ornery

Wednesday chose to not tell Reena about her and Fester following Xavier and instead told her about Tyler's offer for the three of them to hang out.

"Hold on," Reena interrupted her. "After everything that happened, Tyler still wants to hang out."

"I did find it surprising," Wednesday confirmed. "Although, he seemed rather sure of himself. I'm not going without you."

Reena smiled. "What's it with you and not giving me a choice?"

"You were going to agree anyway. Also, we have to go. We're meeting at Crackstone's crypt." Wednesday went to go but paused when she spotted Enid's nail polish on the floor. After she picked it up, Thing appeared. "I don't miss her. Your job is to guard that diary while I'm gone. We'll be back as soon as we can. We're not friends. It's a quid pro quo for almost getting him disemboweled."

"I think you actually wanna be his friend," Reena teased.

Wednesday stormed passed her. "No, I don't! Thing, watch that diary!"

* * *

When the two arrived, Tyler was already there, standing at the door.

"Last time somebody threw a surprise for me here, it did not go as planned," Wednesday informed him.

"It was a surprise birthday party gone wrong," Reena elaborated.

Tyler smiled. "I guarantee this one won't make you pass out cold. But you do have to close your eyes."

Wednesday gave him a blank stare. "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately."

"I'm only doing this because I owe you."

Reena nudged her. "Yeah, that's the only reason."

"Okay. Watch your step. Wait here. Close your eyes." Tyler opened the door after he made sure the two girls had their eyes closed. "Okay. Easy. Right here. One second." He closed the doors behind them. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

The last thing Reena and Wednesday were expecting was for Tyler to have decorated the entire crypt in lights and made a picnic. "Oh, wow. This reminds me of someone's Pinterest in 2015."

Tyler chuckled. "That's one way to describe it." He noticed Wednesday's silence. "What? No one's ever taken you on a picnic inside a crypt before?" Behind them, he pulled a sheet down that would act as a makeshift screen. "How do you feel about scary movies? Prepare to be horrified."

After the three had sat down, Tyler started the movie. Reena couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw Tyler chose Legally Blonde. 

"This is great!" Reena laughed. "I love this movie!"

"I thought you would."

Wednesday frowned. "I didn't know you liked these kinds of movies."

"I always have," Reena told her. "It might not seem like it, but I'm a sucker for teen movies."

* * *

Expectantly, Tyler and Reena enjoyed the movie, and Wednesday surprisingly felt the same. "That was torture. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Wednesday." Tyler checked his phone. "Oh, shit. My dad's called me like eight times. I gotta call him back." He left the crypt, leaving the two girls alone.

"So, what'd you really think of the movie?" Reena asked.

Wednesday sighed. "It was strange. I understand how she got into law school but I don't understand why she was underestimated."

Reena shrugged. "She was a woman wearing pink in law school and men are pieces of shit."

"That makes sense."

Reena hesitated. "Wednesday, there's actually been something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Did you not want to be friends anymore?"

"Well, kinda--"

"What?" Wednesday cut her off. "Why do you not want to be friends?"

"No, no, that's not what I mean," Reena panicked. "I mean, I want to be more than friends, Wednesday. Like, I wanna ask you on a date." 

"You'll snap out of it."

"Wednesday, you can't just tell me how my own feelings work. I'm not just gonna snap out of it."

"I'm barely friend material, let alone more-than-friend material," Wednesday tried. "I will ignore you, stomp on your heart, and always put my needs and interests first."

"I've been on this investigation with you for a while now, and I can confidently say that's a load of bullshit. I wanna be with you, Wednesday, but only if you wanna be with me."

Wednesday looked down. "I'm not saying I don't want the same thing. I just think you're making a mistake."

Reena started leaning in. "I've made a lot of mistakes, but this isn't one." Wednesday gave up trying to argue as she and Reena's lips met in the middle. 

The kiss didn't last long as the Sheriff and his officers burst in. "What the hell?" 

Tyler came up behind him. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"The school groundskeeper found a motorbike by the lake. It matches the description of the one the bank robber stole. There's a canoe missing. Figured he might be on Raven Island" the Sheriff explained. "I'm not going to ask what this is, but I never saw the two of you here. You got it? Unbelievable. Come on."

Sheriff Galpin and his officers filled out, leaving the three teens. 

Reena cleared her throat. "We should go. We have to get back to Thing. He gets lonely. Thanks again, Tyler."

"You're welcome," Tyler replied. "See you around?"

"Maybe," Wednesday gave a vague answer. 

On their walk back, Reena carefully reached out for Wednesday's hand. Instead of pulling away like she usually would, Wednesday allowed the contact. Their moment of happiness was destroyed when they got back to their dorm and it was a disaster.

Reena looked at the mess. "What the fuck happened in here?"

"The diary..." Wednesday realized. "Thing?" She turned when she heard drops of blood hitting the ground, finding Thing, with a knife through him, attached to the wall. "Thing..."

"Oh, my god," Reena muttered as Wednesday ran over and pulled the knife out, holding Thing in her hands. "Is he dead?"

"No," Wednesday quickly denied. "We need to get him to Uncle Fester."

The two sprinted across the campus to Eugene's bee shed, Wednesday holding Thing on a towel. "Fester? Fester, help! Help! Help! Thing's not moving. He was stabbed!"

"Get him on the table!" Fester instructed. Reena knocked the things off the table while Wednesday placed him down. Fester tried a few times to use his electricity but to no avail. "Oh, come on, Thing." He tried again, but nothing. "He's gone, Wednesday."

Wednesday had tears in her eyes. "No, he's not. Thing. If you can hear me... if you die, I will kill you. Go again. Now! Again, please!"

Fester tried twice more, and, thankfully, Thing began to move. "For a minute, we thought you'd picked your last lock, buddy."

Reena let out a watery chuckle. "Good thing you're alright, Thing. I'm not wearing my waterproof mascara."

"Who did this to you?" Wednesday demanded. "Knife from behind the back. Cowards. I promise that whoever did this to you will suffer. And it will be slow, long, and excruciatingly painful." The two locked pinkies. "I'll stitch him back up. They found your motorbike, so... the sheriff won't be far. You need to go. Maybe next time steal something a little less conspicuous."

"Where's the fun in that?" Fester sighed. "All right. I'll lay low here tonight, keep an eye on the patient, and I'll skedaddle in the morning."

"I guess I'll see you at your arraignment or the next family reunion."

"You'll always be my favorite, Wednesday."

"Be sure to tell Pugsley that. It'll give him a complex."