... w... what's taking her so long...?
S-She should have gotten out of the office by now... it... it's been over half an hour...
O... Oh no... d... did she get in trouble again...? I-Is she-? No, no, she- she didn't do anything wrong today, nothing bad happened today, it's fine, it's fine, it's completely fine, it's not fine, it's not, she's in big trouble, she's in- oh, nononononono...!
Okay, okay, think, Gumi, think... what could it...
... oh... oh, of course, it had to be what happened in Biology... right, people get in trouble for violence. M-Maybe the principal's, like... t-talking with her about it, how- how she was beaten up and junk...
B... But, w-why not just send her to the nurse's room...? A-And is it normal for the v-victim to be held up in the principal's office for this long...? N-No, it- it can't be normal, can it? I-If someone gets beaten up, then why would they just go to the principal's office for-?
O-Oh no, right- right, right right, the first day and the whole Brittany Weasel thing and the- oh god, oh god oh god-
"... G-Gumi...?"
C-Cherri?! "H-Huh?!"
...
O-Oh. Nevermind. It's- it's Elena. It's just Elena... w... w-why did I think she- ... a-anyway- s- she came to the classroom herself, Gumi... just- just speak to her, speak... "O-Oh. Hi... I, uhm-"
"I- I heard... Cherri got sent to the principal's office, right...?"
"U-Uhm-! Y-Yes, s-she did..." It- it was said on the intercom, right, I shouldn't be surprised that Elena knows... "I... uhm... sorry, I, uh-"
"I-It's okay... uhm... so, uh... i-is she around?"
N... No... "No, she... I haven't seen her since she left to the office..."
"Oh... uhm... I see... uh... well then..."
...
Oh, no, Elena looks really uncomfortable about this...
"U-Uhm- changing the topic... a-at lunch, a-are we sitting with your brother today?"
"N-No, h-he and his friends are skipping lunch... so we don't have a table today, b-but I was thinking we could join Soleil and all. H-Her usual spot... w-what do you think?"
"S-Sounds good! Y... Yeah... l-let's... let's go..."
...
Ah... Elena and I stopped talking...
Uhm... I... I don't know what to say next.
If Cherri were here, she'd probably... probably come up with something fun, something interesting... Elena would like her a lot, and so would Soleil...
But she's not here, a-and... and it's... it's awkward... not... not having anything to talk about...
...
Gumi... Gumi, d... do you really want to- do I want to talk about C-Cherri...? E-Elena might get all uncomfortable, b-but- but it would give us something to talk about... maybe?
M-Maybe... s... since, actually... she's been acting all weird... w-weird, and I don't know what to do about it... s-so maybe Elena might know what to do...
B-But if I bothered Elena about this, then I'd be all upsetting and uncomfy and bugging her about all of this... but, but maybe it would do me some good to let it out? I- I think I know Elena enough to... uhm... n-no, we've only been friends for one day and just-
... I... I don't knowwwwww... I- I really don't know and it's...
"... G-Gumi? A-Are you okay-? O-Oh! Uhm... uh- Gumi, it's okay, it's okay- e-everything's okay- you-"
Huh? O-Oh, oh, uhm- oh gosh, I'm bothering Elena now... s-she's looking at me. I- I couldn't keep it in, s-she knows I'm upset... a... actually, a-am I crying? I think I'm crying- y-yeah, I'm crying... s-stop crying, Gumi, stop it, just- just stop it...
... i-it's not stopping, it's not- I- I'm not stopping, I'm still crying... I-If Cherri were here, she'd know how to get me to stop crying, a-and... and I... I want Cherri here... s-she's- and she's not here and I'm crying because she's not here and- and I don't know where she could be and-
"U-Uhm- uhhh- Gumi-?! H-Hey, Gumi, i-it's- it's okay, I-"
"Hello, sweeties, Soleil is here~! Ready to-"
"S-Soleil, uhm, Gumi's having a panic attack and I don't know what to do- c-can you do something?!"
Aaaaaaaa- now Soleil's here and it's- aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...!
"Huh? Uhm? Oh. Oh! Hey, hey, sweetie, Gumi, precious. Mama Soleil's here, just- hey. Hey. Deep breaths!"
D-Deep breaths? O...okay, okay, d-deep breaths, deep breaths- I can do that, I can...
... oh god, oh god, I can't breathe. I can't breathe- it hurts- it hurts a lot- I can't- I can't do it, I can't-
"Gumi, listen, listen to me, Gumi- just- follow me for a moment. Breathe in-"
O-Oh nonononono she almost had her hands on my shoulders, ohgodohgodGumi don't don't don't oh nononononono- deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths, come on come on don't don't-
"D-Don't touch me-! P-Please- d-don't-!"
"O-Okay- okay, okay... h-hands are off- okay. You're okay... you're okay. J-Just- try- keep trying to breathe, please, Gumi..."
"O... Okay... okay... I- I... I..."
I-It's not working, it's not working...
...
Uhm... h... hi... Mr. California?!
S... Shot in the dark... uhm... I... I- I'm Gumi, I'm- Gumi Kusuri and, uhm... m-my sister is Cherri Kusuri, and... uhm... it's... nice to talk to you, i-if I'm- doing- this- right... and... uhm...
I- I'm sorry if I'm bothering you with this- b-but uhm, C-Cherri- d-does this thing that, uhm, m-makes her think calmer... a-and- a-and I- I don't know what Cherri's told you, but I'm- reaching out a little because, uhm... t... these last few days have been horrible and I don't like what's been going on and I'm scared and-
"B-Back with the soda... h-here!"
"Merci, merci, Elena, dear~"
Uhm- o-okay, okay, uh- E-Elena came back with soda, s-she got lemon lime- a- a bottle of it and- uhm... S-Soleil took a moment to hold the soda and uhm...
"Gumi, Gumi, here you go... drink up, s'il vous plaît..."
S-Soleil- Soleil h-handed me the soda... a... and, o-okay... okay... uhm... I- I drink the soda...?
The soda was cold and it tasted sweet... and I guess I like lemon lime soda, so it's-
"There... there. Feel- feel better, Gumi?"
A-Ah- uhm- "Y-Y... yes... uhm..." I- I nod a bit and... uhm...
... t-this- this is actually really, really hard...
H-How does Cherri do this with you so often, Mr. California? M-Me doing it feels a little weird... a bit hard to focus on you and everything around me, and I don't know if I can do it as much as she does, as well as s-she does, and- well... I don't know... m-maybe h-her mints actually do help with... this... could have been the sugar, e-even though Dad specifically buys sugar free mints...
T-Then again... uhm- Cherri was always a good multi-tasker... s-she once brushed her teeth with one hand while speed-writing her homework in the other, and- and that paper got, like, a C+... s-so...
...
S... So, i-it's very much possible- entirely possible, even, that this isn't- real, that I'm n-not actually talking with you right now... but- I... well- I'd like to ask a favor... i-if you know where Cherri is, could you please tell me? Call me or text me? See, m-my phone number is-
O... Oh.
Right, right, I... I don't have it on me right now... b-but please don't tell Cherri that I don't, s-she'll- she'll get all freaked out and do something stupid, so-
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U-Uhm, anyway, okay... uhm... I can do this, I can do this... it's- she- she's close with you or something... i-it should be easy to-
"Gumi?"
"... h-huh? S-Sorry... sorry, I- I'm- uh-"
A-Ah, right! A-And Cherri left her stuff behind, b-by the way... d-did I- did I get her stuff? O-Or- o-okay, okay, I have my backpack, I have both of our backpacks. M-Mine's on my shoulders, a-and Cherri's is currently h-hanging from my wrist... h-hands are stronger than... shoulders.
Her bag's a lot lighter than mine is, s-she doesn't bring all of her notebooks and textbooks like I do... I- I carry all my stuff on me, b-because- uhm- i-in case I need anything and stuff, it'll be there... a-and...
"Huh... seeing a Kusuri do this in real time's a little fun. Isn't it, Elena?"
"I... I guess...? W-What do you think she's thinking of...?"
"No idea... only this 'Mr. California' knows for sure..."
... o-oh- uhm- f-forgot to say... I- I did tell Soleil and Elena a lot about you, Mr. California...
I- I'm sorry if that's not allowed- a-as far as I know, Cherri only talks about basic things- t-told me that she was talking with you a bunch about our first few days of high school, that she very often thinks to you about all of what's happening in our lives these last two days or something, a-and uhm- even mentioned something about discussing...
...
H... How much has Cherri even... told you about... anyway...?
Like... she's- she told me quite a bit about t-talking with you... enough for me to know she's called Makeup Weasel. Makes sense... h-her name, her full name's, like, Brittany Weasel, a-and... yeah... b... but- has- has she specifically told you about how she and I- she and I see everyone as-?
... a... actually, I guess that means she would have brought up the EFD Season- the, the uh, the "Everybody-" ... uhm... cuss word, "Dies Season," which does mean she probably did mention the fact everybody around us are- animals and stuff... should be good to say that...
Oh! A-And, uhm, t-the- the two I'm with are Soleil and Elena... t-the first, a siamese c-cat girl, and the second a sheep girl. T-They're dressed in really- cool and cute clothes, and- and they're, like, m-my new best friends... I- I like them a lot and they're really nice and they- they're my first friends I've ever made here.
I- I wanted to be with them and Cherri, a-and also Will, and - oh, uh, Cherri calls him 'Lizard Nerd', by the way - and just- just eat together and stuff... i-it would have been fun to eat with a lot of friends...
...
"Gumi, sweetie, breathe..."
"A-Ah-"
Oh gosh... t-this is emotional.
I-It feels like my heart's a- a little... little heavy, t-talking with you, Mr. California... I- I think Soleil s-saw me hyperventilating w-when I started thinking really hard...
"... if- if you're okay with it, can we- listen in on what you're telling the nice man?"
O-Oh- S-Soleil wants to listen in, I- I don't know if- maybe it's a- I, uhm-
... uhm- "I- I don't know...? I... I'm not really s-saying much to begin with... I- I also don't know if Mr. California wants to talk about-"
"Then, no worries... keep your secrets. Let's change the topic, sweetie... hmm... how has your sister been?"
"M... My sister?"
"Yes, yes. Cherri, in case you've forgotten... hehe!" Soleil jokes... c-chuckling a little. "Ah... she isn't with you or anything, but... has she been well since she's come back? It- must be good, having her back and all, yes?"
H... Has it been good to have her back in school...?
Uhm... uh...
...
"... n-no, it... it hasn't been..."
I- I answered honestly... t-that it hasn't been good to have her back...
Cherri's been acting all... weird... e-ever since I came home yesterday... w-weird since this morning, and throughout the entire day so far... sitting away from me, picking on random people in our classes, just- going out of her way to h-hurt herself and get people to hurt her and get people to be angry at her and get people to yell at her and...
S-Soleil and Elena are looking at me quietly after I said all that, and- I... I- I want her to be around right now, of course, but she's like... she hasn't- been around, lately, and I, uhm...
"W-Well... uh... s-she's been acting all weird..." I- I tell Soleil... p-pretty much n-now w-wanting to tell her what I'm telling you... t-that Cherri's been acting weird and all...
"Weird...? In what way?" Soleil asks.
I- I can do this, I can talk about it... "W-well, l-last night, she was asking me if something was wrong a-after I told her about all of yesterday... and..."
"... mhmm, mhmm... go on."
... s-she, she woke up... "S-She, uh, woke up early this morning, seemed like she had a plan to- to do something today, and-"
"A plan to do something? Like, sitting in places where she shouldn't, and annoying everyone around her to the point of no return?"
"Well, yeah, a-" ... oh. Oh... Soleil hit the nail on the head... "Oh.... y... you already know about-"
"Oui, oui, ma cherie~" Soleil tells me, w-with that sprinkle of French she does... "Don't underestimate the power of gossip, Gumi. I may have, oh, I don't know... learned a lot of this through a little thing called 'eavesdropping' and all."
Oh... t-then Soleil already... uhm... I- I guess I don't need to talk about Cherri anymore... at- at least until, uhm... "A-Ah... t... then... uhm..."
"En tout cas, en tout cas..." Soleil speaks as she looks at her phone's clock... "Best not to speak about her behind her back... we should get some lunch. Discuss it over whatever passes for school cuisine. Elena, are we sitting with your brother today?"
"Oh, n-no, no... E-Ethan, uhm, he's skipping lunch... w-we don't have a table, so... we were thinking of just... sitting in y-your, uhm, your hiding spot, then..."
"Well, unfortunately, it's not an option anymore... it turns out, the goths have claimed it. They have been using it for years."
"O... Oh..."
O-Oh...
I... uhm...
"Well, if you two don't mind, we could skip out on lunch today. Instead of whatever's being given here, we could go to some place in the city after class, eat some actual food."
... I, uhm... I... "I- I, uh... I can't really... skip out on lunch... b-but, uhm, I- I packed some sandwiches, actually... I- I can just- eat some sandwiches and- and, uhm-"
"U-Uhm- G... Gumi, you're..."
...
O-Oh, no, I- I started crying again... E-Elena saw me crying again...
"Gumi, sweetie, let's... I have an idea. I'll go- I'll go look for your sister, okay?"
H-Huh?
S-Soleil suggested that she'd go look for Cherri... uhm... "Y-You... don't have to, I... uhm-"
"Pas de problème, ma petite ver gommeux~!" Soleil- Soleil playfully tells me, and- and I have no idea what she just called me, but it's probably endearing...? "I'm happy to go looking for her."
I, uh... I kind of... I want to stop her, b-because I don't think she'd be able to-
Oh. Okay, okay, she's- she's leaving, she's walking away, starting to walk off on her own now...
...
T... That leaves me in silence with Elena again, then...
Uhm...
... I- I guess, uh, what makes Soleil so easy to talk to is that Soleil is always the one speaking first... s-she's kind of like Cherri, all... all extroverted and stuff... b-but, uhm, Elena's a little harder to speak with because we're both like... kind of shy and timid...
T-The only reason Elena's even friends with us is because Soleil did that first push, like the socialite she is... a-and she shares a few classes... and... stuff... b-but, if- if I was alone, if I was all by myself, t-then the two of us would be too quiet to be friends...
I- It's a big reason why I was... depending on being approached by people, first... w-why Cherri and I wanted to look cool and cute and get new friends to come up to us...
... but, uhm, the plan went wrong and people started actually... hating... us, instead...
... a...
... and it's all because of me...
B-Because of my blood, because of- what- I'm able to do... a-all of this stuff happened...
L-Look, I want to be honest... t-the stuff that got Cherri suspended was all me... I- I think I was the one who hurt M-Makeup Weasel. S-Sure, s-she put her hand on my head and pushed my face into the lunch, b-but if I kept calm, then she wouldn't have had her hand sizzled and burned and stuff...
It... it's probably a really outlandish thing to hear, but... I've dealt with this for... ages, s-since- since, uhm... since I-I was, like... six... a-and it's an awful thing to have to deal with at all times... h-having blood that's venomous and acidic...
W-With just my hands, it doesn't, like, h-hurt things like benches or backpacks or stuff... i-it's only, like, painful and harmful when it's a person or a creature... when something alive is just in contact with my skin for too long. A-And it can, l-like, maybe disintegrate a person's whole hand if I had a nosebleed a-and they tried to c-clean the blood... i-it's awful...
T-That's... that's why I- uhm... if you heard me going 'don't touch me' or something earlier, that's why I wanted to keep Soleil away... i-if she touched me while I cried, i-it could really hurt her. S-She'd go through the same thing that Makeup Weasel did, a-and I'd- I wouldn't know w-what to do to help...
... o-one of the, one of the many reasons I- I want Cherri to be here...
W-Whenever Cherri's around, I- I don't have to worry about burning other people...
Whenever Cherri's around, s-she keeps me and everybody around me safe...
A-And whenever Cherri's around, I can just... smile and let her be the person who speaks and stuff...
T-There are a lot of things that Cherri does that I can't do on my own... a-and I guess, uhm, w-when she, when we started going to the same classes, she was always by my side and all. We studied together and did middle school things together and... uhm...
... went to detentions together...
Y-Yeah, we went to detentions together.
M-Makeup Weasel isn't her first offense, s-she's been in a bunch of... detentions and stuff... a-and I, uh, I... I joined her. I stayed with her i-in the detention room and stuff...
... I... I guess what I'm trying to say is, uh...
If... if I were normal... then none of this would be happening.
"..."
... a... and now Elena and I are just standing quietly in the hallway, with no place to eat lunch...
"... s... so, Gumi, uhm..."
... h-hm? Elena's starting to say something, a-and stopped... s-stopped speaking and looked away after a bit.
I look to Elena with a raised eyebrow... "Y-Yes? W-What is it?"
"... I... uhm... can I, uh, borrow your phone...? I- I need to text Ethan, a-and may- may have forgotten mine at home..."
Borrow my... my phone?
E-Elena wants to borrow my phone...?
B-But I don't... I don't have...
...
"... o-okay. Sure... one moment..."
Times of emergency...
S-See, C-Cherri and I have this thing w-we do, where- if we have some sort of emergency, w-we have the other person's password a-and can use the other person's phone... a-and her phone's in her backpack... in the phone pocket thing on the side...
I- I don't use it a lot, no... a-and Cherri doesn't, either. I-It's been solely a case of emergency, so- so we usually just have it on standby... and stuff...
So- Cherri's phone out, uhm- h-her, uh, her black cased phone...? I-If you're curious... I- I open Cherri's phone and open the messages thing. "R-Right, so what was his number again?"
"O-Oh, alright, it's-"
"Wait... wait a minute..."
C...
Cherri texted me at 1 in the morning?
"[give gumi's phone back. or i will nightmare you.]"
...
O...
Oh...
Oh my god.
No.
Nononononono.
Cherri knows... Cherri knows?!
T-The message she sent was, was- it- it- she- she f-found out that- she already-
... n-no- nonononono-! No! S-She- I-
"G-Gumi? Gumi, h-hey, uhm- b-breathe...?!"
I-Is that why she was acting all weird...?! W-Was she acting weird b-because of my phone?! D-Did she come up with some bold, grand, big scheme to take my phone back by f-figuring out- oh- oh no.
"G-Gumi?! Gumi, s-stay with me, you're- w-what exactly is- ... h-huh?!"
Cherri- Cherri thinks that M-Makeup Weasel's friends did it- o-or she's just messing with them to- s-she- it- i-it's- it's because of me- i-it's because of me, again, she- she's- she's doing all this crazy stuff b-because I didn't tell her about the p-phone and- oh God, oh God no-
"A-AAH!"
...?!
I- I- I heard a scream, I heard a-
OH.
N... NONONONONO- OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD-
E-ELENA TRIED TO HUG ME. SHE- SHE FULL ON HUGGED ME, LIKE- A-ARMS AND EVERYTHING. S-SHE- H-HER WHOLE BODY IS- TH-THE WHOLE FRONT OF HER BODY IS-
A-AAAAH! UHM- UH- N-NO ONE'S AROUND, S-SHE'S- OH GOD OH GOD-
"E-Elena! E-Elena, I- I'm so sorry, I- I didn't-! I didn't mean to-!"
S-SHE'S SCREAMING IN PAIN- OH GOD OH GOD OHGODOHGOD NONONONONONONONO-
A-AAAH- W-WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO
"H-Holy... E-Elena! Elena, sp-speak to me! I-It's-"
A-AH! SOMEONE'S HERE, IT'S- IT'S SOLEIL AND SHE'S SEEN ME DO THIS TO ELENA AND OH GOD OH GOD IT-
................
C... Cherri... s...
She's... she's here...
"... tch- Soleil, get her ankles, I got her shoulders."
"W-What?! W-Why are-"
"Trust me. We're getting her to the bathroom, now!"
I- I watch as Soleil and C-Cherri pick up Elena, as they start to- carry her away, beginning to carry her out of sight, a... and...
... and... I... I start to-
"Gumi!"
H-Huh?!
"Gumi, you're coming with!" Cherri loudly shouts to me. "Now!"
"..........."
I...
I'm...
"NOW, Gumi, now!"