How Green Becomes Wood

When Xander laughed, she did too, because how could she not? Daizi didn't think she had ever heard Xander laugh like that, and for the first time since realizing she was pregnant she really felt like everything was okay. "Deal," She yawned and then pressed herself deeper in the chair, "I wish we had known you liked horses when we drove past them that day. We would've stopped... hm... I wonder if Cooger knows anyone who owns horses... He hates farms, I'm not sure his opinion on ranches."
 
"It's alright. Maybe someday I'll get to see a horse up close, maybe even ride it if I don't chicken out like a little baby." Xander stood and stretched. "I should probably get ready for bed and check my homework." He nodded to Daizi even if she couldn't see him. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Sleep well."
 
"Hey, this baby is going to be brave as hell," She teased. Although considering the baby's father was 6'7 and their mother was just barely under 6 feet tall, she wasn't entirely sure they were ever going to be a 'little' baby, "but I know that you will... goodnight, Xander, it was really nice talking with you tonight." She closed her eyes as Xander left the room and stayed right where she was on the chair, feeling way too tired to get up to go to bed.
 
Xander shook his head in amusement and headed to bed.

The next week went by pretty quietly. Things seemed to be a little more relaxed, though still awkward. School happened. The weekend happened. And things fell into a proper routine with rather bland dinners consisting of whatever foods Daizi could eat. The twins never complained.

Alec went through bouts of avoiding Daizi and constantly checking to make sure she was okay. When he wasn't doing that, he was learning how to play the piano and sometimes pretending he could play the harp when Daizi and Dark weren't home. He was actually pretty talented. No savant, to be sure, but a natural talent with a quick ear and nimble fingers.

Xander started researching leatherworking and bringing home random bits of leather. He amassed quite a bit in one short week. He still wasn't sure what to do with it, and he didn't have the tools, but he had the material! And books checked out from the library.

Monday came, and the twins wandered into the cafeteria, their lunch bags tucked under their arms as they headed back toward their usual corner. They didn't even try to talk as they walked through the crush of students. Not much had changed here in the past week, but there were fewer attempts to trip them.
 
Nothing for Dark had changed very much. Despite Mr. Leeds' threats, he hadn't heard anything negatively or positively regarding their departure, and considering Bernice absolutely loved raking him over the coals for the slightest thing, he was heartened by it. And he and Daizi were having a quiet celebration, because their baby had survived to week ten, meaning she was, officially, a fetus. Only a few times before had they ever made it that far, and they were thrilled, even though Daizi was sicker than she had ever been thus far (and was praying her doctor was right and that this was just the peak of it), and even though she was often dizzy, and always absolutely exhausted, and had packed away all of her skirts with zippers and/or buttons. It was all worth it for the prune sized fetus. ...Also, aaccording to Dark, her hair looked incredible, so that was a plus.

She wasn't sure exactly what to do with Alec, because she couldn't keep track of if he was distancing himself or putting appointing himself Tsar of her health, but he was sweet and she did her best to meet him where he was on any given day. She liked helping him with piano, anyway, at least on days where he didn't scurry away at the sight of her. For a beginner, he was good, and he was picking it up quickly, which impressed her.

The Monday, despite feeling terrible and having hardly been able to keep anything down all weekend, she went to work, just like she ought to, as did Dark (who was privately feeling like more of like an absolute jerk purely because of the male vs. female roles of reproduction, since it was his baby too, and he was doing just fine, because his job was finished until the baby was actually born).

In the Cafeteria that day, as the twins went to their normal spot, they didn't notice a teenage girl glance up at them as they passed by. She normally sat in a different spot, so she had never seen them, but someone was sitting in her seat that day, which she thought was incredibly rude, because, no, there weren't assigned seats in the cafeteria... officially, but there were definitely de facto assignments, and when one person takes your seat, it starts a whole chain of displacement. But, it did mean one good thing. She watched them walk to where they sat, and then rose up from her seat and followed them. She stood in front of the table, her light-brown curly hair was in a low ponytail was held in a pale blue scrunchy the same colour as her high top converse she had scribbled stars on, "Hiya," she said, "my name's Sloan."
 
"What did you pack for us today?" Xander asked as they opened their lunch boxes.

"Mixed meat and cheese," Alec told him. "There were only a couple of slices left in all three meat packages, so I mixed them. There's grapes today, too, and a Chrunch bar."

"Nice." Xander picked up his sandwich but paused in confusion when a voice spoke to them. No one ever spoke to them at lunch unless it was a quick shot. Too many teacher's eyes to cause much trouble. He stared at her, his expression completely blank and a little hard, his default expression when confused.

"Like Everette Sloane from Citizan Cane?" Alec finally asked, tipping his head slightly to one side. He wasn't wearing his coat today, meaning his green-stripped shirt with a pink undershirt and a blue vest were on display for all to see and snicker at. He even had a little black bow tie he'd found at a thrift store. His uneven red hair framed his face as he looked up at her, noticing the curly brown hair with fascination. It bounced whenever she moved!
 
"No, I think my mom just really liked Ferris Bueller," She shifted her weight from one hip to the other and put her hands in her back pockets, "I live across the street from you guys, you know. I've been meaning to say hi. I mean, I know you've lived there for literally months, but my mom's kinda insane and doesn't like me going over to your house, I think she's convinced that I'll be led astray or something, I don't know. And I think I'm a year older than you guys, so I haven't really seen you around. So. Hi," She smiled at them, "good to finally meet you."
 
Alec smiled back, trying not to watch her hair too much. "It's nice to meet you, too. I've never watched Ferris Bueller, but I'm Alec, and this is Xander." He gestured with his sandwich to his brother, who was one step short of glowering at her. "I've seen you around some. You have a nice house."

Xander studied her, still holding his sandwich, suspicious of this new person.
 
"Hey Alec, hey Xander," She replied, "and thank you, but I think your place is cooler. My mom's one of those people who thinks appearances are everything so she kind of redoes the whole house every five years to stay 'on trend,' and I kind of feel like houses like mine you see everywhere. But, hey," She gestured to them, "I hear Mr. Dark is the reason why Logan isn't around anymore, but like--not Mr. Dark as a teacher, Mr. Dark as your foster-dad, and that's pretty sick. He once said I look like a mop--Logan, not Mr. Dark--and also he did some pretty awful things to a few of my friends, so... It's cool you guys put him on the warpath."
 
"Oh, it wasn't us at all," Alec said. "Pro- Mr. Dark would have done something sooner, but he just didn't know how bad it was. He's just one teacher, after all. He's a very good guy. Do you have his class? I like your shoes, by the way."

Xander started eating his sandwich, not taking his eyes off the new girl.
 
"I figured he must be a good guy, when I was a kid and still went trick-or-treating I'd always make sure to go to his place, it's the only time my mom would let me, and like, I'd see teens go to his house in just their normal clothes, and he'd still give them candy if they were able to come up with an explanation for how they were dressed. The best one I remember was 'an accident' but I didn't understand what that meant for a few years. You've gotta be a good guy to give people those chances. I had him in class last year, but this year I'm taking American history," She rocked on her heels, "and thank you!"

She turned towards Xander, "You're sure talkative. How does anyone get a word in edgewise with you around?" She was teasing him, but her tone wasn't at all mocking.
 
Alec smiled politely, but he didn't understand the "an accident" joke. Xander nearly cracked a smile because he did get the joke.

When Sloan addressed Xander, he just took another bite. A bigger one this time. He wasn't interested in talking to her.

"He doesn't trust strangers," Alec said apologetically, unintentionally making it sound like he was talking about a nervous dog. "Do you, uh, wanna join us? For lunch?" He had never been in this situation. He hoped he was being polite.
 
"Well I'm not really a stranger, I'm a neighbor," She replied, although she understood what she meant, "and I'll gladly join you for lunch since somebody," she glared over her shoulder, "took my regular seat, and my gi--my friend is home sick today. I mean," she looked at Xander, "if that's okay. If it'd make you uncomfortable I'll sit somewhere else."
 
Xander shrugged. "Your choice." He focused on the carrot sticks Alec insisted on packing for him no matter how he hated them.

"There's plenty of room if you've been misplaced," Alec said brightly. "At least today."
 
"Awesome," She said coolly, "I'll be right back." She went back to where she had been sitting to recollect her lunch, then returned to the table with the twins and sat down. She had a lunch bag shaped like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo. She had been using it for probably a decade, maybe slightly less, but she liked it, and even though it was a little bit dingy and the handle had already been sewn back on once, she refused to replace it. Her mother hated it and kept offering to buy her a "chic" new one but she firmly refused.

"You know," She said, taking out her lunch, which consisted of pinwheel sandwiches, pretzels, and a mandarin orange, "I have my license, and more importantly, a car, and since I like just across the street, so if you ever need a ride to or from school, you can come with me. Save the planet, and all that. Except, on Wednesdays I have student council meetings--which I know, it's so lame, but it will look really good on my college applications--so if you aren't in a club it wouldn't work out. Are you? I mean, in a club?"
 
Alec smiled but shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but we're fine. We ride here with Mr. Dark and catch the bus back. I really appreciate your offer, though. For clubs, I tried to join the art club, but they didn't like my style. I don't know of any other clubs. Only sports. Xander almost joined one when we first started highschool, though."

"Wrestling coach said I was too mean, football couch said I was too small," Xander mumbled, the most he was willing to commit to this conversation.

"What are clubs for, really?" Alec asked curiously. It had been the art teacher who had suggested he join the art club, only in passing, but no one on the club had been thrilled with that idea.
 
"Cool cool. Well, if that ever changes, just let me know." She replied, taking a sip from her water bottle, "sucks that the art club rejected you. Most of my friends stay away from them, honestly, like--Mr. Major is so fun, I adore him, but the kids in that club are so clique-y. And it's like," she held up her hand and sort of swiveled her head, "aren't art kids supposed to be accepting? Open to all sorts of styles and experimentation and all that? Whatever. You should look into shop with the drama department. Some of the plays we do are really, like--conceptual, especially for Contest Play, so the set design and backdrops can be really fun. I help out backstage sometimes because my friend, the one who is sick today, is an actor. She's actually playing Katheryn in our production of Radium Girls right now. You should totally go see it, but you should know that if, like, you have a medical phobia, or like, really hate body horror, it'll terrify you."

Sloan looked at Alec strangely when he asked what the point of clubs was, It was really something she had never considered before. "Some clubs, like Student Council, look really good on your college apps. So they're great for that. And some clubs are because you can use them to further your skills, like the language clubs and Mathletes. And then some are just for fun so you can hang out with friends. Then there are the clubs that are for, like, social justice, like the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. And the rest are just for fun. I mean, unless your goal is to become a professional musician or walker, Marching Band isn't going to do much for you. Well, hm, actually, I guess it could get you a scholarship."
 
"Hell no," Xander muttered about the play. The last thing he wanted was to be anywhere near the drama club in any capacity. He didn't even know what Radium Girls was and he didn't care. Not to mention body horror made him shiver unpleasantly at the mere mention. That on top of it being, well, drama meant it was a hard no for him.

"I don't think we're going to collage, but I guess that could change," Alec mused. "But I don't think either of us is a good match for student council. Or language clubs. Or mathletes. Or the alliance thingy. And you can't take a piano with you to marching band. And we don't really have friends to hang out with." He smiled and shrugged. "I think they sound like fun, especially drama club, but I can't think of one that would take... well, people like us." It wasn't a put-down in his mind, merely a fact. The twins had a certain reputation in school. It was an exaggerated and sometimes completely twisted one on Xander's part (there were even rumors that he'd been responsible for the last bomb threat to the school), but it was hard to escape.
 
"That's another reason why you join clubs, I guess," Sloan said, smirking slightly at Xander's firm rejection of seeing Radium Girls, "you can make friends if you go, and the good ones really accept just about anyone. And if you can find a teacher willing to be your club sponsor, the school lets you start your own. Or, technically, it still needs to be approved by the Student Council, but luckily for you--I take bribes." She clicked her tongue. She would've added that you kind of need friends to start a club, but worried it would come across as mean, even though her intention was to show she understood why starting a club wasn't really an option for them.

"But honestly, it wouldn't hurt if you dig through the list. I'm sure there's something that fits for you. I hear Adam W. is back at trying to get his DnD club started now that Logan's gone, and that game is perfect for people who think they don't belong anywhere. At least that's what Adam keeps telling me and everyone else who will listen. Mrs. McMasters, one of the English teachers, the one who has, like, an endless supply of silk scarves and keeps trying to get everyone to join either the Slam Poetry club or the Creative Writing club, she's the club sponsor, along with Mr. Yates, the math teacher who wears a Hawaiian shirt every Friday. Ummm..." She scrunched up her face as she tried to think of other clubs they might like without knowing a thing about them, "Oh! It's not a club, but the Student Council is organizing a talent show. Auditions are in a few weeks. And there's always the film club, their posters make them seem really pretentious, but they also meet on Wednesdays, and when I walked by their room last week they were literally watching the Bee Movie. Or you could join the Yearbook committee and then basically just sample all of the other clubs. And, honestly--" She folded her arms on the table and hung her head, laughing at her own misfortune, "I literally hate the fact I know all this stuff so much, dudes, I want to purge it from my memory but if you're on Student Council you learn so much useless information."
 
"What is slam poetry? Do you hit each other with poetry books?" Xander asked doubtfully.

"I think it's more like an improve challenge," Alec said. "That is a lot of stuff you have to know, and that's a lot of information. Thank you for sharing it, but, um, if you don't mind... what was that about a talent show?"
 
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