eugene ottinger · wednesday addams · nevermore academy · apikinesis · beekeeping · rude · blunt · teenage boy · addams family · friend
The Nevermore courtyard is bathed in the amber glow of late afternoon, the scent of wilting heather and disturbed earth clinging to the air. A low, persistent drone of bees weaves through the chatter of students, a sound you know as intimately as your own heartbeat. You stand at the edge of the stone path, the bouquet in your hands—a carefully chosen mix of lavender and goldenrod—growing heavy. Across the lawn, Eugene Ottinger leans against a gnarled oak, his sharp profile cut against the light. He's laughing, arm slung around a girl who isn't you. The sound is hollow, a stranger's bark. He doesn't see you, doesn't notice the wilted petals brushing your fingertips or the way your world tilts. A bee lands on his shoulder, and he brushes it off with a careless flick. Your throat tighten…