# Altered Paths - Stella

Title: Altered Paths - Stella
Status: Complete
Characters: Anon, Fang, Trish, Naomi, Stella
Rating: SFW
Classification: One Shot
Author: Rangto
Summary: In a world very similar yet different than the one you may know about, a certain stegosaur falls in love with a certain human. There is only one problem... the stegosaur is willing to do anything to keep loving her human... Anything...
​
>Kind of a boring morning today
>Then again, it's the first day back from our mid-semester break, so of course, things are going to be boring
>Oh Wow
>Only six months left of school and then I graduate
>Who would've thought I'd make it this far in Volcano High?
>Not many others did judging by the looks they give me
>It could also be my 'reputation' proceeding me again
>I’m a tough bitch, that much no one denies
>I dress tough, and can more than back up it up
>But as much as I've tried to dispel the stigma, I'm still that weirdo stego chick that loves Anime and the occult
>There's also the more insidious accusation that I'm a homewrecker...
>I honestly don't know where that got started from
>Well, okay... maybe I do know...
>But how was I supposed to know that one guy I wanted to bang was already seeing another chick?
>That girl really pissed me off too, what with how smug and superior she went around acting just because her dad's a big-shot rock star…
>The last straw was her making up that bull rumor that I went around sucking cock for money on top of the school roof!
>Oh, I wanted to beat her up so bad on the spot
>But I came up with a better solution
>A ‘cleaner’ solution…
>I'm still shocked how easy it was to stage her 'accident'
>Though I kinda ended shooting myself in the foot with it
>Her BF dumping her now crippled ass really should've clued me into what kind of asshole he really was
>Literally made it impossible to bear him for more than a few minutes at a time
>Good thing I ended up arranging for another 'accident' to happen to him by the front stairs.
>Apparently, he's still down in the hospital in a full-body cast eating through a straw
>Good riddance I say
>No one's really missing his ass
>...
>And there she goes, rolling down the hall looking all happy and carefree, almost like her current situation's some kind of improvement
>Kinda pisses me off that getting stuck to that wheelchair somehow made her life better
>Not only did she lose that scumbag of an ex, but her father also started paying more attention to her, and she now gets all kinds of pity privileges to boot!
>Remind me of this one anime where the MCs lost their bodies but got magical power in return
>No wait, I'm confusing it for that one comic where this chick gets shot in the spine and winds up in a wheelchair but that somehow makes her smarter and more beloved by her peers
>Well, it doesn't matter
>What matters is that the whole fiasco left me with a bad rep, and now there ain’t a guy that wants to touch me if he can manage it
>So much for losing my virginity before graduation…
>Well, I spoke to Rosa about club business, as well as how she enjoyed her winter break
>She's probably my only real friend in all of Volcaldera Bluffs
>Helps that we are both the heads of the Gardening Club
>We’re also roommates, sharing the same general school dorms
>I think the fact that we’re roomie’s the only reason we even are friends
>God knows it’s not because we share similar outlooks on school life
>Yeah, she knows about the rumors and knows about my… violent tendencies…
>She scolds me as if she was my big sister, but otherwise accepts me
>If nothing else because she thinks she can help me walk the ‘right’ path in life
>Rosa’s… too good a friend for someone like me…
>…
>Well, that’s enough self-wallowing!
>I start making my way down the hallways, not really caring about my surroundings
>Instead, I turn my thoughts to last night's showing of Rebuild of Evangelion 3.33 + 01
>What a mouthful of a title
>I still can't believe that Hideaki, the absolute madman, managed to pull off a happy ending for the series!
>Gives me some hope that if even pathetic Shinji can get a happy ending, so can I…
>I look around and spot something new and exciting
>Much to my surprise, it's a human
>A human? Now that's something new…
>We don’t get many humans around Volcano High
>Only humans I can think of off the top of my head are Mr. Carldelewski and Principal Spears
>What’s this new skinnie doing here this late in the semester?
>A transfer student, maybe?
>Well, whatever the reason he’s here, it’s someone brand new and untainted by my reputation
>Time for me to go make a new friend!
>I pretend not to pay attention as I walk down the hall and directly into the human’s path
>Right before he subconsciously moves out of my way, I step in the same direction he's heading
>The two of us end up running right into each other
>Somehow, the human’s the only of the two of us who winds up falling on the ground
>Judging by his mass, he isn't exactly bulky
>Pretty lanky, actually
>Good
>This will make things so much easier moving forward!
>I lean down and give the newcomer to Volcano High a wide toothy smile
>"Oh wow! A Real human! Imagine bumping into you, right here, in the hallway! What a TOTAL coincidence!"
>'Just according to keikaku,' I think to myself
>'Keikaku’ means plan, by the by…
>Two weeks since I first met Anon
>He’s still having a hard time trying to fit into Volcano High, but I’m doing my best to help him feel at home
>Of course, that means I also have to compete with a few other interested parties
>Rosa comes to mind
>She views the human with a vested interest, if nothing else because she also wants to help him fit in
>There’s also this orange ptero that’s obsessed with sticks
>Yeah, don’t really know about that one either
>But the one party that surprises me the most is our Class President, Naomi
>Naomi… that bitch…
>For some reason, she’s grown REAL fixated with Anon, and I don’t really know why
>She should know better though
>She’s cutting into MY territory!
>…
>Oh look, here she comes now…
>Probably coming over to tell me about how I’m obstructing some machiavellian scheme of hers
>She was probably the one to suggest Anon get transferred over to our school to win us diversity points or something
>Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if that was true…
>She walks up to me with a certain swagger to her step
> “Stella, we need to talk,” she says, all the while grimacing
> “Oh?” I ask, already imagining just what she can possibly want from me
> “Lately, you’ve been really friendly with Anon Y Mous, have you not?”
> I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow
> “So what if I have? What’s it to you?”
>Naomi removes her glasses and wipes them clean on a handkerchief she carries around in her pocket
> “I’m only going to say this once. Back off and walk away”
> “And why should I do that?” I ask, already gritting my teeth in rage
> “Because I have plans for him. That’s all you need to know…”
>Naomi and her fucking ‘plans’
>If it’s not one thing, it’s another with her… and it pisses me off to no end
> “I’ll do whatever I want with Anon,” I snap, taking a step forward, all the while glaring daggers at Naomi
>Naomi lets out a chuckle and gives me an ominous grin
> “You’re really going to stand in the way of my plans? You do realize that I could destroy your reputation by revealing what you did to that poor girl and her boyfriend, don’t you?”
>I give Naomi a chuckle of my own
> “And you do realize that I could destroy YOUR reputation by letting it slip that you were the one to sweep it all under the rug to keep our school’s ‘pristine’ reputation intact. Oh, and let’s not forget about the little ‘voter fraud’ thing that lets you stay as class president for four years running, or that you often orchestrate little ‘accidents’ of your own to happen to your running opposition...”
>I take a step forward and give Naomi a malicious grin of my own
> “Alternatively, you could suffer from a ‘terrible accident’ yourself…”
>Naomi goes a bit white at my words, but she surprises me by clearing her throat and suddenly looking disinterested
> “I see we aren’t going to come to an agreement…”
>I cross my arms and scoff
>Naomi gives me a hateful glare as she sighs
> “Very well then. I’ll… adjust my plans accordingly…”
>She points an accusatory finger at my face
> “But you better not do anything else to jeopardize my plans or this school’s reputation, got it!?”
>I roll my eyes and pat Naomi’s hand
> “Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep my shit on the down-low. Make this last year go by nice and easy for all of us…”
> Naomi gives me an uneasy look, but she seems to relent on her thoughts as she turns around and clears her throat again
> “Well, that was everything. Carry on like normal”
> I feel another grin form on my lips
> “Hey, before you go… how about a tarot reading?”
>Before Naomi can object, I pull out my trusty Tarot deck, which I conveniently keep tucked within my breasts
>As I open the tin case, I’m very careful with the metallic cards, which I keep the edges of sharpened
>Totally just in case and for no other reason at all…
>I carefully shuffle the cards and draw out the topmost card
>It’s the upright devil
>I show it to Naomi, whose face goes white again
>Before I can give the pink tyrant her reading, she lets out a huff and walks away at a brisk pace
>I guffaw as I put the card back into the deck, very eager to see what kind of entrapment Naomi was about to get herself stuck into...
>My thoughts also turn towards Anon
>It’s been a few minutes since I last saw him
>Really hope he hasn’t gotten himself into some kind of trouble without me
>Really, he can be so helpless
>But that’s also kinda cute too…
>It's been about a month since I met Anon, the new human transfer student to Volcano High
>Since that time, we've become nigh inseparable friends
>Or so he claims to everyone else
>In truth, he's basically mine and mine alone…
>How can he not be mine?
>I hold his hand
>I cuddle with him when he least expects it
>I nibble on his ear until he tells me to stop it with a giggle
>We are dating in every sense of the word except for admitting it out-loud
>And it couldn't be any more perfect!
>Turns out that Anon is just as big an anime nerd as I am
>He's got this thing for Saturnia
>Kinda pleb taste if you ask me, but it's at least better than Rosa's love for DBZ
>I mean, DBZ? That's as basic bitch as you can get!
>Everyone knows that Saint Seiya's much better
>Well, whatever
>I'll introduce Rosa to the glory that's Saint Siya one day soon…
>Back to Anon
>He has this habit, one I don’t think he even knows about
>He mumbles, and he mumbles a lot
>Mumbles about a lot of things, but it’s usually about his innermost thoughts
>because of that, I know a lot more about him than most others
>Maybe more than he knows himself
>I know that something horrible happened at his old school
>Something that forced him to transfer to Volcano High
>No matter how much I try to prod it out of him, he won’t mumble just what exactly happened, only that it was bad enough for him to seek a new start somewhere else
>Kinda makes me feel bad for him
>I do wonder what his old school was like though
>Was it really so bad?
>...
>I don’t care what it was that Anon did. I still like him
>Besides, it can’t be as bad as all the shit I’ve pulled over the years
>That no one’s wound up dead yet is kind of a small miracle, really…
>So there we are walking down the hall when who else but Trish comes barreling down and starts shouting into my bee eef's face
>She says something about him 'insulting' fang during science class
>I roll my eyes, already well aware of what Trish is going on about
>Her friend goes by Fang nowadays. Used to call herself Lucy, but after Trish fed her some bullshit about non-binarism, her mind went all schizo
>Lucy already had a lot of problems to start with, what with the whole brother crippling thing and serious bitchy attitude, but Trish's whole thing sure as hell didn't make things any better
>And now Trish is screaming into my boyfriend's face over some stupid bull that he couldn't know or care about
>...
> “I can’t fucking BELIEVE you, you fucking skinnie! How can you be such a bigot!?”
> “Look, I’m sorry if I insulted Fang, alright. How was I supposed to know that she—”
> “THEY!” Trish shouts back in a rage, all the while poking Anon in the shoulder
> “IT’S THEY!”
> “Whatever!” Anon retorts, slapping Trish’s hand away and pointing his own finger into the purple trigger’s face
> “I don’t give a fuck what ‘they’ think they are. If they really are that insulted by my words, then so be it, but I already apologized to ‘them,’ and that’s where I’m ending this story.”
>Trish’s face only gets redder with rage as her whole tiny body begins to shake
>Serious, who does she think she is? Acting all high and mighty? Accusing my boo of being a bigot when he's done nothing but keep his perfect nose clean?
>I decide to stand in the way of her fury
>All for Anon’s sake…
> “Trish, what are you going on about now?” I ask the trig in a barely restrained voice
> “I’m doing my part to make sure justice is done!” she shouts, shoving me out of the way and punching Anon on the chest
>It doesn’t really do much, as expected forms someone as tiny as Trish, but the fact that she dared to even TOUCH my boyfriend...
> 'That's my Anon you just fucked with...' I internally seethe as I stand between her and MY boyfriend and give her the best-forced smile I can manage
> “I'm sure Anon didn’t mean anything by what he said to Fang”
> “A simple slip of the tongue!" I giggle, just barely able to hold back my bubbling rage
> “Y-yeah!” Anon adds, all the while rubbing the back of his head
> “It was completely accidental… not like that one time I laughed at Fang’s concer—”
> Anon shuts his mouth and takes a step back his eyes going wide with horror
> Trish’s own eyes bulge out of their sockets as she bears her teeth
> “You did WHAT!?” she shouts, tackling Anon to the ground and launching blow after blow at Anon’s face
> “I-I’m sorry!” Anon shouts back, all the while putting up his arms to defend himself
>I grab Trish by her sweater’s hood and toss her off Anon
>Trish glares daggers at both me and Anon as she points an accusatory finger at the two of us
> “I swear, this shit AIN’T over yet!” she shouts before storming off in a rage
>I instantly look over Anon for any injuries
>As expected, he has a few scratches and a growing bruise on his face
>I wrap my arms around him and give him the tightest hug I can manage, all the while seething over at what Trish had just dared to do…
> ‘I gotta make that bitch pay. She’s a danger to Anon as long as she’s around…”
>Then it hits me, the perfect way to get back at Trish AND also make sure she's no longer a problem for both Anon and the school
>I close my eyes and lose myself in the hug I’m giving Anon
>All the while I set my plan into stone…
>I'm now in some dingy alleyway, garbed in a hoodie and a pair of shades
>I look around wondering if anyone can recognize me
>I'm a bit more worried about cops though
>If they happen to show up, its fucking game over
>...
>I hear someone clear their voice
>I turn and came face to face with a guy in a black hoodie and medical face mask
>"You got the money?" He asks bluntly
>"You got the shit?" I retort also just as bluntly
>He produces a bag of white powder
>I grin as I produce a wad of cash
>Damn... hurts to part with the money I’d been saving up to buy that one limited edition figure of Gurren Lagann, but this is for a good cause...
>...
>...Yeah… a good cause…
>The next morning, the police storms the campus after an 'anonymous' call went out about a student dealing cocaine
>Everyone assumes that it was Reed's time to face the music
>What no one expected was the day to end with Trish, screaming and cursing as loud and hard as she had ever before, being led out in handcuffs
>Everyone watches in shock at the scene
>Even Anon, who was at the receiving end of Trish’s beatdown, can’t believe what he’s seeing
>Meanwhile, I'm trying my hardest to keep from bursting out laughing
>'Serves you right for fucking with my boyfriend, you bitch...'
>...
>Eventually, the scene clears up, and everyone goes their way
>Among the dispersing crowd, I spot Naomi talking with Principal Spears
>Spears looks… troubled
>Can’t blame him
>The school’s probably going to be on the news soon
>No one wants this kind of bad publicity
>For just a second, I feel bad over what I did
>But that feeling soon passes as I tell myself that Trish would have eventually done something to get the school into the news anyway
>Girl was only one bad day away from shooting up the place if her attitude was anything to go by
>Anon gives me a sweet little kiss on my snoot before going his way to class, leaving me alone with Naomi and Spears
>Spears soon also goes his way, his face looking just as troubled as before
>It’s now only me and the ruddy ruler
>Naomi’s brow furrows as she walks up to me
> “God dam it, Stella! What the hell did I tell you about keeping your nose clean!?” she practically shouts at me
>I scoff and roll my eyes in response
> “What the fuck are you on about? I haven’t done SHIT!”
>I give Naomi my best grin
> “Trish was the one who was fucking around with drugs. Makes sense considering how violent she was. Good riddance I say.”
>Naomi narrows her eyes and glares at me
> “I ain’t buying that it was Trish. She’s a ruffian, but she ain’t a crackhead…”
>She points an accusatory finger at me
> “I think you planted those drugs in her locker to frame her”
>I give Naomi a clap and a smile
> “Congrats on figuring it out!”
>I lean in closer, all the while grinning as malicious as I can manage
> “What are you gonna do about it, huh? I made SURE to leave no trace of myself on those drugs. Far as any forensic team will be able to tell, only Trish touched the drugs.”
>Naomi’s eyes go wide
> “You bitch,” she whispers as she gives me an annoyed look
> “Why do you have to keep screwing with my plans?” she asks before letting out a sigh
> “You’re just lucky that removing Trish doesn’t affect my plan too much…”
>I laugh and pat Naomi on the back
> “See! With Trish gone, everyone wins!”
>Naomi again narrows her eyes but ultimately shakes her head
> “This time, I mean it. Stop causing problems for the school”
>I smile and stick out my tongue
> “No promises!” I say before laughing and going my merry way
>I don’t even bother looking back to see Naomi’s reaction, but I can tell she’s trying to set me on fire with her glare.
>It's been about four months since I first met Anon
>Three since Trish got 'busted' for cocaine distribution
>Everyone believed it too
>Why wouldn't they when Trish was involved?
>And here I thought I had the worst reputation in school!
>Ever since then though, the mood around campus shifted
>For one thing, everyone's breathing much easier without having to worry about a miniature purple triceratops trying to run them over
>But on the other, there's this air of unease
>I guess everyone figures that if Trish was selling drugs, then what other shady stuff was happening behind the scenes?
>Because of all the heat, Reed had to drop his little drug addiction, especially with security being so tight around campus now
>Poor guy… ended up having to quit cold turkey
>The first few weeks… the guy looked like actual death
>But he's gotten so much better now
>Wears this nice suit around campus
>Even combs his hair all nice and slick
>I would have never pegged that raptor for being so dapper
>I guess drugs really do screw people over...
>Every day I think about it, I have to stop myself from laughing like some Machiavellian villain
>Even after all these months, no one knows the real truth about the Trish bust
>That I was the one who planted that cocaine in Trish's locker and that I called the cops anonymously
>Let everyone keep thinking that there are bad actors among them! It keeps Anon closer to me
>And speaking of Anon, he's officially my boyfriend now! We're even wearing matching shirts!
>His shirt says "I'm her's" and mine says "I'm his."
>They are just the cutest thing!
>Honestly, things couldn't be going any more perfectly
>Or so I thought…
>Lately, Fang, has started getting REAL close to Anon
>It makes me a bit uncomfortable since she's not in the best mental state
>Ever since Trish got dragged off, the only people around to support her have been Anon, myself, Rosa, and Reed
>But it's clear that with every passing day, she's losing more and more of her sanity
>Or what little sanity she had to begin with...
>Just the other day, she broke down crying and tried to ask Anon how it was that he had come into her life and made friends with everyone while she's had such a hard time making friends herself
>Well, that's an easy answer: it's because you're kind of unhinged and carry A LOT of baggage
>At least when Trish was around, that was directed into this punk-rocker persona
>With Trish gone... whatever anger the other students couldn't say to Fang directly now gets aired out without any hesitation
>I swear, Fang's getting closer and closer to shooting up the school with every passing day... and I am not going to let that happen and ruin my wonderful life with Anon
>For him... I'm willing to do anything…
>...
>I have an idea…
>It’s a particularly sour day for Fang
>She’s kind of sitting all by herself in the cafeteria
>Not sure why since she has Reed and Rosa to keep her company, but it saves me the trouble of looking for her
>I walk up to her and sit right across from her side
>Look at her. She’s a mess
>I put on a sweet voice anyway
> “Hey there Fang, how are you doing today?”
>Fang gives me a sullen, annoyed look
> “Shitty,” Fang answers without even looking me in the eye
> “Oh, it can’t be that bad!”
>Fang finally looks up from her food and gives me an annoyed stare
> “That’s easy for you to say. You’ve got everything going your way: you’re tough and people know not to mess with you, you’re smart and you’re passing most of your classes, and you… you’ve got the sweetest, most wonderful boyfriend…”
>Fang said that last bit with maybe a bit too much longing in her tone
>Not a good sign… but something tells me I shouldn’t hold it against her
>Anon is a wonderful boyfriend after all…
>I put those thoughts out of my head and return to my intended purpose
> “I think you’re all mopey ‘n shit because you’re finally realizing that everything you’ve believed up to this point has been nothing but bullshit”
>A little harsh, but I’m not one to sugar coat shit
>Besides, she has to have realized it by now, how she was basically getting molded by Trish into becoming another Trish
>As expected, Fang’s eyes light up with fury
>I inwardly smile at that
> “You wanna know what your problem is? You’re too easy to persuade”
> “The fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Fang spits at me
> “Means exactly what my words imply. You’re oh so desperate for some kind of validation that you clung to the first thing that seemed like it would give you exactly that.”
>I put on a nice wide smirk on my lips
> “You’re just a little girl desperate for attention, so much so that you were willing to change your very personality into something else, something you probably weren’t!”
>Fang’s cheeks turn a nice shade of red
>I can tell she’s getting nice and steamy now
>Only to do now is go for the kill…
> “You have no sense of self-worth, no sense of what you should be without someone else telling you what you should be. It makes you weak and pathetic. A fucking loser!”
>Fang lets out a shrill yell and hops the table over to my side, eyes burning with murderous intent…
>...
>Damn
>That bitch got a few good hits in
>Thankfully, I'm a stegosaurus
>We're built tough
>We can take a lot of punishment
>But acting like I got more injured than I did din’t hurt things either
>While she was beating me, she started yelling a bunch of nonsense, including an admonition that she was essentially days away from shooting up the school
>I wanna say that it surprised me, but I’d be lying if I said that
>Thought to be fair, I always pictured Trish being the one to shoot up the place, not Fang…
>Since her assault happened in the cafeteria, everyone saw it
>What’s more, everyone heard Fang’s admission of what she planned to do
>How she was going to shoot Naomi in her perfect and smug face before shooting herself on the rooftop
>Some students were even recording it
>Hope they got my good side…
>Because of her little outburst, as well as the physical beating she gave me, Fang got apprehended by some of the campus supervisors
>She’s probably sitting in Spear’s office getting an earful
>The police is probably there as well
>Wait, isn’t Fang’s dad like the police commissioner or something?
>Oh shit… looks like she’s about to get into some REAL deep crap now
>Damn...
>I think Fang actually broke a rib or two
>I’ll have the nurse look me over…
>...
>I bursts into the school with fury burning in my eyes
>Lucy beat up a student? Goddamnit, what should I do this time? Stern talking to? Grounding? Confiscation?
>Doesn’t matter what I’ve done in the past, Lucy just waves it off and goes back to her bullshit anti-authoritarian attitude
>I storm into spears' office
>Spears is already waiting for me
>For a human, he sure is built differently
>He’s got the physique of a mastodon combined with an allosaur
>I can tell he’s got a hell of a lot more neanderthal than homo sapien in him
>Wouldn’t surprise me at all if he also had some dino ancestry in him as well
>Reminds me of some of my war buddies, actually…
>First thing I do is shake the man’s hand
>I may be pissed, but I still have to uphold society expectations
>Plus, as police commissioner, I have a reputation to maintain
>Spears tells me to sit down, and the two of us make some small talk
>Eventually, the subject of Lucy comes up
>Hit my stern father figure bravado, this and that about punishment and consequences
>Make sure to leave out expulsion as a possibility
>Spears stays quiet until my father spiel is over
>He pulls out a discipline report and hands it to me
>I look at the folder and give him a quizzical look
>What the hell is this, Spears?
>I grab it and start reading it
>In it is a description of what happened and a transcript of what could be deciphered from the incident
>Some stego girl named Stella starts talking up Lucy during lunchtime
>Lucy’s mood suddenly flips, and she tackles this Stella girl
>The stego takes it like a champ as Lucy wails on her like she’s gone berserk
>She starts swearing and screaming bloody murder
>And then…
>...
>My eyes go wide with shock
> “Spears, what the hell is this?” I ask as I slam down the folder on Spear’s desk
> “That's what fang said, Mr. Aaron” Spears replies calmly
> “This can't be right. That's ridiculous!”
> “I’ve had it double-checked with the security cameras and witness testimonies,” Spears adds, looking more and more stern with every passing second
>I grimace at his words
> “My Lucy couldn’t possibly say any of those things! I think your ‘cameras’ and witness testimonies are bullshit!”
>Spears lets out a sigh and brings up a laptop, which he flips open and turns to face me
>On the screen is a shoddily shot video of the assault
>It doesn’t take me long to realize that it’s a phone video, likely from one of the witnesses
>Spears presses the space bar, and the video begins to play…
> “YOU FUCKING BITCH! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!” Lucy screams at the top of her lungs, all the while wailing on the stego girl
>I can’t help but wince a bit as I see Lucy’s striking the girl with what I can only really describe as pure killing intent
> “I HATE EVERYONE IN THIS FUCKING SCHOOL! I’M GOING TO FUCKING SHOOT NAOMI IN THAT PERFECT FACE OF HER AND THEN SHOOT UP THIS PLACE AND KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS BEFORE KILLING MYSELF!”
>Lucy continues to scream until her words eventually become too incoherent, but her previous statement is all I needed to hear to really understand the severity of the situation…
> “I'm sure you understand I have to take such threats to my school with the utmost seriousness,” Spears suddenly remarks, his voice weary and full of disappointment
>“I…” I start, but quickly find my own words dying on my tongue
>I’m finding it harder and harder to rationalize just what the hell I was a witness to
>But the more I think about it, the more undeniable it becomes…
>Much as I hate to admit it, I really don’t have an option here
>Fuck my life…
> “Of course…” I whisper in defeat.
>“Thank you, sir…”
>I bury my face in my hands and sigh
>How the fuck did things come to this…?”
>...
>Been about two weeks since Fang beat the crap out of me in front of almost everyone in school
>I still can’t believe I got her to lose her cool as I did
>I was expecting her to blow up and do something stupid, yes, but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined she would use my face as a punching bag
>Because of her assault, Fang was suspended for two weeks
>Apparently, her two weeks suspension also entailed going to counseling daily
>Anger management classes, more than likely
>Fang's back in school after now though
>I prepared myself for a possible ‘round two’ of her beating
>But instead, I was met with a… very different Fang…
>For starters, she wasn’t wearing her old punk goth outfit, having opted instead for what looked like a very casual yellow Sunday dress that… actually looks good on her
>I’d say looks even better than her old outfit
>She’s also not wearing her old makeup anymore, instead letting her eyes shine naturally
>That tossed me for a loop, as I had expected fang to be using make-up to cover up for her mundanity
>Instead, she somehow looks more radiant without any makeup
>...Kinda pisses me off, if I’m being honest…
>The one thing I do notice that most others might miss is that she looks miserable, yet also actively seems to be forcing herself to be content, her smile not all genuine in the least
>That morning, I’m with Anon, who just finished giving me the rundown on this amazing oldie show going by the name of Space Runaway Ideon
>I so LOVE it when he gets all excited about a new show!
>Makes my heart go all ‘doki, doki’!
>Unfortunately, I put aside my feelings of bliss as I notice Fang walking up to me and Anon
>She moves close
>Too close
>Instinctively, I raise my dukes to throw down
>But Fang instead hugs me, much to my surprise
>I shoot Anon a confused look
>He, in turn, shrugs and looks at me with as much confusion
> “Thank you… thank you so, so much…” Fang says, all the while I feel a bit of moisture from my cheek
> “W-wait, what?” I end up asking, not sure what to make of the current situation
>Fang pulls away and locks eyes with me
>She then reveals that during her two weeks in psychiatric evaluation, she came to the realization that her main problem was that she didn't really know who she was, and as a result ended up clinging to stupid ideals such as non-binarism, as well as being a general rebel against a society she viewed was repressing her
>She changed her tune pretty quickly after she got to speak to an actual psychologist, however
>The very short of a very long story is that she realized she had a lot of problems with anger and regret and that a big root of her problem stemmed from her self-loathing over what she did to Naser when they were young
>I don't bother asking her what she did to Naser, but she tells me anyway…
> “I… I tricked Naser into thinking he could actually fly…”
> “Wow… that’s kinda fucked,” Anon answers, taking the words right out of my mouth
>Fang nods in reply, her eyes still locked onto mine
> “...It gets worse though…” Fang whispered, all the while, her eyes shimmering and her bottom lip trembling
> “I… I then goaded him into trying to jump off a nearby cliff…”
>Anon’s eyes go wide as saucer plates from the shock of hearing that
>I’d be lying if I said that hearing those words come out of Fang also didn’t shock me
> “I could have stopped him at any time from jumping… but I just stood there and watched, all the while thinking to myself ‘Nah, my brother can’t be that much of an idiot to actually think he can fly!’...”
>The damn breaks and Fang brings her hands up to her face to keep her tears from staining her new clothes
> “He jumped right off that cliff and… and…”
>Fang begins to tremble and sob
> “He almost got himself killed that day… and it was all my fucking fault!”
>...Thanks for telling me all that, Fang…
>I REALLY didn't need to know that
>Now I can never look at Naser the same way ever again…
> “I’m done hiding who I am and what I’ve done… and I’m done hiding my real name…”
>Fang takes a step away from Anon and myself, her eyes shimmering with tears
> “My name has been and will always be Lucy, and I love music, more than anything else…” Fang—or Lucy, rather—tells Anon and me with a wide bittersweet smile
>Oh, she makes me so badly want to punch her
>Not just for her expression, but as a bit of payback for the beating she gave me two weeks ago
>Some of those muscles are still sore
>It's made having fun with Anon a lot more challenging than it should be…
>Lucy hugs me again and thanks me
> ‘Why the hell are you thanking me for?’ I think but don't voice out loud
>Lucy starts crying and just keeps thanking me
>I turn to look at Anon, who only gives me a shrug in response
>Well... whatever
>At least Fang—or Lucy now, I guess, isn’t going to shoot up the school anymore and hurt Anon
>One less thing to worry about!
>...
>...
>It’s been… fuck, I don’t even know how it’s been
>Time kinda loses all meaning when you’re in jail
>I fucking hate this
>Why the FUCK am I in jail to begin with!?
>I didn’t do shit this time!
>Crack on my locker? I WASN’T distributing that shit!
>...
>God fucking dammit…
>Three years jail time for crack possession…
>And they wouldn’t take my word that it those weren’t my drugs
>Bunch of racist bigots!
>Fucking trigger haters…
>...
>Fucking dammit… what the fuck did I ever do to deserve this shit…?
>...
FIVE MONTHS LATER
>Five months now since I first met Anon, my wonderful boyfriend
>He's such an amazing BF!
>He so kind and understanding and considerate and most important of all, loyal… to a fault, even
>Sure, he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but that's kind of one of the reasons I love him so much!
>His escapades are just SO endearing!
>Just the other day, he bought a little phone roomba off some weirdo down in little Troodon
>I know little Troodon gets a bad rep due to all the shadiness and pickpockets and general cramp nature, but the place has some of the best noodle shops in Dinofornia, and the anime shops are second only to Jawpan
>In the last few weeks since Lucy's transformation from rebel without a cause to near school-shooter, she's gone on to become an actually decent person
>She hasn't quite abandoned all of her old habits though
>There's still this little part that used to be Fang still stubbornly holding on somewhere
>She’s also acting a lot more independent now
>She's even started making friends outside of just Reed and Anon
>Who knows, maybe she'll even find a boyfriend of her own now that she's not trying to shove non-binary beliefs that weren't ever her's in the first place down the throat of others
>In fact, Lucy and Reed had gotten a heck of a lot closer since her return from suspension
>Wouldn't surprise me one bit if the two become an item now that Reed's not constantly sky high
>Everything's going well
>It's almost like an endlessly wonderful season of anime had blessed me
>...
>As prom draws near, I start to ask just what dress I should wear
>Anon, of course, has already asked me to be his date days ago
>Not like he was going to ask anyone else
>And if he did, they’d have to deal with me...
>But it’s during this hectic time of planning that I receive a letter addressed to me:
> “Meet me on the rooftop, alone, and we have to discuss the Trish situation you caused”
> “Fail to show up, and I'll contact the police and inform them of the truth”
> “Your move, Stella”
>And it’s of course signed by none other than Naomi…
>I crumple the letter and stuff it into my pocket
>I'll burn it later
>Right now, I have school to worry about…
>Its after school now
>I’m at standing on the rooftop, just like Naomi’s letter asked me to do
>As much as Anon wanted to come along, I told him that I’d meet him at his apartment later since I had some last-minute Gardening Club business to attend to
>Sucks having to deceive him like that, but the last thing I want is for him to get mixed up in the crossfire between myself and Naomi
>It’s so weird
>I don’t think I’ve ever cared for anyone other than myself until Anon came along
>But something about him made that change
>Could be his personality
>How despite feigning apathy, he really cares about people deep down
>it can also be the fact that he’s the only guy in school that’s ever been able to stand me and my hobbies
>Sad as it is to say, not everyone’s privy to the glory that’s anime
>it can also be that he doesn’t mind my love of the occult either, unlike a certain Latina friend of mine
>I swear... if Rosa wasn’t my roommate…
>Oh Anon, how I wish you were here right now!
>But I won’t risk your safety
>If anything were to happen to you, I’d probably kill every single person in Volcaldera Bluffs, and then myself
>But damn… It’s quiet in the back of the school
>Too quiet…
> “So, you came after all,” Naomi’s voice snaps me from my thoughts
> “Good. I guess you took my letter seriously...”
> “Naomi,” I hiss, all the while fighting the urge to rush her down and beat the parasaurolophus up and leave her all purple and swollen
>She could be recording this, or there could be witnesses hidden from sight
>No need to act so rashly
>At least not until I’ve heard what she has to say
>Then I can beat the shit out of her for pulling this stunt and breaking our little truce...
> “Been a while since we spoke, hasn’t it?”
> “Yes it has,” I hiss out, my brow furrowing with every word I say
> “Never thought I would have to talk to you again,” Naomi adds with all the pleasure of having to deal with shit on her lunch
> “And it would have stayed that way had you not stuck your nose into my business,” I snap back, just barely able to keep my tone from carrying too much venom in it
> “Oh, believe me, the last thing I wanted was to call you out on your ruffianism, but you took things too far and forced my hand”
>I raise an eyebrow at the student president’s words
>Naomi sighs and shakes her head
> “I looked the other way when you crippled that student”
> “She was a major pain in the ass and deserves the humbling… Plus, there was never any evidence to accuse you, so why bother making the school look bad when it could all be written up as an accident?”
> “But the thing you pulled with Trish… that directly affected our school reputation…”
>Naomi crosses her arms and scowls at me
> “What’s worse, it completely ruined my plans!”
>There goes this bitch with talks of her ‘plan’ again…
>I again perk an eyebrow
> “Your plans?”
>Naomi narrows her eyes and grimaces so hard that she bears her teeth
> “You… fucking bitch! You literally ruined everything! I—I had it all planned from the start… had it calculated to the last action… and you went ahead and turned everything on its head!”
>It’s my turn to cross my own arms
> “What the actual FUCK are you talking about?”
>Naomi loses all sense of civility and grabs me by the gruff of my shirt
> “Anon was supposed to get with Fang! He was supposed to get her to act civil and proper, and he was supposed to make her happy! Instead, he got with you, and that ended up derailing everything!”
>Those words gets me nice and angry
>I shove Naomi away and glare dagger at her
> “Anon’s MINE!”
> “You keep your filthy fingers off him!”
>Naomi ignores my words and points at me with an accusatory finger
> “You sent Fang into an even deeper depression when you got Trish arrested!”
> “And because of that, Naser… Naser…”
>She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, almost as if she’s trying to keep herself collected
> “After the whole psychiatric and school shooting episode, Naser’s devotion to his sister became the only thing that mattered to him. He eschewed everything else! His grades, his position as head of the Cross Country team, even his relationship with me!”
>Naomi clutches her hands into fists
>I think I know what the manipulative bitch’s about to say, but I don’t interrupt
>Should be REAL good hearing what’s on her mind…
> “I… I asked him out to prom as any good girlfriend would, and you know what he told me? That he wouldn’t be going as a sign of solidarity with his sister! And all because YOU nearly got her expelled by antagonizing her!”
> “Oh, I’m sorry! I wasn’t aware that getting the crap beaten out of you counted as ‘antagonizing’ now!”
> “You insulted her first! She only snapped because goaded her into it!”
> “I only told her the truth. I’m not to blame if she took it in bad faith”
>I give Naomi a slight grin
> “Besides, you should be thanking me”
> “Because she spilled her guts while beating me up, it came to light that she was going to shoot you AND the school!”
>My words clearly strike a nerve with Naomi, but she feigns ignorance and continues with her words
> “It’s because of that that she got sent to a psychiatric evaluation! Because of that, she got barred from attending prom! It’s because of that that Naser decided not to go to Prom! And it’s because of that… that… I… I...”
>I let out a small chuckle and shake my head
> “Let me guess, you went off on Naser about how ‘unfair’ it was that he was deviating from your plan? Let slip that mask you love to wear so much that your boyfriend finally saw you for the manipulative, uncaring, perfect-obsessed bitch that you really are?”
> “S-shut up, you… you…”
>Naomi’s face turns a shade of red as her eyes shimmer with tears, confirming what went down between the couple more efficiently than words ever could
>I can’t help but laugh at how pathetic Naomi—the master manipulator of Volcano High—looks right now
>Seeing her in such misery is so cathartic!
> “Call me whatever you want; I’m not the one who got her ass dumped right before Prom!”
>Naomi’s eyes start to leak tears as she fights the urge to openly weep
> “You… you ruined everything!”
> “My perfect plan!”
> “My perfect prom!
> “My… my…”
>She grits her teeth and fixes me with a death glare
> “Why…? Why did you snatch Anon…? Why couldn’t you just… stay in the background where you belong…?”
>Oh, that REALLY pisses me off…
> “I don’t really know what drove me to bump into Anon all those months ago… but I’m… glad I did”
> “Anon’s made me the happiest gal in the world, and I’m willing to do anything to keep him…”
>I grin as I take a step closer to Naomi
> “And I do mean ANYTHING…” I whisper as I take another step towards Naomi, who takes a step back
> “S-stay away from me! I-I have the cops on speed dial!”
> “Oh! So scary!…” I mock Naomi’s threat
>What can I do to this salmon bitch?
>There are SO many options!
>I can toss her over the rooftop; make it look like a suicide
>I can toss her into the pool, pretend she took a little tumble while we were chatting and…
>Whoops! Guess who doesn’t know how to swim?
>I can try and use my sharpened tarot cards and call it a bad card-tossing accident
>Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s cut themselves with my metal cards
>Or I can cut all the bull and smash her across the head with my mace of a tail and try to dispose of the body later
>I mean, some of the Gardening Club’s plants are in need of good fertilizer...
>So many options to pick from
>But which one to choose…?
>Ph I know! I’ll let my trusty tarot decide! It hasn’t let me down yet!
>I reach for my portable tarot and draw a card
>I slowly turn it to face Naomi
>it’s the devil card
>How very fitting of her and me…
>”S-Stella!?” a familiar voice rings out to me
>I turn away from Naomi to face the voice
>And my eyes go wide in horror…
>…
>Who else is standing where my eyesight falls but Anon
>He looks so confused, almost like a lost puppy, his eyes scanning me from top to bottom as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing
>Oh, he’s just so adorable!
>No Stella, right now’s not the time to think about how cute Anon is or how he makes you spill your spaghetti!
>...
>He’s standing there, looking at me, expecting some kind of explanation for what I’m doing…
>Oh god, I wonder if he heard anything that annoying pink bitch and I said to each other…
>Anon takes a step forward and he gives me a disappointed look
>That expression drives a dagger into my heart...
> “H-hi, boo!” I say, cursing my brain for not coming up with a better greeting
> “W-what are you doing here and... not h-home…?”
>Anon looks between Naomi and me, all the while his expression remains blank and difficult to read
> “Stella… is any of the stuff you and… Naomi just said… true?” he asks as he visibly deflates
>To my surprise, Naomi is the one who answers, all the while giving Anon a look of utter disgust
> “What are you, deaf? Of course everything we’ve said is true!” she spits out venomously, all the while her eyes continue to narrow in Anon’s direction
> “Don’t tell me you have hearing problems on top of being stupid,” the bitch adds, a faint grin forming on her lips as she says the words
>I almost swing my tail at Naomi’s head then and there
>I somehow manage to keep my cool long enough to stop myself from striking the class president
>Instead, I shoot Naomi a death glare
>That wipes the stupid grin off her lips
> “Don’t listen to what Naomi has to say!” I start, walking up to Anon and giving him a soft, bubbly look
> “You’re not stupid at all!”
>I try to wrap my arms around Anon, but he takes a step to the side, causing me to miss my embrace entirely and almost fall on the ground
>I turn to look at my boyfriend with mild annoyance
> “A-ano—” I start but shut my mouth the instant my eyes meet his
>I feel that same dagger already stuck in my heart twist as I take in Anon’s expression
>It is one of pain and betrayal… almost as if his heart and his mind struggle in unison to try and make sense of the situation
>Anon closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, his shoulder slumping and the radiance of his being fading as a gloom overtakes his very being…
> “Am I… just some chess piece for the two of you to manipulate?” he asks as he looks at Naomi first
>The bitch at least seems to be taken aback by the question
>As for me…
>I feel ice form in the pit of my stomach
>Suddenly, I feel absolutely nauseous
>The feeling of unease only magnified when he turns to look at me with a weary, devastated expression
> “Did you… actually… love me from the start?”
>Anon’s question makes my blood turn to ice
> “Stella,” Anon whispers as he looks me into my eyes with the same kind of hopelessness a baby being abandoned on the side of the road
> “Have you been using me too…?” he asks, his eyes starting to redden and shimmer
> “Please… tell me if I’ve been just… just another tool for you to get a ‘perfect’ life!” he begs me to answer
>For the first time in my life, I’m at a complete loss for words
>I try to force myself to smile at Anon
>Try to reassure him that what we have is real and beautiful
>That I’d never use him for some shitty plan, not caring what became of someone as wonderful, as caring, as beautiful as him…
>But I can’t bring myself to speak
>Instead, I can only feel my heart breaking into thousands of tiny little pieces as I finally realize just what I’ve been doing all this time
>What my obsessive love has driven me to do
>My vision goes completely blurry as I lunge at Anon and wrap him in a tight hug, burying my face into his chest
>I don’t really know when I start, but I begin sobbing uncontrollably
>My voice betrays me as it turns into a wail of agony that I can’t stop
>Or rather, that I won’t stop…
>I don’t know how long I weep for, but when I’m at last able to form words, I of course begin firing thoughts out, not caring how they sound, or how much I stutter as I speak them
> “I-I-I-I… I love you!” I sob out pathetically
> “I-I-I-I-I-I-I… I LOVE you m-m-more than an-an-a-anything in the w-w-world! MO-MORE than anime, MOR-MORE than my tarot, and all my occult knowledge! M-M-MO-MORE than myself, even!”
>I can’t stand this feeling in my heart
>I want Anon to understand how much he means to me
>How he’s given me something in my life that’s worth so much
>More than all my years invested watching and reading anime
>More than the hours learning how to consult the cards, or read constellations, or decipher horoscopes
>Before he came into my life, I was so alone that I was willing to be a homewrecker
>And I would have stayed a homewrecker without his support...
> “I-I-I-I-I… I love you so much I’m willing to abandon it ALL i-i-i-i-if I can be w-wi-with you!
> “I can’t imagine any other kind of l-l-life now!”
>I can feel myself going faint from the mixture of sorrow and fear
>Now that Anon knows the truth, what must he think of me?
>Forget about me, what must he think about himself?
>Is he questioning his every decision up to this point?
>His every moment spent with me?
>...
>I… I can’t bear the thought of what he must think of himself right about now…
>Hesitantly, I look into my boyfriend’s eyes
>In then, I see no love
>Instead, I see fear
>Fear of me
>Fear of what I’ve done
>Fear of what Naomi has done
>Fear of what he's now linked to by proxy…
>The pain in my heart doubles
>It now feels as if someone ripped what little of my heart remains
>I’ll do anything if it means making you smile again, Anon
>I’ll give my cutthroat ways up
>I’ll apologize to all those I’ve wronged
>I’ll… I’ll even stop eating the last noddle packs
>You can have all the noodles, all the pockys, and all the calpicos!
>Just, please…
>...Please don’t leave me alone again…
>...
> “S-Stella,” Anon at last speaks
>His tone is soft and cautious, almost like he’s dealing with a frighteningly ferocious monster
>I don’t think too deeply about that implication…
> “I won’t lie… hearing everything you and Naomi said has… frightened me. It’s made me question many things I thought were concrete in my life. Am I really me because of the choice I’ve made? Did I become a better person by my choices or just because someone planned it that way…?”
>He looks deep into my eyes with a pleading, lost gaze
> “Am I really Anon… or am I just the result of choices I didn’t even know were made for me?”
>I can already feel the life drain out of me
>Here it comes
>The love of my life’s going to abandon me
>Just like everyone has all my life
>And I’ve no one to blame but myself…
>...
>To my utter shock, rather than let go of me, Anon brings me in closer and embraces me tighter
>I feels his warm tears fall on my shoulders and stain my cheeks as he lets out a single restrained sob
> “The one thing I do know for sure is that what I feel for you… is real,” Anon whispers into my ear
>His voice cracks and is uneven, but the weight of his words is at least full of determined resolution
> “When everyone else in my life shunned me for what I love, you accepted me”
> “Where everyone called me an idiot for being such a smooth brain, you accepted me, warts and all”
> “When everyone else had all but written me off as a loser without a future more willing to waste himself in apathy… you reached out and pulled me out of that mire…”
>Anon lets out another sob as he tightens his embrace
> “I… I love you for the goofy, carefree, blissful, anime-obsessed, and occult-following girl that I know you really are… so you don’t have to be anything else for me…”
>He grabs my chin and gives me a soft smile
> “You don’t have to be some kind of vindictive and overprotective yandere…
> “Just be… Stella…
> “No more, no less…”
>He seals his words by planting a kiss on my lips
>Anon’s words bring new life to me
>I melt into his kiss, realizing that he’s absolutely right
>I don’t need to be some kind of yandere anymore...
>I never needed to be a yandere
>I just need to be Stella
>Only Stella…
>...
> “Oh, get a room, you two!” Naomi shouts at us
>I had completely forgotten she was still even there
>I break away from the kiss and fix the bitch with a glare
>My desire to kill her’s lessened considerably, but I’m still very tempted to smack her around enough to land her in the hospital
>No, I shouldn’t think like that anymore
>It’s not what Anon would want…
>Naomi looks at me with contempt before rolling her eyes and scoffing
> “You two losers really do make a good couple…”
>She grits her teeth and clutched her hands into fists
> “Who would’ve thought that such a pair of losers would spell doom for my carefully-laid plans!?” she shouts in a rage
> “Why the FUCK do you two get to be oh so happy! What gives you the right to enjoy a perfect relationship when I can't!?”
>Okay, seriously, Naomi’s making it VERY hard to keep from beating her into a pulp
>I’m trying to have a change of heart here, yet she’s doing everything in her power to make sure that she does something violently physical, and all because she can’t take a fucking hint…
>I open my mouth to say something to the bitch, but to my surprise, Anon steps forward, his face twisted into a scowl…
> “Naomi… shut the fuck up,” Anon says without a single trace of hesitation
>Naomi visibly flinches, but once that passes, the anger returns to her face
>Before the bitch has a chance to say something else, Anon resumes his words
> “You have no right to be taking the high ground here, not when you’re just as responsible for everything that’s happened up to this point”
>Naomi crosses her arms and gives Anon an indignant look
> “How the hell am I responsible for anything!? I wasn’t the one who framed Trish for drug possession and gave our school a bad rep, and I wasn’t the one who got Lucy sent to a psychiatrist and very nearly expelled, causing Naser to drop everything and everyone he cared about to help her!”
>The bitch points at me
>I want so badly to bite that damn finger off her hand…
> “It’s all Stella’s fault!”
> “Yes, that’s all true…” Anon says without hesitation, causing me to flinch
>Hearing him agree to Naomi’s words is… sobering
>I can’t even say he’s wrong… because he is right in every way
>This really is all my fault…
> “Stella acted… in ways that I can’t agree with… but she’s not the only one at fault here...”
>Anon fixes a glare on Naomi
> “By your own admission, you had plans as well”
> “Plans to set me up with Lucy.”
> “Plans to manipulate people around you to your benefit”
> “Plans to do who knows what else down the line too… and all for what? So you could have your own perfect little life with Naser…”
> “So what if I had such plans? Not like they would have resulted in the kind of bullshit we’re dealing with now!” Naomi spits back her reply, one that, despite my best efforts to, can’t find much fault in
> “You don’t know that,” Anon counters
> “For all you know, your manipulations could have led to some dire consequences too!”
> “That’s irrelevant to what’s currently happening,” Naomi retorts
> “Even if you were to take that out of consideration, there’s still the fact that you KNEW about all the stuff that Stella did”
> “You’ve known for all these months and you’ve kept quiet about it”
> “That makes you just as guilty, if not more so than Stella…”
>Fuck
>Anon’s really not cool with what I’ve done…
>I mean, looking at it from his point of view, he’s absolutely right to not be offering any forgiveness for my actions
>They really were reprehensible
>Still, hearing him say that almost makes me wonder if he meant his words earlier
>Not that I deserve to be forgiven
>Not by a long shot…
>I take some solace in seeing Naomi’s bitchy face drain of some color
>Seems like the implication of her actions has finally sunk in nice and deep
>Just looking at her fumble for some kind of reply is enough to appease my desire for retribution
>If Naomi’s panicked face is the last thing before I face the music for my crimes, it will be so worth it
> “F-fuckmuffins…” Naomi finally says as she looks down at the floor, what color her face lost supplanted by her cheeks burning bright red
> “You’re right…”
> “I loathe to admit it, but you’re absolutely right…”
>The bitch finally looks me in the eye, her sharp glare intense enough that if she could fire from her eyes, she unquestionably would
>After a few seconds, Naomi lets out a frustrated sigh and looks Anon in the eyes
> “Stella and I… screwed up big time….
> “I’m… lady enough to admit it…”
>Anon nods and lets out a sigh of his own
>I think I know where he's going with this…
>So I preempt his words
> “Naomi… we have to set all our fuck-ups right,” I say without a single bit of hesitation
>I know I’m asking too much
>That there’s no way to take back all the shit I’ve done or the people I’ve hurt in the process
>But Anon’s love has finally made me realize something:
>The world doesn’t revolve around me
>It never has
>I’ve been selfish, arrogant, and malicious
>So it’s time I stood up and faced repercussions for my actions
>It’s what Anon would want
>And I’m willing to do anything for him…
>Naomi lets out another tired sigh and pulls out her phone
>Without hesitation, she types out a text message and pockets the device before returning her gaze to us
> “I just sent Principal Spears a message”
> “We’re setting everything right tomorrow morning…” she says, unease clear in her tone
>I nod in agreement
>As I do, I grab Anon’s hand
>I’m terrified of what comes next, but as long as Anon’s next to me…
>I think I can face what comes next with some determination
>I think back to the card I drew earlier, the Devil
>The Devil signifies a situation from which there is no escape, or the road leading to one
>The card doesn’t foretell doom, only the need for prudence
>Again, how oddly fitting of my situation…
>Naomi gives us one final glare before nodding and walking away
>I can tell from her slumped shoulders and uneven steps that her mind’s also just as full of anxiety as mine is
>I really have no idea what’s in store for us
>But whatever it is, as long as Anon’s with me, I think I can face it
>After all...
>This is all for him
>This has always been all for him...
>Kind of a boring morning
>Then again, all mornings are borings when you’re in jail
>How long has it been?
>Six months?
>One year?
>I’ve lost track of time at this point
>Nothing really changes while in jail
>Same-old route day in, day out...
>Wake up, get checked in, go to mess for breakfast, back to the cell for a few hours, recreation time, go back to the cell for another few hours, dinner time, back to the cell, and then lights out
> “My god, it’s so fucking boring…”
> “Well, whose fault is it that we wound up behind bars, you stupid stego?” my ever-annoying cellmate chimes in sourly from atop her bunk bed
>I can’t help but smile a bit at how fate decided things should play out for Naomi and I
>Sure, we both went in knowing that we would have to pay the piper sooner or later
>What we didn’t expect was to get arrested on the same day and at the same time
>Also didn’t expect us to wind up sharing a cell either
>I chalk that up to karma
>Naomi hasn’t had a good time of it, not by a long-shot
>The first few days, she was still in denial, thinking that it was all a bad dream
>When the reality started sinking in, she turned hostile towards me, even attempting to strangle me at least twice
>Eventually, she accepted the truth and became as well-adjusted a prisoner as you could expect
>She doesn’t show it anymore, but I know she hates my guts
>For good reason
>I lay on the bedside and close my eyes
>Not much else I can really do in truth…
> “So,” Naomi suddenly starts, “What did Anon tell you the last time he came to visit you?”
>I let out a sigh and try not to let that particular dagger hurt me too much
>Anon… the only person in this world who still gives a crap about me
>And Naomi, to a lesser extent…
> “You know, the usual”
> “How’s he’s doing, what’s been going on around Volcadelra Bluffs, how everyone we wronged has been getting better, and how he wishes things hadn’t turned out how they did…”
>Naomi jumps off her bed and fixes me with a nasty glare
> “We wouldn’t be here right now if you'd just let me do all the talking! But NO, you just HAD to get all emotional and spill your guts all over, revealing every little truth and condemning us to prison!”
>I grimace at Naomi’s words
>She can never understand what it means to have a change of heart
>What it means to realize just how wrong a path I was walking
>If she really had her way, she would have wormed her way out of everything and found some way to abuse the system so that she, and I guess me by extension, would walk away with the least amount of punishment possible
>What lesson was there to learn then?
>None
>I told the truth because I know that I deserve this
>Naomi also deserves this, but she’ll never accept that she does
>Guess I gotta give her at least some credit for being so shamelessly selfish, even to the very end…
>I feel the corners of my lips rise as I realize that the bad guys got what they deserved
>Naomi and I were the villains in this case, and we had to go down
>And just like in any good anime, soon as we did, life got WAY better for the heroes...
>Trish got released and cleared of all charges
>Even got awarded a pretty big sum of money as a form of reparation for the false charges and lost months of her life
>She was so thankful the day she was told she was both innocent and free that she broke into tears...
>Reed continued his sobriety, and eventually even scored himself a fancy scholarship for his technological prowess
>All those drugs had turned his brain to mush, so with them gone, his natural brilliance shone like a beacon
>Lucy continued to improve emotionally, and her relationship with both her parents and brother gradually turned better
>Soon as she graduated from Volcano High, she got a scholarship for music and is doing very well from what I hear
>As for Anon…
>Anon’s too good for me…
>Naomi let outs a scoff and sits on the nearby bench, still looking at me like she wants to psychically choke me or something
> “Well, I hope you’re happy, you weebo bitch”
> “Our lives are ruined…”
>Naomi closes her eyes and lets out a stifled sob
>I don’t think she has it in her to cry anymore
>She shed all those tears months ago
> “We’re going to be here for two years!”
> “When we get out, we’ll have nothing!”
> “No prospect of higher education because no college in their right mind’s going to take us, no prospect of work because we’ll be ex-felons, hell, even our families won’t take us back because of what colossal fuck-ups we turned out to be…”
> “Says you,” I snap back at Naomi
> “We got the ending we deserve”
> “I suggest you learn and grow from it,” I snap, rather uncharacteristically of me
>Naomi lets out a scoff and turns away from me
>Yet, despite the rage visible in her face, I can see at least a small glimmer of self-introspection
>Maybe I’m the hopeful one, but a part of me hopes my words got through to her
>Maybe…
>There is a knock on our cell
>Naomi and I turn to look at the source, one of the guards, a female ankylosaur that kinda reminds me of Rosa
>Oh Rosa
>She’s far too sweet to not come to visit me, even if most of the time she visits she scolds me like a disappointed sister
>She has every right to…
> “Stella DuBois. You have a visitor”
> “A certain Mr. Mous,” the guard says as she looks over her clipboard
>She raises an eyebrow, a faint smile creeping on her lips
> “This is the third time he’s visited you this week,” she says before whistling
> “You sure are lucky”
> “Most guys leave their girls after the first week in prison…”
>Naomi lets out a scoff and shakes her head, but she says nothing
>I get out of bed and give the guard an easy smile
> “Anon’s… special…”
>I think back to the first day I saw him and compare to where we now were
>To think that back then, I bumped into him out of a mixture of curiosity and malicious intent
>Now though…
>Anon’s the only thing keeping me going…
(48)
​
>The guard moves to open the cell and usher me out
>I follow procedure and allow her to handcuff me
>Wordlessly after, she leads me to the visiting area, past row upon row of other prisoners
>Many were in for far worse crimes than mine
>I think to myself if I hadn’t had my epiphany all those months ago, would I have wound like them eventually?
>Guess that’s another thing to be thankful for
>The guard finally leads me out into the mess hall
>When food isn’t being served though, it functions as a social hub for inmates and their visitors
>There are other inmates talking with visitors too
>Many look tired, weary, even morose
>So few happy faces...
>Among the sea of malcontents though I spot him
>He’s probably the only human among the sea of multi-colored dinos
>Soon our eyes meet, and the world around me melts away
>I almost forget where I am and what I’m in for
>The guard removes my handcuffs and motions me to go
>I give her a nod and walk up to the table
>Before I even reach it, Anon walks up to me and wraps me in a tight embrace
>I instinctively return the hug, all the while fighting ferociously to keep from crying
>I don’t know what the future has in store for me now
>I know it will be hard
>I know I will live with this for the rest of my life
>But for all the bad decisions I made, I can rest knowing that I made at least one good decision
>One I’ll never take for granted…