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

129. Going to Prom?

At the end of the day, you inspect your arms again and see that the cuts are mostly gone now, and only a few of the worse ones remain, although much more healed. You let out a sigh of relief, having confirmed that the potion is working. You get in your locker to collect your things, and suddenly, a hand lands on your shoulder. You turn around and are suddenly assaulted with an attack of hugs by Polly, Vicky, Zoe, and Amira, which almost knocks you over. You stabilize your footing so you don't fall. Vicky says, "I'm so glad you're feeling better!" You quietly respond, "Y-Yeah, I guess so." Polly says, "Hells yeah! Your skills have even improved like a crap ton! You even dominated that dodgeball game!" Zoe also comments, "And don't think I didn't notice that glare filled with sexual tension that you and Scott exchanged~" You say, "O-Oh, that was nothing.. Really.." Amira adds, "Nothing? You volunteered to answer a question in Tactics in Arsony! No one ever  knows what they're doing in there!" The four of them continue to bombard you with questions and statements about how cool you've been, when someone shouts out, "Hey! Knock it off!" They all go silent and turn around, seeing Scott, who is covering his mouth. He apologizes, "I-I'm sorry! I just.. Wanted you guys to hear me.. Will you leave (Y/N) alone? We don't want to.. Overwhelm them." You smile at Scott, who smiles back. Vicky says, "Oh, I'm sorry, (Y/N).." The others apologize as well, almost making you chuckle. Polly adds, "After such an amazing game earlier, I just kinda thought you were okay." You reply, "I know, it sucks.. It just comes and goes, you know?" They all nod. Zoe asks, "Do you think you'll still be able to go to prom with us?" Your heart sinks. You look at each of your friends, all of them staring at you. Except for Scott, who looks at the floor, an almost pained expression on his face. You also look down at the floor. "I-I'm sorry, no.." They all sigh dejectedly, but Scott looks up at you with a small, forced smile. He walks up and hugs you softly. "It's okay. It's not your fault." He steps away and adds, "Well, I better get going. Gotta make sure I can get my cousins to work.. See ya guys!" He smiles again and turns and runs. After that, the rest of you go silent, not sure what exactly to say to each other. You turn back to your locker and grab the rest of the things you need, shutting your locker a little harder than you meant to. By the time you turn back around, your friends have already started to walk away. You sigh in exhaustion and begin your walk home.

You walk inside your house, the door creaking as you open it slowly. No one seems to be home. You take your things to your room and toss them on the floor. You lay down in bed and hug your pillow, fighting the urge to cry. You feel like such a coward for not even making an effort to try and go to prom. Hours pass by as you lay down, thinking about your life choices and everything that led up to this point. There is a quiet knock at your bedroom door, and your mother comes in. "Honey, dinner is ready. Are you hungry today?" You nod your head. She walks back out of your room, and you quietly follow behind her.

You come out to the kitchen and sit at the table. Your mother dishes out a plate of food for you and sets it down in front of you. You grab your utensil and begin eating. As she gets herself her food, she begins talking again. "You know, when you were suddenly not hungry all those days, I got worried that you were becoming anorexic. Thank goodness it was nothing serious." "Yeah..." She sits down across from you and begins eating as well. As you stare down at your food, you feel as though her gaze is piercing through you. You glance up at her a few times throughout the meal, but she's on her phone every time. She begins a small conversation, asking about your week at school, how classes are going, and if you're still "associating yourself with those degenerates." You go along with the conversation, just trying to get it over with. You see your mother smiling at you, and you suddenly feel brave. Like you could have control over something. You get up and take care of your plate and silverware, rinsing them off before putting them in the sink. "Hey, Mom.. So, the Monster Prom is coming up in a week, and I was wondering if-" "No. Absolutely not." "What? But you don't even know what I was about to say!" "How dumb do you think I am, (Y/N)? Of course, you're going to ask if you can go. So no, I forbid it!" "Why? I'll be fine." "No, no, no, (Y/N). You will not. I know what goes on at those things. A bunch of horny, nasty monsters. Laughing to unfunny memes, dancing to terrible music, doing massive amounts of drugs, grinding on each other! It is way too dangerous of a place for people like us to participate."Under your breath, you say, "People like you more like it." She chuckles, "I am willing to pretend that I didn't hear that if you clean up." You sigh and get up, cleaning up her plate and doing the dishes.

After finishing that and the rest of your chores, you back to your room to lay around and feel like garbage for a while. Your mind continuously wanders back to Scott's saddened face as he heard you would be unavailable to go to prom, which you hate. He brings you all the happiness in the world, and you can't do the same for him? Unacceptable. For the rest of the night, and even the weekend, you try coming up with a plan to go to prom with all of your friends, and you know you can't do it alone.