No Escape // MCYT High School Au

Chapter 2

I leaned against the wall of our classroom, wreathed in shadows. The other three members of my group had lost their motivation to discuss the project, so Tommy had launched in to a story about his brother and the other Seniors.

"... and then Wilbur said, 'SUCK IT, GREEN BOYYYYYYYYY!" Tommy started cracking up, unable to finish his story.

"Wait, so you're telling me that Wilbur got a higher grade than Dream on their test, and he thought that was a reasonable reaction?" Ranboo commented.

I sighed, exasperated. I knew I was going to have to approach the group before class was over. I couldn't fail the assignment, and I had to make sure they didn't do it without me. And even if I didn't go up to them, one of the three would probably realize there was a fourth member to their group, and ask Mr. Minecraft who it was.

So why was I stalling? This project couldn't be that bad. I just had to ensure that we didn't meet up at Tommy's house. Or my house. And I couldn't do anything too memorable, and I had to make sure no one in Tommy's family helped us with the project... Alright, I take that back. This was going to be disastrous.

I glanced at the clock, knowing I was running out of time. Shit. I only had five minutes until the bell, which meant I couldn't stall any longer. I clenched my fists and pushed myself upright, away from the wall.

I shook out my arms, trying to relax. It had been a long time since I had talked to anyone in school by choice, and I was nervous, to say the least. As I neared the students, my breathing increased and my heart rate picked up. Stop being such a baby! Why are you freaking out so much? Pull it together, Purpled, it's just a short conversation!

"Um, hello? Do you need something?" Tubbo's voice pierced my thoughts, roughly yanking me from the safety of my own head. I glanced around, realizing I had crossed the room and stopped directly in front of them.

As usual, I subconsciously let my hair fall forward, casting a shadow on my face. "I..." I trailed off. They were all staring at me. Three judgemental gazes were resting on my face, scanning my body. My palms became sweaty, my heart beating in time with the hurried breaths I was taking. Each shudder of my chest reminded me of thunder.

It reminded me so much of-

Suddenly, I relaxed. This scenario, all these eyes... it reminded me of the arenas. It reminded me of Hypixel, when hundreds of gazes were constantly on me, watching my every move. I was familiar with the rings. I had learned to ignore the ogling and glaring over time.

So I imagined that this was a duel, and all I had to do to win was say a few words to some people I didn't know. I took a deep breath and offered them a smile. I had defeated hundreds of opponents, having to fight at least once a day. This was nothing, nothing, compared to that.

The next time I spoke, my voice rang out confident and clear. "I'm the fourth member of your group, and I was wondering where you want to meet up to do the project?"

All three of them looked mildly surprised at the sudden change of composure. I had gone from being shy and quiet, mumbling what I was saying, to clear and confident in just a few seconds. I knew I couldn't be too memorable, but it wasn't exactly normal for someone to be that timid. So in order to fit in better, I had to have the same amount of confidence as a normal kid.

My group members glanced at each other in surprise. "Oh, yeah! The groups had four members! I'm so sorry about that," Ranboo apologized guiltily.

"Yeah, it's no problem." I responded.

Tommy pushed past the other two to stand directly in front of me and said with a smile, "Hey, big man! What's your name?"

"Oh..." Now, this was where it got tricky. Should I tell him my real name and risk him mentioning it to his brother? Should I lie? No... Mr. Minecraft would probably mention it, so they would find out whether I wanted them to or not. "My name is Purpled. And you're Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo, right?"