Woefully Together

Chapter One

Within the quiet, dark room, the only sound was the soft typing on a typewriter, punctuated by the occasional ding, signifying it had reached the end of the line. The typewriter rested on a large mahogany desk with a matching chair, and in that chair sat a boy.

His onyx locks fell gracefully below his ears, with the tousled layers. His dark brows furrowed slightly in concentration, and his ebony eyes flicked left and right as he continuously typed. The pale skin was a stark contrast to his dark features and all-black clothes, giving the impression that he had been picked up from a 1940s film and set in modern times, as if he had stepped out of a black-and-white photograph.

All of his attention was focused on his work, pouring his morbid thoughts into words as the plot of his book developed in a way that allowed him to feel satisfied. His thoughts were interrupted when the door slammed open and a voice, shrill with excitement, filled the room as a barrage of colors momentarily blinded him.

"Wednesday!! Guess what I found out?!" Enid Sinclair, Wednesday's neighbor and best friend, burst into his room without bothering to knock and sat on his bed. A large smile painted her pink lips, her bright blue eyes glowing with excitement as they focused on the monochromatic boy. The yellow, blue, and pink in her hair always reminded Wednesday of an infamous comic book villain.

Wednesday remained unfazed; by now, he was used to her antics. Although she did not do it often, only when something truly excited her, that did not mean he appreciated it. "What did we say about knocking?" was his only response to the blonde girl.

Enid's smile didn't falter. "Oh, come on, Wednesday! You have to hear this!" She leaned forward, her excitement palpable. "I just found out that I'm getting a roommate! Can you believe it? A roommate!"

Wednesday raised an eyebrow, his fingers still poised over the typewriter keys. "A roommate? But why? The school year already started."

Enid just shrugged, her not really knowing the reason. She could not find much online, whatever social media she had was private and there was really no mention of her. "Principal Weems just told me. She said it's someone new, and she's arriving tomorrow. I actually don't know, I tried to go all FBI on her, but that didn't lead to much! Either way, we have to get my room ready and clean!"

Wednesday's expression remained stoic, but he felt a twinge of annoyance. "Another person invading my peace and quiet," he muttered. "Just what I needed." He was already thinking about the different ways this would be a bother to him, and she wanted him to stop writing to help her prepare for someone he didn't care about.

Enid laughed, unfazed by his grumbling. "Oh, come on, Wednesday! It'll be fun. Besides, you might actually like them. Who knows? They could be just as strange as us." Enid referred to the fact that they were both 'outcasts' in a school of outcasts—she because she could not 'wolf-out' as a normal werewolf should, and he because of his standoffish nature and cynical view. He likes being disliked.

Wednesday really wanted to go back to writing his novel, but he knew Enid better. If he did not help her, she would just keep bugging him and blast loud music from her room, disrupting his focus either way.

He pushed back his chair and stood up. "Fine," he said with a sigh. He resigned himself to his fate. It had been this way since they first met; whenever she got worked up like this, she could be stubborn.

Enid clapped her hands in delight. "I knew you'd come around! Let's go now and start rearranging things, then we can sweep the floor. We want to make a good impression, don't we?"

Wednesday rolled his eyes before correcting her, "You. You want to make a good impression." Enid just giggled as they made their way out of the room. Wednesday couldn't help but feel a small sense of curiosity mixed with his irritation.

Enid had not had a roommate since she first started here, and it perplexed him why Principal Weems allowed a new student in the middle of the year. Wednesday was an exception because of his excellent grades, legacy, and now his visions—having transferred here after getting expelled from his previous school.

He had released piranhas into the school's pool during swim team practice, resulting in one swimmer losing a testicle. In Wednesday's eyes, he was doing society a favor. People like that should not reproduce, and besides, the swimmer had shoved Pugsley into a locker. No one tortures his brother but Wednesday.

While they walked, Enid chattered frantically about her new roommate and what she could possibly be like. "Maybe she likes facials! We could have spa days together! Or maybe she's super smart and good at math; I could always use help with math! Or maybe she's a baker and could bake us some cookies! Or m—" She was cut off by Wednesday. "Or she could be an absolute nightmare, and you'll regret wishing you ever had a roommate." Wednesday could not understand how she could be so positive all the time and only think of the brighter side in life. The struggles of being friends with an optimist.

Enid dismissed his comment. "Oh, hush. Stop being such a Negative Nancy. For all we know, she could be just like you. You could get a girlfriend!" she exclaimed happily. She had been trying to find a girlfriend for Wednesday. Enid felt bad for him whenever he third-wheeled when she and Ajax were together. She wanted to see him happy, although what he found happiness in might be different from what brought her joy. However, having a person to love and being loved made people happier everywhere. If anything, a teenage boy like him is interested in two things: sex and homicide, and she'd rather he do the former.

He ignored her comment as they entered her room, which was a riot of colors and clutter. Posters of boy bands and actors covered the walls, clothes were strewn across the floor, and crumpled-up paper was tossed halfheartedly everywhere. There was glitter, and all the different colors gave the impression a unicorn had thrown up in her room; it was a mess.

Enid clapped her hands together excitedly. "First things first, we need to clean up." Wednesday looked around, trying to hide the horror on his face. "This is worse than last time. What do you even do in here? This is going to take an abhorrent amount of time to clean up."

Wednesday contemplated leaving and slowly inched towards the door. As if she could read his thoughts, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. She laughed and gave him a cheeky smile. "Not if we work together and split up the chores! You can throw the clothes into the hamper, and I'll work on picking up the trash."

While tidying up the room, Enid continued the mostly one-sided conversation, receiving a hum and an occasional dry response. Wednesday was not a very talkative person when trying to complete a task, and whether or not he was paying attention to anything she was saying didn't bother her. She enjoyed talking, and he was there to listen. No judgment, no overthinking, just them existing and coexisting.

After a few hours of cleaning and reorganizing the room, it looked like a completely different space. While still colorful and with glitter that was impossible to fully eradicate, it looked more organized, and the other half of the room was ready to be occupied.

Wednesday let out a loud sigh and scanned over the room. "Well, this is as good as it's going to get." Enid nodded in agreement and beamed, looking up at the tall, lean boy. "Let's go get some food! After all that work, I am starving!"

He reluctantly agreed, wanting to go back to writing, but she was right. All that work made him hungry. As they walked down the hallways, he couldn't help but think about the new girl. He had convinced himself that he would hate her and she would just be a pest like the rest of the student body. He pushed those thoughts away as they were useless to him and turned back to the conversation he was having with his best friend.

——

A.N. Hello! Welcome! First chapter is out! This is my first ever story, so please bear with me. If you see any grammar errors or have any suggestions I am open to constructive criticism. HOWEVER, please be respectful! Thank you for reading my fanfic and I will update soon!

- drieee666