The Monsters Inside and Out (Scott Howl x Depressed Reader)

61. Friend Masterz (Part 2)

As you change into your gym clothes, you look around the room to see what everyone is up to. Polly, Scott, and Damien are still being idiots, Amira is chatting it up with Vera, and Vicky is already changed and writing in a composition notebook. Something that catches you eye is Oz sitting on one end of the locker room, staring at the other side, specifically, at Zoe. He's already in his gym clothes as well. Now that you think about it, Zoe was all over Oz at the New Year's party, but you never officially found out why. You decide to get up and ask Zoe the nature of their relationship. Once you get up to Zoe, she says, "Oz and I are dating." You look at her with a shocked expression, but then remember that she can read your mind. She smiles awkwardly at you. You decide to ignore it and ask, "How long's it been now?" "About a month. He asked me out to the New Year's Party." "Well do you and Oz have plans for Valentine's Day?" "Not that I know of. Why?" You step forward and stand right next to her, leaning closer to her ear. In a low tone, you say, "Scott and Polly just told me about how they all simp for you guys around prom and stuff. But Brian has changed because he's with Damien now. But Oz is just sitting there, staring at you." Zoe glances over to Oz, and then back to you. She shrugs her shoulders and says, "I'll just go talk to him." As she walks towards Oz, Oz visibly freaks out more. She sits down right next to him, and puts her hand on his. You watch as the two of them discuss whatever they're discussing. Oz suddenly blushes wildly, his eyes widen, and he looks over at Zoe, and puts his other hand on top of hers. Zoe giggles, and then everyone is called into the gym for class.

One boring dodgeball game later, you're back in the locker room changing with Zoe. She tells you, "We're going to dinner, and then we're going back to my place to watch a movie, then we're going to spin the wheel of fanfic tropes, and whichever one it lands on, we'll reenact it until it ends up turning into a lemon!" "Did he seem nervous talking about it with you?" "Well yeah, it's Oz. He always gets flustered!" "But did he seem more nervous than usual?" Zoe scratches her head with her tentacle. "I guess now that you mention it, he did at first, but then it ended up going back to normal. Why are you asking so many questions?" "Because Polly and Scott told me that Oz, Amira, Brian, and Vicky all do this thing where they try to hook up with someone for Valentine's Day, homecoming, and prom. But Brian seems to have changed from that because he's dating Damien now, and I was wondering if the same was happening with Oz." Zoe blinks at you a few times, and slowly starts to laugh. You give her a 'what the fuck' look, and she says, "You're so cute, (Y/N)." She reaches up and pinches your cheek playfully. You swat her hand away and say, "What are you talking about?" She smiles, "You're worried about your friends. It's sweet! I really don't think anyone's bothered by it. Personally, I think it's kinda cute. I mean, yeah, it sucks when they compete with eachother, but it's sweet that they want us so bad. Polly, Miranda and Scott like the attention, Calculester is always eager to learn about organic relationships, Vera and Liam ignore it, and Damien is... Damien. I don't really think it's a problem, so don't worry you're pretty little head about it." She pats you on the head and the bell rings.

You and Scott walk to science together with Vicky and Calculester, with you on Scott's left, Cal on Scott's right, and Vicky to the right of Calculester. Scott and Cal talk about a computer game, while Vicky just stares at the floor, thinking about her own thing. As you walk, you do the same. There is some truth to what Zoe said, you are worried about your friend's feelings, but honestly, you're just trying to get a read on the whole situation. Scott is clearly upset about it, but the rest of your friends seem fine. And even then, Scott seems to have forgiven them anyway. All you wanna do is get an idea about how everyone else feels before you decide to be mad at them. Sure, the way Vicky acted was unnecessary, but according to Polly, they'll all just go back to normal after Valentine's Day anyway. You can't wait for that day to finally arrive. It's only been two periods, and you're already exhausted from it.

The rest of the day passes, and you begin to notice some shenanigans from your friends. At some point, you see Vicky talking to Polly and Liam, and you overhear them say something about orgies. Later in the day, you notice that Amira isn't in Tactics in Arsony today. You know for a fact was here today though, so she must be skipping class. Class ends, and you gather up your things at your locker, and you go home. As you walk outside, you see Vera on her phone. You decide to approach her and ask her about the others. You walk up next to her and say, "Hey, Vera?" She gives you the side eye, but once she sees that it's you, she faces you fully. She says, "Good, it's just you. I thought you were one of them." "Yeah, about that, I was wondering-" "Hey (Y/N)!" You are suddenly cut off by Amira, who has sidled next to Vera. You look at her, and she continues, "Listen, I just wanted to apologize about lunch today. I don't know what's going on with Vicky, she may just be on her period or something. Anyway, no hard feelings." As she speaks, you notice her glance at Vera a few times, as if to see her reaction. Once she finishes, she pats you on the shoulder, and walks away. You look up at Vera to see her watching Amira walk away. She looks down at you and asks, "What happened with Vicky?" "Oh, uh, it's nothing." She sighs, "What happened. With Vicky?" "Nothing, it's fine." She rolls her eyes, "5." "Huh?" "4." "That's not gonna work." You cross your arms in defiance. She continues, "3." "Everything is okay." "2." Her expression turns scarier and her snakes rise up, hissing and looking deep into your soul. You gulp as she says, "1." "Vicky kinda yelled at me! Dammit!" Her snakes calm down and her face relaxes. She says, "I thought so." You look at the ground in embarrassment. You put your hands your pockets and kick the ground dejectedly. You ask, "How do they make you feel?" "Ugh. It makes me sick. They're all nice people, but then this shit happens, and it pisses me off. And the thing is, Amira is hot! She's going places and I want her by my side, but then this is a huge boner killer. Like how she did the whole, 'she must be on her period' thing. Women don't need to be on their period to be mad!" She folds her arms together. You continue to look at the ground as a tear threatens to escape your eye. Vera says, "Hey," you look up at her, "did they make you cry?" You slowly nod your head. "Nuh-uh. That ain't happening."