The great Molldrea scandal of 2022

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"After the lights came back on, the young Davenport looked everywhere for the apple of her eye, but Miss McGee was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, it seems this June love loses. This is Joanie Pataky-"

"Uuuuuuuuugggghhhhhhhhhh."

"Darryl, turn that off." Sharon snapped. Her features softened instantly as she knelt down and offered a tray out to the pile of blankets on their living room floor. "Cookies, sweetie?"

After a second, a tiny hand reached out from between the folds of fabric, bringing one of the biscuits back into its fluffy maw. "Thang u." A muffled voice mumbled. Sharon smiled sadly and patted the blob's head.

"I don't know why they're still playing that damn story." Scratch griped, gesturing at the tv that had very much not been turned off. "It's been a week already, it's old news. Move on with your lives already! Ya only got so long of 'em."

"It's a small town, Scratch." Pete conceded from his place on the couch. "Unfortunately, this is probably the most interesting thing to happen here in years." Another groan from the blanket monster.

"It's all over Clickclock too." Darryl added unhelpfully, swiping through his phone.

"Awww, really?" Molly popped her head out of her nest, her hair now sticking up at all angles. "What're they saying?"

Darryl glanced between his phone and his sister for a moment before sucking his teeth. "I think this is one of those moments I need to be 'tactful'."

"Oh sweet baby corn." Molly shrunk back into her blankets until only her eyes could be seen over the top.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad." Rolling his eyes, Scratch swooped over to take a look. Before promptly letting out a low whistle "...Ok yeah. Uh... So the good news is: we're all here...together-"

Molly flopped over with a groan. Sharon rubbed where (at least she thought) her shoulder was.

"Don't listen to the boys, honey. Who cares what a bunch of people who've never met you think?"

"The kids at school think I'm a total jerk too..."

"Those losers?" Scratch cut in with what almost sounded like a laugh. "Whats so scary anyway about a bunch of middle schoolers?"

"Everything when you are a middle schooler!" She sat up and snapped. "Come on Scratch, you were there on my first day- you know those kids can be brutal." Molly turned away from Scratch in a huff, curling up further on the ground. A hand reached out from her cocoon for a cookie, which she stared at as she snapped in half, despondently. "I'm a heartbreaker." Tears pricked at her eyes. "I've become Mom."

"Don't ever say that about yourself." Sharon comforted, firmly. "Trust me on this, Moll, this will all blow over soon."

As if on cue, the same picture of Andrea they'd all been staring at for a week scrolled back on screen for the news catchup.

"Local do-gooder and town darling Andrea Davenport is still heartbroken after being left at the altar-" Molly stared at the screen with rubbed raw eyes, even after Pete made a point to turn it off. The image was burnt into her corneas anyway. Despite what she'd have expected from the girl, the photo was neither melodramatic, nor did it look staged. For once in her filmed life, the girl looked truly candid, facing away from the camera and from a believable distance. She was on her hands and knees on the crumpled and dirtied pink carpet, staring at the floor with her face covered by that familiar veil of blue. Despite the girl's track record, Molly had a sinking feeling she really was crying there.

"I'm a bad person." She mumbled, turning away.

"Don't say that." Sharon was quick to sooth, tucking her blankets tighter around her.