The seat next to mine is usually empty. I hadn't noticed the change until I was half way across the room.
My feet came to a complete stop as I tried to process what was in front of me.
Lo and behold, the skeleton who helped me at lunch was sitting next to my stool. He hadn't noticed me yet, as he was too busy chatting with another monster from his lunch table.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I stared at my seat. I can't sit there, Jacob would kill me! He just got done telling me not to interact with monsters.
I mean... Jacob isn't in this class? So would it be that bad if I talked to him? No, I can't do that. I am a loyal girlfriend, I will not go behind his back. I mentally slap myself for even thinking of breaking my promise.
"Everything ok?"
I jumped, the voice shaking me from my thoughts.
It was the smaller skeleton from lunch: the one who had stood up when Jacob grabbed me away from them. Oh God, he probably hates me.
He had noticed my hesitance to sit next to his friend. By the look he gave me, I could tell I was right about his feelings towards me.
"Yup, I'm fine..." I mumbled, but I could tell he didn't care.
His eyes glanced over at his counterpart. "He doesn't bite," He crossed his arms and leaned back, "Most of our kind doesn't." His eyebrows(?) raised as he recited the insult from lunch.
I cringe at his tone. I wish I could tell him I didn't hate monsters, but if I did Jacob would end me.
I didn't respond. Instead, I slowly shuffled to my seat, placing my things down gently as to not alert the large monster of my presence. He was still conversating with the other monster. She seemed to be just as loud as her friend: Their voices alone filling up the room.
I managed to sit down without him knowing I was next to him. If I could keep his attention off me until class starts, I'll be able to avoid any awkward small talk. He probably hates me too.
Now that I got a good look around the class room, I could see that I was one of the only humans left. Over the past few days humans have transferred out, but I wasn't expecting this many. It was a bit weird being surrounded by people I'm supposed to hate, but what can you do? The only other Chemistry teacher is Mrs. Martel, and she hates me. I'll just tell Jacob I have no other choice. He'll understand... right?
I flipped to a blank page in my notebook. I passed several blocks of crudely written notes. As I did so, I chuckled at a memory of Caroline lecturing me on how 'important handwriting is'.
Once I found a new page, I started to draw.
Now, I absolutely suck at drawing. I'm not an artist at all. The best I can do is a mediocre profile sketch from a video tutorial I watched years ago. And even then they always look crappy. I just do it for fun.
However, the skeleton that I was trying so desperately to hide from thought other wise.
The book was snatched out from under my arms, leaving me in slight shock. He's going to destroy my notebook, I thought in a panic. He's mad because of what happened at lunch. Those are the only notes I have for this class. It's not like I can stop him, he's like eight feet tall-
"WOW, THIS IS REALLY GOOD!" His booming voice stopped my nervous rambling. "DID YOU DRAW THIS?" He pointed dramatically at the book in his hand. It looked so small compared to the rest of him.
"Uh..." I was still a little surprised he didn't lash out at me. "Y-Yeah I did-."
"CAN I KEEP IT?"
"What?"
I looked behind him at the fish lady who he had previously been talking to. She gave me a similar look to the smaller skeletons, so I promptly moved my gaze back to the one yelling at me. "You wan't to keep it?"
He vigorously nodded, and I was a little scared he was going to break his neck.
"Yeah, I guess you can have it, I don't see why not," I gave a light laugh. This whole experience seemed so surreal.
I could faintly hear the other monster mumble something under her breath. I chose to ignore her. A lot of people hate me, whats a few more?
The skeleton happily tore it from my notebook, opening one of his folders and placing it in. I'm surprised he could grab anything with the size of his gloves. It was almost impressive.
"Its not even that good," The shorter skeleton turned from his seat in front of us. "I could draw better than that."
"I THINK ITS GREAT, SANS!" He was clearly unaware of the hatred the other monster held in his voice.
Sans? That was his name? Like the font? Its not the weirdest name I've heard, but its up there.
He turned his gaze from the paper to me, looking me in the eye. I gulped, a strong sensation of opia washing over me. I wonder if he meant for me to feel so intimated.
*Opia: The ambiguous intensity of looking someone in the eye, which can feel simultaneously invasive and vulnerable.
Sans opened his mouth again, presumably to spit another insult at me, but was cut off by the teacher smacking the board with a ruler.
"Alrighty! That was the bell, so lets get this show on the road, shall we? Now, in the center of your tables are three beakers..."
Sans stared at me for what felt like forever. The pure hatred in his eyes made me feel like dissolving. I couldn't stand it. Something about his eye sockets made the whole thing eerie.
Finally, he turned around to face the front. I felt as my body relaxed, slouching over the table. I sighed shakily; This was a mess. When monsters first came to the surface, I was so excited. I thought that maybe new friendships would start, maybe a few will join The Group and change things up a little. Look how well that went.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CHEEK?"
I jumped at the question. His voice was lower than it had been a few moments ago. Why didn't he talk like this all the time?
I raised a brow, bringing a hand to my cheek, flinching back at the rough feeling of a scab. I ran my fingers over it, eyes widening at how long it was. How in the hell...?
"But what about-?" I received a quick slap across the face for questioning him. Fair enough, I guess.
"No. Exceptions."
Jacob.
I should've checked in the mirror before I came to class. What was I thinking? I'm always so careful, how did I forget about this?
Think, think, think...
"I uh, I scratched it on a tree in my backyard." I shot the tall monster a quick smile. There we go. Nice save, me.
"BUT YOU DIDN'T HAVE IT AT LUNCH?"
Shit.
"I-I meant the school backyard. You know, by the gym field?" I sputtered out, "I wen't out there after lunch with my boyfriend."
"BUT-?"
"Aren't you mad about lunch?" I quickly spoke, "What my boyfriend said? Why are you being nice to me?" Changing the subject was my last defense.
He paused, tilting his head to the side a little bit. "WHY WOULD I BE UPSET WITH YOU? YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING!"
I shrugged. "I don't know, your friend seems pretty pissed,"
"MY BROTHER ISN'T MAD! RIGHT SANS?"
His brother turned around just enough to mumble a small, "Yeah I am." Before continuing his notes.
"OH..." He looked dejected, but only for a moment. He quickly snapped back to his usual joyful attitude. "WELL I'M NOT! AND ONE PERSON IS BETTER THAN NOTHING!"
I laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
It went back to silence, allowing me to copy the writing I had missed from Mr. Burns. However, the quiet only lasted a few minutes.
"I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK YOU, HUMAN."
"My name is y/n."
"AT LUNCH, THAT OTHER HUMAN SEEMED TO BE DRAGGING YOU! HE EVEN GRABBED YOU BY THE BACK OF YOUR SHIRT! YOU LOOKED QUITE UNCOMFORTABLE."
"U-uh-."
"WHY DO YOU LET HIM DO THAT? IT SEEMS VERY RUDE."
How was I supposed to answer that? 'Well, you see, my boyfriends an asshole sometimes but its okay because I still love him'?
"It's um," I looked down at my paper nervously, "It's a human thing?" Internally, I was cringing at the pathetic excuse. There's no way he's going to believe that! He's not stupid!
"REALLY? I HAD NO IDEA!"
...Or maybe he is?
"Yeah..." I nodded slowly. "But, don't do it to other humans! It's only okay between two humans who care a lot about each other. Like, you know, a lot."
This answer seemed to satisfy him, leaving us in quiet again.
I exhaled slowly, closing my eyes for a moment. Everything is going to be fine.
It has to be.
I began to put away my pencils and notebooks, being careful to keep the Ziploc in my bag covered. He never told me when to return it.
"Guys! Hey! Listen up, I have something to assign before we go!" Mr. Burns held up his hands in an attempt to get the classes attention. "You are going to have to create your own elephant tooth paste and explain how and why it happened."
(For those of you who don't know, elephant toothpaste is this giant foamy stuff that's made when mixing certain chemicals together. Look it up its really cool :) )
A few kids groaned at the idea of having something to do at home.
"Your partner will be the person next to you," He continued. "This will be due tomorrow. I expect an essay on the process and a beaker with your elephant tooth paste."
I looked over at the tall skeleton, who was already staring at me with excitement.
"We're partners-."
"WE'RE PARTNERS!"
I chuckled. How was he so happy all the time? It was almost creepy.
"So, the essay alone is going to take a whole night... We should probably start working on the project after school-."
"YOU CAN COME TO MY HOUSE!"
Can I please finish a sentence? "Are-..Are you sure?" I glanced at his brother. "I don't even know your name."
The question apparently triggered something in him, because he looked all to happy to present his name to me.
He dramatically placed his hand over his chest, sitting up straighter in his chair to the point where his back was arched. "MY NAME IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
... How in the fuck was his scarf blowing behind him? There's literally no AC in this building.
"BUT YOU CAN JUST CALL ME PAPYRUS!"
"O...kay.." I shook my head: as entertaining as this was, we had a project to complete, and little time before the bell rings. "So, project-."
"HERE!" He held out a paper with his address on it. When did he...?
"YOU CAN ARRIVE AT FIVE AND WE CAN MAKE THIS ANIMAL HYGIENIC PRODUCT!"
I had a feeling I would end up doing all the work. That's usually how things go with partner projects. Mostly because I'm a control freak.
Before I could question the plan any further, the bell rang. Papyrus practically flew out of the classroom, leaving me baffled by his energy.
After staring at his seat for a few moments, I realized I needed to get to Jacob before the next class period. He's going to want his bag back, and I don't want to keep it from him for too long.
I swiftly packed up the rest of my things, trying my hardest to ignore the razor sharp gaze of Sans.
The last bell of the day rang out, signalling the mass of teenagers to stuff into the halls. With the amount of students in the buildings, it makes you wonder why they built the halls so small. Did they want students to shove each other?
Sans sat back against the wall, watching the mob pass by. All he wanted to do was get to his locker, which was, unfortunately, on the other side of the passage.
Just as things were beginning to clear up, a familiar high pitched voice called out to him.
"Hey!" The blonde bounced up to the monster, wide smile plastered on her face.
It was Emily; Sans's partner for the chemistry project. They've only known each other a few hours now, and the human seemed dead set on making him her friend. "We're still on for the project, yeah?" She batted her eyes innocently.
Sans nodded, only giving her half of his attention. Much like his brother, Emily had endless amounts of energy, and basically no filter.
"Great! I know you wanted to do the essay so I could do the toothpaste, but I had a few ideas for the points and stuff! I wrote about fifty down in history since, you know, I get bored and all that. I could totally send them to you later or give them to you now, I'd just-."
The skeleton cut out her rambling, distracted by the flash of (Your/Hair/Color) across the hall. He watched as the girl struggled to open her locker. She kept trying the lock, growing more frustrated as time passed. After a good five minutes of fumbling, the padlock finally clicked open. She pulled on the door only for it stay closed: It was jammed.
Her rising anger was amusing to him. It made him feel a little better knowing karma was doing its job. He stifled a laugh as she groaned and hit the metal with the palm of her hand out of annoyance. The impact made the door slowly creak open, to which she responded with a scoff.
Emily noticed his attempt at hiding his laughter, and followed his gaze, nodding in understanding at the sight. "That's y/n. She's part of The Group." She shifted her grip on her book.
"The Group?" Sans questioned, never taking his eyes off her.
"You know, The Group!" Emily looked at him oddly before gasping. "Oh my god, I forgot you were new! They're only most popular people in school! There's six of them in total and they all have their own little thing. The more I think about it, its kind of like a TV show. My personal favorite is Elyse but everyone has their own-."
It sickened him knowing someone who hated others so much had such power.
"-favorite! Y/n is the only one that doesn't have something specific. Nobody actually knows whats going on with her. Its like the schools mystery. So I guess that's her thing..."
"Really? Nobody talks to her to find out?" As much as he didn't want to admit it, he was starting to get a little curious.
"Pretty much everyone is scared of her boyfriend, so nobody wants to take the risk." She shrugged. "Oh! People have come up with some crazy rumors and stuff about her though! The most popular one is that she killed someone last summer. Some kid claims he saw it, but I don't know if I believe it. I mean, she's just mysterious, not crazy. There's so many others but I'd need a lot more time to run through them all."
The halls were almost completely empty now, leaving only the occasional kid to walk by. At this point he could finally pinpoint his locker. The container was a few away from y/n, prompting him to wait until she left. That is, until Emily quietly gasped.
The two turned towards the end of the hallway, watching the teen walk across the tile like he owned it. At the sight of him, Emily slung her back pack over her shoulder hurriedly. "That's him." She sputtered out, rushing to exit the hall as to not be in his way. "I've got to go. Sans, if I were you I'd leave too. He has a thing against monsters..." And without a goodbye, the girl raced out of the building, wanting nothing to do with the real Villain heading towards him.
Part of him wanted to leave and hide. But the other part wanted to stay just to see how awful he truly was. Y/n was his girlfriend, right? He can't be that mean to her.
He swiftly moved to his locker, opening it and using the door to cover his face. If his 'thing' for monsters was that bad, he could attack him on sight. He's seen it happen across the school.
That's the last thing he wanted.
(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)
The sudden movement to my left made me jump. I looked over to the locker that had just been opened, trying to see who was behind it. My eyes flickered down to the shorts and bone below the door. Was that Sans-?
I gasped at the harsh grip on my shoulder. I relaxed upon realizing it was only Jacob. "Hey." I greeted, to which he responded with a small grunt. "How was your sixth period? One of your friends told me Mrs. Halpert was a bit hard on you today-."
"Do you have it."
Great. So it was true. Apparently, she was all over him for not doing the assigned work, and when he retaliated she called the dean down. Now I get to deal with the aftermath: A very angry boyfriend.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Jacob, I can't keep doing this. You know things are tight right now. Can we just put off a few weeks."
"Too bad, I need it now." He looked at me with a stern look, warning me not to push him anymore. Usually I'd stop there, but I didn't.
"What do you even use it for any way? To buy more drugs?!" I snapped, "What happened to that bag I held for you, which by the way almost got me expelled!" Immediately I shrunk back, realizing what I had just done. The fury in Jacobs eyes was enough to douse me in fear.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" He shoved me with both hands, my back hitting the metal of the locker and a spike of pain shooting down my spine. "Give it to me. NOW. You're lucky I'm tired today or I swear I would kill you."
Frantically, I dug through my pockets for the bills. I held out the three twenties with trembling hands. He wasn't lying: He would hurt me. He doesn't have the best anger management, that's all. He doesn't mean the things he says.
His anagapesis for me was evident as he snatched the money out of my hands. He ran it through his fingers as if I would dare to hand him fake money.
*Anagapesis: no longer feeling any affection for someone you once loved
Thank you all for reading this far!!! I really appreciate you guys ❤️