2. Chapter 1: Velmas Hypothesis (1/2)

chapter 1: velma's hypothesis

when the last bell for the school day rang, thus commencing the end of my english lit class for the day, i jumped out of my seat so fast, you would have thought it had spontaneously combusted. okay, maybe that was just a bit dramatic, but you would have understood why if you knew one thing – i, daphne blake, am currently enduring a mental and emotional

eakdown.

okay, now between the opening sequence and that admission, i realize that i sound really melodramatic, but my close friend velma dinkley would tell you this is common for me. however, my reasons for being melodramatic were justified for today (not that they aren't in the past, mind you). today, at the encouragement of my friends and the behest of my nagging thoughts, i was going to confront fred jones and confess my feelings for him – somehow.

the bell was still screaming in a shrill voice as i began to tear down the hallway of coolsville high. all around me, students were pouring out of classrooms and eagerly shoving their way through the growing throng of people in an attempt to race out of the building. although i wished to join the crowd, i forced my way through the stream of eager high schoolers as i pressed on towards my locker. velma was meeting me there for one last pep talk, which was good, because my resolve was already slipping away.

i finally made it through the stream of shoulders and backpacks, and i leaned against the cinnamon colored lockers that surrounded mine. velma was already there, and she was twirling the dial on my locker combination until the lock clicked, and the door swung open. despite the fact that it was my locker, velma shared it with me. we found this was an easy way to meet up and talk in between classes, which was more difficult if velma went to her locker at the other end of the school throughout the school day. even though shaggy rogers, and of course fred, who were also my close friends, velma was my closest female friend, so having her near me at all times during the school day was an absolute necessity.

moments such as this were one of those "absolute necessities." i felt like a total cliché: my stomach was twisted into knots, and the palms of my hands were sweaty, even though i repeatedly wiped them down the front of my skirt. even though i was only speaking to velma for the time being, i coughed in an attempt to steady my voice.

"hey, velm. how was pre-calc?" i asked, noting that my voice sounded rough and shaky. damn, i wasn't even face-to-face with fred yet; how was this going to work?

"oh it was fantastic, thanks for asking!" velma mused. she didn't seem to pick up on my anxiety one bit, so maybe i wasn't as nervous as it seemed. "however, i am a bit puzzled because josh hayes wasn't in class for the test. this caused some concern for me because he approached me about tutoring last week and i-"

i know this is a terrible friend admission, but i tuned velma out as she rambled on; hey, i don't know this kid she's speaking about, and i also knew it could be any minute before she somehow segued into mathematical theories and physics. all of this was the last thing i could process right now with my current state of mind.

as i mentioned, velma and i are close; on instinct, she picked up on my inner-turmoil, as if she could read my thoughts. "okay daph, go get it over with and talk to freddy. i know it will be challenging, but you and i both know this perpetual wondering is unhealthy at best. and besides, it's obvious to everyone that he clearly reciprocates the feeling."

i sighed in an attempt to steady my nerves. i knew deep down that velma was right about how i couldn't hold this off any longer. what i was less certain about was whether or not fred returned my romantic interest. velma was basing her guess off how fred and i interacted when we solved mysteries as a group. she argued that the signs were all there: fred often isolates the two of us when it was time to split up, and he reaches for my hand to squeeze it protectively when we are confronted with danger. until recently, i attributed all of that behavior to the fact that fred is our leader and good friend, and he doesn't want danger to befall any of us, so of course he is going to extend protection in gestures that may be interpreted as something more. velma rebuttled that by stating that he seems to extend his protection to me the most if this is the case, but i still couldn't take that chance. alongside velma and shaggy, fred was my absolute best friend. if velma and i miscalculated (something velma would say she never does, but regardless), that would have horrible, negative consequences for our friendship. even though i'm only sixteen, i already know that my life would be hollow and empty without fred. and besides, what would that mean for mystery inc., and our crime solving livelihood?

but this urgency in speaking to fred was reignited with our previous mystery. velma claims (and rather confidently, which is how she always acts when she is killing it with a hypothesis in her science class) without a shadow of a doubt that i have nothing to worry about now. i guess her theory regarding fred harboring feelings for me was cemented when something happened during our last mystery. in a quick moment, i had been separated from the gang when i accidently fell into a trap door. the details of the mystery and the not-so-glamourous way i tumbled down a trap door are too long to explain, but later, after the mystery was solved and the mask removed from the creepy old janitor (yes, our school janitor, but don't worry, we've hired a new one), she later informed me that fred didn't seem right when i was missing. when i pressed her about what she meant, she explained that fred was obviously stressed after i fell through the trap door. he collapsed beside the door and placed his hands on his face, so velma dropped beside him to ask if he was okay. in a moment of vulnerability that fred rarely displays, he confessed, "i know she's been separated from us before, and that she will likely be okay when we find her…but it's just that, i can't help but notice that whenever she's in danger or not near me, i feel panicky. i don't know what i would do if something happened to her…" and she said his voice trailed off and his eyes were glazed over, until he noticed that he had just "confessed his love" (velma's words, not mine) for me. then he stood up and snapped orders to the gang, restoring logic and fending off emotion. velma said it was almost as if the moment – and ultimately, the confession – hadn't happened, only it did, and she was privy to see it.

i can't lie, hearing the story boosted my confidence a little. and i know that deep down velma is right about how i won't ever know until i speak to fred. but what if velma and i were wrong? what if i just made things weird and awkward between fred and me?

velma, again sensing my inner dialogue, placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "really daph, i know that freddy cares about you romantically, too. and besides," she said, her face

eaking into a grin, "when i have a hypothesis, it's never wrong."

despite the nerves, i couldn't help but laugh at self-assured velma. i took a deep

eath and sighed, "okay velm, you're right – now or never, i suppose."

velma's smile cracked even wider, exposing her straight, white teeth. "you can do it, daph! i, for one, will be relieved when this is over and you two start dating. then you can stop obsessing over whether or not he is reciprocating feelings for you because you will finally have your answer!"

i lightly smacked velma on the shoulder and laughed. "okay velma, i get it! thanks. i guess i'm going to head over there now!" i started to turn away from my best friend and head towards fred's locker, but i had only taken two steps before someone collided into me, pushing me onto the ground.

"hey, watch where you're walking!"

i glanced up from the ground to see who was addressing me, and instantly regretted it. standing above me was shaina, a senior who was new to this school only this year, but had somehow amassed instant popularity. okay, i guess it isn't a huge surprise – the girl is gorgeous, outgoing, and she oozes confidence. she has long blonde hair that falls in curls past her shoulders, naturally pink, rosy cheeks, and a laugh that commands the attention of everyone in a room. whenever she laughs, her smile reveals a row of straight white teeth, and her blue eyes sparkle as if she has a secret that she isn't going to tell you. oh, and she is a cheerleader, which every american teenager knows gives you instant popularity.

but what was unusual about shaina was that she was also a major genius, rivaled only by velma. i hate to stereotype, but usually the jocks and the

ains are split into two separate social cliques. shaina defied the usual labels doled out within school politics by simultaneously transcending and dwelling within both social groups – all within only three months of being at this school. it was unprecedented, unheard of, and frankly, disturbing, on account of the fact that she climbed the social ladder so quickly – and thus grew a giant attitude in the process of it all.