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The 16th birthday of Eugene marked the very beginning of the end, or perhaps it was the start of something else, it all depended on how you view it. For Wednesday, it was most definitely the beginning of the end. The beginning of what became her hell on earth.
Typically, she would never dare show her face to such social occasions and instead seeked entertainment in the solitude of her dorm room. But Eugene was one of the people she was close with who was not part of her family. And Hummers stuck together. No matter how irritating a social gathering was.
It was a small affair, only those close to the boy were invited to the charming garden oasis room which was adorned with various plants and bee themed decorations. She could see Xavier and Bianca chatting intensely by the snack table. She took notice of the way Xavier leaned in a little too closely than what was needed for a simple conversation. Judging from the way Bianca’s eyes never left the artists’ face, it was clear she did not seem to mind one bit.
Kent looked to be embarrassing himself as he tried to show off to Eugene’s older cousin, flexing the nonexistent muscles that failed to bare his arms. Divina rolled her eyes at her twin brother, not moving from where she stood in Yoko’s arms. Meanwhile Ajax was pretending to playfully snort the sugared dust of a candy called pixie sticks causing the small children around him to laugh. Their mother? Not so amused. The birthday boy himself was surrounded by his vast family members, letting his moms’ moon over him with a wide smile on his face as he ranted to those who were listening about the new adaptations to his beehive. He was happy, which was well deserved for the wholesome boy, Wednesday felt comfort in his happiness.
Enid had brought along her new girlfriend to the party. A shapeshifter named Letitia Aparicio who was a class above the rest of them and had immigrated from Cuba over a year before Wednesday arrived at Nevermore. When Enid had declared she was asked out by the older girl, Wednesday did not think much of the situation despite the instant jealousy she felt stirring like a sand storm within her. Enid was arguably the most beautiful girl at Nevermore, in her opinion. Of course she would attract attention from many. Besides, it is not as though anything would last beyond a mere coffee date.
Enid certainly did not take random girls’ on midnight picnics so they could stargaze. Or go around Jericho with sidewalk chalk, drawing mindless doodles for passerbyers to see (Enid drew hearts and inspirational quotes while Wednesday drew Tyler as the Hyde in cartoon form) and they didn’t get the pleasure of spending hours at the local bookstore, leaning against each other as they read. They did not get to enjoy seeing Enid in that distracting pink dress, getting to hold the blondes’ hand while Enid took her to her favourite Italian restaurant for the first time ever months ago.
“I used to come here almost every Saturday evening. I love how cozy and quiet the atmosphere is and the owners are the sweetest! I always went alone because no one else seemed to enjoy Italian,” Enid told her whilst grasping her hand from across the table. “But now I have you so I’ll never be alone again which makes this place, our place, all the more special!”
No one else received that pleasure from Enid Sinclair.
As terrible luck would have it, Wednesday was indeed very wrong.
She started to see only the small changes at first. From the way Enid would start spending more of her time at the outside training grounds. To each occurance she ran out of class the moment it was over to make her way to the left wing where the upperclassman had classes. She never wanted to question Enid on who she was with, or where she had been all those times she left. But Wednesday decided to take Thing with her to more or less spy on the girl who had terribly stolen the werewolf’s attention.
It wasn’t the way Enid was gazing adoringly into the eyes of the Cuban that made her heart clench. No, it was the way she immediately noticed what Letitia Aparicio wore. A dark blue sweater with light blue patterns. It appeared to be handmade, most would never think of it as anything but a thrifted sweater. Wednesday knew better, she knew that specific details of the knitting could only be from one person. Her person.
Unfortunately it only got worse. Xavier had gifted her a phone before break as a thank you for taking an arrow for him. With some heavy persuasion from Enid’s big blue eyes and the slight curiosity for what snuff films looked like that were not in black and white, she had gotten a thing called Instagram. She was thankful she did because when she scrolled through Enid’s profile she noticed so many things.
First it was the photo of Enid taking a picture with someone who was wrapped around her like a python. Their body turned around and face buried in Enid’s neck, concealing their identity. Wednesday obviously wasn't stupid. It was easy to know who it was. Then it was the comments made by Yoko and a good amount of Enid’s 1.6k followers calling Enid and this mysterious person “the cutest Nevermore couple” that filled Wednesday with the urge to throw her phone out the window. And maybe Thing too just because she was bitter.
She took five minutes to stalk Letitia Aparicio’s profile. Clearly she was someone who enjoyed putting herself out there. She posted a lot for those almost three thousand people following her to see. She displayed how much she missed Cuba, and her family who still lived there. From her photos that made her look like a movie star, she knew how beautiful she was and enjoyed it. But then Wednesday saw that one photo Letitia posted of herself clutching the hand of someone with perfectly manicured hands, their nail polish a familiar light blue, and pastel pink. And another of Letitia smiling as she cuddled into someone’s chest, thinking she was being coy as she made sure to hide their face. The golden blonde with dyed tips on the end could not have been more obvious.
She remembered when Enid began going out every night, leaving Wednesday to suffer alone in their shared dorm room until the other girl came back. Usually around 2 am or sometimes in the afternoon. Enid and Wednesday were not a couple. It was not as though Enid was betraying her by giving her precious time to someone else. But it didn’t mean that it did not hurt, especially when Enid and Letitia went public with their relationship after apparently being a couple for a month.
It had been six months since the dreadful situation with Thornhill and Tyler. Three months since Enid officially belonged to someone, someone who actually deserved her. Meanwhile Wednesday had secretly and so intensely been in love with the colourful werewolf for a while now, probably since they had first locked eyes.
Currently, she occupied a table alone while she watched Enid stroke the Cubans’ face with her hand. Honestly it was no one else’s fault but her own. She had three months following the Hyde situation to express how she felt. To build up the courage to tell Enid how she felt. On the other hand, it was not as though Enid had given any form of indication that she felt the same way. It clearly meant Wednesday was the only one in love, and in order to not ruin what they had, she couldn’t be a fool and let her feelings slip.
She was too lost in her train of thought she hadn’t realized Enid was walking up to her, pulling her girlfriend behind her. She held back a scowl of disappointment. Too late to make an escape now.
“Wednesday! How are you liking the party? I think it’s really nice of Eugene’s family to fly all the way over to see him. Although I think his older cousin is starting to regret coming after Kent has been torturing her for the last ten minutes.” Enid’s voice was laced with genuine happiness. It caused Wednesday to sink deeper into her self despair, knowing she was not the cause of that beautiful smile gracing Eniid’s face.
Wednesday shifts her stance. Eyes narrowing with annoyance. “Considering he has been inhaling food as though he were a human vacuum. Torture would be having to endure the mixture of spinach dip and sausage rolls on Kent’s mouth as he speaks so she should be grateful she is at least three feet away from him while he drones about his conditioning regimen.”
The corner of Enid’s mouth lifts in amusement, while the girl who Wednesday has been refusing to acknowledge lets out a light laugh.
“You would have my little siblings laughing all the time with your unusually quick comments if we were in Cuba right now,” She gave a sweet smile. The goth wanted to punch it off her face. “Hi Wednesday. It’s nice you came for Eugene though I didn’t think it was your scene. How are you?”
I feel like a little kid in kindergarten and someone just stole my favourite toy that I valued the most, Wednesday thought while biting her tongue. Hoping the physical pain would be enough to overcome the emotional pain she was feeling. “I’m delightful,” she hoped the sarcasm in her voice wasn’t deterring. “Thank you for asking. And how about yourself, Letitia?”
If there was an edge when she said the last word, Letitia seemed to not notice as she shrugged. That annoying smile still on her face. “I’ve been great. Just missing home a little more than usual lately. This one though,” she squeezed Enid’s hand, looking up at said girl with adoring eyes. “Has been making me feel a lot better.”
Satan please take me now, she thought.
Wednesday fell silent. She glared ahead. Looking anywhere but at the happy couple standing in front of her with their sickly cute displays of affection and interlocked hands. Enid had to have known, at least a little bit Wednesday thinks, that she was deeply consumed by her. Enid had to know about the way her heart sang for her the same way music played from her cello. If she did know, then possibly she was more cruel than Wednesday gave her credit for.
It was difficult to find a single flaw in Letitia Aparicio. Soft tanned skin. Chestnut hair that cascaded in waves over her shoulders. Deep brown eyes. It wasn’t fair that she had beauty, as well as the strength to match. A jaguar’s jaw has the strongest muscles of all the big cats. Though their jaws were slightly shorter, it only increases the leverage for biting. A wolf and a jaguar. Such a perfect fitting.
“..and then she took me to this little Italian restaurant which was really lovely!” Letitia chimed.
If Wednesday was capable of blinking she would in this moment. “Pardon?” She mentally slapped herself for yet again losing herself in her thoughts.
“Oh I was just talking about this bonito restaurant Enid took me too. I have never had Italian food as rich as that before!”
Italian? No. Enid wouldn’t. Would she? Her heart started to rapidly beat. Enid must have noticed because she slowly removed her hand from the Cubans’ before turning to her with another smile. “Tia, I totally forgot I needed to talk to Wednesday about something mother related. Why don’t you finish telling Yoko and Divina that story from earlier and I’ll come catch you up?”
“Of course hermosa. Don’t be too long,” she pressed a small kiss to Enids’ cheek before turning to the goth. She didn’t notice the way Wednesday looked, in her own version, sick. “Lovely chatting with you again Wednesday. I hope we will be able to actually hang out for once.”
“Sure.” Wednesday kept her answer short in fear of saying something wrong and upsetting Enid. Although the blonde didn’t seem to care much about hurting her anyways. When it was finally just the two of them, Wednesday stared at her in disbelief. “You took her to Gian Luca’s?” Their special spot?
Enid raised her eyes. She looked both confused and embarrassed.
“Well it was our three month anniversary and I wanted to impress her,” her expression suddenly turned ecstatic as she carried on excitedly. “She loved the place! Okay so she didn’t quite eat much and she passed on those house speciality breadsticks you and I love to enjoy together. Something about staying away from carbs and other heavy foods which I thought was insane because she has a figure that could rival Bella Hadid.”
Wednesday gave a nasty look as her eyes flared. “While I do not know who this Bella Hadid is, I’m sure drawing an analogy between this Bella and a preposterous square is terribly rude. Especially for you.”
“I have zero idea what you just said,” Enid blinked in confusion.
“Never mind. I have something I must ask you, Enid.” Was she really going to do this? The werewolf looked the happiest she had ever seen her before so was she really about to ruin it by confronting her about what was stirring between them?
“Of course! You know you can ask me anything, Wens.” Then Enid was looking at her with those dazzling blue eyes awaiting her to start speaking and she knew there was no turning back.
“I was merely curious to know if you have a hidden sadistic side to you as you seem to enjoy inflicting an agony upon me so great I feel constant suffering.”
Enid had the nerve to feign innocent ignorance. “What do you mean?” She asked, smile slipping away. She moved closer as if she didn’t want to risk Letitia hearing their conversation. It would have hurt if Wednesday already didn’t feel enough of it. “How am I hurting you?”
A hint of annoyance narrowed Wednesday’s gaze. It was frustrating at times of how oblivious the blonde can really be. Especially to situations like this. “That night we sat together staring at the sky. You told me you wished you could find someone like me to devote yourself to.”
“Yes..” Enid said slowly.
“I am someone like me. Fall in love with me.”
The silence that came afterwards felt worse than the arrow she had taken for Xavier. Enid’s gaze remained on Wednesday’s determined and pale face. “Oh,” she said in a throaty tone as realization finally seemed to set in. “Wednesday-”
“Let me speak,” she pressed herself closer. Careful not to touch Enid as Letitia already kept stealing enough curious glances their way as is. “My heart had been carefully guarded in a safe place surrounded by an invisible moat as well as flesh eating alligators with the most difficult lock wrapped in over a dozen chains. Yet you have managed to easily walk straight in, effortlessly undid said lock and stolen away the entirety of my wicked heart.”
Wednesday studied the way Enids’ eyes softened, the confusion was gone and replacing it was the look of pure adoration and sadness? She didn’t allow herself to stop in fear she would back out and run. “I will never compare to Letitia in terms of beauty and strength. I am human. But I can promise to fight for you and love you harder everyday until the day comes where we both perish and I will find you in whatever comes after death so I may love you then too.”
Enid closed her eyes briefly. She seemed to take in Wednesday’s heavy, honest declaration for a moment before opening her eyes again. Allowing Wednesday to be captured once more in those star dusted eyes. “Wednesday…”
The remorseful expression and slight furrow of her eyebrow was all it took for Wednesday to understand she was being rejected.
“I see,” her frown remained. She was grateful for the ongoing loudness of the music and high chatter of the party. No one was able to hear the small intake of a shaky breath as tears threatened to slip from her eyes. “Give my dearest regards to Eugene. I’m hoping he will enjoy the bed sheet set. It’s from that dreadful atrocity, the Bee Movie, that he loves so much.”
She moved to leave but Enid was quick to grasp her hand. “Wait-”
Immediately she pulled away, as if she had been burned. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed.
She needed to leave before she exploded. She wanted to scream. To cry. To do something as pathetic as get on her hands and knees to beg Enid to choose her. She wanted to take her hand and beg her to run away with her. If Enid feared losing her good reputation by breaking up with Letitia then they could run as far away as possible from this place. Change their names and leave without so much as packing a single bag. They could start a new life. One where they didn’t need anyone else but each other. So what if they were only sixteen? Wednesday was far more capable than any adult.
“Don’t go,” Enid whispered. Her eyes crestfallen. “Yell, or curse at me as much as you like. Do whatever you need to do. Just don’t go.”
Wednesday stayed still. There was such passion in her voice she almost forgot that same voice uttered the words that had broken her heart only a few moments prior. “You don’t love me. You want her. Not me.”
“Of course I love you,” Enid said quietly. “I love you more than I think is actually possible. I never thought you’d want me the way I’ve wanted you since the moment you walked through that dorm room with that half-dead look on your face so I tried moving on. I found Tia and now here you are wanting me when I’m already taken. You have to see that I can’t hurt her like that.”
Wednesday stared at her. Unsure how to take the situation. A huge part of her adored Enid. Her happiness matters more than her own feelings so she refused to be the reason for Enid’s confliction. However there was the other part, that was selfish and wanted the blonde all to herself. She could always stage an accident. She did know a vast knowledge of poison that could never be traced in an autopsy. Or a simple push off the training platform, making sure her neck twisted hard and quick enough that her shapeshifter instincts couldn’t stop it. Then she would make sure to be there so Enid could find comfort in her waiting arms.
“Are you able to share me?”
She looked into her eyes. Stunned by her words and not knowing what to say in response. “You want me to…?”
“I can’t leave Tia. She matters a lot to me. And I can’t handle being the villain by tossing her aside,” Enid took a quick glance at the girl behind her. The party continued. Everyone was too busy enjoying themselves to pay any attention to them. “But I do want you. I love you. I can’t promise all of my love but I can give you the smaller parts. The important parts of me.”
Wednesday stood unresponsive for the longest minute. It was an absurd appeal. She would only have her when she isn’t with Letitia. Half of her if not even. But if this was all she could have then it is what she will settle for. “Okay.” She sighed.
Enid’s eyes lit up in hope. “Okay?”
“I will share you,” Wednesday had spent the last few months in agony. Slowly withering and tormented by the dreadful thought Enid would never be hers. This was her chance to have it. Even if it was only a little bit. Enid looked like she wanted to kiss her and Wednesday found herself wishing she did. She wanted nothing more than to grip the collar of her sweater and press her lips to hers in front of everyone. To show Letitia Aparicio that she wasn’t done fighting for this girl.
“We’ll talk more about this tonight,” Enid muttered softly. Looking at her with the same eyes she looked at Letitia which made Wednesday want to hurl until she saw something deeper in that look.
It was later on when Eugene’s cake was brought out. Everyone gathered around the long table, standing to sing him the obligated happy birthday song. Wednesday refused to participate at first until she saw the innocence and overly happy look on Eugene’s face as he stood close to her. She found herself singing as well, only loud enough for her and Eugene to hear. She looked across the table at Enid. She watched as the blonde wrapped an arm around Letitia’s shoulders while the other girl had her own wrapped around Enid’s waist. For a moment of doubt, Wednesday didn’t think she could do it. She couldn’t handle only having half of her.
But then Enid locked eyes with her for only a moment. Giving her the smallest smile, mouthing I love you.
And she knew she would do anything to be hers.
Besides, she heard somewhere that a little bit of love is better than none.