The Woe We Deserve

Chapter 4

Xavier and Wednesday worked quietly across the table from each other. They had made plans to discuss their investigation, but had quickly run out of leads. It was a dreary day, and they knew everybody they were looking to interview would be hunkering down. So instead of forcing answers out of their classmates, they decided to stay in and get some homework done.

Wednesday pretended to be absorbed by her copy of Frankenstein, which she was reading for the hundredth time for a book report. She didn't really need to re-read it, but she took every opportunity to do so. After all, it was one of her favorite books. She also figured it would be easier to avoid any awkward chatter with Xavier that way.

Things had been strange between them since the start of the semester. While they had exchanged some texts over the break, they hadn't spent as much time in person as they were spending now; she didn't know what to make of it.

It was evident to her, and to basically every other resident of Nevermore, that Xavier liked Wednesday. He hadn't tried very hard to conceal his feelings from her in the past. Even after the damage she caused with her hunt for the Hyde, she could tell his feelings lingered. She couldn't understand why. If the roles were reversed and Xavier had come after her, she would have ended him. She wasn't one to let go of grudges.

So why was she encouraging him? It tore her apart. The second she made up her mind, she changed it back. She didn't want to hurt him again, as fun as it was to hurt people; he didn't deserve it. She tried very hard to keep things as dry and unromantic as she could, to the point of coldness sometimes— not that Xavier wasn't used to it. And still, he stuck around.

It was one mystery that Wednesday Addams could not solve. It drove her mad with curiosity and disgust and nervous excitement.

Fine. So maybe she wasn't completely disgusted by him. Maybe she did find him charming. She didn't hate the way his brown hair framed his face when he wore it down. Maybe sometimes she wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through his silky hair. Maybe she liked the way his shampoo smelled and how her heart sang every time he tucked a loose strand behind his ear.

She also enjoyed watching him paint. Sometimes they spent hours in his shed for no reason. She would make up some excuse just so she could visit him in his studio. She would read or work on her novel while he sketched. And maybe sometimes she found herself reading the same sentence over and over because she couldn't concentrate on the story. So instead she'd watch him work, his brows furrowed and his lips slightly parted, showing off the small gap between his teeth, which she found absolutely endearing.

But then she would find herself thinking these things and it made her want to stab herself in the eye so she wouldn't have to look at his perfect lips and his green eyes any longer. She wanted to scream and cry and hurt someone.Hurt him. But also she wanted to kiss him. Could she do both at the same time?

On that particular night, she was struggling to focus on her book. Xavier on the other hand was lost in his history assignment. The sound of his pencil scribbling on the page was only drowned by the occasional roar of thunder.

Wednesday watched him as he worked. His hair was loose around his shoulders, just how she liked it. She saw him push it out of the way over and over, as it continued to fall out of place. Eventually he dropped his pencil and groaned in frustration.

He caught her staring and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to distract you."

She shook her head and returned her gaze to her novel.

"It's fine."

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare hair tie around, would you?"

Wednesday pretended to finish her page before looking back up at him. She pursed her lips for a moment, then slammed the book shut.