𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘵 || 𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐧𝐚𝐩

-·=»‡«=·- 𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕝 -·=»‡«=·-

      »❝boys will be bugs❞ —cavetown

Most people were quite uncomfortable with moving towns, especially if the town was called something like Grimbrook. The name already gave off a musty feel. Anyone would expect the town to be beaten down and unfriendly. Fortunately, Karl wasn't one of those people.

Karl had always been comfortable with himself, even when he entered Grimbrook High School for the first time. It had been near the end of the school day as instructed by the principal. He knew he would be receiving a tour from a student and was excited to see who it was going to be.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Jacobs, you'll have to be stuck with a detention kiddo," The principal regretfully informed Karl. "All of our other students are currently attending an assembly."

Karl wasn't sure what to think of that announcement. Yet, he didn't have a say, since a few moments later he found himself standing in front of a brunette boy with a black eye.

"Hi, I'm Karl Jacobs," He greeted him with as big of a smile he could muster. He wanted to give him a good impression of himself.

The boy simply raised his eyebrows. "Sapnap," He replied dryly.

Before Karl could even make a comment on his name, Sapnap had already begun to head down the hallway. Karl swallowed nervously and followed close behind. He was unsure of how to even talk to a student like Sapnap. Usually, he would avoid the kids who constantly got into trouble, but obviously, he didn't have a choice in the current scenario.

Sapnap gestured to a door that was slightly propped open with a broom. "That's the janitor's closet, it's where most drugs are dealt. Don't go in there if you're not gonna buy anything. You'll get beat up."

Karl winced at Sapnap's advice. Clearly, there had been multiple circumstances where others had already been beaten up. Karl shuddered at the thought.

In desperation to change the topic, Karl decided to ask about the thing he knew most about. "Hey, how are the popular kids at this school? Do you think they'll like me?" As soon as he asked, he regretted it. It was pretty obvious that Sapnap wasn't a popular kid. He didn't look like cared about anyone but himself.

Sapnap scoffed at the question and seemed to ignore it. Karl narrowed his eyes. Oh, so he thinks he's better than everyone, doesn't he? Karl thought to himself. Something about that really bothered Karl. Maybe I should say something.

"You know, a really pretty girl complimented my belt on my way to the principal's office," Karl announced.

Sapnap looked over at Karl with curiosity.

Karl grinned back at him. He knew it was working."I bet they'll like me. I'm a pretty likeable person," He added.

Sapnap just shook his head and looked forwards once more. "You shouldn't care about what they think," He pointed out in return.

Karl rolled his eyes. "I should definitely care about what they think. It's the only way to survive high school."

"Even if they're cruel?" Sapnap challenged.

Karl was surprised by Sapnap's tone. He surely wasn't expecting the other boy to be so passionate about the subject. He had acted like he didn't care earlier. "How do you know they're cruel?"

Sapnap let out a joyless laugh.

Karl opened his mouth to question Sapnap, but a shout from around the corner stopped him. The shout was accompanied by the sound of something slamming against a locker.

Sapnap's head snapped in the direction of the sound. It looked almost as if he was familiar with the noise. Karl followed as Sapnap charged down towards the end of the hallway and turned the corner.

The scene in front of Karl was quite unexpected. An older boy with long brown hair and a built frame was standing over a skinny blonde kid. The scrawny blonde was clearly a freshman, his frail body making it impossible for him to fight back against the older boy. It was the usual bullying scenario playing out before his eyes.

"That's how I know they're cruel," Sapnap declared in an "I-told-you-so" voice. "Ayo Schlatt!" He called out to the built boy.

Karl's eyes widened as the bully turned and locked eyes with Sapnap and him. When Sapnap began to head towards Schlatt, Karl reached out and grabbed Sapnap's shoulder. "Don't," He pleaded.

Sapnap glared at Karl and yanked his shoulder out of the boy's grasp. Karl watched as Sapnap approached Schlatt.

Schlatt stepped away from the small blonde. "Well if it isn't Sapnap, the local poor boy," He said with the fakest laugh that Karl's ever heard.

Sapnap didn't seem bothered. "You looking to get your ass kicked again, Schlatt? Was last time not enough?"

Karl noticed Schlatt glance down at his own busted elbow. Karl figured that Sapnap must've gotten in a fight with Schlatt before, hence the boasting from Sapnap.

Schlatt's face hardened at the teasing. "You little mutt," He spat.

Sapnap's response was a fist flying through the air. His knuckles made contact with Schlatt's jaw, sending him crashing towards the floor. That wasn't enough for him, though, since he went down on top of Schlatt and continued to lob his fists onto his face.

As the situation got bloodier, Karl found it harder to move. He stared in shock as Sapnap beat on this random bully. He certainly wouldn't have expected this from Sapnap a few minutes prior. He got the idea that Sapnap didn't care about anybody, but clearly, he was wrong.

After Schlatt began to cough blood onto the ground, Sapnap sat up and looked over at the small blonde. "Get out of here, Tommy," He ordered.

Tommy scrambled up from the floor and ran down the hall, out of sight.

Karl continued to watch in disbelief as Sapnap stood up from the limp body on the floor. He spat saliva onto Schlatt's face before he turned to leave.

But Karl felt at loss as soon as Sapnap began to walk away. "Wait!" He called after him. "Where are you going?"

Sapnap didn't falter in his steps. "Home."

Karl's eyebrows furrowed. "You can't just leave me here."

Sapnap stopped. He brought his palms up to his face and rubbed his eyes, seemingly contemplating something. He let out a sigh and turned back around to face Karl. "Fine. Come with me then."

Karl beamed. "Really?" He replied with a giddy giggle.

The new student was smiling from ear to ear as he skipped after Sapnap. He slowed down beside him and together they made their way away from school and out into the world.

 Maybe Karl's tour guide wasn't so bad after all.