PHTHARTIC, miguel diaz

iii. daphne and velma

"you ought to know that,
I think we're one in the same."

iii. daphne and velma
"you guys make a perfect pair."

    EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL THE DAY AFTER, Jude and Esme didn't say much beyond giving Johnny their names. Esme used Jude's last name to stay under the radar, so to speak.

Later, the two girls were at the LaRussos' house, getting ready for Halloween. Esme decided to keep her costume appropriate, especially since her dad was unexpectedly chaperoning. They ended up dressing as Daphne and Velma from Scooby-Doo: Jude as Daphne and Esme as Velma.

. . .

"So, you told Miguel that Larusso was your dad? Did he not question why you lied about it?" Jude said, fixing her hair as she walked beside Esme.

"No. I asked him not to," Esme said with a sigh as they walked out of the house.

"Ah, so he really likes you." She teased.

"No he does not," Esme said, rolling her eyes as they got into her car. "We're friends. Besides, he's way more bearable than any of you."

Jude gasped theatrically at the insult. Esme rolled her eyes again and started pulling out of the parking spot. "Shut up and put your seatbelt on."

Once at the dance, they split up when Esme spotted Miguel. "Nice costume, braces," she greeted him with a smile.

Miguel turned with a smile. "Hey! I like yours too. You're... Velma?"

"Yup," Esme said, smiling and nodding. "And Jude is Daphne."

"You guys make a perfect pair." He commented,
nodding.

"Of course we do." Esme turned to Eli and Demetri. "Hey."

Eli gave a small smile, while Demetri remained quiet. Esme slowly turned to get a good look at all of them, "So, what are you guys up to?"

"Uh, not much," Eli replied. "I actually need to use the bathroom," Eli added, clearing his throat.

Esme nodded awkwardly. "Well, you should get to it then. I'm going to find Jude." She smiled and placed a hand on Miguel's shoulder before walking off.

"Did she just touch your shoulder?" Demetri asked, watching her go.

"It's just my shoulder..." Miguel said, puzzled.

"Yeah, she touched your ordinary shoulder," Demetri said, still surprised.

. . .

Esme and Jude danced together for a while, enjoying themselves until Yasmine's post about Aisha appeared. Esme couldn't shake the guilt she felt for Aisha. If she could, she'd stop all of it for her, but she didn't know how.

Sam, who was supposed to be her best friend, hadn't stood up for Aisha at all. That was one of the reasons Esme had a hard time with Sam.

With a disapproving glance at Sam, Esme decided to go comfort Aisha. However, before she could even reach her, Johnny, Miguel's sensei, approached her.

"What's going on?" Esme asked, her frustration clear.

"I can't find Miguel," Johnny replied.

Esme sighed, glancing at Jude before turning back to Johnny. "Fine. We'll help you find him, but it has to be quick."

They all hurried out of the gym and began searching. Esme's irritation grew as she struggled to think of where Miguel might be. Then, seven minutes into their search, it hit her.

"One of his friends mentioned needing the bathroom. The three boys left together and never came back," Esme explained urgently.

"That's probably not good," Jude said, anxiety creeping into her voice as they headed toward the one place they hadn't checked—the boys' locker room.

As they entered, they found Miguel's limp body lying on the ground.

"Oh my god..." Jude winced. Esme was struck silent, her eyes filling with tears as she took in the sight.

E.L

The next morning, Esme woke up with a headache. She dragged herself out of bed and got ready for school, feeling sluggish.

It took her a while to muster the energy to head downstairs, but she eventually made her way down, skipping breakfast.

"Oh! Esme, come eat. Have you seen your sister?" Her dad called out as she tried to sneak past.

Esme groaned and walked into the kitchen, shaking her head. "No, I haven't seen the pest since yesterday. Can I go now?"

"Esmeralda, don't call her that. She's your sister. What's with all of you today? You all seem more drained than usual." He said, sighing.

"A lot happened yesterday. I'm just tired." She stated bluntly.

"Well—"

"Dad, I'm not hungry. I'll see you after school." As Esme turned to leave, Sam appeared at the door. Ignoring her sister, Esme walked out, with Sam trailing behind.

The two of them drove to school in separate cars. Upon arriving at school, Esme's first priority was to find Miguel. She searched frantically until Jude found her, pulling her out of her search. Esme was left waiting for later in the day, hoping to see Miguel and make sure he had recovered from his injuries.

. . .

"you better show me that you
can say it to my face. cause you
know we're the same."