“Klaus?”
Morticia called softly as the guy kept hugging her for several minutes. She had frozen, stunned by his earlier words. Did he mean he can’t do without me?
The thought brought a flutter to her chest, a breath of fresh air, and a small smile to her lips.
“One more minute,” he murmured, and Morticia gave in. He could hug her all night, and she wouldn’t mind.
Finally, he pulled away. Morticia felt weak at the knees, but she held herself upright and met his unreadable gaze.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
“You’re not going to tell me what’s going on?” she asked softly.
“No… not yet,” he sighed, his voice gentle but firm.
“I miss you too. But I won’t take it lightly if you ever ghost me again,” she warned, pointing a finger at him.
He took her hand and smiled, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I’ll try.”
“I… I don’t like that answer,” she stuttered, pink dusting her cheeks, though she stood her ground.
Swiftly, he reached for her waist, drawing her to him. Their faces were inches apart, and she found herself mesmerized by his piercing eyes.
“Do you miss me?” he questioned, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“I… I did, of course. You have no idea how worried I was. None of us could reach you. Even your mom came over and couldn’t find you at your apartment…”
He frowned, cutting in. “My mom?”
“Yeah, she came over last night,” Morticia explained, feeling his hand slowly release her.
He didn’t say anything, just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
Morticia cleared her throat. “She was wondering if…” Her voice was faint and unsure. “If you could come to the-”
“I’m not going,” he interrupted, his tone turning cold.
“You didn’t let me finish-”
“I know what you’re about to ask me. I’m not going to the fucking wedding. If she wants to go, then fine. That’s her life… but she should leave me out of this!” he snapped.
Morticia’s shoulders slumped. “I know you’re upset, but she’s your mother. Can’t you at least hear her out? I’m sure there’s a reason for-”
“No. Bunnie, no!” His voice was sharp, like the edge of a dagger. “I’m not going there, parading with her, pretending everything is alright and perfect. Newsflash, Bunnie-it’s not.”
Morticia flinched at the coldness in his voice but refused to back down. “It’s not about perfection, Klaus. You need to listen to her… she loves you and wouldn’t want any harm to come to you. She must have a reason-”
“Well, fuck her reason!” His face contorted with anger. “I’m not going there just so my so-called father can introduce me to his perfect new wife and son. I’m not going, Bunnie, and that’s final!”
Morticia bit her lip, unsure how to convince him.
“Klaus,” she called softly, but he stepped back, turning away to take a deep breath.
He didn’t want to lash out at her, but the topic was driving him to the edge. “Can you just drop it?” His voice softened as he turned back to face her. “Please.”
Morticia finally nodded. Perhaps this wasn’t the right time to press him.
But she wasn’t giving up. Josephine had a reason, and Morticia didn’t want Klaus to regret this in the future.
—
“What?” Old Evan gasped as Nica finally opened up to him. “They did that?” His eyes widened in disbelief, and Nica nodded.
“And that pharmacy still exists after doing such a thing to you?” he asked, anger flashing in his gaze.
“Well, onlookers thought I was exaggerating since they kept denying it. I had no choice but to leave,” she mumbled, her voice barely audible.
Two hours later, Nica stared at the scene before her, wide-eyed.
Old Evan had taken her to the hospital to retrieve evidence, including footage of her entering the pharmacy to buy the expired drug.
Now, the police surrounded the pharmacy, preparing to shut it down.
Old Evan walked toward her with a hard look. “Ignoring something like this only puts more people at risk. This pharmacy doesn’t deserve to stay open.”
Nica was stunned, her words caught in her throat. She had never expected him to go to such lengths. Her eyes welled with tears.
“Don’t tell me you’re about to cry-”
Before he could finish, Nica hugged him tightly, her eyes shut as tears slipped down her cheeks.
“No one has ever looked after me like this… thank you so much.”
For the first time since she had known him, Old Evan smiled.
—
After class, Rhea went to check on Valerie, but she wasn’t there. Exams were close, yet Valerie was missing classes.
Was everything alright?
“No, she didn’t come over. I chatted her up, and she said she was fine, just busy,” Morticia explained when Rhea asked about Valerie.
“She replied to your message?” Rhea sighed. “Why isn’t she replying to me?”
“Really?” Morticia muttered. “Let me give her a call, then.” She pulled out her phone and called Valerie, who picked up after a few seconds.
“Hey, what’s up, Morty?” Valerie’s voice came through. Rhea blinked, noting that Valerie hadn’t answered her call an hour ago.
“Oh, I was just checking on you,” Morticia said.
“Thanks, I’m fine.”
“Valerie?” Rhea blurted, frowning as she waited for a response. Instead, the call ended.
“What?” Rhea muttered. “She ended the call. She’s avoiding me.”
“What? No. Valerie wouldn’t do that. Maybe she had something to do and hung up quickly,” Morticia said, but Rhea shook her head.
“Then why did she hang up as soon as I spoke?” Rhea took out her phone and called Valerie again, but this time, she didn’t pick up. “She’s definitely avoiding me.”
“Stop exaggerating. What if it’s not like that? She’ll come around soon. Just chill, okay?”
Rhea finally nodded. “How about the party? Are you coming?”
Morticia paused, recalling her discussion with Klaus. The wedding was the same day as the school party.
“Back to Earth, Morty,” Rhea snapped her fingers, pulling Morticia out of her thoughts. “You’re not coming to the party, are you?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“Not sure yet… means no. What’s wrong?” Rhea asked.
“The party is the same day as Klaus’s father’s wedding. I told Josephine I’d convince Klaus to go, but he’s not hearing a word of it,” she sighed, pressing her temple. “He’s so stubborn, Rhea. I don’t even know why I said I’d try.”
“Oh, I see… that’s going to be damn hard, almost impossible,” Rhea mumbled.
“I know, right?” Morticia bit her lip.
“But I have a plan… something that might make him agree,” Rhea said, a mischievous glint in her eye.