Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  “I really don’t wanna do this, Liz.”

  “Well, I DO! You have to do as I say, Teddy! That’s how the game works?”

  “What if we get caught?”

  “We won’t, stupid! Now, c’mon! She’s waiting for us!”

|•|

  My eyes snap open, and I groan. My head’s in splitting pain, and I roll onto my side. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ.”

  What level of hungover should this count as? One hundred?

  It’s not even like I had much to drink last night, stupid Thad stopped me. He took the bottle away and threw it over the balcony railing. Idiot. 

  “Time to find some nutrients so I don’t fuckin’ die or something, I guess,” I mumble. 

  I sit up and wince, bringing my hand to my head. I get off my bed and walk out into the kitchen, and Thad’s still in his room. Exhaling, I go rooting through the fridge. Barely anything. Joy. Rolling my eyes, I grab some yogurt and a spoon and get to eating it while watching some TV. It tastes bad, but what else am I gonna eat? 

  I’m not even a cheerleader anymore, yet I still have to force myself to eat. 

 
  Hands ruffle my hair, and I hiss and swipe at Thad. He chuckles and sits beside me, grabbing the spoon and eating some of the disgusting yogurt. I don’t care to put up a fight, and I just let him. 

  “We got anything new?” he asks. 
  

  “Take a guess,” I say. 
  

  He sighs. “If the warden comes around, I’ll try and bargain again.” His hands are shaking, and I give him the yogurt container. He stares at it, then at me, and gives it back. I huff and take one last bite before shoving back into his hands. “Lizzy.”

  “I’m fine. I’m not hungry,” I say. “I just wanna go sleep.” 

  “You don’t wanna do anything today?” Thad curls a strand of my hair around his finger, and I pull away from him. “We got some games last time.”

  “I’m twenty, not a child!” I snap. “God, you’re insufferable!”

  “Oh, forgive me for trying to make the most outta this!” Thad stands up, hands balling into fists. “Would you rather we both fucking starve alone and sad?”

  “I never said that,” I say. “I never fucking said that! Don’t put words in my mouth!”

  He groans and pulls his hat down over his face and slumps back onto the couch. I turn on my heel and march back to my room, slamming the door behind me. I head into the shower and strip off my night clothes and step in, going as quickly as possible. It’s better to ignore him, but how can I? 

  At least we’re not stuck in the same room. I’d probably, like, snap and murder him if that was the case. Oh, whatever. 

  Once I’m done, I turn on the TV and stares that screen, unsure of what the hell is playing. Some fever dream or something. Lame. I grab my computer and start playing a game, praying to find others in it. Someone joins my server, and I nearly scream with happiness. 

  They disconnect. 

  I scream. 

  “KEEP IT DOWN!” 

  “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” I yell back. 

  “Fuckin’ bitch!” 

  They pound on my wall, and I stand up and slam my body against it. It barely makes a sound, and I groan and flop back onto my bed, ignoring the pain in my ribs. 

  “Creepy whore,” the dude on the other side mutters loud enough to be heard, and I flip him off and go back to my game. 

  “I can hear you, bitch!” I huff, and something is thrown at my door. 

  Thad opens it, eyes reddened, and he glares at me. “Shut the hell up, Lizzy, or so help me, God. I will kill you.” 

  “Then do it, coward,” I say. “It’s not like we have anything else to do.” 

  “I’m not gonna kill you to liven my day up,” he mutters. “Besides, I’d go even more insane with you around to piss me off.” His voice cracks, and I tilt my head and scoot to the end of my bed. 

  “What happened?” I ask, and he sits beside me. 

  “V broke up with me,” he mumbles, running a hand through his hair, and my blood freezes. “She said something about…..I dunno, something about you, I think. I couldn’t hear what she was sayin’, she was cryin’ that much.” 

  “Well, that sucks,” I say. “Wanna play a game?”

  “What happened to being too old for that?” he asks. 

  I rest my head on his shoulder, and he plays with my hair. Lying down with my head on his lap, I keep myself on his leg as opposed to elsewhere, and he sighs. His fingers touch my neck, and I bite down on my tongue and shiver. 

  “Mario Kart?” he asks, and I nod. 

Chapter Text

  Mario Kart really fucking sucks when I’m hungover. I should have learned this by now, but no, why would I do that when I can just torture myself again and again?

  Thad throws a blue shell at me, and I’m sent behind him. I stuck my tongue out at him, but he uses that to his advantage to zip on even further ahead. The bright colors and loud music make me want to die, and I glance at the balcony and think about it. 

  That would probably hurt less than whatever the hell I have going on in my head. 

  
  “You ever consider just throwing yourself out the window?” I ask. 

  “Yeah, and it would be pretty romantic if we both did it,” Thad says. 

  “Oh, ew,” I say, trying to make my heart slow down. “You’re my brother.”

 “Don’t be gross, Lizzy. That’s not really what I mean,” he mutters. I swipe at him, and that action causes me to take first place. I win the round, and he groans. “I mean, sure, dying with you would be interesting.”

  “Noted.”

  “Next round?” he asks, and I nod. 

  We play until I can’t do it anymore, and I lay my head on his lap again. He puts on a quiet show, but it’s rudely interrupted by a news report midway through a good scene. 

  “We are once more asking residents of Pine, Copper, Burton, North Shore, Reynold, Wilton, and Elliot Apartments to stay quarantined until further notice,” the newscaster says. “Please, stay away from everyone and don’t you dare come near me if you are to ever leave.” 

  “Does he fucking ever say something else?” I ask as Thad threads his fingers through my ponytail. “‘Cause he seems to like his own voice more than I do.” 

  
  “Eh, he’s not important. Anyways, did you hear that they’re switching your neighbor from hell to a different room?” 

  “What?” I try to peer up at him, but my neck just refuses to cooperate and leaves me in more pain. 

  “Yeah, some Russian gal is gonna live there starting tomorrow. I guess he was making too much noise down here or something.” 

  “When did you hear that?“

  “Warden James stopped by to give us some food while you were looking for your controller, and he told me the news.” Thad pauses and drums his fingers on my neck. “I don’t understand it, but I know you hated that dude.” 

  “Oh, yeah. Hang on, food?” I bolt upright and stare at him, but he shakes his head. 

  “Four packs of instant ramen, two small pizzas, and a lotta yogurt. We also got a handful fruits and vegetables.” He sighs. “Once we get outta here, Lizzy, I’m not gonna touch that crap for a few months.”

  I lean against him, my arms wrapping around his. “What do you miss the most?” 

  “V,” he says softly, “and parks and sports. You?” 

  I dig through my skirt pockets and pull out a simple lighter. “In a weird way, I miss Clara.” She was always there for me, especially before I came here. I spin the wheel, and it produces a flame. I watch it for a few seconds before shutting it off again.  

   
  We watch the show for hours, neither one of us laughing but also not changing it. My hand is on Thad’s leg, but he doesn’t tell me to move it. I smile to myself, and I adjust my knee-length skirt to be more comfortable. Thad eyes me for a second, and at the same time, I feel my shirt strap roll down my shoulder. I fix it, taking my time a bit. 

  “I want ice cream,” Thad murmurs, “so badly. I just want to eat as much of it as I can. I guess I also miss that.”

  “Same, Teddy, same,” I whisper. “I miss my friends.” 

  A cute lie never hurt anyone, right?

  Thad wraps an arm around me, and I feel my eyelids growing heavy. I force myself to stay awake, and my stomach rumbles. I place a hand on it, feeling the ribs that poke out, and I sigh. If this goes on for any longer, I will snap and eat a person. Wendigo Lizzy, here I come or whatever. 

|•|

  Night rolls around, and I crash on my bed. The pink blankets are warm and inviting, and I never want to leave them. I grab Sundae, my stuffed rabbit, and hold her close to me, ignoring any silly feelings. I’m starving and quarantined, I think I can cuddle a plushie every now and again. 

  I don’t sleep, though. Try as I might, I can’t force myself into that blissful darkness, and it tires me out even more. I can hear the sounds of my neighbor as he jerks off, and I cover my ears with the blanket. At least one of us is having fun. 

  What’s Thad doing? 

  I wonder what my new neighbor is gonna be like. 

  I sit up and turn to face the wall, and I poke at the rolled up towel I stuck into the hand-sized hole I may or may not have made a few months ago. I peek through it, but all I see is the dude’s head. How he never noticed it, I don’t know. I stuff it in again and huff, wishing I could fall asleep. 

  No dice. 

  He probably knows I can hear him. What a pathetic, horny loser. 

  Eventually, his grunting becomes almost relaxing, and I close my eyes. 

|•|

  When I wake up, the towel has been pushed out to the floor, and I stare through the hole. A brilliant red eye greets me, and I bite back a shriek. 

  “Why was this here?” the eye’s owner asks, her accent making me pause for a second. “Did you do this?”

  “I don’t have to fucking answer that!” I snap. 

  The eye rolls, and she sighs. “Oh, I think you should.”

  “Whatevs. What’s your name? I’m Lizzy,” I say. 

  “Doll.” 

  “That’s a weird name. Were your parents, like, fucking tripping when they named you?” I ask, and she chuckles quietly. 

  “It’s Petra. Now, did you make the hole in the wall?” she asks. 

  “Yep. It was by accident and several months ago,” I tell her. 

  “The towel almost had me fooled,” she says. She pulls back, and I see that she has long purple hair and a button eye patch covering her right eye. “So, you’re my new neighbor.”

  I give her a peace sign and smile. “Yep.” 

  I think she almost smiles back. 

Chapter Text

  Lizzy’s hand curls around her knife, and she glares at Mom. Dad takes a bite, ignoring everyone. I wait, trying to not even breathe. My sister clears her throat and asks, “Why can’t I spend the night at Clara’s house? You let Thad stay over with Vio, and they’ve probably fucked a million times by now!”

  “Elizabeth!” Mom snaps, her fork falling out of you grip. “That is no way to talk about your brother!” 

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mommy deare-“

  Her head whips to one side, and she touches her cheek as it grows red. Her eyes widen, and her jaw drops in shock. Her hands begins to shake, and she springs up and flees from the dining room. 

  Mom gets up, grabs Lizzy’s plate, and dumps the sparse contents into the trash before sitting back down again. Dad pats her shoulder, and she sighs. “What am I going to do with that child?” she murmurs. “It doesn’t matter what I do, she never learns.” 

  I slip away from the table and follow after Lizzy, and I find her curled up and yanking on her hair. Tears stain her face, and her eyes are lit up with rage. Her wrists are covered in red streaks, most likely like scratching at them too harshly. I sit down beside her and grab her hands, and she whines and pulls away from me. 

  She sits on my lap as though she’s a child, and she softly kisses my neck to calm herself. She whimpers, shaking a mile a minute. Her semi-transparent top tickles my skin, but I can’t bare to push her away. In a few minutes, she begins to cry some more. I trace circles on her back, and she holds onto me like a lifeline. 

  “W-why does she h-hate me?” she asks, hiccuping. 

  “She doesn’t hate you, Liz,” I say softly.

  “S-she does, Teddy. I-I know she d-does.” Her tears and makeup stain my shirt, but I don’t care. “W-why?” 

  I sigh, and we hold each other. 

|•|

  “Where’s Lizzy?” V asks, tilting her head. “I thought she was coming.”

  “She changed her mind last minute,” I say. 

  V nods and takes my hand. “That’s fine. You ready?” 

  “Yep.” 

  I tie my laces and help her up, and we begin to skate on the frozen lake. V’s sparkly, pale blue skirt whips around her legs with her movements, and I feel myself blushing as I watch her. She skates in circles around me, and I chuckle and do my best to keep up with her. 

  We skate together for about an hour before Uzi and N show up, and the girls hug while N fist bumps me. The shorter girl wobbles on the ice for a bit, but she quickly gets the hang of it and is racing with V in no time at all. N doesn’t bother to do that, and we take a break to cheer for each of our girlfriends. 

  Maybe it’s for the best that Lizzy didn’t come with me. 

  “How’s your day been, man?” N asks as he sips some hot chocolate. 

  “Fine. Yours?” 

  N ducks his head, smiling secretively. “Uzi and I had a great time earlier. Oh, and we finished that video game she wanted to play.”

  “Cool, cool.” I drink some water, watching the two on the ice. V’s won several laps by this point, but Uzi seems just as determined to win the game. “How many were they trying to do?”

  “Thirty, I think,” N says. “As much as I love Uzi, I don’t think she’ll win this one.”

  “Wow,” I say, chuckling. “That’s new.”

  He laughs as well, but he does continue to cheer for her. Once the third laps are done, they come join us. Uzi leans on N’s shoulder, and he kisses her hand. V lies in the snow, eyes closed peacefully, lips curved into a smile. We rest for maybe twenty minutes before getting back up and continuing. 

  Uzi and I decide to see who’s faster while V and N catch up on some stuff, and the short girl cackles manically when she makes it to the other end of the lake first. We head back to the table, and I give her a bag of chocolates as a prize. 

  “Aw, thanks for being such a good loser,” she teases. 

  I roll my eyes, and she laughs some more. She pops some chocolates into her mouth, then pours some in my hand. I eat them slowly, and the duo rejoin us again. N sits at V’s feet, and Uzi moves down to be beside him. He kisses her hand, and she playfully bats his arm. 

|•|

 
  I stare at the rain-drenched girl, her blonde and pink ponytail spilling over her shoulders, her clothes practically glued to her skin. Her hands are shaking, clutching her bag tightly. Tears and rain have turned her makeup into a mess, and she suddenly clings to me like a koala. 

  “C’mon,” I murmur. “Let’s get you inside.”

  She gingerly sits on the couch, then bursts into a fresh wave of sobs. Her see-through shirt reveals her ribs to be visible, and I see red markings adorning them. 

  What happened at home? 

  Who did this?

  “I fucking hate her! I wish she was dead!” Lizzy screams, and someone bangs the wall, ordering us to shut up. 

  She screams again, and they throw something. She makes a beeline to the wall and scratches at it, scratches like a rabid dog. I watch, nearly horrified. 

  Finally, I just sigh, pulling her away and pushing her towards the shower. “Go warm up. I can’t have you dying on your first day here.” 

Chapter Text

  The call is finally answered. 

  She smiles and speaks, tone sweet yet bored. 

  “Hi, how are you? I hope you’re doing well, you miserable fuckin’ bitch. You really think you you can have him all to yourself and fuck him? Whore. Don’t bother, I know you.”

  She sighs. 

  “Listen, you know exactly what I want, so shut your damn mouth, m’kay?”

  A giggle. 

  “Okay, okay, I get it. Look, I’m not the one who drew “Fuck me” on my tits and ass and walked into a house of drunk frat boys. Oh, don’t worry, I know. Oh, I know.”

  She lies on her stomach like a girl in love. 

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I’m going to take good care of him. I know him like the back of my hand, unlike you, you bitch. Calm your tits, sweetheart, I won’t fuck him yet.”

  Her eye twitches. 

  “Oh, my God, shut the fuck! You don’t know anything! You don’t fucking know anything, you miserable bitch! Shut up! SHUT THE FUCK UP! PUT UP OR SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH!” 

  The phone hits the wall. 

  A scream. 

  Nails dig into flesh, into eyes. 

  A maniacal laugh bubbles up.