I decided to post every Saturday instead of Tuesdays, so you get this episode early!
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"Do you want me to drive you there or would you rather walk?" Quirin peeped in his son's bedroom.
Varian pulled his headphones off. "Oh, uh, I was gonna ride my bike, if that's alright."
Mr. Meyer nodded. "Yes, just be careful, alright."
"Yes, sir. I will." Varian smiled at his father.
"I'm going to be out for a while. Call me if you need me and I'll leave the door unlocked in case you come home earlier than I do," Quirin said.
"Ok. I'll see you tonight."
"Alright." Quirin left the doorway.
Varian set his large headphones down on his bookshelf. His room was rather small, but he had the entire garage. That just meant he tended to keep his room tidy, but his workspace in the garage was an organized mess. A mess to others, and to him, he could always find what he was looking for.
He checked his watch. It was about time to leave. He got up from his bed and detached the headphones from his phone. After that, he put his phone deep in his pants pocket so that it would not fall out as he rode his bike.
His bike was deep blue. Not exactly a navy blue, but it was rather close. It didn't take long to ride to Dennis's house. He put pixel pods in his ears as music played on his phone.
...Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, wo-o-o-o-o-oh
I'm never gonna look back
Whoa, never gonna give it up
No please don't wake me now
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife!
This is gonna be the best day of my life
My li-i-i-i-i-ife...
He pulled into the driveway wand turned off the music coming from his phone. He put his pods back in their case and put it in his pocket. Once he was situated, Varian walked to the front door. His stomach twisted in knots, but he summoned up his courage and knocked.
A moment later, the door was opened. Varian had been expecting Dennis or his mother to open the door. He hadn't been expecting his new friend's older sister to answer it. It caught him off guard.
She had short black hair and deadly hazel eyes. Her wardrobe spoke edgy and dark. Varian recognized her from some of his classes. For some reason, standing right in front of her under the petrifying gaze, made him not as scared as he had been of her. In fact, she was actually kind of pretty…
Scratch that. The girl standing before him was down right gorgeous. She blinked. Her hazel eyes glistened in the light. His heart gave a flutter and his face grew more red than it ever had when he was near a girl. Even when he somehow ended up next to Faith. No, this was more.
"Are you just gonna stand out there, or…" the girl snapped him out of his trance.
"Oh, right. S-sorry." Varian blushed even harder if it was possible. He stepped into the house.
"Hey, Varian! You made it!" Dennis waved.
"Hey, Den… You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Varian rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Sure. Most do, but some people seem to force Dennie." The boy squinted his eyes at his sister.
She merely rolled her eyes and went upstairs after closing the door. Dennis waved her off. "Don't pay any attention to her, she's like that. Her name is Cassandra, by the way."
Varian couldn't help but think it was a beautiful name. It suited her. He grinned.
"Hey, Varian. Come with me!" Dennis suddenly grabbed his wrist and brought him to the kitchen. There was a woman setting out snacks and there other teens putting chips that they brought on the counter.
"Oh! Was I supposed to bring something!" He whispered to Dennis. "I really didn't think about it."
"Oh, no. You're good. They just brought it," Dennis laughed. "Mom, this is Varian."
The woman smiled. She had black hair that went past her shoulders up in a ponytail. Some long bangs curved around her cheeks. "Hello, Varian. I hear you're in Cass's class. That's quite an accomplishment for one your age."
Varian blushed a bright pink as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Th-thanks."
"Varian, this is Burt, Jill and Lewis. They can be rough and... rough sometimes, but they're pretty nice once you get to know them."
"Gee, Den. If you put that way, you make us sound like the troublemakers." Jill gave a smirk.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you are." Dennis rolled his eyes. "C'mon, V. Everyone else is out back."
~~~~~~~~~~
Quirin looked in the plastic cage. A cat was playing with a toy mouse with catnip inside. He would think a dog was a better companion, but Varian was allergic to dogs. Quirin had to go with a cat instead.
The one he was looking at was a gray cat that looked rather large because of his fluffy fur, and its tail was ridiculously puffy. His paws were black up to its joints. There were black stripes on his tail and black circles around his eyes. If Quirin hadn't known any better, he'd say it was a raccoon. The paper over the cage said he was a Cacoon Cat, not that he really knew the difference between species names. Apart from Calicos that is.
He wasn't an expert with animals at all. Barely ever been around any for long periods of time. However, he could feel in his gut that this was the cat. The perfect pet for his son. Now, all he had to do was figure out how to buy it.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Cass."
"Yeah, Dad?" she turned around from her desk in her room. Her tablet setup as a computer on it.
"I thought you might want to come with me to the office tomorrow to help spruce it up a bit."
Cassandra grinned. She loved going to the office, even if it was just to clean it. "You got it, Dad."
He smiled. "Thought you would… not gonna join the party?"
"Maybe later. I don't want to intrude Dennis. It's his party and friends after all."
"Suite yourself." Mr. Guard shrugged before leaving his daughter to work on whatever she had been working on.
Cassandra turned back to her tablet. She continued typing on the keyboard. A text dinged from her phone. She picked up her phone and read it. It was from Rapunzel.
Hey, Cass! Having my fall party starting at 5 next Saturday. U coming, right?
Cassandra's thumbs flew across the screen, texting back a reply.
U bet!😉
Her phone dinged again.
Yay!😄
~~~~~~~~~~
"Yeah!" Dennis pumped his fist as a match corn hole was being played between Lewis and Burt. Burt was obviously winning. "Varian? What are you looking at?"
Varian snapped out of his trance. Cassandra's desk was in front of her bedroom window, which faced the backyard. He could see her perfectly from where he stood. "Huh? Oh, I was just lost in thought."
"Probably working on some new formula to blow the science room up with," Burt snarked.
Varian's face went red. He looked down. "Those were not on purpose."
Dennis looked from Burt to Varian. He realized that he group of 'friends' was not thrilled with Varian. Dennis was jeopardizing his reputation with the 'cool kids' by being friends with him. He really liked Varian though. He wanted to be friends. They could be nerds together, but it was so hard for nerds to fit in. Especially when he was the only nerd in his class. He purposely got average grades so he wouldn't get picked on.
Jill smirked. "Of course, but you sure are doing us a favor. No science class means no science."
Burt looked at Dennis. This was a test. If he didn't join, Dennis would lose his place among them. He would be an outcast again after all his hard work to get there. If he did join, he'd hurt Varian, and he didn't want that either.
Dennis looked around. All the other teens were on the other side of the pool, by the house. None of them were paying attention. They were all facing away from them, chatting and laughing, unaware of the situation. Burt and the other two knew that.
Lewis suddenly pulled Varian's phone out of his pocket.
"Hey! Give that back!" Varian reached his hand out, trying to retrieve his phone.
Lewis laughed cruelly and held it away. "Why?" he taunted. "You got secrets? A girlfriend?"
Jill rolled her eyes. "Oh, get real, Lewis! He hasn't got any friends. No girl in her right mind would ever like him."
"Harsh, Jill," Lewis snorted.
"Just give it back!" Varian launched for his device.
Burt gave him a shove. It sent the teen backwards and he landed in the pool. Dennis just stared and gave a laugh. He guessed he made his choice then. His reputation
Varian gasped for air when he got to the surface. It was cold outside. The water was like ice and it hurt. He climbed out. He looked at Dennis. His eyes showed hurt and the sense that he had been betrayed. Dennis looked away. He had been betrayed, and by him. It was too late now.
"Whoops," Burt said. "Watch your step."
Lewis tossed Varian his phone. "Good thing I had that. Welcome."
"Hey, Dennis!"
Dennis turned to his house. His sister was at the back door. "Mom has the food ready!"
"Alright!" he called back.
Cassandra notices the soaked teen sitting in the grass. She held the door open for the other teens to go in. Burt, Lewis, Jill and Dennis made their way in. She closed the door behind them.
"You know, it's a little cold for swimming."
Varian turned around. Cassandra was right behind him. "Oh, I just slipped."
"Do you need anything?"
He shook his head. "Naw, my house is just down the road. I'll go home and change."
"Want me to tell Dennis for ya?"
"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Varian gave a weak grin. Man, he liked this girl. She acted rough and her tone was rough, but boy, she did have a heart underneath it all.
"Well, alright." Cassandra turned around and went back into the house.
Varian watched after her. He hugged his arms in the cold. He grabbed his phone and the jacket he had left on a chair. He mounted his bike and rode home, feeling betrayed and a mix of feelings.
~~~~~~~~~~
Quirin pulled in the driveway. He noticed his son's bike parked in front of the garage. Didn't the party still have a couple hours? He grabbed the cage with the new cat in it. He entered the house and set the cage down by the door.
"Varian?" he looked in the garage. Empty. He tried Varian's room next. What he saw caught him off guard. His son was face first on his bed sobbing in a pillow. His hair was wet and he was already in his sleeping clothes. "Varian?"
The teen stiffened upon hearing his name. More likely from the realization he wasn't alone anymore and he was caught crying. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder.
"What's wrong? Varian, what happened?" Quirin asked softly.
The teen sniffed. He looked up at his father. "It was a lie. All a lie! He didn't want to be my friend!"
"Come here." Quirin lifted his son into his arms and sat on the bed with him. "Shhhhh… It's going to be ok."
Varian nodded as he rested his head on his father's shoulder. He supposed that this night was nice different than any other scheme against him, but it had felt so real. Dennis had seemed so genuine. He just turned out to be a fraud like the rest.
After a few minutes, Quirin looked down at his son. "I actually have something for you that might cheer you up." He got up and left the room. He returned to see his son sitting on his bed with a confused face. Quirin revealed the cage.
Varian's eyes widened. Quirin set the cage on the floor and opened it. The cat's head peeped out. Slowly, Varian got on the floor a couple feet away from it. He held out his hand for the cat to sniff.
Varian let out a laugh as the cat licked his fingers. Quirin smiled. It was already working. He would really have to thank Eugene again.
"I'm gonna name him Ruddiger!" Varian announced as he picked up his new pet.
"Ruddiger?" Quirin raised a brow at his son's odd choice in a name.
"Mm-hmm," Varian nodded.
Quirin shrugged. "Sure. He's your cat."
"He looks like a raccoon," Varian commented.
"That's what I thought." Quirin chuckled.
~~~~~~~~~~
After all the guests were gone, Dennis sat at his desk in his room. He glanced at the dark sky. Guilt weighed heavily on his chest. Did he really want to do that to Varian? Why was he so guilty to begin with? He barely knew the kid to begin with.
Cassandra leaned on the doorframe. "Varian didn't slip into the pool, did he?"
"What makes you think that?" Dennis didn't turn around, but he stiffened and began tying away on his tablet.
"Well, when you hang around Burt, there tends to be-how should I put it?-accidents."
"Since when did you care?" Dennis turned at this.
His elder sister held her hands up. "Hey, just pointing out the facts, but you're right. I don't really care. Just curious."
"Well, you assumed wrong," Dennis lied.
"Uh-huh." Cassandra was unconvinced, but she decided to leave it at that. She returned to her own room.
Dennis sighed and turned off his tablet.
~~~~~~~~~~
Varian woke up to a cat licking his face. He couldn't help but smile. He lifted up Ruddiger as he sat up. He began stroking the soft fur. They were already best friends, even though they had only known each other for a number of hours.
He heard a car pull in. Varian peeped out his window. A smile spread across his face. His uncle Hector had come. Varian hurried to get dressed and comb his hair. He remembered to brush his teeth at the last second.
Once he was presentable, he picked up his cat. Ruddiger had been sitting patiently, waiting to be picked up. He finally got what he was wanting and it was so worth the wait. He purred and rubbed his head against the boy's shoulder.
Varian grinned as he went through the hallway. When he was in the kitchen, he was greeted by his father and uncle Hector. Aunt Adira was in the doorway.
"Hey, kiddo," Hector smiled. "Whatcha got there?"
Varian's eyes lit up. "This is Ruddiger. He's my new cat. Dad got him yesterday."
"Looks more like a raccoon," Adira stated.
"Seems like he's already attached to you," Hector commented.
That wasn't hard for Adira and Hector to believe. After all, who couldn't love their nephew? He was sweet, a little dorky, and cute. He was a genius too. Although neither of them would admit that out loud, but they cared deeply about him. If they heard that Burt had pushed him into a pool the night before, they both would be at Burt's house banging on the door. Burt had better be halfway across the state by that point if he wanted to live.
Quirin, Adira and Hector all had totally different personalities. Varian's father being the peacemaker. However, they all had one thing in common. They cared deeply for Varian and would protect him at all cost. Varian found all three of them overprotective at times, and a little overwhelming as well. He loved them anyways.
Varian's mom had been the energetic, bouncy person. She was bubbling over with excitement all the time and talked non stop. She was said to be a wild child back when she was in high school. People constantly said they had been shocked that she fell in love with quiet, slightly timid and shy Quirin. It was also said she had many lovers.
Quirin set a plate of sausage and eggs and a glass of orange juice on the table. Varian sat down, cat still in his lap.
"Uh, Varian. No animals at the table," Quirin said.
"Oh..." Varian looked somewhat dejected, but he set the cat on the floor. Ruddiger simply stayed underneath his friend's chair.
"What do you say we have some fun today, huh?" Hector asked.
Varian beamed. "Ok."
~~~~~~~~~~
Cassandra was dusting the metal drawers. She heard her dad talking on the phone. He seemed annoyed. He hung up. "I'll be right back, Cass. Can you handle yourself?"
"More than," Cassandra answered.
"Alright." Mr. Guard grabbed his jacket and headed out of his office. As a police chief, he was a rather busy man.
Left alone, Cassandra continues dusting. She accidentally elbowed a metal drawer and it slowly opened. She sighed as she went to close it. One of the file tabs caught her eye. Meyer. Her eyes widened. Meyer as in Varian Meyer? No, there were probably many people with the name Meyer around.
She looked at it anyways. A picture of a woman came to view. She had auburn red hair. Her eyes were sky blue and looked just like Varian's. Family members were listed underneath her name. Her husband was Quirin and her son was Varian. It couldn't be a coincidence.
She looked at the other information. It had her full name Liberty Mariam Meyer and her maiden name. It listed the day she died, what hospital she had stayed in, where she previously worked. She had been a major scientist in a lab that supposedly had an accident. What exactly the cause of the accident was labeled classified.
Cassandra took out her phone and took pictures. She didn't know why, but she was curious. What caused her to die? Did Varian know what the cause was, or was he just as clueless?
She put the file back and continued cleaning. This would be her first mystery, but she would need to be quiet about it. What caused the accident?
Credits
Good morning and good night
(Jeremy Jordan-Varian Meyer)
I wake up at twilight
(Eden Espinosa-Cassandra Guard)
It's gonna be alright
(Mandy Moore-Rapunzel/Sunny Corona)
We don't even have to try
(Zachary Levi-Eugene Fritzherbert)
It's always a good time
(Jonathan Banks-Quirin)
Whoa oh oh oh, whoa oh oh oh
(James Monroe-Lance)
It's always a good time
(Sean Heyes-Pete, Diedrich Bader-Stan)
Whoa oh oh oh, whoa oh oh oh
(Peter MacNicol-Principal Nigel)
We don't even have to try
(Julie Brown-Ariana, Clancy Brown-Fredric)
It's always a good time
(All other voices)
Written by Cupcakegirlpower
Tangled is owned by Disney
Theme Song: It's Always a Good Time
By Owl City and Carly Rae Jespen
End of Episode