Shades of Cool, Tyler Galpin

FOUR.   in love with melancholy

      When she heard that Wednesday was back in the nurse's office, Andy sprinted back and busted into the room. "Wednesday, are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Andy. Calm down," Wednesday answered blankly.

"Calm down? You were just here like ten minutes ago!"

She didn't notice Xavier sitting there, the boy awkwardly listening. "Uh, she's okay Andy. The nurse just said she would have a nasty bump."

"A nasty bump? Well, what the hell happened?" Andy questioned, looking his way.

"I was almost crushed by a gargoyle but Xavier pushed me out of the way. Unfortunately."

Xavier appeared disturbed. Andy half way rolled her eyes before looking at him again. "You saved her?"

"Yeah," he answered, unsure of himself.

"Oh. Well. . .thanks?"

"Why?" Asked Wednesday.

Xavier shrugged, clicking his tongue. "Call it instinct."

"So you were guided by latent chivalry, the tool of the patriarchy, to extract my undying gratitude?"

"Most people would just say thank you."

"I didn't want to be rescued."

"So I shoulda just let that thing smash you to mush?" He guessed. 

"I would have rather saved myself." Wednesday shot back stubbornly.

Andy rolled her eyes.

Xavier scoffed. "It's good to see you haven't changed."

Both of the sisters now looked confused. "If it makes you feel any better, let's just say I returned the favor," he continued. Xavier looked at Andy. "I'll return the favor to you sometime too, Andy,"

"Huh?" She asked, even more confused.

"Xavier Thorpe? You guys probably don't remember me. Last time we met, I was above two feet shorter, 40 pounds heavier," the boy described while using his hands to explain.

Andy narrowed her eyes but at his description, and then his name, it clicked. "Oh. You're that Xavier," she stated.

He nodded with a slight smile. "Yeah."

"What happened the last time we met?" Asked Wednesday.

"It,  uh. . . It was my godmother's funeral. Apparently she was friends with your grandmother, and ensure spent their twenties together in Europe, swindling the rich and notorious."

"Only one can dream," Andy muttered.

Xavier cracked another smile. "I don't know. But we were ten, Andy was nine, and we were bored, so we decided to play hide and seek. I had the inspired idea to hide in bed casket. I got stuck as it was headed to the crematorium."

Wednesday slowly smiled as she remembered. "I'd heard muffle screams. I just figured your godmother had somehow cheated death and was trying to claw her way out,"

"I was the one that convinced her that that was impossible and told her to hit the button," added Andy.

"And it saved me from being flame boiled. So. . . now we're even."

She smiled while Wednesday simply stared at him.

Andy was lying in bed with Frankenstein in her hands when she heard a light ran on the door. "Come in!" There was no response and she looked up from her book. Kennedy stepped out to get snacks, a regular thing that she did even though it wasn't allowed. "Come in!"

Still no reponse:

Andy huffed and climbed out of bed. "Wednesday, if that's you, I'm going to be mad—" when she opened the door, there was nobody there, and she was confused until she felt a top on her foot. Andy looked down and gasped. "Thing!"

"Mother and father apparently sent him to spy on us," Wednesday appeared, making her sister jump.

"Of course they did," said Andy and she picked Thing up from the floor, smiling at him.

"Not to worry, dear sister. I've already made him pledge his undying loyalty to us." Wednesday said while smiling sinister at the hand.

Andy's eyes widened. "You did?" She asked the hand, Thing wiggling with his fingers as a form of agreement.

Wednesday walked into her room and Andy closed the door. She put Thing back on the floor and he scurried around. "Our first order of business is to escape this teenage purgatory."

Andy sat criss crossed on her bed. "It's really not that bad."

The older sister stared at her blankly. "Of course you think that.  You haven't spoken to anyone yet. . .where's your roommate?"

"She's a midnight snacker," Andy answered impassively. "So what's your plan, exactly?"

"Tomorrow is our therapy session. After yours is over, I'll make an excuse to leave and meet you and then we'll sneak away."

It wasn't a well thought out plan which made her nervous. "I don't know,  Wednesday."

Wednesday rolled her eyes. "Don't be weak,nAndromeda. It's not a good look on you. If you don't want to go then that's your decision. But just know if you stay, it'll be disgraceful to me."

This is when Andy felt conflicted with Wednesday. Her ultimatums always put her in an uncomfortable position. She loved her sister, that was obvious, but Andy saw things differently than she did. She didn't see things dark and gloomy.  She saw opportunities for her to try new things and to explore a new part of herself. Even though Nevermore was a reminder that she was different, she was surrounded by people that felt the same way. They were outcasts.

But at the end of the day, they were sisters and Andy would always be on Wednesday's side. "Okay. I'm in."

Wednesday grinned at her accomplishment.

The car ride to Jericho was completely silent. Andy sat in the backseat of Principal Weems's van while Wednesday sat up front. When they passed through Jericho, Andy stared out the window at all the people that were walking outside. It was a small town. A cute town., like the town in Practical Magic. Andy always thought small towns were cute.

"Dr. Kinbott's office is on the second floor. Other Nevermore students swear by her." Weems told the sisters.

"And you'll be waiting here until we're done?" Wednesday asked, the plan she came up with playing out in her head.

"Perhaps afterwards we can visit the Weathervane for hot chocolate."

Andy grinned to herself.

"Principal Weems, this feebsle attempt at binding is beneath you," Wednesday rejected the kindness. The sisters exited the car. "And chauffeuring your students around is clearly below your pay grade,"

"Given your hi온라인카지노게임, I'm sure you're intent on running away and dragging your sister with you," Weems stated, figuring them out quickly. "I'm here to prevent that from happening."

"I wish you luck."

They headed toward the building. "Must you be so pessimistic?" Andy asked.

"Must you be so docile?" The older sister shot back. They got on the elevator. "I question sometimes how we're sisters."

It shouldn't have hurt her, but it did. "I ask myself the same thing." Andy muttered to herself.

Andromeda sat uncomfortably slouched in the clean, brightly lit room. Dr. Kinbott matched the aesthetic, blonde, perky, and colorful. "It's very nice to meet you, Andromeda," the therapist complimented.

She toyed with the ring on her finger. "Hi," she replied timidly.

"How are you adjusting to Nevermore so far?"

"It's not so bad," Andy answered shortly. "I like my roommate. Her name's Kennedy."

"Kennedy Eden?" Kinbott asked and she nodded. Her smile returned. "She's such a sweet girl. I'm so happy the two of you are friends."

She shifted.

"I'm really hoping that we can form a relationship based on trust and mutual respect. I'm here to help you, Andromeda."

She just nodded. "Okay."

Kinbott observed how she tugged on the end of her sleeves and the way she messed with the jewelry on her hand. Her forehead glistened with sweat, another indicator that she was nervous. "What can I do to make you more comfortable,  Andromeda? Just tell me and I'll try my hardest."

"Call me Andy. I prefer Andy. I hate Andromeda,"

Dr. Kinbott grinned again.  "Okay. Andy it is. But I happen to love your name."

Andy felt herself start to relax.

"I want you to know, Andy, that this is a safe space. You're allowed to talk about whatever you want — how you're feeling,  what you're thinking,   your views on the world, anything.  There is no judgement here."

Andromeda lived her entire life in judgment. It was hard to believe that there would ever be a time where she wasn't judged.

"I'm getting this feeling that you and Wednesday are different from each other," Kinbott suggested after her continued silence.

Like you wouldn't believe. "We have different views on things," Andy told her.

"What are some things you think differently on?"

Where do I begin? "Wednesday always looks on the downside of things. I at least try to see the good in things," she explained and rubbed her sweaty palms on her skirt.

Kinbott titled her head. "Why do you think the two of you are so different?"

Her eyes cut to the ceiling. It was a question she asked herself all the time. "I'm not really sure. We're still sisters though no matter what our views are,"

"You're right," Kinbott nodded. She crossed one leg over the other. "I read the notes from your school counselor about the incident at your old school."

Andy curled into herself. "They were bullying my brother."  She grew defensive.

"So your response is to dump piranhas into a pool?"

"Wednesday did that."

"But you helped."

Andy's gaze darkened slightly. "I love my family. I'll do anything to protect them. Even if it means getting in trouble.

Dr.  Kinbott stared at her for a minute before smiling. "Yes, I can see that. I can also see that you're more reserved than your family. You keep quiet. Why do you think that is?"

"Because I care too much about what people think while they don't care at all."

Her response came out quicker than she expected. Dr. Kinbott stared at her again with the typical therapist gaze, like she was trying to figure her out. "You do things because you think you have to to keep happy."

Andy didn't respond. 

"You let your sister take the lead on things because you're afraid if you say no, she'll be mad at you."

"I understand that you're a therapist but I don't like being read like a book." She said bitterly.

"It's kind if my job," the woman responded in a gentle voice.  She shook her head. "I don't think you're a bad person, Andy. I think you just lose control of your own life. It happens to everyone. My job is to help you gain knowledge on what you want to do with your life. To help you understand who you are. What do you want to be in life, Andy?"

There was a plethora of things she could've answered with, but Andy wasn't sure how to answer properly. "Normal."

"Normal," Kinnott repeated, then shook her head. "What does normal mean to you, Andy?"

She stared at her in silence. "That I can myself without being judged."

Dr. Kinbott didn't respond that time. She wrote the statement down on her notebook.

When her session was over, Andy left the room and Wednesday went in. Their eyes locked as they passed by each other. Leaving the building, Andy quickly ran and hid on the other side of the building to wait for Wednesday. She thought about how much she stuck out like a sore thumb in her all black Nevermore uniform. Her skin was pale like the rest of her family's. Her hair was pitch black. Jericho was a town of judgment against outcasts. Just being in the atmosphere gave her anxiety.

After a while of waiting, she heard a whistle come from above her. Andy looked up to see Wednesday on the roof and she slid down the fire exit. "How was your session?"

"We'll talk about it later. Let's go!" Wednesday dismissed and quickly dragged the girl with her across the street. When they weren't paying attention, Wednesday accidentally bumped into a man carrying a crate of apples. She fell into her sister's arms. "Wednesday? Wednesday!" Andy called out in fear.

When she touched her sister's arm, she was suddenly sucked into a vision. Andy saw a man driving a truck — he was looking at his phone and when he looked back up, his truck was suddenly on the side of the road and flipped over, indicating that he had been in a wreck.

Seemingly at the same time, the sisters were brought back to reality and Andy screamed, releasing Wednesday and she quickly stood up, looking around in fear.

"Who let you out?" The man they bumped into sneered. "You goddamn weirdos."  He sneered at them.

Glaring at him, Wednesday's grabbed her arm and dragged her to the coffee shop.

"What the hell was that?" Andy hurried, her eyes still wide.

"I don't know, okay? Never mind it. We have bigger things to worry out," Wednesday dismissed harshly. When they entered the coffee shop, there were many people inside. "Go sit down. I'll be right back."

Andy opened her mouth to retaliate but she had already walked away. She rolled her eyes and sat down at a booth. She watched her sister stand in front of the counter while the barista worked on the espresso machine, which was currently smoking.

Seeing her through the cloud of smoke, the barista jumped. "Holy crap!" He gasped. "Do you make a habit of scaring the hell out of people?"

Andy chuckled.

"It's more of a hobby." Wednesday responded bluntly.

He noticed her uniform. "You go to Nevermore. Didn't realize they changed up the uniform," he said with caution. 

"I need a quad over ice. It's an emergency." She ignored his comment.

He just stared at her, confused. 

"It's four shots of expresso."

"Yeah, I. . . I know what a quad is, but, spoiler alert, the expresso machine's having a seizure, so all we have is drip," the barista informed, looking back at a man that was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Wednesday shook her head. "But drip is for people who hate themselves and know their lives have no real purpose or meaning,"

The man heard her and sat the pot and mug down before walking away. Andy rolled her eyes and stood up from the booth, going to stand next to her sister. "Sorry, she's a little straight forward," she told the barista, shooting her a look.  "And not in a good way."

His narrow eyed expression suddenly abated.

Andy smiled at him. "What's wrong with your machine?" She asked, pointing to the busted device.

"Oh, um. . ." he stumbled. "It's, uh, it's a temperamental beast with a mind of its own, and it doesn't help that the instructions are in Italian."

"Do you need some help?" She offered. The sisters wake behind the counter before he could respond. Andy took the instructions from him his hand and began reading, missing the way his eyes grew wide. "It says here you need a tri-wig screwdriver and a four-millimeter Allen wrench," she read the instructions.

The boy blinked rapidly. "Wait, you read Italian?"

"Of course. It's the native tongue of Machiavelli." Wednesday answered while Andy just gave him a tight lipped smile. The boy looked between them suspiciously. "Here's the deal, we're going to fix your coffee machine, then you're going to make my coffee and whatever she wants and call a taxi." She proclaimed, not giving him a choice in the matter.

"Uh, no taxis in Jericho. Try Uber?"

Andy titled her head. "What's an Uber?"

"A fancier version of a taxi." Her sister answered and started to fix the machine. "Plus, we don't have a phone. I refuse to be a slave to technology."

"Then you're out of luck." He looked down at Andy. "Where are you going, anyway?" 

"That's on a need-to-know basis," Wednesday replied before she could, making Andy sigh. "What about trains?"

"Nearest station is Burlington. It's half an hour away," the barista explained, his guard still up as he watched them work on the machine.

Wednesday nudged her arm. "Hey, come here. Do you see that?" She asked, referring to the machine.

Andy stood on her toes and looked at where she was pointing to. When she saw the issue, she turned to the barista. "You have a value issue. We've seen it before." She explained.

He blinked again. "Where? You have one of these monsters at home?"

"Steam powered guillotine. I built it when I was ten," Wednesday stated morbidly. "I wanted to decapitate my dolls more efficiently."

Andy slowly closes her eyes at the horrific visual. The barista gave her a strange look. "Sure. Grim Reaper Barbie, makes perfect sense."  He muttered to himself in fear.

It made Andy grin.

He looked at her again. "What's your excuse?" He asked,  hoping to not hear the same frightful answer.

She shrugged. "I'm a dexterous kind of person." She replied and his lips turned upward.

Wednesday finished tightening the value and the noise stopped and the smoke disappeared. "Wow. Thanks," he said and grabbed the lid of the machine. "I never met a pair of Nevermore kids who got their hands dirty." When he was done, he turned to them again. "I'm Tyler, by the way. I didn't catch your names, or is that on a need-to-know basis, too?"

Wednesday stare at him for a minute, unimpressed. "Wednesday."

Andy half grinned. "I'm Andromeda. But if you call me that, I might break your machine again," she claimed, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. His off-put expression made her almost laugh. "Just call me Andy."

Tyler cracked a smile. "Okay. I'll tell you what, Andy and Wednesday. To show my appreciation, how about I drive you to Burlington myself?" He offered.

Andy's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Perfect. Put that quad in a to-go-cup." Wednesday ordered and began to walk away.

Tyler quickly stopped her. "Uh, I don't get off for another hour," he clarified.

"Oh," she said with a slight frown.

Wednesday took out a $20 bill from her pocket. "I'll sweeten the pot." She proposed.

Andy widened her eyes. "Wednesday!"

Tyler stared at the money and silently hummed. "Twenty whole dollars. . . tempting,  but no." He denied and Andy quickly looked at him again.

Wednesday took out another $20 and her sister groaned. "I'll make it forty."

The boy chuckled. "Uh. . . Listen, guys, one fun fact about me. . . I can't be bought, so either wait, or find someone else to drive you."

The sisters were silent. Andy gave Wednesday look saying don't mess this up. Exhaling, Wednesday walked away and she smiled at the barista. "How's your hot chocolate here?"

Tyler's eyes went wide again. "It's. . .uh,  it's, um. . ." He quickly nodded. "It's good. Yeah, people really like it."

Andy nodded. "Good. Make me one while I wait?"

Tyler blinked slowly and gave her a nod. Andy smiled again and walked away, his eyes following her.

She sat across from her sister in the booth. At the look she was given, Andy furrowed her brows. "What?"

Wednesday's eyes cut over her shoulder. "He's staring at you."

She turned her head around and saw Tyler quickly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Andy chuckled.