The Breakfast Club

**Friday, January 24th, 2020. Goldman House.**

“Did you show Ellen where the griddle is? Or the nice skillet? Bel gave us that big cast-iron one, it’s behind the-”

“Mom! She’s lived here for like five months now! She knows where everything is,” Melody sighs into her phone. “Atlanta’s here too now, so, like...”

“Okay, sweetie!” Monica Goldman’s voice chirps. “You girls have a great sleepover. Your dad and I will be back tomorrow night.”

“We love you!” A deeper voice rings out from Melody’s phone. “...but if you do forget where anything is, sweetie, just call-”

“DAD! I’m going. Bye.” Melody gives a furtive glance around her unoccupied room. “...love you too.”

Melody pockets her phone and makes her way to the den. She already hears laughter as she turns a corner to find Ellen and Atlanta standing near the couch.

“Hey, Atlanta! Welcome! Or, uh, welcome back?” Melody giggles. “No glowy bats this time?”

Atlanta chuckles and holds up her non-glowing hands. “Uh, nope. Thanks for inviting me anyway. You know, without any impending cataclysms.” She tucks a curl behind her ear. “I mean, it’s to get to hang out outside of Team stuff, you know?”

“Hey, the bats woulda been welcome too so long as they like pancakes. And don’t, like, curse us or whatever. Good to see you, dude.”

Ellen sits on the arms of the couch and falls back with a *fwump*. She kicks her feet back and forth and looks up to Mel and Lanta, “Whenever you two are ready to get started, I’m good. I’m starving.”

“Sweet! Let’s do it!” Melody beams at Ellen before moving towards the kitchen, then turns around. “Atlanta, you good to stay the night too? Or just pancakes?” She hesitates. “Is your… like... dad cool with you chilling over here?”

Ellen can’t help but roll her eyes at the mention of Noah James.

Atlanta laughs at the idea of magical bats liking breakfast foods, but hesitates when Melody asks about her dad. “Oh. Uh. Well. See. I tried to play it off like, I’m going to my totally not teammate Melody’s house, and then he reminded me that you were in Casper’s head, and uh, so he knows that’s a lie. But he likes you, so it’s fine? He doesn’t know Ellen lives here…” She looks at Ellen guiltily. “Sorry. I’m not, uh, ashamed of you? It’s just...you know, my dad.”

Melody tilts her head and smiles at the revelation of Noah James liking her, then also gives Ellen an apologetic frown. “Hey, yeah, um… I might have, like, told my parents that your last name is Durmont? Not that there’s anything wrong with Drummond! Just, y’know… name recognition? And I’m sure they’ll really like you either way. Just, like…” Melody sighs loudly. “They still don’t know I’m on the team. Or have powers. Or that my ‘volleyball coach’ is actually The Jackal. And I dunno how to tell them all this stuff.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Ellen rolls off the couch awkwardly, taking a moment to get back to her feet, “Hell, I dyed my hair just so people could tell me apart from the rest. It’s fine.”

She places a hand on a shoulder of each of her friends. “And if we’re going to start strategizing about how to tell our families things, I’d rather do it on a full stomach.” With a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Ellen walks between and past Melody and Atlanta into the kitchen.

“Big talk, dumbass.” She mutters to herself, hoping no one else hears.

Atlanta gives Melody a concerned look, then follows Ellen into the kitchen. "Um, even if you get it and there's nothing we can do to really change it right now doesn't make it okay. You're my best friend, Ellen." She gives Ellen a quick hug, then looks around. "But yeah, let's get to these pancakes I've heard so much about."

Ellen is caught off guard by the hug and it’s done before she can even raise her arms to hug Atlanta back. She blinks a few times as she figures out how to respond, then sighs.

“Yeah, I gotta stop doing that, huh? Thanks Lanta,” she smiles awkwardly, not sure where to look, “Now when did you hear so goddamn much about these pancakes?” She leans to look past Atlanta, raising an eyebrow at Melody.

“I mean…” Melody gives Ellen a sheepish grin and shrugs. “I can’t help it if the Best Wrestler in the World 2020 *also* makes the best pancakes in the world!” She places her hand over her chest and tilts her head upwards with mock solemnity. “It’d be, like, *wrong* of me to keep that to myself.”

“Also, like...” she continues as she reaches into a nearby cupboard and produces containers of flour and sugar. “You know *my* cooking wasn’t gonna lure Atlanta over.”

“You know, I don’t need to be bribed to hang out with either of you.” Atlanta chuckles. “And in Melody’s defense, the idea of you being exceptionally good at making pancakes did cheer me up at the time.” Atlanta looks around, unused to not being in charge when in a kitchen. To keep herself from pacing or getting in the way, she leans against a counter and sticks her hands in the pocket of her Big High swim team hoodie. “So, how does one become the best wrestler in the world?”

“When the champion does a heel turn. Oh man, you should’ve seen it! There were these, like, chains that just appeared outta nowhere, and then she-,” Ellen is halfway through miming Melody throwing Ernest out of the ring when she pauses. “Waitaminute, I got so caught up in it being awesome, I didn’t even realize that was you, right? When… How long have you been able to make shadow chains?!”

Atlanta suddenly looks a little uncomfortable and looks at Melody. Like she knows the answer but is glad she doesn’t have to answer.

“Yeah! Umm…” Melody scratches the back of her head before quickly glancing at Atlanta, then gives Ellen a nervous smile. “It’s super new? Like… since we went into Casper’s mind. We ran into a shadow person… thing…” She pauses, struggling for any words to explain her bizarre encounter. “...they’re called The Jackals or something? They… I dunno. I ran into them in a weird shadow Halcyon place before and they helped and stuff then, but this time they talked a lot more. And they just kinda… put their hand against my head, and now I can make shadow chains too.”

“It was weird? And it’s like… something about using them still feels kinda… wrong, but not...” she trails off as she tentatively sets the containers of flour and sugar on the counter. “Anyway, at least they look pretty sick? And Atlanta was with me when this stuff happened! I would totally think I imagined it all if she wasn’t.”

“While I wouldn’t rule out having the same vivid hallucination as someone else in this city, I don’t think it was?” Atlanta shrugs, then rubs her arms as she starts thinking about the rest of the events in Casper’s head and what happened after. Her eyes get a distant look as she looks down.

Ellen looks between Melody and Atlanta suspiciously. She opens her mouth to ask more, but seeing the expressions on both of their faces, she decides to drop it. “Ok, I don’t need to read either of you to get that I should back off here. Just so long as you’re not dying, or, I dunno, having your soul drained by shadow magic or some shit,” she jokes as she grabs butter and milk from the fridge, before turning back to her friends with a serious look, “That’s not happening, right?”

“Umm, it’s probably fine.” Melody says in a flat voice.

Atlanta looks uncomfortable, but doesn’t say anything.

“Hey, guys? Not exactly reassuring there. Seriously, what’s up?” She drops the ingredients on the counter and takes a step over to Atlanta, placing a hand on her arm. “You said you can’t be lightning anymore, and you *controlled time* when you were in there. Did something else happen, because I thought I’d already heard the crazy part. I know I *just* said I wouldn’t push, but then I laughed about soul magic and no one else did, and if there’s something you need help with, I’m not tryna lose any more friends.”

She furrows her brow and softens her voice, aware that she’d been pretty forceful, “Please?”

Atlanta holds up her hands placatingly. “I’m fine! I mean, probably?” Seeing this also wasn’t helpful, she sighs. “Okay, so you know how I absorb things? I uh, kinda absorbed part of the Abyss? And at one point it tried to take over but it hasn’t been around since, and I’ve used up all the creepy blood fire now so it’s probably gone? And like, I still don’t feel right, but that’s probably just from not being able to fly anymore.”

Ellen’s eyes go wide at the words “absorbed the Abyss”, then wider still at “tried to take over”, and again at “blood fire”. Once she has no more ability to look more surprised, she just buries her face in her hands. “Hhhhhhhaaaaaaahhhhhh…” The noise she makes is somewhere between a shout and a sigh as she drags her hands down her face. A handful of Ellens seem like nothing compared to whatever the fuck the Abyss is.

At a loss for anything useful to say, Ellen hugs Atlanta. “I’m glad you’re ok, and I get that this isn’t really a problem I can help with, but if you need anything - *anything* - just say. Holy shit, I’m so sorry.”

Atlanta leans into the hug, happy for the support. The stuff about the Abyss isn’t something she’s admitted out loud before, but of course it would be Ellen who got her to say it. “Yeah. Uh, don’t tell my dad. Or anyone. I uh, no one else knows about that part.”

As the other girls talk, the fridge sighs with a low mechanical hum as Melody opens the door and retrieves the eggs that Ellen had forgotten. She quietly makes her way back to the counter with her shoulders slumped, briefly glancing at Atlanta and Ellen as they embrace. Pulling down the last few ingredients and arranging them all neatly as the conversation continues, Melody sits on the counter herself and vacantly stares at her work.

When Atlanta pulls back from the hug, she points at Melody. “Don’t think you’re getting out of the support train. ‘It’s probably fine’ is my line and I know exactly what it means.”

Atlanta hops up on the counter next to Melody and bumps their shoulders together. “You don’t have to talk about it if you really don’t want to, but I’m gonna support you anyway, okay?”

“Awww, look at us, bonding and shit. Get in here you nerds!” Ellen throws her arms around both girls, lifting them off the counter.

*Maybe the whole friends thing wasn’t such a bad idea after all…* she thinks to herself as she sets Melody and Atlanta back on their seats.

Atlanta squeaks in surprise as she’s lifted up, then laughs as Ellen sets her down. *Maybe people knowing isn’t so bad...*

Melody sniffles as she’s picked up, and blinks out a couple tears before laughing too. *Maybe I should have opened up a long time ago...*

After being placed down, Melody takes a moment to gather herself before bumping her shoulder against Atlanta’s in return. “Thanks…” She gives a broad, honest smile to Atlanta and Ellen before continuing. “I’m good. It’s really nice to be able to talk about this stuff. I’m just… worried, I guess. I don’t feel weird all the time, so I think I have it better than you,” she looks towards Atlanta, “but actually using my shadow stuff feels… I can’t really explain it. I get that feeling, like when you’re having a bad dream, and everything is super scary and wrong, and you know it? And you know you’re supposed to be scared. But when I actually touch that shadow, it feels… warm, and good.”

“That sounds really fucking weird, right?” Melody looks between the other girls. “But… I guess shadow stuff let me help a lot of people already too. I think it’s a good thing? Even if it’s scary. I just don’t know, like… why me, for this stuff? And I probably just gotta get used to it. And figure out more about it.”

Ellen rips a paper towel from the roll on the counter and hands it to Melody. “Hey, tough guys cry too.” She starts measuring out flour and sugar into the mixing bowl, talking while she works.

“I promise, the one thing that has, like, never changed about Halcyon City is that it is full of fucked up teenagers tryna figure out their regular teen shit *in addition* to superpower shit,” she turns fast and points the whisk at Melody, “Melody Goldman, you are downright normal. Take it from the adult in the room.”

Ellen smiles a triumphant, know-it-all smile, not realizing she’s stirred too hard and kicked some flour up onto her black t-shirt.

“You’re only like, one month older than me dude!” Melody laughs back after turning her head and failing to surreptitiously wipe away a tear. “But thanks…”

"If it feels good, and you can help people with it, it doesn't even matter if it's weird, right? I mean, let's face it, most of what the team does would be incredibly weird almost anywhere else. And you've got us and the rest of the team to help you figure it out." Atlanta puts an arm around Melody and gives her a squeeze before noticing the flour on Ellen's shirt and giggling. "I think you need an apron."

Atlanta hops off the counter and hands Ellen a towel. "I could have brought some. I've got...uh… probably too many to be honest." She chuckles. "But they're fun and don't take up much room."

“We’ve got some!” Melody chimes in as she hops off the counter and reaches into a cupboard, producing an apron with the words *Best Flippin’ Dad*. “But dad’s like, the only one that usually cooked before Ellen joined the family, so apron choices are all dad-themed.”

“Nah, fuck it,” Ellen tries to brush the flour off, but just ends up spreading it, “I’m not a kitchen wizard. I just like pancakes and I will suffer for what I love. Can you pass the milk?” She points with her elbow behind Atlanta.

Atlanta looks at the aprons. "Uh, I think I'll pass." She hands Ellen the milk, then leans against the counter with a grin. "Sooooo, how was your vacation with Tay?"

Melody’s face lights up. “Yeah! How was your trip with Tay, *Joan*?” she ends with an obvious wink.

Ellen nearly drops the milk. She whips her head around to stare at Melody. “Dude,” she hisses through clenched teeth, “ix-nay on the oan-Jay!”

She turns away from the others to hide the blush forming on her face. “It was…” her sentence trails off as she begins to reminisce: the hours spent driving, with Tay holding on to her; all the times they just got to talk about each other; all the times they *didn’t* talk; their near escape from a cult trying to destroy Tay...

The deepening blush begins to fade at that last thought, and there’s a sinking feeling in the pit of Ellen’s stomach. She snaps back to reality, aware she hasn’t spoken for a few moments, still facing away from Mel and Lanta.

“Hey, uh, guys... if you ever meet a girl who, um...” she pauses, not sure how much to say. She scratches her head and turns around. “If you see a chick about *this* tall, short curly hair, built as shit, lying face of a demon, and she asks about Tay *or* me, do me a favor? Pretend you never heard of us.”

“You sure this bitch doesn’t need to get decked? She sounds pretty deckable.” Melody raises a fist and tries to grin at Ellen, but the anger and worry on her face is obvious. Her eyes soften as she takes a few steps forward and lightly bumps Ellen’s shoulder with her fist, but her face remains tense. “You okay? What happened? If she tried to hurt you or Tay...” Melody grits her teeth. “I will end this chick.”

Atlanta starts to grin when she sees the blush forming, hoping for cute details, but gives Melody a concerned look when Ellen speaks. She nods in agreement with Melody. “What happened, Ellen? Are you both okay?” she asks softly.

Ellen runs a hand through her hair and exhales deeply. “*I’m* fine. I mean, we both are, mostly. It’s- they tried to kill her! Like, stakes and crosses and crossbows! Who the fuck has crossbows?!” She slides down the cabinet front into a squat, her head in her hands.

“Like, all things considered, Tay’s doing pretty good. But... I knew something was wrong and I couldn’t get us out of there fast enough and now who knows if that psycho is gonna try to come after her again, or send some other motherfucker to finish the job, or-” she has to stop talking to catch her breath.

Atlanta crouches in front of Ellen and puts her hands on the other girl’s shoulders. She looks furious, a kind of angry that Ellen hasn’t seen before, but Melody would recognize from the fight at the hospital, when Kieran had Jasper. “If she or anyone else comes, they’re gonna run into more than they bargained for. No one is gonna hurt you or Carm if I have anything to say about it.” Her voice softens. “Breathe, okay? You’re safe, and you’ve got us to watch your backs.”

Melody’s face grows darker as Ellen speaks, her eyes seething with anger. She clenches her fists and continues steaming as she listens, but relaxes slightly when Atlanta speaks. Sitting down next to Ellen, Melody puts an arm around her shoulder and sighs. “Atlanta’s right. You’re home now, it’s okay. We’re not going to let anything bad happen to you or Tay. Besides…” she gently shakes Ellen’s shoulder, “pretty sure Tay’s more badass than all of us, right? I feel bad for anyone dumb enough to go after her.”

“Ha, she was incredible. She took out like 5 of them solo. And she busted through a wall to get us out of there.You’re probably right.” Ellen chuckles and rubs her face. “I just wanted you guys to know too. You’re good people, I’m glad Tay has you around.” Ellen reaches for the hands on her shoulder when her stomach grumbles. “Oh right. Food. We should get back to that, huh?” she asks, still laughing.

“Sure, you can tell us about the rest of your vacation while we’re at it.” Atlanta grins and stands. “Starting with who Joan is?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Ellen pushes Atlanta jokingly and stands, pulling Melody with her, “I needed a fake name, just in case idiot-me has a reputation up north. So drop it before I ban you from pancakes for life!” She grabs the eggs, cracks two into the bowl, and resumes mixing, wielding the spatula like a potential weapon at Atlanta.

“What’s, like, the coolest shit you two saw up there?” Melody asks as she slides the butter closer to Ellen’s mixing bowl. “Any mooses?”

Grinning, Atlanta holds up her hands in surrender in the face of such a fierce weapon. “I’m just here for the gossip. And pancakes. Obviously.”

“I don’t think we went north enough for mooses... M- meese? Neither of those sound right. I thought I saw a wolf once, but it was just Tay when her eyes were red. Yeah, we didn’t spend a lot of time with wildlife and stuff. Unless you count that bird singer.” Ellen snickers at the memory.

Atlanta raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, bird singer? Like a bird transformed or?" Atlanta's eyes light up. "Did something happen because Carm's part cat now?"

“Hahahahaha! Can you believe it?! We only saw her on tv, but yeah. There’s this, like, goose-lady opera singer, she’s a huge deal in Canada apparently. I was flipping through channels, and there she was. Tay’s ears perked up and everything, it was so cute.”

“Awwwww,” Melody smiles broadly at Ellen. “That sounds so adorable! I can’t handle it.” Something clicks in her head, and a more devious grin appears. “Speaking of people being cute together… I heard from a bandmate that someone named *Atlanta* went on a date too?”

“Oh yeahhhhh,” Ellen mirrors Melody’s expression, “how was date night, huuuuuuh?”

Atlanta echos the "awww" at Ellen's story. A blush quickly forms, though, as the tables are turned on her. "Um. Well. Yeah." She looks down, unable to stop a grin from forming as she thinks about the date. "Boon asked me out. We went ice skating. I fell once, but she caught me. We talked about some stuff. And she flew me to the community center after. It was… really nice."

Melody tilts her head down to get a better look at Atlanta’s face as she speaks. As Atlanta finishes, Melody clutches her hands over her heart. “Wowww. That’s like, maybe the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. Also damn, I didn’t know Boon could fly! Girl does everything.”

“They grow up so fast. Lookit our girl, dating. I’m so damn proud.” Ellen sniffles as she wipes an invisible tear. “Seriously though, glad you had fun. Sounds like there’s gonna be a second date? Where’re you gonna take her?”

Atlanta’s blush deepens at Melody’s theatrics. “Yeah, she can sprout wings? It was cool.” She chews on her lip guiltily for a moment before answering Ellen’s question. “See. Uh. The thing is, about a second date? We both said we want to, and that’s true, but uh, I feel like I need to tell her before we do. About me. Being Verve.”

She pulls her hands up into her sleeves before continuing. “Like, I was gonna tell her. I’d decided, hey, I think this is a person I should trust with this, but like, I’ve only ever told Ellen and that was kinda forced and I wasn’t sure how. And then she started asking Verve me for dating advice about Atlanta me, and I was like, can’t do it now, it’s too awkward. And then there was never a good time? And then the date was happening and I was like, well now you’ve really gotta do it or she’s gonna hate you if you wait much longer, and then I started to and my dad called and I just...chickened out, I guess. Not to mention that he was mad because he thought I was lying and actually doing team things, but I couldn’t tell him I wasn’t because then I’d have to say I’m actually doing date things, and then he’d be all weird about me dating someone from the team, someone with powers...like, I haven’t even gotten up the courage to tell him Ellen’s my best friend, how am I supposed to tell him I’m dating someone?” She sighs. “Sorry, I’m bringing down the mood again.”

“Ok, well it sounds like the difference there is that Boon likes you — both yous — and your dad doesn’t. Boon might actually get it. She might be kinda pissed, but if you trust her to know your secret, then she probably won’t be a bitch about it.” Ellen spreads the melting butter around the griddle surface. “Probably.”

Melody winces at Ellen’s last word. “Well… yeah, like Ellen said, start with the easier one there?” She stares at the ground for a few moments, lost in thought. “I mean… it’s like, your secret to keep if you want to. You don’t have to tell her until you’re ready. Or ever. But…” Melody looks up at Atlanta and smiles. “It’s not bad telling people things, sometimes. Like, I know you probably didn’t want me to know, but I don’t think we would have ended up as friends if all that crap hadn’t happened. So… yeah.”

“Besides…” Melody shrugs. “Give Boon some credit? She seems really chill. If she likes Atlanta you and Verve you… I mean, shouldn’t she like you even more when she finds out they’re both you? That’s like, basic math stuff, I think.”

“It’s not that I’m worried she’ll hate that we’re the same person, it’s just that I wouldn’t blame her for being mad that I’ve kept it from her for this long. And I don’t like keeping it from her. It’s stopped feeling like keeping myself safe and more like just being deceptive? Especially since she keeps asking Verve for dating advice.” Atlanta rubs her face. “And yeah...I wouldn’t have chosen to tell you, Melody...or anyone else at the hospital...but I am glad that you know. And Ellen. I'm glad we're friends now. It’s just...hard. I’ve kept this a secret for so long, it’s hard to think about telling someone like it’s not a big deal. I've never told someone when I wasn't under pressure. I don't know...how."

“Well, what kind of situation are you *not* under pressure in? What if you do that, and tell her then? I mean, I didn’t ask out Tay until *you* told me she would probably be into it; I fuckin’ needed that last bit of, like… reassurance?” Ellen flips a pancake and the sizzle fills the silence as she thinks.

“OH! Dude! I got it,” she turns, pointing between herself and Atlanta with the flipper, “double date! You and Boon, me and Tay. Done deal!”

Atlanta thinks about this for a moment. “I don’t know if Tay being there would be less pressure, but I do like the idea of a double date.” She smiles at the idea of the four of them doing something like normal teenagers, despite her worries about Tay also hating her for keeping this secret.

“I mean, you still don’t have to tell either of them if you’re not ready. And if you’re nervous or want to talk to Boon alone, I can run interference with Tay. And if you try to chicken out, I can threaten to punch you so you go through with it! I don’t see how this could go wrong, really.”

Ellen flips the final pancake onto the stack of finished ones, a concerningly tall pile. “That last bit was a joke, by the way. No pressure and all that.” She picks up the plate of pancakes in one hand and spins to face Atlanta and Melody. She says no words, but her facial expression says “Now sit down and get ready for the best fucking pancakes of your life.”

Atlanta laughs at the punching threat, but takes a seat at the table and prepares herself for some life-changing pancakes.

“What about you, Melody? Any romantic interests we need to be aware of?”

There’s a small clatter as Melody accidentally drops the last of the flatware that she has been setting on the table. She quickly repositions the forks and knives that she has laid out.

“Oh, me? Pffff, ya right. Just too busy with school and volleyball and hero stuff, y’know.” Melody turns away from the other girls in an attempt to hide her blushing, unwittingly looking out the window at a house down the street.

Atlanta grins and rests her chin on her hands. She gives Melody her best ‘would you say no to this face’ look. “Well that’s a yes if I’ve ever heard one. Share? Pleeeeeease?”

Melody’s blush deepens at Atlanta’s expert prodding, her freckles almost blending in with the rest of her skin. She gives Atlanta an exaggerated ‘how could I say no to that face’ frown and dramatically exhales.

“Fineeeeeee... Aman?” Melody traces the side of her empty plate with a finger, then looks up at Ellen’s approaching stack of pancakes and smiles before continuing in a softer voice. “But like, I dunno if he likes me like that? And I don’t wanna make stuff weird.”

Ellen nearly bursts out laughing before she realizes Mel isn’t joking. She looks, confusedly, between Melody, one of her best friends and one of the most reliable and level-headed people she knows, and the direction of Aman’s house down the street.

She mumbles something about “goober” under her breath, but settles for just offering Mel a supportive hand on her shoulder. After all, Ellen had been in nearly the same situation herself only a few months earlier. “As long as you don’t stress yourself out too much, do what you gotta do Mel. Trying to ask out a friend ain’t easy, but even if he says no, at least it gets some of that, like, pressure off your chest.”

Atlanta nods. “I get that. Aman’s super nice.” She thinks back to the times she’d seen the two of them together, especially the days in Casper’s head. “And I can’t say with the same certainty that I told Ellen, but I think you should go for it? I don’t think Aman would like, stop being friends with you if you did? He doesn’t seem like that kind of person. And at least then you’ll know? Besides! You’re great, Melody! And he’s great, so like, you’d be a great couple.” Atlanta nods like that’s definitely how this works.

That’s definitely not how this works, Melody thinks to herself, yet she can’t help but smile at Atlanta’s encouragement. “Thanks… yeah. I’m not like, worried about him stopping being friends with me either way. I mean, he’s definitely a goober...” she looks up at Ellen and grins, “but not a total… what was the word you used, Atlanta?... chucklehead?” Melody giggles at the sound of it. “Not like, 100% chucklehead, anyway. Definitely partial. But you’re both right, yeah. I just gotta work my way up to it and say something. Then I won’t be stressed about it so much,” she sighs. “Thanks for the, like, advice and stuff. It means a lot to be able to talk about, just… all this.”

“Anyway! Speaking of things that’ve been worked up? Appetite!” Melody eyes the massive stack of pancakes that Ellen is carrying, and holds out her plate. “This is torture, Ellen. Save me. Pleaseeeeee.”

“I’m always available for advice. I’ve been asked out once over text, panicked, and had to text Ellen before I could say yes, so I’m clearly an expert.” Atlanta giggles and also eyes the pile of pancakes.

“Oh, yeah. Dig in,” she drops the plate on the table causing the stack to teeter precariously, “I’ll be right back.” With that, Ellen disappears up the stairs for a few seconds, returning with a glass jug in hand.

She sets it down on the table with a satisfying thud as the golden brown syrup inside sloshes slowly. “Tadaaaaa! 100% pure Canadian, got it from a stand off the highway in the middle of nowhere.” She uncaps the bottle and pauses before pouring.

“This is either gonna be the best maple syrup we’ve ever had, or it’ll kill us. Who wants to find out?” Ellen smiles with child-like glee.

Atlanta puts some pancakes on her plate and holds it out to Ellen. She tries to look solemn and serious, but can't keep the amusement out of her eyes. "I'll make the sacrifice."

Melody laughs, her eyes still fixed on the dark amber syrup in front of Atlanta. “Oh shit, Ellen with the legit stuff! Is roadside maple syrup like, the Canadian version of moonshine? Is Atlanta gonna go blind?”

“Only one way to know!” Ellen drowns Atlanta’s pancakes in syrup and stares, waiting for Atlanta to take a bite. “Guinea pig. Guinea pig! GUINEA PIG!” She starts chanting, pounding a fist on the table as Melody joins the chorus.

I love these goofballs, Atlanta thinks as she laughs, and takes a big bite of pancake. She chews slowly, contemplating. After swallowing, she waits a few moments. “Well if it’s poison, it’s pretty slow-acting. And delicious.” She takes another bite.

“Woooo!” Ellen cheers with both fists raised, almost spilling some syrup. “We are clear for not dying! Mel?” She tilts the bottle over Melody’s plate.

Melody looks into Ellen’s eyes and narrows her own, as if proposing some kind of unexplainable challenge, before she snorts in laughter. “Hell yeah, dude! Gimme the good stuff!”

“Heheheeeeh, that’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Ellen applies syrup liberally to Melody’s food, then her own, and finally sits to eat. The pancakes have cooled off a little, but they’re still delicious. “God,” Ellen starts through a mouthful of food, “remind me to not go anywhere where I don’t have access to a kitchen for a month again anytime soon. Fuck I missed pancakes.”

"Sameeeee!," Melody exclaims through a mouthful of pancakes, pausing to savor the taste before devouring more. "You sure you weren't practicing? These are even better than last time, dude. Didn't think it was possible." She smiles at Atlanta with a face that says 'See, I told you!'.

"Really missed this..." she continues, beaming at Ellen. "Fuckin'... missed you a lot, Ellen. I'm really glad you're home."

Atlanta nods in agreement with Melody. “They are really amazing, Ellen. I’m super glad you’re back, too. And that you both invited me today. I uh, I can’t remember the last time I did something like this. Just hung out. Like we’re the kind of kids whose normal doesn’t include saving the city and popping into other dimensions every other Tuesday. It’s uh, it’s really nice.”

“Why don’t we just make this a thing then? Like, y’know, if there’s no fuckin’ crisis or whatever that we gotta deal with, just have pancakes on Fridays? We can just *do* that. Like, who’s gonna stop us?” Ellen suggest between bites. “I mean, I see you guys all the time, but we never really seem to have the time to just… chill like this. And I could definitely do more of this.” She smiles at Melody and Atlanta, cheeks full like a hamster.

Atlanta’s eyes light up at the idea of getting to do this all the time. “I’d really like that. Oh! And maybe I could teach you how to make cupcakes if you wanted, too!”

Melody leans over her plate as she listens, nodding excitedly as her head bounces between the other two girls. She gives a performative gasp at Atlanta’s statement. “Would Atlanta dare reveal her cupcake secrets?”, she says with a grin. “But yeah, like… this is seriously rad and I love chilling with you both, we *need* to do this more. If the world isn’t actually literally exploding and none of us are trapped in a hell-dimension or mindscape or whatever... let’s just keep doing this on Fridays!”

“So it has been decreed, so it shall be done,” Ellen announces with a bang of the syrup jug on the table, “in the name of House Goldman. Officially.”

She slumps into in her chair, the pancakes already starting to weigh her down. “Just need... one more thing...” Ellen slides down further, onto the floor, practically dragging herself over to her guitar by the couch. She licks the remaining traces of syrup from her fingers before picking up her instrument and holding it close for a moment, its weight familiar and comforting in her arms.

“THIS ONE GOES OUT TO ATLANTA JAMES!” The shout breaks the relative silence and does not at all fit the song that follows.

Atlanta grins at Ellen’s theatrics, but the grin drops away as she listens. By the end, she’s tearing up. She opens her mouth a few times before she gets out, “Wow, Ellen. That was... wow.”

Leaving her own pancakes, Atlanta goes over to the couch, sits next to Ellen, and hugs her. “I’m so glad you’re my friend, Ellen.”

“Yeah, same,” Ellen’s hands are still full of a guitar, so she briefly leans her head on Atlanta’s, “Being gone for so long really made it sink in.” She closes her eyes and tries not to think about all the other people she misses, the ones she can’t even talk to anymore.

“Woooooo!” Melody sits on the kitchen table, holding Ellen’s lighter above her head as she cheers. The small flame dances as Melody’s upper body still rocks in the rhythm of the song she’d just heard. “Seriously, dude,” she concludes as the lighter shut snaps shut, “that was amazing!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m a goddamn virtuoso.” Ellen half-smiles at Melody and shifts uncomfortably, unused to the praise. “I, uh, I’ve got another one if you wanna hear it. For you, this time.”

“Oh, shit. Really?” Melody’s voice softens as her face drops into a combination of surprise-- *she wrote a song for me?* -- and embarrassment-- *why would anyone write a song for me?* Melody takes a few careful footsteps over to the couch and hops over the back, landing in an empty spot with a soft thud. She looks to the girl who entered her life all those months ago and gives her a soft smile. “Yeah, Ellen. I’d love to hear it.”

Atlanta pulls away as Ellen shifts, but stays sitting next to her. “Me, too.”

Ellen shrinks a bit at the sudden closeness. It doesn’t matter that it’s the same two people listening as before, this feels serious now.

“Whatever. Your funeral.” She scoffs, trying to defuse her nervousness. *’Your funeral’? What’s that even supposed to mean? Ughhhh.*

The final chord seems to ring forever and Ellen can’t help but feel that she’s said, or sang, too much. She shuts her eyes and tries to breathe deep to slow down her heartbeat.

Tears stream down Melody’s face as the last note hangs in the air. A series of soft whimpers emerge from her throat when she tries to open her mouth and express how she feels. Melody wants to say a million things to Ellen-- how appreciated she is, how amazing she is, how much her friendship means, that she is loved-- but Melody can’t form words. Vision blurred by tears, Melody wraps her arms around Ellen and holds her tightly, Melody’s sobs occasionally breaking the silence.

*Oh shit, too much.*

“Ah, sorry Mel. That was a lot, I guess,” she sighs, trying in vain to wrestle free of Melody’s grip. She opts for weakly patting Melody’s arm with an awkwardly twisted hand.

Ellen looks to Atlanta with a very concerned expression, mouthing the words “was that too mushy?”

Atlanta joins in on this hug, rubbing Melody’s back. “I think it was perfect, but then again, I like mushy.”

A few more moments pass before Melody releases her vice-like hug and draws herself back a few inches. She looks mostly embarrassed at this point, and gives a sheepish smile to Ellen and Atlanta before looking at the ground. “Sorry! Sorry. Y’know emotional stuff always gets me. I mean, I still can’t like, watch the end of T2 without losing it.”

Melody stands and makes her way to a small cabinet near the TV before looking over her shoulder. “Agreed with Atlanta, though. I like mushy stuff too, and it was perfect. Just... thanks, Ellen.” She rifles through some Blu-rays before turning around and fanning a half-dozen of them out like a hand of cards. “Sooo... what are we watching tonight? T2 again? Something cute?” She squints, reading the label on one. “Whatever a Molly Ringwald is?”

Ellen smiles softly as Melody puts herself together and goes over to the tv. She’s about to opine on movie choices when she *has* to school Mel.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘whatever a Molly Ringwald is’?!” She launches herself off the couch and snatches the case out of Mel’s hand. “I didn’t know you guys had 'The Breakfast Club' in there! All these fuckin’ disc things are so skinny, I couldn’t read the titles. Have you never seen this?” Ellen looks with amazement between her friends.

Melody bites her lip, looking almost guilty. “Nooo...? That’s one of Mom and Dad’s, but I’ve never like, actually watched it with them. Even though they’ve bugged me to.” She turns to Atlanta and shrugs. “Atlanta, you ever seen it?”

Atlanta shakes her head. "No. We don't watch a lot of movies, they're not as appealing without sound, and we usually only watch stuff that Jasper can watch with us. He loves nature documentaries though." Atlanta smiles as she thinks about her little brother. "But if you like it, I say we watch that one!" She pounds her fist on her knee, imitating what Ellen did earlier with the syrup.

Melody gives an authoritative nod. “Atlanta banged something against something, so that means it’s official.” She jumps back onto the couch with a small bounce and stretches out her legs.

Ellen puffs up her cheeks and exhales, “Ok, but get ready to cry more, I guess. You two good with that?” She’s already putting the disc in the blu-ray player, very proud of herself for remembering how this crazy thing works. *The future is so weird,* she shakes her head softly.

“Pffff, got it all out of my system” Melody declares, as if trying to convince herself. “Besides, it’s about people in detention, right? How bad could it be?” She looks to Atlanta for some kind of reassurance.

Atlanta shrugs, unconcerned with crying more. “I reserve the right to cry on any shoulders within sobbing distance.” She sits in the middle of the couch so she gets to sit next to both of her friends.

The three settle in to watch the movie. There’s laughing, a few tears, Atlanta falling asleep on Ellen’s shoulder, and generally enjoying each other’s company and the mundanity of it all. Ellen mouths along with the movie here and there, pumping her fist in the air at the end. She and Melody play rock-paper-scissors to see who carries Atlanta upstairs afterwards. Melody loses, and despite being unsure if the winner or loser was supposed to do it, she gently scoops up Atlanta and carefully places her in a guest-room bed upstairs. She turns the lights off as a quiet takes the house, and for the first time in a while, Halcyon City has a peaceful night.