Girls' Night Out!
This was a huge mistake.
Approximately 14 minutes and 33 seconds after coming to the local mall with Enid, this was the only thought flowing through Wednesday's mind.
"Wends! Wends, look at this!" Enid grabbed a small plush cat and nearly shoved it into Wednesday's face, much to her annoyance.
"I am aware of the tiny, black feline. Now please, could I view it from more than 6 inches from my face?"
"Sorry! It's just too adorable though, don't you think? It kind of reminds me of you!" She brought the cat over and held it side-by-side with Wednesday. She just stared back at her. Is she playing "Spot the Difference" or something? she thought to herself. A dangling tag quickly signaled the end of the game, however.
"That price tag certainly isn't." Enid brought the plush back from Wednesday's side and took a proper look at it for the first time.
$75.
"WHAT!? This is way too expensive!" Enid cried out. "I'm broke enough as it is..." She met the eyes of the cat once more.
"Ah, may we meet again, my beloved! I pray that fate may weave the red strings of our lives together once more, in a tomorrow less cruel." She held the animal in her arms one last time before their inevitable, heart-wrenching goodbye.
"Alright Shakespeare, let's get going." Wednesday's was a much less remorseful departure.
"Ah, wait for me Wends!!" Glancing back one final time, Enid left the plush behind and caught up with her best friend.
"Y'know, I could always have Thing use his five-finger discount on that dog if you want," Wednesday offered.
"Five-finger what now?" Enid pondered long and hard about it. "Wait, no! We can't steal from here!" Wednesday smiled in spite of herself.
"Your loss," she said, shrugging her arms.
"Where are we even going, Wends? You've been walking kind of fast, can't you slow down a bit?"
"There's no rest for the wicked, Enid. Besides, we're here." The two of them looked up at the store before them. Uriah's Heap.
"Wait, there's one in this mall too?? Why would anyone want to go to this creepy place?" The last Outreach Day flashed in Enid's mind again, though she tried her best to ignore it.
"For some reason, it's attracted a rather large following as of late. Most likely tourists hoping to snag something from Nevermore. Still, I'm not sure how that lady manages to run both locations at once and keep such good stock." Wednesday had a bit of a glint in her eye as they walked in. Further into the store, a familiar sight once again reminded Enid of Outreach Day.
"I've always been impressed with the taxidermy this store does. They are quite adept at preserving these specimens." Wednesday stared at the preserved animals with enthusiasm that Enid had never seen before. Why in the world did she trade her volunteering assignment with me that day?
"This squirrel and rat duo is particularly interesting, don't you think?" Wednesday drew Enid's eyes towards yet another painfully familiar sight. "I wonder if the clothes hindered the taxidermy process." Enid began fidgeting with her fingers.
"Um, Wends, I think I'll just, uh, wait outside for yo-" Her sentence was cut off by the raven grabbing her by the arm.
"No, this isn't even the best part. Follow me." Wednesday led her increasingly uncomfortable friend further into the store, ending at a section that practically was made for her. The walls and floor were littered with various murder weapon replicas, miniature torture device figures with matching dolls to boot, and even guides to efficient disposals of bodies.
"Look at this grave-digging kit. It's perfect for hiding bodies. And this guillotine! Despite the miniscule scale, it's surprisingly faithful to the real thing. The plethora of items here is truly remarkable!" Wednesday continued to scan from wall to wall, getting her hands on anything that interested her (which was everything).
Enid had no idea what to say or do. She was happy that she got to see this side of Wednesday, but at the same time, this place was certainly not up her alley. Her smile is really pretty, though... Maybe I'll stay here for a bit longer.
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"I'm slightly disappointed that I could only get one, but this guillotine will serve just fine." Wednesday held the figure in front of her with a kind of reverence. Enid wasn't sure why she only bought one, as she was somewhat certain that her wallet had much more money, but she decided not to say anything. Perhaps she was just frugal, she thought.
"Anyways, Wends, want to grab something to eat? I'm starving!" They had been walking around for quite a while now, and at this point, the sun was nearing the horizon, though not quite there yet.
"Sure. That's much more preferable to that sparkling store you're eying over there."
"Oh, the K-Pop store? We're definitely going there after." Enid declared with stark determination. I shouldn't have said anything, Wednesday regretted.
The two made their way over to a cafe that was selling all-day breakfast.
"Isn't this a cute little cafe? I like the rustic feel!" Enid seemed to melt into her chair a bit as she took in the atmosphere of the place.
"Indeed. Thing told me about it. It's a rare sanctuary from the ocean of color and technology in the rest of this mall." The neutral browns coming from both the tables and chairs served as refuge from the bright pop and glitter that Wednesday so often had to deal with.
"True, I guess. But if you're so against the color of this place, why'd you ask to go here with me? Honestly, I'd have been fine with going anywhere with you. Oh! But not Crackstone's Crypt or anything like that." Enid shivered at the thought of that creepy place.
"Well, I noti- Thing, noticed," Wednesday blurted, trying to mask her slip-up, "that you've been exceedingly glum these past few days. It's unlike you. Though I see that today, your normal, radiant self has made her triumphant return."
Enid was smiling ear-to-ear as Wednesday told her this. "Awww, so you asked me to go out with you to cheer me up? You're too sweet, Wends!" She reached over to hug Wednesday, but she quickly pulled back.
"Right. Sorry about that." The attempted hug, however, was the least of Wednesday's concerns at the moment.
"Well, I still owe you that girls’ night out, so it felt the most natural." As she said that, the waitress arrived.
"Here you go, two pancakes, bunny-ears up! Enjoy! As for your, um, what did you call it - ghost in the pancakes? It'll be out in a bit, the chefs are still trying to figure out what exactly that is...'' the waitress apologized in the usual customer service voice, though clearly quite irritated.
"Ah, I see. It seems that I've had wool pulled over my eyes by Thing again. Regular pancakes are fine." Wednesday put her head in her hands as the waitress left with her new order.
"Um, are you okay, Wednesday? What was that all about?" Enid asked, both amused and somewhat confused.
"I'm doing splendid, Enid. Just envisioning the most excruciating way to use this guillotine to torture Thing. Finger. By. Finger." Enid could only laugh at what her friend said. Those two sure are close.
"Oh, I'm sure you don't mean it!" she teased with a smile. "Here, have some of my pancakes, you're probably just hungry!" Enid took her fork and began bringing the food to Wednesday's mouth, much to her disgust.
"I am not eating that."
"Oh, sorry! I forgot!" Enid pulled a bottle of some sort out of her bag and began to uncork it. "Here, let me just put this on real quick." She opened the bottle and began pouring black liquid on the piece of pancake.
"...What is that."
"Black food coloring! I know you're allergic to color, so I got this just in case I wanted to share some of my food with you!" Wednesday could not believe what she was hearing. "Alright, take a bite now!" The fork was once again en route to Wednesday's mouth.
"That isn't the problem, Enid..." After a couple more minutes of resistance, Wednesday eventually caved and ate the pancake. Moments after, her own pancakes arrived. If only I had held out for a few seconds longer, she thought.
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"Thank you for visiting! Please come again!" The waitress sent the two off in her usual fashion, but she was much more interested in them than her words let on.
Those two sure are close. I wonder if they're a couple? Well, I don't know, though, that emo-looking girl certainly did not want anything to do with the other girl's pancake at first. Then again, that girl did bring black food coloring specifically for her "color allergy," whatever that means. Wait, should I have told them that both their mouths are stained black? Oh well! Still, what a strange pair. They look and act like polar opposites, but they just kind of. Work.
"Hey! Are you just going to stare out the window all day, we've got customers here!"
The waitress snapped out of her Wednesday-and-Enid-induced trance. "Ah, sorry Jake!" she shouted back, hurriedly serving the small line of customers that had piled up.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mall, Wednesday seemed to be in a trance of her own.
"AHHHH, look at them, Wends! Aren't they just gorgeous in this photo? Well, that's not to say that they aren't always stunning, but this photo is just!!!" Enid raised the photo of the boy band in front of her, nearly sparkling from excitement.
Wednesday, on the other hand, was scanning the room, looking for any place to lay her eyes on that didn't feel like getting flash bombed. If only that black food coloring could have gone here instead of on Enid's pancakes. She had no interest in this "Seventeen" that her werewolf was getting so worked up over. After extensive searching, Wednesday eventually settled for keeping her eyes directed towards the floor at all times. Before long, however, her gaze was forcibly refocused towards yet another photo of the group.
"Oh. My. God. Look at this photo. They're dressed in all black suits!! They're so gorgeous! Especially you, Hoshi~" Customers came and went as Enid continued to hold the poor girl hostage.
"Enid, please, if I stare at them for any longer I will perish, and not in a good way."
"Oh, don't say that- ooh, look at this photo!" Enid exclaimed, showing Wednesday the 37th picture in 10 minutes.
"Hold on, there are only 13 of them. Why are they called Seventeen?" Enid's eyes lit up, as if waiting for this question, and Wednesday berated herself for ever opening her mouth.
"That's a really good question! You're right, there are only 13 of them. But - and this is the totally genius part of it all - you have to think about it harder. The group is split into three "units": the Hip-Hop unit, the Performance unit, and the Vocal unit. So that's 3, right? And, since they're all performing as one group, that's 17 in total! Don't you think that's just so cool?" Enid finally looked back up and was met with Wednesday's smitten gaze, though only for a brief moment.
"I- um, yes. The, uh, mathematics are astounding." She muttered, her eyes darting around the room as if paranoid that a serial killer would appear at any second.
I should NOT have decided to stare at her. That was somehow worse than anything in this store.
"Woah, seal of approval from THE Wednesday Addams? I think I'll just have to go and buy this photo book then. Please forgive me, wallet." Enid skipped away towards the register, leaving Wednesday alone with her thoughts.
That was genuinely one of the worst experiences of my existence. She had to leave this place soon. The bubbly air and sparkling colors were already taking their toll on her, and she was fighting a losing battle trying to keep it out of her head. The pretty, carbon-copy boys. The obnoxious fangirling from across the store. The pastel colors everywhere. The way Enid grabbed her face and forced her to look at 37 too many pictures of Seventeen. The way her eyes sparkled when talking about them. How excited she got when explaining the meaning of the band name. Her beautiful, breathtaking smile.
Wait, WHAT.
"Wends, I'm back!" Enid's voice finally managed to drag her out of her own head. "I'm about $25 poorer now, but it's worth it for them!"
"Certainly no $75 dog," Wednesday concurred between exaggerated deep breaths and a rapidly beating heart.
"I know, right??? I'm still mad that it was that much. Maybe I'll just try to find it on Amazon or something." Before she could pull out her phone, however, something else immediately caught her eye.
Enid grabbed Wednesday's hand and bolted across the mall without warning.
"Woah! Enid, what's wrong? What are we in such a rush for?" Not a single thought. Not a single thought. Not a single thought.
As she asked this, though, Wednesday got her answer. A photo booth.
"We need to memorialize today! Photo booths are the perfect way to do that," Enid explained. Before Wednesday could voice any complaints, the werewolf dragged her in. Werewolves’ superhuman strength is no joke, she thought, making a mental note to herself.
"Must we do this?" the goth asked with a grimace as Enid happily started the machine up.
"Of course! I want to remember this day. The day when my best friend finally asked me out!" Before said best friend could retaliate, the countdown started.
"Ooh, it's starting! Quick, do this with me, Wends!" She brought her hands up and extended her claws, baring her teeth at the camera.
"Uh, Enid, I unfortunately am unable to extend my 'claws.'" She looked at her, somewhat lost as she mimicked her in a confused manner.
Her fierce growl broke down with that comment. "No, you don't actually have to extend your nails, Wends," Enid responded with a laugh.
Snap!
"Awww, okay next one, next one! Do something cute!" Enid put up finger hearts as she said this. Wednesday, on the other hand, was still stuck on the last photo and could only put up a lousy peace sign.
Snap!
Strangely, Enid gave Wednesday no instruction for this last one. When she looked over at her, the girl was just smiling at the camera normally. She decided to follow suit, and tried her hardest to force a smile out, though an uncomfortable glare was the best she could manage.
3, 2, 1.
A split second before the shutter clicked, hands were placed on Wednesday's shoulder, and a warm sensation pressed against her cheek.
Snap!
Wednesday backed away quickly, staring at Enid with disbelief.
"Sorry for not telling you before I did it, but I was worried you wouldn't let me kiss you if I did!" Enid collected their photos. "Awww, these are so cute! You look adorable in these, Wends!" As she went to show them to her, however, Enid was met with a Wednesday who she swore got stoned. Her hand laid where Enid's lips met her cheek, and she was simply staring at her. Most surprising of all to her, though, was the deep blush on her face.
"Woah, are you okay? Did that kiss trigger your allergies or something? I'm so sorry!" Enid tried closing the distance, but Wednesday stepped back, further away from her. Her approach stopped, and her eyes widened in realization.
"...I'm sorry, Wednesday. I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I know you're uncomfortable with being touched." Her gaze was downcast, and she spoke a tone much quieter than anything she said throughout the day. Recognizing this, Wednesday took a cautious step forward.
"It's not that. Well, it is, somewhat. But I was just... shocked, is all." Her blush deepened ever so slightly as Enid's eyes met her own. "...I wouldn't say that I detest it in principle, though." It was now her turn to hide her face. Enid relaxed her tense jaw and facial muscles.
"Alright, Wends. I understand," she assured with a smile. "I'll make sure to be more careful."
"...Thank you."
The two stepped out of the photo booth, and finally realized how late it had gotten.
"We should probably get back, huh? I don't want to get scolded for being out past curfew again." Enid shuddered at the thought of her previous reprimand.
"Yes, if we depart now, we should arrive at Nevermore with about 5 minutes to spare." Wednesday had returned to her calm self, at least to the outside world. Her thoughts, however, betrayed her steadfast exterior.
Why did I react like that to Enid's kiss? It felt somewhat... nice? Is that even the right way to describe this feeling? I've had it all day. Especially at that God-forsaken K-Pop store. Why has Enid been the only thing I can think about in recent memory? This is all quite a nuisance. Perhaps I should ask Mother and Father about it. If it's a disease of some kind, then they may be able to identify it.
"Hey, Wends!" She was once again snapped out of her head by the very person that her thoughts revolved around.
"Oh! Apologies, Enid. Did you say something?"
"I was just asking if you actually had fun today. You kept trying to avoid looking me in the eye, and I noticed you had a grimace on your face for a lot of it... and, y'know, I did kiss you without permission as well. I'm really sorry if you didn't enjoy today, it was never my int-" Wednesday had gotten in front of her and stopped them in their tracks. She placed her hands on the taller girl's shoulders.
"Although there were some... less-than-satisfactory moments, I didn't hate it. My time with you is time well spent. Even if you are a vexatious, overly-energetic ball of sunshine reminiscent of the most out-going golden retrievers." Even though Wednesday had been the one to initiate, she suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed at what she was saying.
"Awwww, Wends!" She pulled her into another hug without thinking. "That means so much to me! I'm glad that you enjoy the time we spend together as much as I do." Though hesitant at first, Wednesday sank into her hug with little resistance. She closed her eyes as she stayed in her arms.
"Come on, Enid. We still need to get home."
"Yeah. Just a bit longer."
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10:00 PM. Enid and Wednesday finally returned back to their room.
"I didn't expect them to scold us for so long. I mean, we were only late by, like, 5 minutes!" Enid collapsed onto her bed from exhaustion.
"We got what we deserved, I suppose. That doesn't mean I won't be getting them back for it," Wednesday spat out with venom in her voice, already searching for tools for the job.
"Hey, Wends?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks for today. It made me really happy to spend that time with you. You make me really happy, you know that?"
"I'm... glad to hear it. I suppose that you have become somewhat tolerable as well," she reciprocated, her back still turned. A slight giggle escaped Enid’s lips.
"Good night, Wends."
"Good night, Enid."
Her back was still turned to her. She wouldn't dare and risk facing her. To show her the effects her words had on her black heart.
To show Enid her face, now bursting with shades of red.
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It had been a couple days since the waitress had seen those two girls together. Something about those two kept her coming back to them in her mind.
"Alright, Amy, you're on break! I feel kind of bad for constantly making you work overtime."
"Oh, no, Jake, don't worry, I'm just fine!"
"Just take the goddamn break, Amy. I'll cover your shift for a bit."
"...Okay. I appreciate it."
Amy figured she would walk around the mall for a bit, something she rarely got to do despite coming to the place so often. The waitress made her way over to a cute little store, filled to the brim with various plush animals. A stack of jet-black cats, in particular, caught her eye.
Awww, these are too cute! I wonder how much they-
$75.
"Agreed, the pricing is exceedingly absurd."
Turning around promptly to identify the source of the voice, Amy was met by the black cat personified.
"Hello," Wednesday greeted dryly. "You were the waitress who served me and my friend two days ago, correct?"
She had no idea what to think. The girl that had intermittently consumed her thoughts, standing in front of her. Although, as she processed it, she realized that the other half of the pair - the blonde girl - wasn't with her.
"...Yes. Were you looking for me?" she asked cautiously.
"No. You just happened to have a similar reaction to a friend of mine. It reminded me of her." So she's here in spirit, huh?
"I see." A brief silence filled the air before Wednesday's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, and. Thank you, I suppose."
"For what?"
"For putting up with my... strange order, to say the least. A friend of mine had tricked me into believing 'ghost-in-the-pancake' was a secret menu item," Wednesday relayed, somewhat in shame.
"Ah, don't worry about that! It wasn't really that much of an inconvenience at all!" The customer service switch is hard to flip, apparently, Wednesday noted to herself.
"Well then, I'll be going now. I wish you the best of luck with the plush." She turned around without a second thought, leaving Amy behind in the aisle.
Well that was sure something. Never would have imagined that I’d see her again. Wait a minute, what's a girl like her even doing here in the first place? Amy’s curiosity outweighed her respect for Wednesday's privacy, and she began not-so-subtly tailing her.
Hold on, she's actually buying that plush!? Just how loaded is she? Before she could even finish processing that, another detail only added to her astonishment. A second plush.
Huh. I never would have pinned her as a plushie fanatic. She even made some weird choices, too. I mean, one would think that a colorful dog would be, like, the polar opposite of a black cat, right? Her curious gaze was met with a cold glare from the very plush-holder she was staring at.
Yikes! Busted! I better get out of here!
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"I'm back."
"Hey, Wends! Where'd you end up going?" Enid inquired.
"Back to the mall."
"Why'd you go back there? Did you have the urge to get something else from Uriah's Heap?"
Wednesday set down her bag. "Close, but not exactly. Look at these." She pulled the plushies out of her bag, and was met with a gasp of excitement from Enid.
"I got the plush cat for you. I assume you wanted it quite fervently, considering how the ghost of Nathaniel Hawthorne possessed you when leaving it." She set the cat down on her bed. "As for the dog..."
She blinked once.
"I figured that maybe..."
Blink.
"It would be nice if, possibly..."
Blink.
"We could sort of, kind of..."
Blink.
"Match plushies. Kind of like the snoods, I guess."
Enid was speechless.
"Wends, I... I..."
Wednesday stared back, rubbing her thumbs over one another.. How would she react?
"I LOVE YOU!!!" She jumped in surprise, but was too slow and was met with a great, energetic hug.
"You're the best friend I ever could have asked for! I never thought you would've bought- wait." She pulled back suddenly.
"You did buy these, right? No five-finger discount?" She asked sternly. Wednesday only smiled back.
"You did not. Thing! Tell me she's lying! Tell me you didn't use your five-finger discount!" Thing raised his hand (well, his body) up, pleading innocence. He began tapping out a message.
"Okay, that's good to hear. Now I can get back to hugging you properly." Without another word, Enid pulled her back in.
"Thank you, Wends. Life has been so crazy recently, but you... you've made it a whole lot better." She closed her eyes. This feeling would never get old for her.
"...Don't get used to this, cara-" She stopped suddenly.
"Hm? Cara? What's that mean?"
"It's nothing," Wednesday blurted, almost instantly.
"Oh. Well, alright I guess." Thing wasted no time in teasing her. First a gun, then a finger heart (which Enid taught him), and then another dramatic fall.
"I swear to God, Thing. That's it! Get over here!" Wednesday broke free from the embrace and quickly began chasing after the appendage. As he scuttled into the dark corners of the room, Wednesday pursued after him without end. Enid simply watched in joyful bliss.
I could get used to something like this.