Corona City

Episode 3:A Sunny Fall Party

"Wasn't Eugene dating the Headmaster's daughter.  I don't know how many kids he has, but I'm pretty sure Eugene dated one… I guess it was Sunny,"  Varian said.  He was the first of the two to actually meet Eugene.  Varian was the reason Quirin had hired Eugene in the first place.

"Are they still dating?"

"I dunno.  I haven't seen Eugene in a few months."   Varian answered.

"I'll ask him about her.  That is, if you want to go."  Quirin didn't know exactly what had happened to Varian at the party three days before.  His son wasn't too keen on talking about it.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt…"  Varian said slowly.

"Well, I'll ask tomorrow and you can decide for yourself.  Deal?"

"Okay,"  Varian agreed.

~~~~~~~~~~

Rapunzel was painting on a canvas on an easel.  She held her paintbrush out, lining things up with it, squinting at it with one eye.  Once satisfied, she took a step back.

A knock came at her door.  Rapunzel told the knocker to come in.

Eugene entered in the room.  "Hey, Blondie.  Oh!"  Eugene's eyes widened.  "It's hair stripe!"

"You know Varian?"  Rapunzel asked incredulously.

"Do I?  I met him about the time I met you, Blondie.  We met in the book club I was a part of that one year."

"I actually haven't met him yet.  I mean I talked to him earlier to invite him over for the fall party, but…"

"I bet he's thrilled!  He's a sweet kid."  Eugene smiled at the memory.  "You know, sunshine, if it weren't for you or that kid, I don't know where'd I'd be right now.  He was the one that got his dad to hire me."

"That's the thing, Eugene.  He wasn't thrilled."

"Why?  What do you mean?"  Eugene's face showed his confusion.

"He doesn't trust my invitation.  It's like he expects me to beat him up in a shady corner and I don't like it.  Cass said that he was pushed into a freezing pool last Saturday at a fall party.  He's being bullied, Eugene, and I don't like it.  I want to be his friend, but I don't know if he has any trust in him to give me a chance.  You should have seen the way he looked at me when I gave him the invitation.  He expects betrayal."

"Woe."  Eugene placed a finger on his chin in thought.  "It has been a while since I've paid the little guy a visit.  I'm beginning to think that I should have stayed in contact with him…"

He looked at the painting before him.  Varian was sitting at a desk at the school looking alone and sad.  Rapunzel had done an excellent job in bringing the stare he had given her earlier back to life through the painting.  It really was a remarkable piece of work, but just seeing his friend like that made him look away.

~~~~~~~~~~

Varian sat on his bed.  He had a white and blue electric guitar on his knee.  It wasn't plugged in or anything, but he was strumming away, humming to the tune.  Quirin was mowing the lawn, so Varian wasn't being subconscious about his music.

He was plucking away, flawlessly.  The piece was rather difficult, but he practiced it until it was almost utter perfection.  A buzzing in his back pocket caused him to stop.  Surprised, he answered the phone, recognizing the ring tone.

"Hi?"

"Hey, buddy!  I know I haven't talked to you in a long time.  I'm really sorry about that."