The sky shines differently today than it did yesterday

[employeeoftheyear]

[Perhaps to the surprise of no one, there is no after party after that trial. Two children were dead. Two children were dead over a simple accident and the Wizard cared more about himself than anyone else. But they won't give up, they can't give up. They had to keep fighting until everything's been set right.

At the Lobby ofrenda later that night, there are six origami pieces accoupling the other memorials. A penguin, a rose, an octopus man, computer, a music note, and the last one are of a boy and girl holding hands. Along with that there is a plate of strawberry cupcakes with blueberry icing and a note that reads:]

There is still hope and love in the world

Never let The Wizard make you think otherwise 💗

Comments

[fourbutts]

I...

[ She shrugs. ]

I mean, apparently I'm just going to keep crying, so I'm not sure the whole being alone thing is really working for me.

[comeandfindme]

Scoot over.

[ Now they'll be two teenagers under the bleachers, not nearly as sad. ]

[fourbutts]

[ And she scoots! ]

Welcome to the most cliché possible spot for wayward teens to hang out.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine settles in next to Janis. ]

All those were like… Whitetail’s normal. But it’s small. So so many of the…teen movie cliches didn’t feel as real back there.

[ They had wild teen parties, but they were in the woods. They had so many things just a step removed from everything, like Whitetail’s and the world are just a moment out of sync. Like if you get lost in the woods, no one will find you. ]

[fourbutts]

Guess so. The small town ones never felt real back in Chicago - you know, Friday Night Lights and all that shit. Does everyone really know everyone up there in Whitetail?

[comeandfindme]

[ She nods. ]

Everyone talks. If someone new moves in, it's the talk of the town. You know everyone...or, at least, you know someone who knows everyone, and you know everyone that way.

[fourbutts]

Damn. Your parents must spend forever at the Jewel-Osco, it's bad enough when my mom meets one person she knows.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine moves to fiddle with her cloak, only to pause, because...well, she's not wearing it right now. She frowns. ]

...Yeah, mom's always chatting with someone or another at the Pick 'n Save. S'where I work, so...it's kinda weird.

[fourbutts]

Oof. At least I only have to worry about my mom showing up to the second-closest Bath and Body Works to our house once in a while while I'm there.

[comeandfindme]

I always found it a total pain.

[ ... ]

...Right now I'd give anything, to...listen to her talking about whatever with Mrs. O'Connor while I'm trying to ring up bags of corn.

[fourbutts]

... Yeah. Or my mom, uh...

[ She thinks hard, trying to tap into the character part of her. The part that has a normal life. But her parents aren't in the show, so... ]

Asking if she can use my employee discount for the hundredth time.

[comeandfindme]

[ A light, almost-laugh. ]

I miss her nagging me. Worrying about me. Hovering.

[fourbutts]

Mine was never really the hover type, but... I miss her too. I miss everyone.

[ A small laugh. ]

Couple more weeks here and I'm going to start missing Regina George.

[comeandfindme]

Who's... Oh, yeah. That...scum-sucking...Instagram influencing...life-ruiner?

[ Back from that first meeting, before anyone had died. ]

[fourbutts]

The very same.

[ She exhales. ]

We've shared a bed after I watched a man die, you can have the less fun version if you want.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine winces. ]

I...figured you had some experience, but, uh... I wasn't really... I didn't wanna pry.

cw homophobia, forced outing, slurs

[fourbutts]

No, it's... I mean, you know. You've more than unlocked my tragic backstory by now.

[ She thinks for a moment. Looks up at the underbelly of the bleachers. ]

When I was in eighth grade, like... first semester? Regina George was my best friend. Like... for years, since we were little kids. And around this time, I was sort of noticing how much I like Wendy from Gravity Falls, or you know. Girls. I was noticing girls. And she says I can't come to her birthday because I'm a lesbian and there are going to be girls in their bathing suits there.

[ She snorts. ]

She didn't even know, not really. Like doing all the wrong work for a math problem and getting the right answer. She just... needed a way to get rid of me. And it was one I couldn't even argue with. After that she was popular, the most human interaction I got for the rest of middle school was someone writing "space dyke" on my locker in sharpie, and it got so bad that my parents pulled me out for the rest of the year. To try my luck again in high school.

[ She does some jazzhands. ]

And that's all she wrote.

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine listens. Her jaw sets firm and she very, very evenly replies: ]

I wanna break Regina George's nose.

[fourbutts]

Well, I've already gotten most of my terrible vengeance... [ so she shouldn't punch regina? ] ...so you're free to have your turn in the line whenever.

[comeandfindme]

You don't just- do that to a person, what the hell! Especially not someone who's your best friend!

[fourbutts]

And yet, the years of therapy are here to prove that Regina George is, in fact, that bitch.

Her name is Regina George
And she is a massive heel

[comeandfindme]

She's a massive bitch is what she is.

[ look peregrine doesn't use that word a lot but WOW! WHAT A BITCH! ]

[fourbutts]

Oh, enormous. And, thanks to me and Damian and Cady, she's the laughingstock of the entire school.

[comeandfindme]

What did you...do?

[ Her school may be small, but she still knows how the social hierarchy works. Something big must've happened. ]

[fourbutts]

Oh, you know, the usual. Tricked her into eating a bunch of these weight-gaining nutrition bars from Sweden, helped her right hand girl see that Regina doesn't actually care about her so she'd spill something we could use to get her boyfriend to break up with her... one deeply embarrassing incident at the winter talent show later, that's one queen bee overthrown.

[ A beat. ]

The secret is that she was cheating on her boyfriend, in case you were feeling, like, a single ounce of sympathy in there.