, Violet?” Vi quickly turned her phone volume down, a little too late, as Louis started screeching incoherently. “If you’re shitting with me, I swea-“

          “I’m not shitting with you,” Violet sternly rose her voice, glaring in annoyance at the frantic Louis on her screen. “We, uh, were hanging out and dancing and stuff and she just kissed me.”

A sharp scream pierced Violet’s ears, and she lowered the volume even more. “Dude.”

       Louis clasped his hands over his mouth just as he realized something. “Shit, I owe Aasim fifty bucks.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Violet questioned, scratching the back of her head. “You guys placing bets on us?”

      “Oh no, absolutely not!” Louis laughed nervously. “That’d be, uh, immoral. Bad. Not in my good Christian friend group.”

Violet giggled as Louis tripped over his words, and a snort escaped her. “You’re such a dork.”

      “Maybe so, maybe so.” Louis gave a toothy and charming smile, happily resting his chin on his palms. “You look happy, Vi.”

She felt heat rush to her face for maybe the thousandth time that day, and shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to hide her blush. “I am, Lou. I haven’t felt like this in.... ever.”

       “You deserve it.” Louis piped up, giving her a quick wink. “Someone that’ll actually treat you how you should be treated. A girl who loves you.”

Violet felt her ears go up in flames at the last statement, and tugged her knees to her chest instinctively. “Shut up, you fucking sap.”

        Louis happily sighed, lazily holding his head up. He opened his mouth to say something when a car door slammed outside of Violet’s trailer, and they both froze at the noise.

“Ugh, Scott.” Violet hissed under her breath, earning a sympathetic look from Louis. “I gotta go.”

           He quickly regained his happy composure, stretching his arms out in a yawn. “That’s alright, I’ll make sure to get every detail out of you tomorrow. Have a good night, Vi. Love you!”

Louis propped his phone up against his pillow and created a heart with his hands, smiling goofily.

        “Iloveyoutoo.” Violet quickly murmured, cutting off a triumphant “AHA!” by ending the call. She scrambled to her feet, and lay down on the mattress, burrowing underneath her treasured knitted blanket, given to her by Brody.

The front door begrudgingly opened after a couple pushes, and heavy, stumbling footsteps dragged across the trailer floor.

            Violet held her breath as the floor creaked at the end of her mattress, eyes softly shut as her drunk father loomed over her. After what felt like forever, he turned around and left, shutting her door behind him.

With a sigh of relief, she let her gaze drop back down to her phone, full of new notifications since she’d last talked to Louis.

One missed text from mlem.

70 missed messages from ‘Let’s go lesbians, let’s go.’

            Putting her priorities in order, she opened her newest message from Clementine. She swore for a second she saw a text bubble pop up, but it quickly disappeared.

mlem: legend has it that a pirate’s favorite letter is R, some say it’s the C, but as a living, breathing pirate, I can verify it’s u!

           A giggle involuntarily escaped Violet’s lips, and she racked her brain for an equally witty remark. She almost considered asking Louis for help on one, but quickly realized he’d never let her live it down.

violet: you’re such a cornball

     She let a happy sigh escape her, clutching the phone to her chest tightly. She then flipped back to the chaotic group chat to see what damage had been done.

We live in Aasimulation has renamed the chat ‘I want my fucking money Louis.’

beLOUga: tell you what, what if we go out to a nice restaurant and spend it that way?

We live in Aasimulation: But I was gonna buy smash ultimate

beLOUga: fair. i’ll give you it first period

We live in Aasimulation: on second thought, dinner sounds nice. don’t expect me to put out on the first date, though

Bordy: a a s i m this is a PG Minecraft server and as captain I can and will use my power to keep it that way

We live in Aasimulation: Brody you literally just sent us a picture of Ruby after her lifting sesh with a bunch of tongue emojis

Bordy has removed We Live in Aasimulation from the group chat.

Bordy: whos next

Bordy: vi!! i see you lurking! give us the deets

violet: uh no

beLOUga: okay I’ll ask Clem then

         Violet’s drowsy eyes darted open, and she frantically typed to stop him. Thank god for auto correct.

violet: WAIT NO

violet: we were dancing together on her porch and talking and I guess I let it spill that I had feelings for her and she kissed me

violet: there you go voila no need to bother her

Bordy: ooh la la~

beLOUga: im not bothering her she’s the one who’s blowing up my phone with dumb shit like ‘okay but does she LIKE LIKE me’

Country girl: d’awww and I thought violet was a mess

        Violet frowned, and switched back to her one-on-one conversation with Clementine. She could’ve sworn again that a text bubble appeared in the corner, but it disappeared before she could verify.

violet: aarrrrrr you free tomorrow after school? we can work on our costumes and hang out :)

              Clem’s response took two seconds tops.

mlem: yea totally, sounds good!! aj really wants to show you his costume too!

violet: cool, i can’t wait.

        Violet took a couple seconds to alter Clem’s name on her phone, and grinned down at the result.

violet: im too tired to think of any more pirate puns, so im gonna hit the sack. night, Clem

author’s note: finally introducing one of my favorite boyos into this au!! sorry for the late update i hope you like it!

When they pulled into the parking lot, Louis’ demeanor changed immediately. He craned his head to look inside the diner cautiously, then let his eyes dart between the stained glass windows of the diner and a red, beat-up car in the employees parking section.

      “Earth to Louis,” Violet leaned forward and shook her hand in front of Louis’ eyes, and frowned at his silence. “What’s up?”

“Huh?” Louis blinked absently, then took the key out and gave a weary smile to Violet through the rear view mirror. “Sorry, this heat is too much. It’s fucking October, when is it gonna start acting like it?”

     Unconvinced, Marlon pressed his face up against the passenger seat window and looked at the car. His eyes lit up, and he flashed Louis a goofy smile as he made the connection.

“Flame decals. That’s Aasim’s car.” Marlon happily noted, brushing his shoulder against the flustered Louis’. “That why you wanted to go to the diner?”

       “Purely a coincidence!” Louis stammered, gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white.

Violet and Clementine exchanged a look, and rolled their eyes as Louis went down his list of excuses.

       “Shame I don’t believe in those,” Marlon sang out, slamming the car door behind him as he marched into the diner. Still stuttering to explain, Louis followed close behind him.

“That’s.. kind of adorable.” Clementine giggled, unbuckling her seat belt and jumping out of the car. “Idiot probably has his work schedule memorized.”

        Violet snorted, and swallowed her laughter as Clem wrapped herself around the taller girl’s arm. “C’mon, let’s catch up with them.”

‘80s rock hit their ears as soon as they opened the swinging doors, and Marlon and Louis had already sat down in a booth near the jukebox.

      Louis was using one of those cartoonishly gigantic menus to cover his face, and Violet rolled her eyes as she snatched it when she sat down across from him.

“Dude, you okay?” Violet pressed, concern clouding her eyes as she frowned. Louis sighed and let a weary smile form on his face.

        “I’m all sweaty and gross after the game. I didn’t really factor that in.” Louis admitted wearily, taking the menu back from her and creating a barrier. “I.. uh.. feel kinda weird.”

Violet clasped her hands together and scanned the restaurant. A couple kids from school, but none she was really close to. Aasim was nowhere to be seen.

      “Don’t worry, Lou,” Violet pressed the menu down and offered the pouting Louis a smile. “I don’t see him anywhere. He’s probably on dish washing duty.”

After a couple tentative seconds, Louis nodded and let himself relax, fiddling with a sugar packet. “Yeah, okay. You’re right.”

        Clementine giggled, softly kicking his knee under the table. “Who would’ve thought you, of all people, would be such a wimp about your feelings?”

Louis glared, arching his brow as he glanced between Clem and Violet. “Oh, I’m a wimp about my feelings?”

         Before the girls could protest, the big red employee’s only door opened, and Aasim was practically shoved out of the kitchen. Clem turned to Louis and waggled her eyebrows, and snatched the menu before he could retreat.

“Aasim, buddy!” Marlon ushered him over to their table. “Did they kick you out again?”

       Sheepishly, Aasim nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, fuckers keep calling me bossy just because I have standards of what I’d eat off of.”

Louis had leaned heavily against the table, cradling his cheek as he wracked his brain for literally anything to say.

      “You’re just decisive,” Louis landed on a compliment, and fanned himself with a menu. “I like that in a wo- Man.. person.”

Aasim absently blinked a couple times before grabbing a notebook and pretending nothing had happened. “So, what can I get you guys?”

       “A fuckton of pancakes!” Violet jumped in with an answer before Louis could embarrass himself any further. Marlon and Clementine nodded in agreement, and the flustered Aasim turned on his heel and went back into the kitchen all too happily.

Louis immediately cradled his head as if in pain, elbows against the counter. “What the fuck was that?”

    Violet rolled her eyes and tipped his chin up, before shaking his shoulders to snap him out of it. “You are an absolute mess, Lou. Just treat him like you treat us. Like a friend!”

Louis pursed his lips and shook his head. “I’m not going to make fun of him and call him a scrub.”

      Clementine snorted as Violet sighed and leaned back in her seat, chewing on her straw. “Vi’s got a point there, you know. Just try and take it easy, okay? Be normal Louis.”

“The day I take romantic advice from you two pining nerds is the day Marlon shaves the pubes that he dare calls a mustache.” Louis clenched his dreads in his fist, as Marlon shot him a glare and checked himself on the napkin container. “Sorry man, the truth comes out when I’m panicking.”

         Clementine and Violet were too busy blushing furiously and looking at anything other than each other to notice Aasim approach their table. Struggling to hold a couple plates, he set down a stack of pancakes in front of Clem and Marlon.

He held the whipped cream bottle in his hands, and recoiled when Clem went to reach for it. “Just don’t use up the entire thing this time, okay?”

      She quickly snatched it from his hands and turned it upside down, letting it pour all over her pancakes. “No promises.”

Aasim rolled his eyes and turned towards Louis and Violet. “Yours will take a little bit longer. Chocolate chip’s your favorite, right?”

       Violet went to answer but recoiled at the realization that Aasim was staring down Louis, and that she was the last thing on his mind.

“Aw, you remembered!” Louis cooed, cupping the sides of his face to give a charmingly dorkish smile. “And my favorite drink is...”

       “Sprite.” Aasim snorted, before his cheeks reddened and he started stammering for excuses. “I only remember that because you said Marlon thinks it’s ‘too spicy’.”

“Oh, fuck you. Sprite is harsh, man.” Marlon muttered through a mouthful of pancakes, glaring at the laughing Louis across from him. Clementine and Violet giggled, letting their knees softly rest against each other under the table.

    A lady from behind the counter pushed two plates of steaming chocolate chip pancakes towards Aasim, who gingerly planted them in front of Violet and Louis.

Aasim lingered around the table for a while longer, anxiously looking over his shoulder back at the kitchen before his name was called and he scurried back to the counter.

     “Aw, look!” Clementine smiled down at her phone before tilting it towards Violet and Louis. “They’re so cute.”

It was a new post on Brody’s Instagram of her and Ruby in a costume shop dressing room, Brody’s arm slung around Ruby as she stuck out her tongue and gave a peace sign to the camera.

        Violet’s eyes almost bulged out of her head at the sight of Ruby with her hair not in it’s signature messy ponytail. She looked so nice with it down, bouncy red curls spilling over her shoulder.

Brody also looked super different. Her hair was up in pigtails, and the end of each were blue and red. She was holding a cartoonish plastic hammer over her shoulder, and wearing a red and blue bomber jacket over a plain white T-shirt.

      [The caption: “There are sweeter things to do in the moonlight.” along with party streamers and flower emojis.]

“Rubes makes a killer Poison Ivy,” Louis guffawed, taking the phone from Clem’s hands. “Brody is a really good Harley Quinn too! Those dorks are adorable.”

        Violet nodded, cupping her Coca Cola in her hands as she observed the picture. “Think they’ll get together before Halloween?”

Louis snorted, and passed the phone back to Clementine before shoveling a load of pancakes back into his mouth. “Puh-lease, they’re even more clueless than y-“

         Clem ‘accidentally’ kicked Louis’ shin under the table, and he pulled it to his chest, silently glaring.

“So, what are you guys being for Halloween?” Marlon eagerly changed the subject, swirling the straw around in his drink.

       “Sexy cat, probably.” Louis beamed, causing Marlon to choke on his straw. “Nah, I’m not really that sure. Was thinking about jumping onto the clown bus.”

“Perfect, you don’t even need to change!” Clem giggled, holding onto her sides as Louis threw a crumpled up straw wrapper at her. “What about you, Vi?”

        Violet wiped the syrup off of her lips. “I have this old pirate costume that my mom made for me. I might wear that out.”

Clementine’s eyes lit up and she grabbed Violet’s hand that was laying on the table. “We should go together! I was a pirate last year and I could totally reuse it.”

       “Uh, yeah. Definitely.” Violet’s eyes were pinned on Clem’s hands over hers, and hoped her face wasn’t as red as she felt it was. “What about AJ?”

“He’s gonna be Disco Broccoli.” Clementine giggled, tapping her free hand on the table. “He might tag along with us if Carley and Lee can’t take him out. Is that okay?”

       “Oh, abso-tutley.” Violet quickly responded, a smile on her face as she tried to imagine the little hothead of a kid playing the chill, collected Disco Broccoli. He did have killer dance moves though, so she didn’t doubt he could pull it off.

It took a couple more minutes for everyone to finish and for Louis to start scraping the plate with his fork, trying desperately to scoop up any pancake remains.

       Aasim came up and placed the bill on the table, raising his eyebrow at Louis’ odd behavior. “Is he okay?”

Marlon took the fork from his hand and put his hand on his shoulder in an attempt to console him. “Lou’s always inconsolable after a really good meal. He’ll be alright.”

        “Well, you can come back tomorrow...” Aasim wearily suggested, Louis’ head snapping up at the statement. “Only if you want to! I’ll be working tomorrow after school and I could probably sneak some extra pancakes for you.”

Louis clasped his hands together happily, and took the bill from the end of the table. “I’ll be here. You’d have to barricade the doors to keep me from coming.”

      “I’m pretty sure that’s against customer policy, but I’ll keep a stool free for you.” Assim rebuked wittily, his thumbs tucked nervously into his front pocket. Louis passed the bill back to him, and did that one charming smile that could make someone faint if they looked too close.

“Uh, cool.” Aasim stammered, just noticing the other three’s presence when Clementine cleared her throat. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

      Louis was unable to control how giddy he was when they all got into his car, humming happily and tapping the steering wheel. Marlon and Violet exchanged a knowing glance, and for the first time in all the years she’d known him, she felt a ping of solidarity.

She didn’t know why things were the way they were with Marlon. Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time they’d been alone together. As much as she didn’t want to care about what he thought, she cared about Louis too much to just create more tension between the group.

          Looking back on it, Marlon and Minnie were actually pretty close before she got expelled. The thought crossed her mind for the first time that maybe Marlon blamed her for what happened, and she instinctively tugged her knees to her chest. Shit.

The static of Clementine’s hand brushing against her ear surged panic throughout her senses. Clem was pursing her lips, and adjusting the flower behind her ear.

            “You know, I could probably make a whole flower crown for you.” Clementine pondered, a warm smile on her face as Violet let her eyes meet hers. “It wouldn’t be that hard. You’d look really cute.”

Violet’s cheeks were flushed with pink, and the murmuring of Louis and Marlon talking seemed so distant. Like nothing else on earth existed other than Clementine, who’s radiant smile was almost too much to bear. “I don’t know..”

     “See?” Clementine pointed at the blush on her cheeks, quietly snickering. “Red looks good on you. I’ll make it happen.”

Noticing Violet’s silence, she recoiled back to her seat and anxiously glanced from her to the window. “Sorry. I think I’m drunk on maple syrup or something. I’m not usually that forward.”

       Violet pursed her lips, nodding before she gently placed her hand on top of Clem’s clenched fist. Clementine relaxed at the touch, and wearily smiled up at the taller blonde.

“Don’t... be sorry.” Violet whispered, her eyes glinted with a mix of cheeriness and astonishment. “I, um-“

     The car swerved to the left frantically, and Clem smacked the back of her head against the seat. Louis quickly pulled over, and turned around to check on everybody. “Shit, there were some dumbass squirrels playing chicken. Are you guys okay?”

“Peachy.” Clementine winced, rubbing the back of her head with a scowl. “At least I didn’t lose another leg.” She joked lightheartedly.

      “My god, Lou.” Marlon groaned, tapping his fingers against the dashboard. “And you say I’m a bad driver.”

The two playfully bickered in the front while Violet worriedly kept glancing at Clem. “You sure you’re good?”

        “I’m okay, Vi.” Clementine snorted, eyes dancing back and forth between Violet and Louis. “Just a little bump.”

“First stop, casa a la Clementine,” Louis sang as he pulled into Clem’s driveway. All the lights were on, and they could see Carley and James on the back porch talking.

      Clementine paused, eyes flickering over to Violet nervously. “You want to come and say hi to AJ? And maybe play some Wii? I know it’s a school night, but..”

“Inviting me over after the first date? I’d love to, Clementine.” Louis mockingly cooed, earning a glare from Clem that made him squeak and cower in the front seat. “I’m kidding.”

      “Yeah, sure.” Violet felt herself saying impulsively, brain wiping out all of her concerns about how she’d get home and if her father would be there when she did get home. “I got laundry to do, right?”

Violet sat herself down between Brody and Louis, who was in the middle of a heated debate with Ruby over the validity of wearing acid-washed jeans in the modern day. Brody was obliviously scribbling in her notebook, completely tuned out to the nonsense going on to the left of her.

        “Oh, I’m so sorry, Lizzie McGuire,” Louis snapped with much more ferocity than was expected for the situation. Ruby groaned and threw a chopstick at him, which he narrowly dodged. “Keep your head up, Rubes. Your snapback is falling. Here, let me check your mood ring.”

Louis went to grab Ruby’s arm and she slapped his hand away, angrily opening a bag of chips with more force than she intended to, as chip crumbs flew across the table. “Shit.”

        “Vi, settle this. Today’s hot topic is ‘90s fashion fads, and how they should stay in the fucking cave of irrelevancy that they crawled into. Hannah Montana here wants to undo years of evolution and slap on some overalls and a windbreaker. It’s revolting, right?”

Violet pursed her lips, jabbing a straw into her chocolate milk container and taking a contemplative sip.

      “Overalls are cute. Oh, and those slap-on bracelets. We’ve already got frosted tips representation with Reese over there.”

She gestured towards Marlon, who was too absorbed in a page that Brody was showing him to defend himself. Louis, distraught, looked between the redhead and the blonde incredulously, and threw up his hands. 

“I give up. You fashion mongers win.”

       “Dude, you asked a lesbian for fashion advice. What were you expecting?” Violet giggled at Louis, who now was holding his head in his hands. “I rock Hawaiian shirts unapologetically all the time. Do better.”

“You’re right,” Louis raised his head, and twisted around to observe the courtyard around him. “Where’s Clem? She’s got better taste than both of you combined, and that’s saying something.”

        Violet shrugged, piling a forkful of ramen into her mouth. A stray noodle hung from her lip, which she sucked back in with a satisfying pop, earning a grossed out look from Ruby.

Louis placed his hand on top of Violet’s outstretched arm, which she balled up into a fist, but didn’t pull away. “You know I love you, Vi. C’mon. If I didn’t abandon you the day you wore denim on denim to school, I never will.”

With a scoff, Violet sat back in her seat with a dismissive eye roll. “Lucky me.”

       “Are you gonna come to the mall with me and Ruby after school?” Brody chirped up from her book, setting it aside to give Violet an enthusiastic grin. “We’re gonna pick out Halloween costumes. We’re thinking of being the Powerpuff girls. I’m gonna be Bubbles, Rubes will be Blossom. You’d make a perfect Buttercup!”

“As appealing as matching costumes with you two dorks is,” Violet snorted, shifting her glance from Brody to Ruby. “I’m gonna go see Clem’s little brother’s baseball game tonight.”

      Louis’ and Marlon’s heads jerked up, and they shared a nervous glance, unseen to Violet.

“Thought you hated baseball.” Brody sneered, taking a huge bite out of her sandwich.

         “I don’t hate baseball,” Violet protested with an eye roll. “It’s for AJ. Plus, it’ll be fun to watch adults scream at each other over a little league game.”

Louis anxiously chewed on the end of his straw, before clearing his throat. “You probably shouldn’t go tonight, Vi. You don’t like baseball, and it’s gonna be pretty warm, so that’s another level of unbearable.”

            Marlon nodded strenuously at his point, and added onto it with a level of urgency. “C’mon, have a girls night out with Rubes and Brody! There’s that really good fro-yo place in the mall, and there’s a Hot Topic. That’s right up your alley!”

He meant for the words to be encouraging, but received a middle finger from the pissed off blonde across from him. “Oh, fuck off, dude. I’m sure the Hollister is right up your alley, isn’t it, ‘Generic Blonde Boy Bully from every 2000’s movie’?”

      She dumped her empty tray into the garbage, and ignored the worried glances from Louis as she pulled out her math homework.

“Why are you guys being so weird about it, anyway?” Violet questioned the two. “I’ve got a Halloween costume. An old pirate outfit my mom put together for the middle school play.”

           Brody tugged her knees to her chest, and leaned against Ruby’s shoulder, expression solemn as it always was when Violet and Marlon were fighting. Seeing this gesture and instantly feeling guilty, Violet let her posture relax, and gave a forced “sorry” to Marlon.

“Just looking out for you, Vi,” Louis tapped his fingers on the table, lips pursed as he thought. “We’re probably gonna ump it if we can, so... know we’ll be there.”

       Violet nodded quickly, desperate to change the subject to anything other than this seemingly sore topic. “So, what are you guys being for Halloween?”

“Boo!”

      Violet felt two hands grip her shoulders, and a hot breath tickle the back of her neck, and jumped up at the contact. She turned around to see a jubilant Clem, very pleased with herself.

“Gotcha.”

Violet softly shook her head, her stressed expression immediately fading as Louis made room for Clementine to sit between them. She pressed herself against Violet’s side, and leaned her head in the crook of her shoulder.

       “Probably a bisexual.” Louis answered, earning a snort from Clementine, who’s breath tickled her neck.

She sat up triumphantly, and struck a heroic pose, winking at Violet. “What a coincidence! Me too!”

        “Dorks.” Violet happily breathed out, turning her math homework over to Clementine, eagerly willing to check it.

Hey, it’s not cheating if she offers to help.

     Violet’s heart swelled at the new piece of information she learned; that when Clem was intensely focused on something, the tip of her tongue protruded her lips.

A soft giggle made Violet lift her head, and she stared down the bashful Brody across from her, who’s eyes were happily flicking between the two girls. With a knowing glance, Brody took a sip of her iced tea.

     Violet leaned back in her chair, a flush of pink across her face as she shifted away from Clem, so their shoulders didn’t brush against each other when she leaned over to help with a problem.

As the bell rang, Louis gave one last worried glance to Violet, which went completely over her head. “See you two later. Maybe we could all go out to the diner afterwards?”

       “Definitely.” Clementine beamed, gathering her books and taking a red pen from her pocket. She scribbled an A+ on the top of Violet’s worksheet, along with a goofy smiley face with sunglasses. “I don’t have Lee’s teacher stickers with me, so that’ll have to do, superstar.”

A rush of heat flooded across Violet’s cheeks at the cutesy compliment from Clem. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, avoiding Clementine’s gaze as they walked out of the courtyard together.

     “See ya later?” Clem raised her fist and softly thumped Violet’s shoulder to get her attention.

Violet gave her a weak smile, and folded her hands together anxiously. “See you later. I’ll meet you in the courtyard after post-session.”

Clementine grinned and tapped her newly donned pin, before giving a soft wave and turning around to make it to her next class in time.

          Their glances back at the other over their shoulder lined up perfectly, and Violet’s face felt so warm that she felt it’d melt off if she didn’t make it to Chemistry and take her mind off of the curly-haired brunette that took up the majority of her thoughts.

The feeling of something small and sticky being placed between her eyebrows made her look up from her phone, her eyes meeting Clem’s, who was holding a pack of encouraging stickers she most likely stole from Lee’s desk.

             Violet took the sticker off of her forehead, and frowned at the neon ‘SPECTACULAR!’ before sticking it beside her Camp Paya pin. “Y’know, now that I think about it, I am pretty spectacular.”

Clementine rolled her eyes before hooking her arm through the taller girls’. “Come on, we gotta get there before the game starts so we can get some snacks.”

      The walk around the school and towards the baseball field was short and sweet, the slight breeze pushing Violet’s thin blonde hair out of her face.

The flimsy sticker flew off her jacket, so Clem ripped another one from the sheet, and placed it on the tip of the flustered blonde’s nose.

         The second Violet scrunched her nose up, the second sticker detached and fell to the ground.

The two rounded the bleachers, and Violet’s eyes landed on a tall man in his mid-to-late twenties, with slick brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. He was currently helping AJ perfect his swing, the logo across the back of his jersey displaying ‘García’.

       “Hey, da-“ Clem started, being cut off by Lee holding his hand out in front of him expectantly, eyeing her with suspicion.

“My stickers, Clem.” Lee sternly spoke, earning a sheepish huff from Clementine as she fished them out of her pocket and reluctantly passed them over. “Y’know, some students actually earn them and don’t have to steal them when I go to the teacher’s lounge.”

      A bashful Clementine tugged on the side of his jacket. “That’ll be twenty bucks, please.”

Lee rolled his eyes before fishing a twenty out of his pocket, and passing it to Clem. “No more of those Pixie Sticks, okay? At this point, I’d rather you just eat a salt lick.”

      His eyes landed on Violet, who he just seemed to notice was cowering behind Clementine. “Oh, hey Violet! It’s good to see you here.”

“I hope it’s okay.” Violet shyly responded.

        “Of course it is!” Lee boomed, passing a cartoonish foam finger to Violet. “We’re gonna need all the manpower we can get to out-scream these asshats.”

Violet gave a weak smile, and was abruptly pulled away by Clementine tugging her by the arm. She happily flashed the bill between her eyes, and started listing the types of food that she couldn’t wait to introduce Violet to.

       Violet really doesn’t care for arts and crafts all that much. The only reason she had all that stuff was from the time that she and Sophie collaborated on painting Marlon’s guitar.

She could never bring herself to return it, the last string that connected her and the twins. She just let it sit and collect dust under her dresser.

      It was hard to keep her shaky hands steady as she flicked a couple of white and golden flecks onto the pin, and connected some with a thin line.

Happy with the results, she placed her project down on the dresser. Shutting the door behind her, she went to see if Louis needed help putting up holiday decorations.

        She beat her alarm, humming happily as she stuffed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed the pin from her dresser, and pecked the forehead of her mother who had passed out on the couch after a long shift.

“Get in, loser!” Louis leaned out of the car window, tapping the side of the door with impatience. “We’re going to Starbucks.”

        Violet grinned, and slung her bag into the open passenger window before placing herself down. Tapping her toes against the mat on the floor, she drowned out Louis’ frustrated rambling.

Shifting in her seat, drumming her fingernails against the dashboard, she felt good. Hell, she even brushed her hair this morning.

         “Hmm,” The pitch in Louis’ tone rose sharply, snapping Violet from her daydreaming. “This is quite the turntables. I’m pissed as fuck and you’re chipper as fuck. Is this some kind of Freaky Friday scenario?”

Violet rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide the soft smile on her face.

            “Does that mean I get to date Clem?”

“I’m not - I’m not dating Clem, you fucking clod.” Violet shifted her weight, narrowing her eyebrows when she caught his gaze in the mirror. “It means you get to sleep on a mattress on the floor of a trailer while I kick my feet up on your Gucci mattress.”

       “Gucci mattresses aren’t a thing, dude.” Louis sighed, exasperated. “I would know... and if you wanted to have a slumber party, you could’ve just asked.”

Violet scoffed and shook her head, the pin gripped tightly in her hand. She let her fingers fall back, making sure her sweaty hands didn’t affect the paint at all. All clear.

       “I still have the one you made me,” Louis chirped up, his interest set on the starry pin in her hands. “Of Geoff. It’s right next to his tank, so he can see just how handsome he is.”

Damn, that was years ago. The first time Violet went to Louis’ house, Geoff was just a baby. After so many years, he looked.... exactly the same, but angrier.

       When Violet presented him with the little art project, he squeezed her so hard she swore her spine straightened a little bit. He reluctantly let go when she attempted to prick him with the pin.

“It’s for Clem,” Violet shrugged as the words left her mouth, and she saw Louis brighten up in the corner of her eye. “I fucked up and forgot to get her something.”

      Louis nodded, lips pressed tightly together like he was hardly holding back what he wanted to say. Violet rolled her eyes, letting a strand of hair fall in front of her face.

“Just say it, Lou.”

       “Say what?” Louis feigned obliviousness while pulling into the drive thru, looking at the array of festive drinks that were advertised outside the window. “It’s just cute, that’s all. The pin... and you two little lovebirds.”

Violet groaned, pressing her forehead against the icy passenger side window, her warm breath fogging the pane. Louis ordered himself a lar-venti Vanilla Crème and a breakfast sandwich while Violet stuck with her classic choice, hot chocolate and a danish.

         They walked into Mr. Everett’s classroom, his arm slung around her as he tried and failed to hype her up. Her eyes landed on Clementine, who was sitting in her father’s chair, nose buried in a book.

Louis made a beeline for Aasim, showering him with the usual bear hugs and half-assed attempts at pick up lines while the flustered kid just tried to shrug him off.

         Her hands instinctively tightened around the cup of hot chocolate, as she flung her bag down beside her desk. After a couple reassuring sips, her stomach started to lift from its butterflies.

You got this.

       She cleared her throat, and carefully took the pin out of her pocket, cradling it in her hands as though it were as fragile as glass. With a deep breath, she stood up and started over towards Clementine.

Her eyes lifted from her book as Violet approached, and her smile was too fucking bright, a harsh contrast for this cloudy and rainy day. “Hey, Vi. How’ve you been?”

    “Yeah! I mean, I’ve been good. And hey back!” Smooth recovery. “How about you?”

Clem seemed not to notice her paralyzing awkwardness, or at least was really good at pretending not to. “Kinda tired. James pushed a late night DnD session and Lee had to come drag us away at like 1 am. Other than that, I’m good! Plus, seeing you always makes me feel better, so that’s... yeah.”

        The corners of Violet’s lips curved upwards at the small praise from Clem. With newfound bravery, she held out the pin to Clementine, free hand gripping her elbow to steady her shaky hand. “I made this for you. Y’know, since I’m the worst friend ever and didn’t get you a gift.”

Clementine gently took the pin from her hands, and Violet didn’t want to admit to herself how much she relished the small bit of contact. She softly rubbed her thumb across the pin, admiring the detail and letting her gaze shift from the pin to Violet, the same wonder and admiration still in her eyes.

      “You made this? It’s so fucking cool!” Clem chirped, pinning the starry craft project onto her jacket. “Just like the ones on my ceiling. Thanks, Vi.”

In one swift motion, the curly-haired junior quickly got up and threw her arms around Violet, happily exhaling and swaying. Her hair was still slick from her shower, and the smell of strawberry shampoo overwhelmed her. Not in a bad way, though.

       After a couple seconds, she pulled back, letting her lips brush against Violet’s already burning hot cheek. “Seriously, Vi. I’m keeping it forever.”

Flustered, Violet’s hand instinctively made its way to the back of her head, twirling the ends of her hair. “I don’t know if I’ll be around forever to ensure that, but I’ll take your word for it.”

        Clementine frowned. “I think.. I mean.. I hope... you’re around for my forever.” She sheepishly murmured, mostly to herself but loud enough so Violet could hear.

“You’d get sick of me pretty quickly,” Violet sputtered timidly, her hands fiddling with the loose seams of her jacket.

            “Nah, never.”

Violet’s lips parted to form something, anything as a response, but Mr. Everett’s booming tone stopped her in her tracks.

        “Louis, get your ass off that desk and into a seat right now.” Lee spoke sternly, his frustration immediately ceasing as he saw Clem and Violet. Violet looked over at Louis, who had promptly placed himself on top of Aasim’s desk, and shook her head.

“I’m terribly sorry my friend has no game, Mr. Everett.” Violet joked, earning a snicker from Clementine and a wholesome grin from her teacher.

       “You can just call me Lee, honey,” He placed a firm but comforting hand on her shoulder, and patted her before ushering Clementine out of his seat. “As fun as it is to watch you guys make goo-goo eyes at each other, we’re tackling polynomials today. We’re gonna need the whole period.”

Clementine responded by socking him in the arm, and turned on her heel, plopping herself down into her seat with an exaggerated groan.

       Violet shoved Louis’ kicked up feet off of her chair, and put the danish in her mouth while she dug through her backpack for her calculator.

Louis wasn’t phased, humming happily and tipping his seat back and forth, a lollipop between his lips. “Someone’s happyyy.” He practically cooed, resting his elbow on Violet, a habit that she and all his shorter friends absolutely hated.

       “What can I say, dude?” Violet paused before she pulled her pencil away from her mouth, covered in tentative chew marks. “I fucking love polynomials.”

Class always went by quicker when she knew what she was doing. Of course the greater beings wouldn’t let her relish in victory for too long. She devoured the last piece of her danish, not noticing Clem approaching her desk.

         Thankfully, she had time to swallow this time.

“Hey, are you doing anything after school?” Clem cautiously pressed, as Violet was packing up her bag.

       “Don’t think so. Why?”

“My little brother has a baseball game tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with. To hang out and stuff. There’s a killer food court just around the corner from there.” Clem’s words were soft-spoken and drawn out, like she was preparing herself to backpedal at any given moment.

        “I’ll be there.” Violet gently reassured, her heart melting as Clementine perked back up, hands clasped tightly together.

“Fuck yeah. Cool, cool beans.” Clem remarked, her smile almost blinding to look directly at. “I don’t know if they’ve got chicken nuggets per say, but they’ve got really good nachos and milkshakes. Oh, and tacos in a bag! Have you ever had one? They’re so fucking good, you’ll love them, I swear.”

       Violet let the tremulous, enthusiastic tone of Clementine’s voice carry her out of the classroom and to their next period.