Shades of Cool, Tyler Galpin

THIRTEEN. once you start loving him, it will
become too hard not to

      Andy had not seen Larissa Weems this angry since she arrived at Nevermore. "That was a disaster! The mayor is furious!" She paced around her office with a face as red as her lipstick. The Addams sisters sat in silence, watching her move in anger while she yelled at them. "I've lost count of the angry phone calls, emails, and people in the town, alumni, and parents. They want answers and so do I!"

"I would lead the inquisition, but I left my thumbscrews and rack at home," Wednesday expressed blankly.

"Miss Addams. . .you're already on thin ice. Wafer-thin ice!"

"I swear on my late scorpion's soul, my hands are clean."

Andy nodded. "She's right. The first time I ever saw her cry."

Wednesday glared at her. "You swore not to speak of it," she muttered evilly.

Weems stared at the sisters, trying to see if they would break. But they were hard as stone. She gritted her teeth. "I may not have hard evidence, but I see you both. You're a trouble magnate, Wednesday. And Andromeda, I surely thought that maybe you'd be different."

Andy gazed at the floor.

Wednesday stood up. "If trouble means standing up to lies, decades of discrimination, centuries of treating outcasts like second class citizens or worse. . ."

"What are you talking about?"

"Jericho," Andy voiced, Weems shifting her gaze away from the other sister. "Don't you know actual the hi온라인카지노게임 of Joseph Crackstone? Cause if you did, Outreach Day wouldn't be a thing."

Weems backed down. "I do. To an extent." she confessed.

"Then why be complicit in its coverup? Those who forget hi온라인카지노게임 are doomed to repeat it."

"That's where I differ from the two of you. Where you see doom, I see opportunity. Maybe this s a chance to rewrite the wrongs. To start a new chapter in the normie-outcast relations."

"Nothing has changed since Crackstone. They still hate us," Wednesday raised her voice. "Only now they sugarcoat it with platitudes and smiles."

"Yeah. And Pilgrim World? That's just a slap in the face at that point." Andy agreed, the sisters now standing side by side.

"If you're unwilling to fight for the truth—"

"You don't think I want the truth? Of course I do," Weems said through gritted teeth. "But the world isn't always black and white. There are shades of gray."

Wednesday never backed down. "Maybe for you. But it's either they write our 온라인카지노게임 or we do. You can't have it both ways." She declared.

Principal Weems switched her gaze between them. "You're exhausting."

"I know." The sisters said in unison.

When she realized she wasn't going to win, Weems exhaled. "Good night, Miss Addams." She watched them head for the door. "But you should know. . ." She stopped them. "I don't tire of easily."

Andy stared back at her challengingly. "Well, we don't give up easily." She stated and left the room.

She had no regrets about what they did. She knew the truth about Crackstone. Weems claimed that she knew the truth but she, or anybody else, didn't see what she saw, or hear what she heard. To have a whole town celebrate a man who ultimately put a group of outcasts to their death was sickening, and not in a good way.

It was the first time in her life that Andy felt this passionate about something, and just like her sister, she wasn't going to stop until she figured out the truth.

"So that happened today."

Kennedy and Andy were sat together on her bed, repairing their black nails. "Yeah, it did," Andy replied while focusing on her thumb nail. The silence made her lift her head. Kennedy was staring at her with one eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Don't try to act like it wasn't you and Wednesday who sat the statue on fire."

"I can neither confirm or deny."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Please, Andy, do I seriously look like I care that the statue of a colonizer was set on fire?" She said with a scoff.

Andy lightened up a little. "No, I guess not. You can't say anything to anybody. Wednesday and I are already on Weems's watch list."

She pretended to zip her lips. "My lips are sealed. No worries." Kennedy blew on her nails. "But. . .just be careful, Andy."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"I've been going to school here for a long time, which means I've been to Jericho a lot. Those people are crazy and they do literally anything to protect their reputation. You don't even wanna know how much stuff I've had to witness going there." Kennedy shifted her jaw side to side, a sad look glazing over her eyes. "I just want you to be careful. Especially with Sheriff Galpin."

"I don't—"

"I know him, Andy. Okay? He was close to my father before he died. He's a tough man. . .and he's not the biggest fan of outcasts. So just be careful, okay? I'm serious."

Andy looked down at her hands again. She didn't respond which Kennedy took as an answer. She started to paint her other hand. "Speaking of Galpin. . .how're you and coffee boy?" She grew a smirk.

"Tyler and I are fine."

"I never got to ask how your Outreach Day was. Did you enjoy getting to spent some alone time with him?" Kennedy teased.

Andy almost glared at her. "It wasn't alone time. Xavier was there."

"So you're telling me there was no flirting?"

"I don't flirt."

Kennedy tossed her head back and groaned. "You're killing me, Smalls. When are you going to admit that you like him?"

"I don't like him!" Andy denied, raising her voice.

"Liar! I can see the all over your face!"

"If you keep going, you won't be able to see at all."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Okay, iron fists. All I'm saying is every single time you two are around each other, he practically melts into a puddle on the floor. You take his breath away."

Andy stared at her dourly. "I don't know how many times I have to say it. I'm an outcast and he's a normie. The chances of us ever working out is slim to nothing." She shook her hand once she was finished painting it to dry her nails. "He's just. . .a really good listener."

Kennedy half smiled. "So you do have conversations with him." She stated.

"Well, yeah. Sometimes. It's not often I get to express how I feel to somebody who's not around me 24/7."

"Okay, one, ouch. Two. . .awww." Kennedy said and poked her shoulder. "Look at you being all vulnerable. It's cute."

Andy rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

"And you're stubborn."

"Potato, patotoe."

Their bedroom door swung open and Enid came running in. "Kenny, Andy, I need options!" She was dressed and ready for her date with Ajax. She looked to be in full panic mode. "How do I look?"

"You're very. . ." Andy examined her very bright outfit. "Pink."

"You look great, Enid. Ajax's is one lucky stoner," Kennedy praised.

"Thanks, KK!" Enid's smile was bright. She looked at Andy with pleading eyes. "Andy?"

"You look nice," she agreed. "If he hurts you, I'll make sure he's beheaded."

"Aww, Wednesday basically said the same thing!" She said bubbly. "Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Kennedy yelled as she slammed the door shut. She smiled. "She's liked Ajax for forever now. I can't believe they finally did something about it."

"Good for them," Andy muttered. She climbed off of her bed and walked over to hers.

Kennedy cleared her bed of the nail polishes. "So, I know you're never going to admit that you've got the hits for someone, but. . .does Wednesday like anybody?"

Andy narrowed her eyes. "Why do you ask?" She inquired and climbed under the covers.

"No reason. But, hypothetically speaking, if she did like somebody around here, who would it be?"

Her deadpan expression did not stray. "Uhhh, I'm not sure. Wednesday doesn't like anybody romantically. Never has," she informed.

Kennedy nodded. "Right. They'd probably have to die and come back to life to catch her eye, huh?" She muttered and laid down. "Like her own personal Frankenstein."

Andy glanced at her indifferently. "My father practically worships the ground my mother walks on. Wednesday says she doesn't believe in love, but. . .I would say whoever falls in love with her understands her better than she understands herself."

Kennedy listened closely while staring at the ceiling. "Right. That sounds like her." She muttered to herself. She turned her head to the side again. "So you can talk about love but don't admit your own feelings?"

Andy rolled her eyes. "Good night, Kennedy."

She reached over and turned off the lamp, hearing her laugh in the darkness.

The next morning, Andy and Wednesday sat together in the science laboratory. "So what did you find out?" She kept her voice low.

"The monster's been taking body parts from its victims. The first was a kidney, the second a finger, third a gallbladder. And the bearded man from the meeting house? Two toes. See a pattern?" Wednesday explained.

"Gosh. So what's it's doing? Gathering body parts to make a supper human? Some kind of Frankenstein type of thing?"

"I don't know for sure. We have to keep digging and find out."

"While most plants reward their pollinators with sweet nectar, many carnivores varieties turn to sexual trickery or deception," Ms. Thornhill lectured. "The orchid produces a pheromone that mimics a female insect, luring the males in. Now, once the plant is pollinated, what do the male insects get in exchange?"

"Nada. Just like all the guys at the Rave'N," said Bianca sarcastically, earning some snickers from the girls in the classroom.

Andy grew up hearing more about the Rave'N from her mother than anything else she did at Nevermore. It was a dance, a night for all of the Nevermore students to let loose and be themselves for a night. In theory, it sounded fun, but for Andy, she never experienced a school dance before. She didn't know the first thing about it.

Besides, she didn't have a date.

Once class was let out, Kennedy gathered the sisters and Enid and they walked outside in a group. "Okay, we're going to Jericho today, so you know what that means?" She led with.

"Dress shopping!" Enid squealed.

The Addams sisters looked appalled. "I'm probably not going to go," Andy said out loud.

Kennedy scoffed. "Oh, shut up. Of course you're going."

"We have better things to do than risk getting poisoned by spiked punch and breathing in the scent of sweaty teenagers," Wednesday described bluntly.

"Like what? Examining your Ted Bundy mood board?" Said Enid. "Come on, it's the Rave'N! You guys can't miss it!"

"We don't even have dates."

"Neither do we," said Kennedy and she shrugged. "Maybe we can all go as a group? Who needs men when you have your ladies?"

"As enticing as all of this sounds, I need to talk to Andy about something. We'll catch up with you guys," said Wednesday. She grabbed Andy's arm and pulled her away from them.

When they were far enough away, Andy took back her arm. "What's up?"

"Did you see the scratch marks on Xavier's neck?" Her sister asked.

She did recall glancing at Xavier at one point and noticing the marks embedded deep into his skin. "Yeah, I saw them." She nodded.

"And his back is hurt. He's been acting weird since the night he followed us into the woods. He's hiding something."

Andy raised her eyebrow. "Really? Xavier? You think he's the monster who's been stealing people's body parts?" She insured smartly. "What conjured that thought?"

Wednesday glared at her. "Don't mock me."

"I'm not mocking you. But you're accusing the boy who's clearly into you of being a rabid killer."

Her face scrunched up. "He's not into me."

"Sure. Whatever you say," Andy muttered and started to walk away. "So, what's your plan?"

Wednesday followed beside her. "I'm going to follow him."

"Good plan."

At the other punch of sarcasm, Wednesday rolled her eyes. "This monster's killings are mindless. Maybe if I follow Xavier at the perfect time, I can witness him changing form. Or maybe I'll find something that connects him to the monster."

"I'm hearing you." Andy paused and faced her again. "Just be careful. If we get too wrapped up in this, one of us is going to get in trouble. Big trouble," she warned, remembering what Kennedy told her last night.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Just don't get hurt, okay? Last thing I need to tell mother and father is that you got cut up by some monster."

Wednesday lifted her head. "Then tell them I died a painful and glorious death."

Andy rolled her eyes and walked away again.

Andy was never one to get excited about things like dressing up or fancy events. She didn't have any girl friends. They all thought she was weird. But Enid and Kennedy were different. They weren't afraid to include her in their conversations. They asked for her opinions. Though they knew she wasn't comfortable with the topic of wearing dresses and makeup and high heels, they still included her.

"I'm so excited!" Enid squealed. "Andy! I know black's your signature color, but, we need to brighten you up a little!"

"You don't need to brighten me up because I'm not going," Andy responded blankly, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Oh, you're going, Tim Burton. Even if I have to kidnap Tyler from his house and drag him here," Kennedy threatened, earning a stern glare.

Enid almost choked on her gasp. "Tyler? From the Weathervane?"

"Yes! She's in love with him."

"I am not!" Andy snapped.

"You sit on a throne of lies."

Her face scrunched into a confused expression.

"From Elf?" Kennedy explained. Then, she scoffed. "What am I thinking? You probably watch Saw for Christmas."

Wednesday walked into their girlish conversation. Her eyes were glued to the floor.

"There you are!" Enid bounced over to her. "We were just talking about the kind of dresses we're going to get for the Rave'N."

"How fascinating."

"Don't worry, Goth Girl. I'm sure there's plenty of black dresses we can find." Kennedy assured.

Andy noticed her sister's uneasy expression. She narrowed her eyes.

"I have something to confess," said Wednesday.

The other three girls looked interested. "What? Did you see the monster?" Andy asked, only half joking.

"Not exactly. I. . .I. . ." She tried to say. "I have a date to the Rave'N."

Andy thought the world was going to come to an end. Enid squealed so loud that their eardrums almost bursted. "OMG! Wednesday Addams is going to the Rave'N!"

"Did you hurt someone?" Andy inquired, looking perplexed.

"Did you threaten anybody?" Kennedy followed up.

Wednesday glared at them. "No."

"Well, come on. Tell us! Who is it?" Enid urged, still bouncing like an exited child.

"It's. . .it's. . .Xavier."

There was a dull silence. Enid stopped smiling and she looked Kennedy's way. Andy did the same thing.

Kennedy's face had fell into confusion with a deep frown. Wednesday couldn't seem to look her in the eye. The guilt was evident. "Xavier," Kennedy repeated.

"Yeah, Xavier?" Andy spoke in disbelief, knowing that's not what the plan was supposed to be. She was confused on how her sister got in this position. "What happened to not wanting to be poisoned by spiked punch?"

"It just. . ." Wednesday's eyes shifted to Kennedy again. "Happened."

"That's great, Wednesday," Kennedy declared with a smile.

The girls looked at her surprised. "It is?" Wednesday questioned, her brows furrowing.

"Yeah. Totally. Wonderful," she nodded vigorously and stood from the bed. "We should get ready for Jericho," she said to Andy.

"Kennedy—" Wednesday said her name but she was quick to flee the bedroom, and her lips zipped shut.

Andy left the room as well, almost afraid to walk into hers just in case Kennedy was either crying or throwing things. Both seemed plausible in this situation. Instead, Kennedy was seated on her bed with her head in her hands, elbows dug deeply into her knees, in silence. "Kennedy?" She spoke shortly.

No response.

Andy took slow steps towards her. "Are you okay?"

Kennedy slowly raised her head. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth, spaced out in deep thought.

"Are you okay?"

"I. . .don't know," she whispered.

"Are you mad?"

Kennedy turned her head in her direction. She still had a spacious look on her face. Andy heard rigid breaths pass through her parted lips. She'd never seen her look so. . .agonized. Her dark eyes glistened with sorrow. "I don't know. I'm. . .I'm confused."

It went silent again. Andy was unsure of what to say. She didn't have the answers to the question she was certain Kennedy was asking herself.

"Come on, let's–let's get ready for Jericho." Kennedy uttered and stood from her bed, moving across the room like a ghost.

Andy watched her every move, standing frozen and almost afraid to make any noise.

Andy had never seen so much pink in her life. The entire outside of the dress shop was pink, the dresses on display in the window were pink, and it was burning her eyes. "Oh, boy," she mumbled.

"What kind of dystopian hellscape is this?" Wednesday asked, looking appalled.

"Every normal girl's childhood fantasy that's filled with rainbows and unicorns," Kennedy answered monotonous, obviously not wanting to be here either.

It was a silent ride to Jericho.

"It's our first group shopping spree!" Enid said bubbly. "The dance committee's suggesting on wearing all white, but, that's not gonna fly with us."

"Yeah, especially me."

"I have more pressing business than to worry about a stupid dress for a dance I don't even want to attend."

Kennedy scoffed under her breath. "Clearly you do."

The Addams sisters looked at her in unison.

Enid's happiness dimmed. "But I thought we were bonding."

"Andy can join as much as she likes. I feel I'll only slow you down. You're a gazelle. I'm a wounded fawn. Cut me loose and go run with the pack."

"Oh, Goth Girl's a poet now," Kennedy said sarcastically and walked into the dress shop.

Andy cringed. She glanced at her sister before walking into the shop. Immediately, the sight of bright pink burned her eyes. She wasn't used to so much color. "It's like I'm staring into a bottle of Pepto Bismol."

"Yeah, it's not my thing either," said Kennedy, lurking through the many racks of dresses. "The only other place that sells dresses is Uriah's Heap."

"Why don't you just go there?"

"Ooh, Kenny, Andy! Look at this one!" Enid bursted out, holding up a vibrant pink dress to her body and twirling in front of the mirror.

Kennedy cracked a smile. "That's why. I like seeing her happy."

Andy pursed her lips. She eyed the many dresses on the rack in front of her. "I understand you're angry. Believe me, I would be too if I was in your situation. But. . ." She lifted her eyes. "Wednesday's my sister. So if you have anything to say about her, don't say it around me."

The taller girl stared at her, her jaw clenched. Instead of answering, she continued to look through the dresses, completely unhappy.

Andy knew she wasn't going to be satisfied with anything in the frilly pink section, so she continued to look around the store, going more towards the back. "They can't have just pink in here," she muttered to herself.

In the corner of the back of the shop was a rack of dresses that ranged from yellow to red to purple. She didn't see anything that she liked. It was hard. The women in her family were not dressy people. Morticia's favorite color was always black, and so she showered her children in everything black. But Andy and Wednesday never wore dresses in their lives. She couldn't imagine herself in something so frilly or puffy or silky like everything she was seeing.

In the corner of her eye, Andy saw another purple fabric. She gingerly touched the bag and pulled it out. Her breath hitched in her throat. The dress was dark purple, the same shade of the sweater Kennedy let her wear to the Harvest Festival. The color that Tyler said he liked on her. The neck was haltered with two purple straps tying around her neck. The bodice was covered in beaded flowers and the traveled in swirls along the entire body. The bottom of the dress stopped at the ankles and looked as if it was ripped, which she liked. She couldn't stop looking at it.

"Hey, Tim Burton," Kennedy called out. When she saw the dress she was staring at her, her eyes went wide. "Oh, wow. That's really pretty."

"Yeah," Andy muttered.

She titled her head to the side, smirking at her how she was admiring the dress. "Get it."

Andy tore her eyes away from the dress. "What? No." She immediately let go of the fabric. "I'm not even going to the dance."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "You literally just fell in love with a dress and you're still not going? A purple dress, by the way. You're welcome."

"It doesn't matter. Dressed aren't my thing. Never have been."

"Of course. How silly of me," she said sarcastically and rolled her eyes again. "Okay, how about this. You buy the dress just in case you change your mind about going to the Rave'N. If you don't, return it. Simple."

Kennedy Eden had a way of pursuing you to get out of your comfort zone, mainly by not leaving you alone until you say yes. Eventually, Andy took her up on the compromise and purchased the dress. She tried to hide the way she was feeling as she carried the bag in her arms and out of the store.

"Okay, I need caffeine in me. Weathervane?" Kennedy announced.

"I should go look for Wednesday. Lord knows she's probably in a cell right now."

"That sounds plausible," Enid agreed. "Come find us after?"

Andy nodded lightly.

The rest of the Nevermore girls went to the Weathervane. Andy took off down the sidewalk. The sheriff's office was around the corner. A head full of black pigtails came around the corner before she could. "There you are. How'd it go?"

"Like you would expect. Your boyfriend's father is almost as stubborn as me," Wednesday replied bluntly and walked past her.

Andy tried not to roll her eyes. She followed her. "Okay, well, what exactly did he say?" She asked, ignoring the last comment.

"He didn't believe me, of course. Even when I showed him Xavier's drawing of the monster. But he doesn't have a lead. Any of them, so Galpin said all I need is concrete evidence." Wednesday looked her way. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"We're going to need to find concrete evidence."

"Exactly." Her dark eyes trailed downward. "Oh, my god. Please don't tell me you bought a dress for this stupid dance."

"I made a deal with Kennedy. Don't worry, I don't plan on wearing it," she muttered at the end. The sisters passed by Uriah's Heap. "I guess you don't plan on looking—" Andy cut herself off when Wednesday paused. She looked in the store window and saw a black dress on display. At first glance, everything about it was Wednesday to a T, down to the color. "That's beautiful." She looked at her sister. "It's perfect for you."

"Maybe for my funeral," Wednesday dismissed and started crossing the street.

Andy gave the dress another quick glance before following after her. "So what kind of evidence do we need, exactly?" She changed subjects.

"At this point, we'll be lucky to find out if Xavier's hiding dead bodies under that art studio of his."

When they turned the corner of the Weathervane, the sisters came in contact with Tyler. "Don't want to ask what trouble you two are in now," he said with an amused grin.

"Nothing we can't handle," Wednesday replied. "Your father's in a particularly frustrating form today. Avoid."

"Yeah, welcome to my world," said Tyler and his eyes shifted to the dress bag in Andy's hold. His expression was unreadable.

She looked between them. "I'll be in here," Wednesday told her sister and went to go inside the cafe.

That left the two of them alone. Andy clutched the bag again and looked up. "Hi."

"Hi," he said back with a half grin. Tyler pointed to the dress. "I'm guessing that's for the Rave'N this weekend? It was all the buzz at the Weathervane today."

"Of course it was," Andy mumbled. "Kennedy made me get it. I don't even plan on going."

His eyebrows knitted together. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's just a stupid dance," she said quickly, ignoring the way her stomach started to burn with nerves. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't even have a date. Wasn't planing on asking anyone anyway."

Tyler subtly frowned. "You weren't?"

Andy lightly scoffed. "I mean, who wants to go to a dance with Andromeda Addams, anyway?"

There was silence, and Tyler stood there with a punched expression and slumped body language. "Sure, if that's what you think," he muttered, taking his eyes away from her. "I'll see you later."

He walked past her and Andy got whiplash. She spun around. "Wait, what just happened?" She shook her head. "Why are you getting upset?"

Tyler turned back around. "Because I wish you'd read the room, Andy," he stated with an annoyed huff.

She titled her head. "Huh?"

He sighed again, removing his hands from his pockets. "You say nobody wants to go to the dance with you, but, you're wrong. There is someone," he told her.

She scoffed. "Who?"

"Me."

Now she couldn't ignore the nerves. The burning increased drastically, making her start to sweat. Andy blinked. "W-What?" She stuttered.

"I mean, I thought. . .I thought I made it clear how I feel about you, Andy," Tyler went on, taking a small step forward in her direction.

The longing stares and sweet smiles. The close proximity. The casual flirting. Is that what it was? The signals he'd been sending her? Had he been telling her his feelings the whole time and she just didn't know? "Tyler, I. . ." Andy stammered. "I-I-I don't know—" She inhaled the sharpest breath. "I don't know what you're trying to say."

"Well then let me spell it out for you," he asserted. "Andy, I. . .I like you. And I really thought that maybe you like me, too." Tyler confessed.

She felt dizzy.

"But then you pull something like this, and now I just don't know. Have I been wrong this entire time?" He grew frustrated. "I mean, I—I thought you knew how I felt."

Andy looked down at the dress bag. She blinked multiple times again, feeling like her mouth was full of cotton. Beads of sweat pooled around her temples. "Tyler, you. . .you don't know me." She uttered very slow. "And I don't–I don't really know you. H-H-How am I supposed to know what this if I don't know you?"

"I do know you, Andy."

"No, you don't!" She raised her voice, shocking them both. "Because if you did, then you wouldn't want to go to the dance with me. You wouldn't like me. I don't even like me!"

Her dark eyes glistened with helplessness. The look on her face made Tyler's stomach hurt but he was too frustrated and confused to pay attention. "That's not true, Andy!" He raised his voice as well.

She'd been telling herself this for a while now, and now it was solidified. They wouldn't work. They couldn't work, her liking him and him liking her. Tyler was a normie. He lived a normal life. Andy was a freak. An outcast. Somebody who always had eyes on them. In the real world, they wouldn't work. Wednesday knew this as well. She'd been telling her the whole time.

Older sisters always know best.

"So tell me, Andy. Am I wrong? Am I wrong to feel this way?" Tyler nearly pleaded.

Andy swallowed a harsh lump the size of a peach pit in her throat. Her hands trembled and she held tightly onto the dress bag to hide them. Sweat dripped down her face. The way his eyes were on her made her legs weak. Her entire body was on fire, but Andy knew the truth. No matter what she was feeling, it wouldn't work. "Me and you don't work in the real world, Tyler." She stated.

It was like a movie scene, the way Tyler's face changes from frustrated to hurt. It made her feel like throwing up. "Thanks for clearing that up." He pointed to her dress. "Have a good time, Andromeda."

Andy watched him leave with her mouth gaped open. "Tyler." She called out his name but he kept walking, and she felt a huge pang of regret vibrate throughout her body.