Welcome to Westwood

CHAPTER EIGHT: HOMECOMING PT. 1

Chapter Eight

“Are you sure you have to head home now? I can pack you up some of the dessert to take home. It’ll just take a minute.” Maureen insisted but the still shaken Parker shook her head. She couldn’t wait any longer. She needed and wanted to be home as soon as she could. “It’s okay, really. I’ll just come back another day for dessert. I just really have to get home already.” Parker added, already walking towards the door as Matt followed behind. “Save me some. I’ll be back in half an hour.” Matt told his sister and Maureen chuckled and nodded at him.

Once they were out the door, Fitz felt a lot comfortable to tell Beck what happened. Well, he still hasn’t figured out what happened but whatever information he has right now, he needed to tell Beck about it. “I’ll meet you upstairs.” He said, refusing to involve her parents in this. Going upstairs, Maureen was left downstairs with her husband and daughter. “For the record, no one’s refused my pie before.” She pouted, wondering why everyone decided to skip dessert.

“I’ll take your pie any time of the day, honey.” Robert added with a playful smirk on his face and Maureen had to grin back.

Beck saw and heard this and she immediately shook her head with both hands raised in surrender. “That’s it. I’m skipping dessert too.” She told them, following Fitz upstairs instead.

When she got upstairs to Fitz’ room, she saw the guy pacing back and forth, clearly bothered by what was on his mind. “Hey.” Beck called but she just kept walking a straight line and back. Moving in front of him, Fitz finally stopped to look at her, “Hey. Talk to me.” Beck asked, holding him on the side of both his arms.

"Parker." He started, letting out a deep breath. "She knows about me. She knows I'm not from here and then she thought I was here to harm you and your family so I had to come clean. I told her how I got here and she just...she looked scared. That's why she left." He explained, feeling himself blabbering. Shaking his head, Fitz walked away and kept pacing around the room. "What does she know?"

Beck pressed her lips together, wondering if this was a good thing or could make things worse. "Well, at least now we know she's not a threat." She said, holding Fitz in place so he would calm down. "Hey, hey. Listen, we could use this to our advantage. She clearly knows something we don't. And if she looked scared, then it means she could be on our side." Beck assured him, hoping she was right. "Look, we'll keep going with our plan. We'll keep an eye on Parker but until then, let's not give her any reason to think we're threatened by this."

"But we are." Fitz admitted.

"I know, I know. But until we really know what's going on, we'll just have to keep guarded — not threatened." Beck reminded him and that somehow eased the prince's feelings. Fitz nodded, knowing he should just really trust Beck right now.

Just minutes after, a pissed off Matt stormed in the house but thankfully, the parents were so busy downstairs that they didn’t hear Fitz getting his back slammed against the wall. “Matt! What the hell?” Beck questioned, holding her uncle by the arm since he looked like he was ready to connect his fist to the prince’s cheek.

“You think I wouldn’t know what you did to Parker, huh?” Matt spoke, his voice fuming in frustration. “I don’t know how it is where you came from but here, no one lays a hand on a woman. Got it?”

“It was an accident, Matt!” Beck assured him, trying to keep her voice low as she didn’t want to attract attention from her parents. “He didn’t mean to. We already talked to Parker about it.” Beck added, understanding that the guy was just trying to stand up for his girlfriend. Still, if Parker told him what happened, he would’ve understood that they’ve all agreed to apologize and forgive about it.

Fitz was just quiet, still feeling guilty for what he did. Even if Parker had forgiven him, it still wasn’t right for him to attack her. Letting go of Fitz, Matt finally stepped back as he gave the two a look. “I’m staying with Parker until I find my own place.” He added, getting his backpack from the ground. Thankfully, he didn’t unload all his stuff from his car, making it easier for him to leave now.

The next day, Maureen found out that Matt left but the reason was still unknown to her. Beck promised she’d just explain later, not wanting Fitz to feel guiltier about it than he already is. The duo went to school and the Prince was quiet on their way there. There’s clearly a lot going on in his mind and Beck was unsure whether to bring it up or just leave him be for a while. As they got out of the car, Fitz finally spoke up.

“We should…well, I should talk to Penny…about her sister.” He insisted and Beck pressed her lips together. “Are you sure you want to?” She asked and Fitz nodded. “It’s what I have to do. It’s the least I can do after all the help your friends have been giving to me." Beck understood his sentiments so she just nodded to agree with him. The guy just wants to be honest and that honesty would just help all of them figure out what to do next. It was important for all of them to be on the same page, to get to the next page together.

Heading inside the school, the two met up with Penny and Gus by their lockers. The moment Penny saw Beck, she immediately had to ask since she wasn't responding to her texts this morning.

"Your uncle stayed the night at our house. And Penny told me they had dinner at your house last night. Did something happen?" Penny asked and Beck nodded, turning to Fitz to complete the explanation.

"Penny, there's something you need to know." Fitz started, letting out a breath. "Do you remember when I...came up to your sister yesterday?"

"You mean...when you attacked my sister out of nowhere? Yes, I definitely remember and honestly, I don't need a reminder, Fitz." She spat back at him, a little annoyed that the guy was bringing it up again.

Fitz pressed his lips together and nodded, realizing how different it looked and sounded like from someone else's point of view. But that's why he's talking to her about it now because he wanted her to know why it happened that way. “I…attacked Parker…” He continued, using the term Penny insists. “I attacked her because when I saw Parker in the hallway, I thought she was the sorceress who murdered me.” He finally admitted. “She was wearing the exact same hood but…it turned out, it wasn’t her.”

“Clearly.” Penny said sarcastically with a huff.

“Pen, let him finish.” Beck asked politely, turning to Fitz so he could keep talking.

Fitz nodded, letting out a heavy breath before continuing. “Last night, your sister had dinner with us and when I was alone with her, she attacked me and confronted me. She knows I’m not from here.”

Both Gus and Penny were surprised by this so it was clear that they didn’t tell Parker about him. She found out about him on her own but the question still stands — how did she find out?

“I swear, I didn’t tell her about you.” Penny assured him, raising both her hands in surrender, hoping Fitz wasn’t accusing him of throwing the guy under the bus. “Plus, she just got in town. How would she know about you? The school barely knows anything about the real you.”

“That’s what we’re hoping to find out.” Beck added. “Didn’t Parker say something pulled her back in town?”

Penny scoffed and shook her head, giggling sarcastically. “Are you saying my sister’s some sort of magical creature?” She asked, laughing lightly again and playfully smacking Gus’ arm but she’s the only one laughing in the group. Looking around, they all seem serious about this like they all agreed to the same thing. Her chuckling soon came to a stop, realizing that they could be right. “It can’t be.” Penny murmured in denial. “I’ve known her my whole life and…you did too, Becks. She’s a normal woman in her twenties who came back home…all of a sudden…just in time…when someone from the fantasy world…came to our lives.” Penny stared blankly, knowing she was out of excuses for her sister. “What is she?”

“We don’t know yet but when I told her what the sorceress did to me…she looked worried…and scared.” Fitz told her, wondering how the girl was taking all this information about her sister that she didn’t know. “I was hoping you could get her to talk to me so I can figure this out.” It was a lot to ask for but Fitz was hoping she would say yes. Penny saw it differently, though.

“If my sister looked scared then there’s no way I’m letting her go through that again.” Penny said in defense. “I’m sorry, Fitz. I know…you think my sister could be the answer to your problem but she’s my sister. I have to protect her.”

Fitz nodded, understanding that she just wanted to keep her family safe, something he would’ve done too.

“But…if it helps, I’ll talk to her — as her sister, not a nosey teen trying to get information out of her.” Penny offered and Fitz smiled at her. It was definitely better than nothing. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that very much.” He said before adding an apology. “And I’m sorry for attacking your sister.”

Penny smiled, nodding at him. She now understands his reason and she really appreciated that he apologized for his actions. The bell finally rang as they were all called to their classes. Beck and Fitz walked together, going to the same class together. Beck smiled at him proudly, rubbing his back. “You handled that very well. I’m proud of you.”

Fitz chuckled and shook his head at her. “I just wish I could have a day in this world without worrying about my existence.” He admitted and Beck chuckled along with him. “Well, don’t worry. We have the homecoming game this Friday and then the dance follows after.”

Smiling down at her, he was reminded that he still needed to play the part of being a high school student. “A dance, huh? I apologize but I failed to bring my royal outfit when I was transported to your world.” He told her jokingly, glad that they could lightly laugh about this even for a second.

Beck laughed along, shaking her head at him. “Don’t worry. In this world, guys wear something a lot more different. I’m sure Gus can help you find a suit and tie perfect for the event.” If he has a question about style in this world, Gus has been the most helpful so he was sure he wouldn’t have a problem with that. The two went to their classes and focused on that for the rest of the day.

Classes for the day ended but before they left school, Beck saw Penny on her phone by the lockers. Coming up to her, she noticed how worried her face looked so she had to ask her best friend.

“Yeah, mom. I’ll be home in a while.” Penny said before hanging up and looking up at Beck. Before she could ask, she already knew what to tell her. “Parker’s not home. My mom said she and Matt left after lunch and they went on a road trip or something.”

Beck knew from the look on her face that the excuse was off. Something’s happening and Parker left before she was caught. The worst part of it is that she roped Matt into this and now, her own uncle could also be in trouble.

“I can’t reach Parker. I’ve been calling her all day. Can you call your uncle?” Penny asked, feeling worried as well. Beck nodded, going through her contacts to give Matt a call. On her first try, it went to voicemail. As she tried again, for the second, third and fourth try, it still went straight to voicemail.

“It keeps going to voicemail.” Beck told her, trying for another time but Matt was still unreachable. “I’m gonna talk to my mom, okay? But keep me posted.”

Penny nodded, sending another text to Parker to ask where she was. “I’ll go home and see if I find anything.”

The two went their separate ways, with Penny going home and Beck heading to the principal’s office. Nodding at the secretary, Beck was instantly let inside the office and she saw her mom on the phone with someone, smiling and giggling.

“Alright. Have fun.” Maureen said before hanging up and looking up at her daughter. “Hey. Are you alright?” She asked her daughter who looked flushed and worried.

“Mom, where’s Matt?” Beck asked, refusing to beat around the bush anymore. This is about her uncle’s safety.

“Boston. He’s going on a trip with Parker. That was him on the phone.” She told her daughter nonchalantly. “Is it about last night? Don’t worry. He told me about it. Parker just wanted him closer that’s why he moved out at the last minute.”

"Did Matt say that or was it Parker?" She asked, needing clarity on that part.

"Matt. I just spoke to him on the phone, honey." Maureen added, giggling a little at her daughter's reaction. "He's old enough to take care of himself, Beck. Now, Fitz can have the room to himself. We don't have to worry about Matt finding out about him." She added, which is really a relief in general. Nodding slowly at her mom, Beck figured she should just trust everyone else. Penny will handle Parker and everything will be alright.

When she got home, Beck took some time to study in her room. It's been a while since she found time to focus on her studies with everything going on. Fitz was out with Gus anyway so she was using this time alone as her me time.

Later that night, she got a text from Penny that would clear her head for a while.

"We're in the clear for now. I spoke with Parker and she said she'll be in Boston for the rest of the week with Matt. Apparently, she didn't feel welcome back home as she hoped." Penny texted before following it up with another message. "Parker's out of town for the week. That'll buy us time to relax, so until she comes back and I talk to her, take her off the suspect list, okay?"

Beck stared at the message for a bit longer, hoping she was right. For now, they can just be their normal teenage selves and be excited for the homecoming game and dance like everyone else.

"I hope so, Pen. I hope so." She murmured to herself, putting the phone down so she can continue reading her book.

Early Friday morning, everyone at school was getting ready for the event. The homecoming committee had to start early in preparing the gymnasium for the dance after the game. The team was having an early morning exercise while some were just there to study for their classes.

Head of the committee, Riley Quinn, was giving out notes to her team when she saw a big guy with an ugly ogre mask on along with a costume roaming around the gymnasium.

"Hey! Tough guy! The gym is closed if you're not part of the committee. Get out!" She warned the creature and while he seemed confused, he did as he was told and went out of the gymnasium. "I swear, these freshmen take these homecoming themes seriously." She told the girl beside her, shaking her head.

Out on the field, two players were practicing their throws when they spotted the same guy with the face on an ogre. The boys just laughed about it but as the ogre went closer to them, they were surprised when it spoke in a garbled voice.

“Prince!” It spoke and the boys laughed.

“Harry or William?” One player asked and the other laughed. “Fly all the way to the UK or take the next flight out to LA. Maybe you’ll find either of them there.” The other added and they both laughed. The ogre clearly didn’t understand any of it and just kept saying ‘prince’ as it walked away and through the bushes. Little do they know that this was an actual ogre from Truston, on the hunt to find the prince and finish the job of the sorceress.

Later that day, the group were debating whether or not to go to the game. They don’t really know anyone playing and everyone’s just really into the festivities because of the dance that comes after. But Penny had some unforeseen events ahead of her.

“Mr. Finkle said I failed my last quiz and he wants me to retake it today. So, as much as I hate it, I have to be in school during the game.” Penny told the group as they gathered by Gus’ car at the parking lot. “I can just skip it, guys. We can get ready for the dance.” She insisted but Beck shook her head, being the moral compass in the group.

“No way, Pen. We’re graduating this year so if Mr. Finkle’s giving you a chance to pass then you should go for it. We’ll be fine. We’ll just watch the game until you’re done and we can all get ready at my house.” Beck said and when Penny groaned playfully, she knew she just got her best friend to agree with her.

“Fine. But if I fail again, there’s no way I’m missing the dance.” Penny said, eventually agreeing and walking back inside the school.

Beck waved at her best friend, shouting out a good luck remark to her in hopes it’ll help her pass. Turning to Fitz, he saw that the guy was slightly frazzled, looking around like he was being cautious of his surroundings. “Hey, you okay?” She asked and Fitz looked like he was brought back to reality by her words.

“I don’t know. Something feels off.” He told her honestly.

Beck understood that he was still being cautious but right now, the worst possible threat they could think of is out of town and Parker hasn’t done anything suspicious so maybe she really is just out of town with her boyfriend. “She’s not in Westwood, okay? Penny tracked her phone and it pinged exactly in Boston so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, man. It’s been quiet for the past few days so we can stop being paranoid for at least today. It’s your first school game and dance ever. Try to loosen up a bit.” Gus added, hoping to reassure their friend that he’s safe. At least for now. Fitz nodded, hoping they were right so they all headed to the field to find a seat.

Once they found their seats, they watched as the teams were warming up and prepping for the game. There’s still a few minutes before the game starts so Gus spent that time trying to explain to Fitz what football is and how it works. He was really interested in it at first but when his eyes shifted to the field, he could swear he saw what looked like an ogre walking by the bush. He quickly stood up and both Beck and Gus got alarmed.

“What?” Gus asked as Fitz tried to find the ogre with his naked eye.

“I think I saw something.” Fitz confessed, looking around.

“Something? What was it?” Beck asked.

“An ogre.” Fitz told them but the conversation caught someone’s ear — the girl sitting in front of them.

“An ogre? Oh God. He’s still not done with that.” Riley groaned and shook her head. “There’s this freshman walking around in an ogre mask all morning. He even tried to ruin our decorations at the gymnasium. I swear, these freshmen are still middle schoolers at heart.”

Beck listened and figured Riley saw the same thing Fitz saw. “So, it was just some freshman kid in a mask?”

“Obvi.” Riley scoffed, shaking her head again. “You know how freshmen are. They take themed costumes very seriously.”

Beck turned to Fitz and nodded, assuring him that Riley was telling the truth. “It’s just a kid in a mask. See? Nothing to be worried about.” Beck said, chuckling a little and Gus laughed along. “This homecoming theme isn’t really helping you calm down.” He added teasingly as the three of them sat back. Fitz nodded, realizing how paranoid he is. His head was just messing with him again. Letting out a breath, he tried his best to calm down and enjoy the game.

Once the game ended, with their team losing as expected, Penny texted her friends to meet her at the parking lot. When she saw the trio, Fitz had a whole different mood from when she last saw him. He looked excited and happy.

“What’s up with him?” Penny asked, chuckling at the guy who still had a foam finger on.

“Oh, he thinks we won. Apparently, he’s been cheering on the wrong team from the start.” Gus told her and they all laughed.

“Football’s wild, guys. That was really fun.” Fitz chirped in and Beck just laughed more. Turning to Penny, she had to ask how the test went. While the team lost the game, hopefully her own battle wasn’t a lost cost.

“Oh, I failed the first try. Instantly. But Mr. Finkle was nice enough to push me so I guess… C is better than an F.” She told the group and they all congratulated her, glad that she was one less failed quiz from graduating.

All of them went back to Beck’s house to get ready for the dance. The girls would need enough time to fix their hair and make up so while they did that, the boys rested in Fitz’ room.

“So…about this dance…” Fitz spoke up and it surprised Gus, turning to him as fixed his bowtie. “Is it really like…a dance?”

“What do you mean?” Gus asked, chuckling at the guy laying on the bed.

“Do guys and girls waltz all night? Is there an orchestra in the back to dance to?”

Gus couldn’t help but laugh at the guy’s question but he had a feeling where he was heading with what he wanted to ask. “Well, there’s no orchestra. We do have a dj — a disc jockey, he plays songs from his laptop and whatever the music is, people just dance to it. It doesn’t have to be the waltz. If it's upbeat music, then you dance to the beat. If the music is slow…”

“A slow dance.” Fitz continued, smiling up at the guy. “And…I can dance with anyone I want to?”

“Well, you definitely have to ask them first if they want to dance with you.” Gus added and Fitz, chuckled, nodding at him.

Getting up, Fitz looked at himself in the mirror and tried to loosen his tie. It really didn’t feel comfortable for him so Gus checked on it. Seeing his look, he definitely looked like he could get any girl to say yes to him if he asked her for a dance. “You know what? It’s not really a formal dance so you can take the tie off” Gus suggested, taking it off of him. Now, he was dressed in a black suit and white dress shirt tucked in. “Yeah, that feels more comfortable.” Fitz agreed, fixing his shirt more while they waited for the girls.

In the other room, Beck was all dressed up while fixing her hair. The cocktail dress she chose a couple of weeks ago was supposed to match Tom’s suit but clearly, plans have changed so hopefully, she looked good in it on its own. Penny was going for a less formal outfit, choosing a tulle skirt over a fitted lace shirt and some boots. She really has a style of her own and it matches perfectly with her personality.

“An ogre? Didn’t you remind him about the theme?” Penny asked, chuckling as she was putting on her eyeliner. “She attacked my sister because of it. This is a student we’re talking about now. If he attacked that guy in a mask, he could get detention for a month. Or worse — expelled.” Penny reminded her best friend.

“Thank goodness Riley Quinn saw the same guy. He’s in a much better mood now so that must mean he believes us. I just hope he can have fun tonight.” Beck added but those words rang a different sound to Penny’s ears.

“How much fun are we talking here, Becks? I can get your parents out of the house for the night if you need the room alone.” Penny teased and Beck felt her cheeks blush but just laughed it away.

“I just meant…as a student, a person. I hope he can have at least one night without worrying about his existence.” She said, repeating Fitz’ words from the other day. The guy’s really been through so much already, if only he could have a break.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed and when she saw the text, it was from Tom. ‘See you at the dance?’, it read and Beck just sighed, ignoring her phone instead. Penny saw it though and she just groaned along. “He really can’t take a hint, huh?” She said and Beck looked up at her and sighed. “I’m trying to be nice so I’m ignoring him instead.” Just then, the phone lit up again with another text from Tom.

‘Please?’ It read and Penny knew she had to do something.

“Alright. You and me, phones in the bag.” She said, opening her make-up pouch. “Tonight, it’s not just Fitz who’s gonna have fun. All four of us deserve to have fun, worry-free. No phones allowed.” Penny suggested and Beck somehow liked that idea. “Yeah. Okay. We’ll just present. No technology required.” She agreed, turning her phone to silent mode and putting it in the bag. Penny did the same before closing her pouch. The girls continued to get ready until they were ready to leave.

As they went down the stairs, the boys were already waiting for them on the couch. It did remind Fitz of formal dances back in Truston when Beck walked down the stairs, looking like the most beautiful woman in the world — the gold coin in a box of silvers, for sure.

Fitz was the easiest on the eyes as well, looking like a prince charming of this world. The suit was perfect to him and Beck would be lying if she said looking at him wasn’t making her flustered. Going over to him, her cheeks just keep turning red and she was glad that she had the make-up as an excuse for blushing.

“You look beautiful.” He spoke honestly and Beck couldn’t help but smile.

“Thank you. You look handsome, too.” She admitted and if it wasn’t for Gus coughing, they would’ve been staring at each other for the entire night.

“Ready?” Gus asked and the two nodded, holding back that child-like chuckle.

The foursome went out and hopped in the car. They were all ready and excited for the dance like nothing could go wrong, except Penny turned her phone into silent mode, not realizing that her tracker on Parker’s phone was still on. Not only that but Parker’s location was already moving and it was heading back to Westwood High School. Seconds later, Parker sent a text to her sister.

“DON’T LET FITZ GO TO THE DANCE! CALL ME ASAP!”