Delicate ― Kevin Day

04. welcome to the family

[trigger warnings: fighting; homophobia (slurs); mental illness & medication; knives; mentions of past mania/manic episodes)

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"WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE?"

Nicky glared at his cousin, the expression out-of-place on his face. Hadley had only known him a day but she'd already gotten used to his sunny disposition. He said something short in German, then turned an almost blinding grin at Hadley.

"Welcome to the family," he said. It only sounded halfway like a joke.

Aaron glared at his twin, who was smoking a cigarette down to the filter. He said something to Andrew in sharp German, which Andrew replied to in English.

"Hadley and I have a deal, too," he said. "Long-term. If you've got a problem, live with it."

"What kind of deal?" Aaron asked, his tone scathing.

Andrew didn't answer. Hadley offered no explanation, either.

"Long-term?" Nicky echoed. "How long have you two—?"

"Since foster care," Andrew cut him off. "No more questions."

Nicky held his hands up in surrender. He turned to Hadley with palpable curiosity and unconcealed glee. "What's your major? I'm doing marketing, 'cause my boyfriend works at this advertising firm back in Germany and I got to do a little tour and talk to his co-workers and it was way cooler than I thought it'd be, because I mean—marketing, who would've thought that was actually interesting? And then I started looking into Palmetto's marketing major and all the different internships I could take and—"

"If you don't cut him off, he'll talk forever," Andrew deadpanned, stubbing out his cigarette with the bottom of his shoe. Hadley leaned purposefully away from the dissipating smoke, ignoring Andrew's half-raised eyebrow.

Hadley looked at Nicky, who quieted at Andrew's voice, expression expectant as he looked back at her.

"History," she answered.

"Oh, wow," Nicky said. "I've never been a fan, but I watched this documentary on some cave in France—it had these, like, super old drawings from, like, French cavemen. That was pretty cool. Do you want to be a history teacher?"

Andrew snorted. "Miss Hadley? God help the poor youth assigned to her class."

Hadley rolled her eyes. "What about you, Andrew? What does your future hold? Besides lung cancer."

"Don't have one," Andrew said with a faux grin. "We'll be unlucky if I survive to see graduation! We'll have no choice but to throw a party."

"Andrew," Nicky said uncomfortably.

"At least now your pessimism comes with medicated pep," Hadley muttered.

"Into the car, kids," Andrew said, hopping down from the hood of his obnoxiously nice car. "Can't keep our lovely team waiting, can we? It would be oh-so-rude."

Hadley got into the backseat behind Andrew as Nicky got into the driver's seat. Aaron glared at her from the opposite end of the backseat like a cat with a grudge. 

Hadley rolled her eyes and faced the front.

The rest of the Foxes were already changing out by the time they reached the stadium. Andrew and his lot settled down in the lounge to wait for the upperclassmen to finish up, but Hadley went straight into the girls' room.

Allison was in the process of carefully and expertly braiding her hair, watching herself in the mirror. Her eyes flicked to Hadley. "You're still alive."