Providence, Somewhere

Blindsided

"Becky? What do you mean by that?"

The news had completely blindsided Jenny the following morning. Becky was moving out of the apartments, and so was Fink. Both of them had most of their belongings already in a tiny, Asian-style truck. The man who claimed to be Fink's father— Professor Venomous, she recalled— was waiting in the vehicle, Danny showing him how to work the phone. Maybe the two were talking other things, but that was besides the point.

"Well, that's the thing," Becky replied, walking downstairs with a small box. "I'm moving in with Fink and Venomous. WordGirl wanted me to make sure they didn't get into trouble, so that's what I'm doing."

"But you don't need to move in with them to watch over them," Jenny replied, following Becky. She wasn't carrying anything. "They're villains, right? I can handle them. I'm trained to fight them off and protect people."

"And normal people can't?" Once at the truck, she pushed the box into the bed, heading back upstairs.

"If Fink's going to school with you, you can just contact one of us and we'll figure it out."

Becky's footsteps became more audible. "I can handle it, Jenny. We talked with Eclipsa, and we'll figure out the logistics as we go along. If they manage to do something, WordGirl's got it covered. That was the plan."

"But what about you? You'll be the one who's in peril."

Becky almost dropped the box she was carrying, briefly struggling to shift the weight of it. "I said I can handle it. Fink was harmless back then, so why is it an issue now? Is it because she has her dad to back her up now that all of a sudden she's dangerous and me keeping her in check is suddenly bad for her?"

"I'm not saying this for her sake, I'm saying it for yours. Lemme carry that box; I don't want you hurting your back."

"That's exactly the problem!" Becky stopped by the stairwell, spinning on her heel. "Can you just stop underestimating me? Sure, I don't have my emotional support buddy with me, but I'm trying to work without him for what is essentially three months now. Fink hasn't had many people who've seen eye-to-eye with her for a long while, and I'm trying to make friends with her, even if we're on the opposite side of an alignment chart. We talked in the presence of her father, and even he thinks that Fink getting to know me better will bring her out of her shell, whether it be good or bad."

Jenny stammered as Becky walked down the stairs. The words, the processing, it was getting difficult to just put into words that the logic just didn't make sense. They only just met the guy; she had verified he was legitimately flesh-and-blood. He was being shady, she felt, and everyone was playing along.

"You really stink with this whole 'friendship' thing," Fink said, passing by with the last of her belongings.

"Wow, real creative," Jenny replied dryly.

Fink stopped at the landing. "I can say more than that, rust-bucket. Now, how's about you leave Becky alone? She's my friend now."

"How can she just do that? Sure, I can get behind you being related to that Professor guy, but having Becky move in is just too much!"

"What can I say? He values her." She shrugged, grinning mischievously. "Oh, and keep talking like she can't hear you."

Jenny growled. "Nevermind." She walked away, over to the other stairwell, ignoring those that dared watch the situation go down.

Eventually, Becky and Fink got the last of their belongings packed up, and the tiny truck departed, the only other person in the parking lot being Danny. Jenny saw him heading back to his building, but then their eyes met from her spot at the curb. He walked her way, instead.