SnootGame/game/script/9.anons'-dirty-laundry-gets-put-up-to-air.rpy

label chapter_9:

#jump ChVVURMDRAMA - commented out 6/12/21 - probably redundant with new "system"
#label ChVVURMDRAMA:- commented out 6/12/21 - probably redundant with new "system"

#VVURM DRAMA
scene hallway with fade
play music 'audio/OST/Fuck You I Like This Chick.ogg' fadein 1.0

"End of midterms means the start of the new quarter."

"Halfway through the semester, and things have been going pretty good."

"I didn’t completely fuck up so far, and I think the rest of the band is starting to warm up to me."

"Especially Fang."

"In fact we’ve been hanging out more in the auditorium after school."

"Instead of band practice we’ve been making use of that repaired projector."

"Watching shitty movies and playing games on Reed’s Xrox."

N "Why are you so deep in thought, Anon?"
show naomi neutral at scenter with dissolve
"The Mandarin Manchurian rips me away from my monologue."

"During homeroom, Spears came on the announcement to declare an assembly for the senior class."

"Or in his own words,"

Sp "ASSES IN THOSE SEATS NOW!"

scene hallway
show anon neutral at aleft
show naomi neutral flip at sright
with fade

"Naomi has taken the opportunity to walk with me through the hallways."

A "What do you want?"

N "So I heard you and Fang went on another date the other day."

"Of course she did."

A "It wasn’t a date, we were just hanging out."

"Just kickin’ Reed’s ass in Rock Ring 3."

"Pls give mammoth bone armor."

A "You do anything fun with Naser lately?"

N "OH! My Naser just had another track meet!"

"That always works."

show naomi happy flip with dissolve

N "His high jump form is so perfect!"

N "And he looks so dazzling in his track and field uniform!"

N "...And his physique…"

"I tune her out as she covers her profusely red nose."

"The less I can think of Naser’s body the better."

scene auditorium with dissolve

"We get to the auditorium once again and I look to the back row to find our spot."
play music 'audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg' fadein 1.0

"Empty?"

F "OVER HERE, ANON!!"

"Fang and Trish are sitting in the front row."
show fang happy at scenter
show trish neutral at tleft
"Next to them is Reed huddling behind a cart with the projector he’d fixed on it, messing with the cords."

show reed neutral flip at rright with dissolve

A "What’s the deal? Why are we sitting in the front all of a sudden?"

show reed explanatory flip with dissolve

Re "Uhhhh… Spears asked me to man the projector…"

Re "First I was like ‘say whaaaaat’, but then I was like ‘yeah, man, sure’."

Re "So here I am."

show reed neutral flip with dissolve

A "I.. see..."

show anon neutral with dissolve:
   xalign 0.9

"I take my seat next to Fang."

A "They say if we’re here yet?"

F "Nope."

show trish unimpressed with dissolve

T "Since we’re seniors it’s probably some other stupid pep talk about ‘Our Futures’."

show reed explanatory flip with dissolve

Re "I bet it’s a fundraiser…"

Re "I’m like, good at selling things and stuff..."

A "I’m sure."

A "Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask."

A "What exactly is ‘carfe’?"

show reed shocked flip

Re "You don’t know man?"

Re "Carfentanyl. The wildest stuff a dino can get."

A "Really now?"

show trish explanatory

T "It was used in war by skinnies a while back. It’s a deadly tranquilizing agent."

show trish neutral

show reed unimpressed flip

Re "It’s only deadly when you make it wrong, man."

show reed neutral flip

Re "But yeah, it’s great stuff if you know how to do it."

A "Fang, have you ever tried any?"

F "Once."

F "Woke up hanging upside down from a tree with Naomi’s clothes on hugging a fake skeleton."

T "See, when I do it it just makes me a bit dizzy for a few hours."

A "Huh. Can I see some?"

show reed shocked flip with dissolve
show fang neutral with dissolve

Re "Absolutely not."

F "No."

A "Why not?"

T "That stuff’s a hundred times more powerful than horse tranquilizer."

T "It’d melt your skin."

Re "Make your heart burst."

F "I heard a human tried it once and exploded."

T "I bet."

A "Yeah, yeah, sure. You just don’t want to share."

"The last of the seniors trickle in and take seats near the front."

"Eventually Spears takes the stage."

"He pauses to make sure everyone’s covering their ears before beginning."

hide reed with moveoutleft
scene auditorium with fade
show spears neutral at scenter with dissolve
Sp "ALLLRIGHT!"

Sp "AS YOU ALL KNOW, GRADUATION’S COMING UP SOON."

Sp "WE’RE GOING TO GO OVER THAT WHOLE PROCESS,"

Sp "BUT FIRST THE STUDENT COUNCIL HAS A BRIEF PRESENTATION TO GIVE ON THE SUBJECT."

Sp "FLOOR’S ALL YOURS, STUCO."

hide spears with moveoutright
show naomi neutral flip at sright with dissolve

play music 'audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Spears gestures his hand towards Naomi and Naser, who show up from behind the stage curtains."

"The Chiffon Czarina brings a wireless microphone to her snout."

"She begins reciting a well rehearsed speech in her usual snooty (heh) manner."

"More plastic than person."

show naomi happy flip

N "Why, thank you, Principal Spears!"

"The projector comes to life, displaying a basic slideshow title card reading"

A "Reed, how do you know when to move it forward?"

Re "It’s when she crosses her fingers. Check it out."

N "Now, this is a very important turning point in your life!"

"Ah, got it, It’s one of these. I needed a nap."

"As soon as I closed my eyes I felt a malevolent force looming before me."

scene black with fade

"Somehow, I felt like opening my eyes was a bad idea."

"But keeping them closed was an even worse one."

"At least there’s cute little designs on the slides."
scene projector1
"There’s a little penguin with a graduation cap…"
scene projector2
"There’s the school mascot in a party hat… even has the fogged up window..."
scene projector3
"A lineup of various graduates with a token human at the end for diversity. Typical."
scene projector4
"There’s some scientists and engineers holding hands…"
scene projector5
"There’s a triceratops holding onto a branch with the text ‘hang in there, baby!"
scene projector6
"There’s me two years ago when I photoshopped myself with an anime girl."
stop music
scene projector7

"..."

"..."

"..."

play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"What the fuck"

"HOW!"

"WHY!"

"The world’s stopped turning. No one around me is moving and there is no sound at all."

"Why is that here? How! I deleted everything! EVERYTHING!"

"So why the fuck is it here."

"My body feels like stone as I try to turn."

"To see if anyone else is seeing this."

"In the end I can’t bring myself to move at all."

"It doesn’t matter, I already feel their endless gazes."

"I feel lightheaded."

"There’s what feels like a lump of lead in the pit of my stomach."

"There’s dark spots forming in my sight."

scene black with fade

"When I finally breathe again the world restarts."
"The laughter hits first."

"A monstrous guffaw from behind, that’s joined by every other senior in the room."

Nas "REED CHANGE THE SLIDE, CHANGE IT NOW!"

Re "I-I am!"

scene projector8

"More pictures. So many more pictures."

"Each one more and more embarrassing than the last."

scene projector9

"I… oh god…"

Nas "Shit!"
scene black
"There’s a loud crash right next to me and the entire room becomes black."

"Did I faint?"

"Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?"

F "A-anon?"

"Still awake. Fuck."

scene auditorium with fade

show anon sad at acenter

"The lights come back on and my eyes burn."

"The projector is on the floor, lens shards scattered all over the floor."

"The laughter is even louder now."

Nas "Reed how the fuck did this happen?"

Re "L-look I just used the usb Trish said-"

Nas "TRISH?! Why would Trish-"

"Trish… wasn’t in her seat."

"In the corner of my eye I notice someone running for the entrance."

"It’s Trish. She’s making a mad sprint for the door."

Nas "Stop her!"

"She continues dashing towards the exit…"

"And right into Spears’ hand."

"Literally."

"His baseball mitt of a hand covers the… the… that fucking BITCH!"

"Covers her face entirely."

"Even lifts her up. By her face. With one hand."

Sp "ALL OF YOU GET YOUR ASSES BACK TO CLASS."

"Spears motions for me to follow him but I feel paralyzed by everything that just happened."

"I bury my face in my hands and just groan."

"This is Rock Bottom all over again."

show fang sad flip at sright

"Fang tugs at my arm, trying to get me to follow."

"I just can’t find the energy to move anything right now."

"Fang frantically looks around at the hysterical crowd, trying to come up with something."

"Eventually, I feel Fang put her arm over my shoulder as she tries to get me to stand."

"She drapes her wings across my back, creating a barrier between me and everyone else."

"Without saying a word she leads me out of a side door towards the principal’s office."

"What the fuck just happened?"

scene hallway
show anon neutral flip at aright
show fang sad at sleft

F "Hey…"

"How is this happening to me?"

F "...You gonna be alright?"

"How did Trish find those dumb pictures?"

F "Look, don’t listen to those pricks Anon."

"Was Reed in on it?"

F "All of them dumbasses."

"He couldn’t be, what would he gain from something like this?"

F "Like… This’ll all blow over."

"What would Trish gain from something like this?"

F "Like, none of them talk about our shitty concert."

"I know she doesn’t like me but this…"

F "And that was like, a fuckin’ month ago."

"...This is fucked up!"

"I’m going to rip her stupid horns off and give her a couple new holes to breathe with!"

F "It’ll be all good Anon."

"Think Fang’s dad had a thing going on with the golf clubs…"

"See if he can give me a couple of pointers."

F "Just needs some time to forget it happened."

"The squeak of sneakers catches my attention and I turn to see Reed approaching us down the hall."
play music 'audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg' fadein 1.0

show reed unimpressed at rleft with moveinleft

F "Reed...? I thought Spears sent everyone back to class."

Re "Can't just sit in class while all my hombres are going through some pretty heavy stuff, y'know?"

Re "Got something I need to get off my chest, anyways."

A "What? Bit busy dealing with being doxxed here!"

"Wait..."

A "Wait, get what off your chest?"

A "Were… were you in on it?"

"Fang’s questioning glare makes Reed shudder."

Re "Wait, wait, no, don’t get the wrong idea, man!"

F "Reed… How did this happen?"

show reed explanatory with dissolve

Re "No no, it went more like…"

Re "I was getting the projector set up earlier, right?"

Re "Something was wrong with the lens, and I didn’t have enough time."

Re "...So I asked Trish to go get the thing from Naomi."

Re "I guess she must’ve, like… changed the slides before giving it to me?"

A "And you didn’t think to check?!"

show reed considering with dissolve

"Reed deflates."

A "...Damn it, Reed…"

Re "Look, man... Trish isn't a bad person."

A "Bitch sure has a funny way of showing it!"

show reed angry with dissolve

Re "Dude. I know you're still hurting from what she did but like-"

A "Yeah, what could have POSSIBLY given that away?!"

Re "BRO! Let me finish!"

"Reed's raised voice takes the wind out of my lungs."

"That's the first time I think I've ever heard him raise his voice."

Re "Trish messed up pretty bad, bro. Like massively, hugely messed up."

Re "Not gonna argue with that. She abused my trust too, dude."

Re "When she gave me the presentation from Naomi I didn’t think she’d do anything like that."

Re "But did you ever consider why?"

A "...Because she's a two-bit cunt?"

show reed considering with dissolve

"Reed sighs again, with a noticeable lack of smoke surrounding him."

Re "Dude... You and Trish have always been at each others' throats. But like, why even?"

"I open my mouth to answer but can't find the words."

"Or the reason?"

show reed angry with dissolve

Re "Did'ja ever stop to consider WHY Trish always gave you a hard time?"

A "...Not really..."

"Another sigh, this time with an expectant look from Reed."

Re "Did you ever even try, bro?"

A "..."

A "...No."

show reed unimpressed with dissolve

Re "And that's the problem, dude."

"Reed has a pained expression on his face, and a quick glance shows Fang’s is even worse."

Re "Like, I know it sucks. Trish tricked me and all too, and that hurts, y’know?"

Re "But maybe try and think why Trish did this, alright bro?"

menu:
  "Not exactly in the introspective sort of mood right about now.":
    "Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."
  "I refuse to accept that I had any part to play in this debacle other than being the victim.":
    "Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."
  "I guess Reed might have a point…":
    "Trish can still burn in hell for all I care."


scene hallway with fade

show anon neutral flip at aright
show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral at rleft
stop music
stop music fadeout 3.0
Sp "Three MONTHS!"

Sp "THREE MONTHS from graduation and you PULL A STUNT LIKE THIS?!"
#play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0

"Spears’ stern voice grilling Trish in his office rips me from my thoughts."

"Good! She deserves it!"

Sp "I’ve half a mind to have campus security escort you out of here and send you to Reef City Continuation!"

show fang angry at scenter with dissolve
show reed angry at rleft with dissolve

"Fang and Reed both hiss at that."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

show fang neutral at scenter
show reed neutral at rleft

Sp "You have five minutes to explain why I shouldn’t do that right now."

"I couldn’t hear Trish’s full response through the door but she was obviously crying."

"After what SHE did?"

"Fang leaned in, trying to listen through the door to hear what the bitch was saying."

"Because of her arms I was pulled closer too."

"I heard the trollop’s whimpering and wanted nothing more than to really make her cry."

T "-all HIS fault-"

"My fault?! I did fucking nothing to that purple pole-smoker."

T "-didn’t know what else I could do-"

"Not fucking show half the school the cringiest thing I’ve ever done and commit what amounts to character assassination?!"

T "-some asshole from the sticks-"

"I’ll show that cunt some fucking sticks."

T "-driving Fang away!"

"...What."

"What does Fang have to do with any of this?!"

"She wasn’t the one bitching about every damn thing I do!"

"I glance over to Fang whose expression seems even worse now."

F "..."

"Looking at her this way makes a part of me feel even shittier."

"Like I did cause this."

"Fuck Trish though, she’s been an ass to me from the beginning!"

Sp "Anon! Will you please step into my office!"

"Spears’ voice shocks me from my eavesdropping."

"What am I supposed to say to Trish?"

"Fang tries to give a reassuring smile but it’s so fragile."

"Like this is all her fault and not that backstabbing bitch."

"Reed gives a silent nod. No thumbs up this time."

scene office spears with dissolve

"I enter Spears’ office and my eyes are immediately drawn to Trish sitting in front of his desk surrounded by crumpled up tissues."

show trish sad at tleft
show anon neutral flip at aright
show spears neutral at scenter

Sp "Trish, is there anything you would like to tell Anon?"

"I’ve never seen her like this."

T "It’s all your fault."

T "Who are you to come here and take Fang away!"

T "You’re just some nobody from the middle of nowhere who only cares about yourself!"

T "I helped pull Fang out of their shell."

"And made her a social pariah in the process."

T "My band was doing great before you came here!"

"I set up the only successful show you ever played."

T "And then you show up and start manipulating everyone!"

T "Because you’re a selfish control freak!"

T "Everything has to revolve around you!"

T "Fang and Reed and me were going to make it to the top!"

T "But you stole everything from me because you didn’t understand us!"

T "No one understands us!"

"Trish is cut off by a horrid sob, her head falling into her hands and new tears spilling from her eyes."

"Raptor Jesus on his cross of rock that’s a lot to unpack."

"It’s like you didn’t even try to understand me either."

Sp "Anon, is there anything you want to add?"

"Like how she’s not worth the oxygen?"

"But if this really is all about Fang…"

$ TalkedWithTrish = 0

menu:
      "Talk with Trish":
             jump TalkWithTrish
      "Ignore Trish":
             jump IgnoreTrish

label TalkWithTrish:

$ TalkedWithTrish = 1

play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I turn to the pitiable purple punk-rocker."

Sp "{alpha=0.5}{i}You are not the only person in the world.{/i}{/alpha}"

"Maybe Reed was onto something."

"I… Think I finally get it…"

A "Look, Trish. Maybe we didn’t start off right. And yeah, I can be an asshole."

"She looks up at me, surprise written on her teary eyed face."

A "I didn’t mean to drive you and Fang apart or anything. I just want to be Fang’s friend."

A "But after what you fucking did. Fucking digging up my past? Airing it to every senior?"

A "And all for Fang? She’s outside the door thinking this is all her fault!"

"That got a response from Trish."

"Her head dipped down and her fingers curled into the hem of her hoodie."

A "Maybe it’s your fault for being such a bitch."

A "Maybe it’s mine. I don’t know."

A "But it sure as shit isn’t Fang’s!"

"Another choked sob racked her body and the tears started anew."

A "...I’m sorry for being a poor friend to you. But after what you did? I don’t know if I can forgive that."

"Spears nods in approval, a fatherly grin stretching his cheeks."

Sp "That was well said, son. You’ve come a long way since your first day."

Sp "You can leave. Take the rest of the day if you need it."

"I rise from my chair and make for the door."

"But I’m stopped by what Trish just muttered."

T "s’my fault… m’sorry."

"..."

A "You should tell that to Fang."

jump PostSpearsOfficeTrish

label IgnoreTrish:

play music 'audio/OST/protestra_punk.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "No, I’ve got nothing."

"Spears sighs like he expected me to add something more."

"What was I supposed to say?"

"Forgive her and act like nothing happened?"

Sp "Well, Anon, I can’t really say I blame you after all of that."

"Trish remains silent, her eyes locked on the floor."

Sp "You can go home for the day if you need to."

jump PostSpearsOfficeTrish


label PostSpearsOfficeTrish:
"Right before I clamp my hand on the doorknob, Spears speaks up."

Sp "Oh, and Anon. Don’t think I didn’t notice."

"Uh oh."

"I slowly turn back to him."

Sp "..."

A "..."

Sp "Your waifu is trash and your taste is shit."

Sp "My door is always open so I can share some quality anime."

"What."

"I open the door to see Fang again, expression complex, leaning against the door’s frame."
play music 'audio/OST/she_fucks_human_men.ogg' fadein 1.0

"Reed has taken my place beside her with a comforting arm around her shoulder."

"If this was any other situation I might have felt a bit jealous."

scene hallway
show fang sad at sleft
show reed considering flip at rright
show anon neutral flip at aright
with fade
F "Hey."

"A heavy sigh escapes my lips."

A "Hey."

Re "Doing okay, bro?"

A "I’d frankly like to just disappear right now."

A "... I think I’ll just go home."

F "I uh... can ditch. If you need me to come with."

"Fang looks at the door to Spear’s room for a bit, then back to me."

"Trish is probably having to call her parents right now."

"Fang probably heard everything in the office."

if TalkedWithTrish == 1:
  menu:
        "Wait for Trish to exit the office":
          jump WaitForTrishToExit
        "Go Home Early":
          jump GoHomeEarly
else:
  jump GoHomeEarly

label WaitForTrishToExit:
$   anonscore += 1

play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "You worried about her, too?"

"Fang turns her head down to her shoes."

F "..."

F "How could I not tell something like this was happening?"

A "You know it’s not your fault."

F "Doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty about it."

"She picks her head up to look me in the eye."

F "We should leave... you probably don’t want to see her when she gets out."

A "Actually, I think we should wait. Looks like you have something to say to her."

F "Well, yeah, but…"

A "There’s something else I wanted to tell her, too."

F "There is?"

Re "There is?"

F "You sure you should be talking to her when you’re still this upset?"

A "It’s nothing bad, promise."

Re "It’s a good call, dude."

F "Mmmmm…"

A "You can go first."

"Fang gives a small nod, and the three of us slide down the wall into sitting positions."

"The minutes pass."

F "What do I even say to her…?"

A "..."

"I’m not entirely sure either."

"Reed awkwardly toys with his tail in silence, suddenly a lot less contemplative than before."

"The clasped hands around my knees start to leave red marks on each other."

"I can’t find the energy to shift them."

"Aeons later, Trish emerges from the office."

show trish sad at tcenter with dissolve

"Her tears have become shiny trails reflecting the sterile light of the hallway."

"Hesitantly, Fang gets up to speak with her."

"That makes one of us."

"For a while, the two just stare at each other."

"Eventually…"

F "...Why?"

F "Why the fuck did you do this to Anon?"

F "Do you actually think I’d be okay with this?"

F "Anon is just as much my friend as you or Reed!"

F "That was something those douchebags who make fun of our band would do."

T "...I thought he was a bad influence..."

T "...On you… the band…"

T "Everything is changing, Fang, and I don’t like it."

T "All because of Anon."

F "Then why didn’t you just fucking talk to us?"

F "Anon isn’t some asshole trying to rip everything apart."

T "I know what you told me, Fang, but like…"

T "But you deserve better, he’s not-"

"I catch Trish throwing a glance my way as she cuts herself off."

T "Look, I’m sorry Fang. I'm just trying to look out for you."

F "Look out for me? I can make my own decisions, Trish."

"Fang sighs and rubs her temples."

F "...I’m taking a break from the band."

"I watch as Trish’s entire world shatters before her eyes."

"Reed’s lack of reaction tells me they discussed this while I was in Spears’ office."

T "W-what?"

F "I need time to think…"

T "Fang wait-"

F "Bye."

hide fang sad with moveoutright

"Fang turns away from Trish and starts walking away."

F "I’ll wait by the exit while you talk, Anon."

"Reed gets up as she passes by and begins to follow, giving me a thumbs up."

Re "Give you some privacy, amigo."

hide reed with dissolve

"..."

play music 'audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg' fadein 1.0
"And now it’s just the two of us."

"I get up from my spot on the floor, pins and needles in my legs making it more difficult."

T "...Now what do you want?"

A "I fucked up too."

"That catches her off-guard."

A "This is my fault too, ya know?  I played a stupid game with this instead of manning up and just talking about it."

"I stone the fuck up and finally admit it. To the world and myself."

A "I like Fang. I like her and I know that’s what you’re afraid of."

A "I was never out to break anything up, I just like Fang. I want to help her."

A "I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"Trish’s eyes glaze over and stare at something in the distance, as if all her worst fears came true."

"I guess in a way they did today."

A "I’m done, Trish. I’m not going to fight with you over this."

A "I won’t fuck with you, you won’t fuck with me."

A "I’m going home."

"I turn away from Trish as she buries her head in her hands again."

show anon neutral at aright
hide anon neutral with moveoutright

"Part of me wonders if she’ll use that against me, but right now it just feels good to get it out of my system."
scene hallway with fade
"As I begin looking for Fang, Reed stops me in the hallway."
show anon neutral at acenter with dissolve
show reed explanatory flip at rright with dissolve

Re "Made the right call talking it out, trust me dude."

"Reed shuffles his feet a bit and scratches his neck."

Re "Gonna give you a bit of space after dealing with that. Time to think things over, y’know?"

"Suddenly he leans in and lowers his voice."

Re "You should tell them, bro."

"With a cryptic wink he rushes off towards Trish, probably to give her the same kind of therapy."

"I throw a quick glance back to see him pull in Trish for a hug. His turn to deal with her now."

"What did he mean by ‘tell them’? Tell them wha-"

"..."

"Does Reed…?"

"How did he…?"

"..."

"So much for privacy."

"I shake the thoughts from my mind and head in the direction Fang went."

"That can wait."


scene black with fade
"I catch up to Fang near the front of the school as I mentally prepare myself for what’s coming."

jump WalkOfShame

jump WalkOfShame

label GoHomeEarly:

play music 'audio/OST/fighter.ogg' fadein 1.0
A "Sure, let’s get out of here."

show reed unimpressed flip with dissolve

"Reed lets out another heavy sigh."

Re "Gonna stick around. Try and talk with Trish n’all."

show reed sad flip with dissolve

F "Reed, I… I’m taking a break from the band."

"Reed’s expression shifts to one of sadness and shock."

F "I just… need time to think, alright?"

Re "Like, y’know that’ll crush Trish..."

Re "But can’t really stop you if you think it’s right, dude. Taking a breather and all..."

F "Thanks, Reed."

show reed neutral flip with dissolve

"Reed offers a weak smile as we turn away from the principal’s office."

Re "See ya, space cowboy."

"Wait, did he just...?"

"God damn it, Reed."

"We make our way to the front of the school as I mentally prepare myself for what’s coming."

jump WalkOfShame

label WalkOfShame:

play music 'audio/OST/you can_t sage here.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Time for the Walk of Shame."

scene hallway

show anon neutral at acenter

"As I make my way through the hall I do my best to ignore the passing jeers from teens I don’t even know."

"I guess it’s already spread to the lower years too."

"Fucking lightspeed capable rumor mill."

unknown "HEY DO THE NARUTO RUN."

unknown "Look at the pathetic weeb."

unknown "How’s your 2D girlfriend Anon?"

unknown "Hey Anon, need to borrow a jar?"

St "Your waifu is great and I love her!"

A "Not helping, Stella."

"I keep my head down, avoiding the looks from them all."

"Shouldering open the door I’m blinded by the morning sun’s glare."

scene outside school with fade

show anon neutral at aleft
show fang sad flip at scenter

"Within an hour I’ve fallen back to square one."

"Is it too late to transfer to another school?"

"Fang steps to the stairs, phone in hand."

F "I can call us a taxi or something, Anon."

"I nod at that, moving for the stairs."

unknown "HEY LOSER, THINK FAST!"

"I turn towards the voice, and the world slows down."

"My field of vision is filled with a soda can, and I freeze up like a deer in headlights."

menu:
  "Duck.":
    "The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."
  "Dodge.":
    "The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."
  "Catch it out of the air.":
    "The can smacks me in the forehead while I was mid-stride, and I shift my footing to try and regain balance."



"Except my foot catches on the edge of the stairlip and slips."

#[Falling animation and CGs here]

#scene imfreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeefaaaaaaallllllliiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
scene black with fade
"..."

A "uuurg."

unknown "Oh fuck, we need to split before the Caveman gets here!"

F "ANON!"

"My lungs feel like they’re on fire."

"I think my feet touched the back of my head."

"I peel myself from around the bollard, feeling every bone in my body creak painfully."

scene outside school
show anon neutral at aleft:
   xalign 0.5 yalign 0.0 rotate -90
   linear 1 rotate 0
with fade

A "Argh… Fuck."

F "Holy shit! You’re alive!"

A "Am I? Ow."

"Nothing seems to be broken… I’ve been in worse."

"Honestly my ego’s more injured than I am."

F "Can you walk?"

A "Yeah, sure, sure."

A "This’s nothing compared to field day back at my old school."

"I try taking a step and my knee involuntarily twists in a direction it’s not supposed to."

"Suddenly, I’m doing the seth mcfarlane pose again."
#Have you ever tried not being ironic for once in your life
scene black

F "Oh no. Ohhh no. Let me help you up."

scene outside school
show anon neutral at acenter
show fang neutral flip at sright
with fade

"She tucks her arms around my shoulder and pulls me to my feet again."

F "Let’s just get to the bench over there."

F "The taxi will be here in like five minutes."

play music 'audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg' fadein 1.0
"Using Fang as a second foot, I eventually make it to the bench."

"I still can’t bend either leg, so I just sort of splay against the sidewalk."

"Fang sits on the other end and starts digging through her pockets."

F "Uhh… I think I heard somewhere that nicotine relieves a bit of pain... "

A "Yeah… I could use a smoke… right about now."

"Fang retrieves one of the cigarettes from the crumpled pack and sparks it to life with her pink lighter."

"She takes the first draw, then hands it to me."

"I inhale slowly, my chest aching as my lungs fill with wonderfully numbing nicotine."

"The minty taste and the cool sensation settling over my skin does help to relax my painfully tense muscles."

"Before I know it the cigarette in my fingers is nothing but a smoldering filter."

F "Looks like our ride’s here."

"A grimy beater of a taxi pulls up to the curb, driven by an equally grimy velociraptor."

"Clearly one of the three left operating in the city."

"Fang helps me to my feet and over to the cab, opening the door so I can shamble in."

D "...Shit, kid, you look like you got into a fight with a steamroller and lost."

A "Mmm."

scene taxi day

D "Now where’re you kids heading on a school day? Maybe the hospital?"

A "Home."

D "Sure thing kid. Got the address."

A "...Two-thirty-seven South St. Hammond street."

"The driver sucks in a breath through his teeth."

D "Skin Row, eh? Well I can take you s’far as the edge of the neighborhood, deal?"

A "Yeah, whatever. Just take me home…"

"The cab speeds off away from the school."

F "...I still can’t believe that Trish would do something like that."

"The cab driver lets out a laugh."

D "You got your ass handed to you by a girl, didn’t you?"

"I don’t bother responding while Fang kicks the back of his seat."

D "Yeah, yeah, I didn’t want a tip much anyways…"

F "Why doesn’t the driver want to drive all the way to your place?"

F "It can’t be that bad, right?"

A "Uhhh… That reminds me."

A "Hold this… for me."

"I toss my pocket knife into Fang’s lap, she looks at me with a nervous smile like she expects a punchline."

F "..."

F "...Oh."

A "Joking… kinda…"

A "Haven’t needed to shiv someone yet..."

"Talking hurts, breathing too."

"Each breath I take feels like my ribs are gonna shatter."

"Fang must have noticed since she kept silent after that."

D "Alrighty, end of the line."

D "That’ll be fifteen bucks even."

A "There’s still a few blocks we gotta walk."

play music 'audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg' fadein 1.0
"I manage to limp out of the car and Fang drops a few crumpled bills in her seat and slams the door behind her."

"The car peels out and disappears around the corner."
scene black with fade
scene skinrow with fade

A "Well, no place to go but home."

F "Wait, you still can’t walk, right?"

"I can probably make it a good fifty yards."

F "Hang on, give me your shoulder."

A "No, don’t worry abou-"

"Ignoring my protests, Fang wraps my arm around her back for support."

F "Where are we going?"

A "Uhh… First turn is a right up here…"

"Wait… Fang is coming over to my place?"

"Fang is coming over to my place?"

"Fang is coming over to my place?"

"I don’t want her to see how I live!"

"..."

stop music fadeout 1.0
"Crap, did I leave Saturnia on?"

"..."

jump chapter_10