‘That’ Side Character Chapter 8: Linda and Lolita

“I’m such an idiot. Why do I do this to myself?” You asked as you kicked at a rock that was just off to the left of the line you had chosen to walk, “being human is stupid and hard. Why can’t I be more likeable? Why do people find me annoying? How come other people’s friends can be around each other all the time but with me it’s a ‘I can only be around you for a little bit at a time’.”

Sudden tears slipped down your cheeks and you quickly wiped them away so you could see where you were walking, your mind pulling up a particular painful memory where your so called group of friends had all caught up together to go shopping and not invited you, and you found out when you had bumped into them at the shops and asked, with curiosity, why they hadn’t invited you to come.

“It’s because you’re only a sometimes friend,” one had said with cruel straightforwardness.

“Yeah,” another added in, “I don’t know what it is but you’re just kinda annoying but we still tolerate you because you’re ok sometimes.”

Your heart twisted as you recalled that, and then straight away replayed Kenma’s voice.

“We’re not friends.”

You hung your head even more and let out a little whimpering cry, not caring now if anyone heard you. You had been well and truly shattered.

“I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t trust anyone,” you thought as you cried your way home with your head down.

………………………………………

You didn’t go to school the next day.

If you got expelled. Who cares. No one cared about you anyway, it would be better for the entire school if you didn’t come back anyway, they were probably looking for a reason to kick you out. Well here it was. One days absence.

You rolled over in bed and stared at your clock, trying to use your latent superpowers to make the second hand start ticking backwards. You could have sworn you made it happen once and you had been trying to make it do it again… but it never had.

Annoyed that it wasn’t working, you rolled onto your back and stared at the ceiling, then at your wall, then at the door.

“I’ll get myself some food, at least,” you thought as you got up.

While you were on your way to the kitchen you suddenly remembered that you had worked at an animal shelter during summer break and they had told you that if you ever wanted to work there just give them a call.

You had called a few times but no one had picked up and you had wondered if they had given you a bum number, just to get rid of you. 

That kinda thing had happened before.

You ran back to your bedroom to grab your phone and dial the number, then held the phone to your ear and let it ring as you made the trip again to the kitchen.

You had just gotten to the bottom of the stairs when the line connected and someone picked up on the other end and introduced themselves, adding that you had reached the Nerima Ward Animal Shelter, Tokyo, and is there something they could help you with.

“Holy smokes!” you said excitedly into the phone.

“I’m sorry?” the person asked.

“Hi! I’m Y/N, I worked with you guys during summer break. Are you looking for workers?” you asked hopefully.

“Uhhh,” the voice hesitated, “let me get the boss.”

You waited until the line switched over and the friendly voice of the boss lilted down the line.

“Hi! Umm, I’m Y/N, I worked—,”

“Y/N! Hi! Yes, I remember you,” the female boss said, “thank you for calling. We do have an opening actually, could you come down today?”

“Actually, yes! I can! I’ll come down right now, is that good?”

“Yes. Perfect. See you when you get here,” the boss said, then hung up.

“CALL ME LADY LUCK BECAUSE TODAY… uh… today I am… LADY LUCK!” you said triumphantly, holding your phone up high in the air.

After holding that pose for way longer than you needed to, you dropped your arm and started getting some sort of breakfast together so you could slam it down, get changed, and get your ass down to the animal shelter.

………………………….

Kenma, feeling bad, but also not wanting to see you, had left his house to get to school early that morning and had hidden in the boys toilets to play his game, knowing that that was the only safe place from you.

The thoughts of you had been discarded while he sat in his unconventional safe haven, but as the first bell rang out, he packed his PSP into his pocket and left the bathroom to make the walk to the classroom.

“I wonder if she’s here?” He thought, entering quietly and walking to his seat.

His keen intense eyes flicked to your empty seat from behind his curtain fringe and for a second he was relieved… then a little worried.

You weren’t there.

You were always there.

He took his seat and then looked up at your chair, wondering what he should do next.

“This is annoying. Why should I be the one apologizing. She’s the annoying one.”

He scowled slightly down at his desk.

“Why is this bothering me so much?” 

……………………………………….

Amazingly, you got to the animal shelter in a very short space of time… covered in bits of your breakfast… and threw the door open once you had grabbed the handle.

“I’m here!” you announced brightly.

The lady at the front desk looked up over the top of her bright yellow glasses and smiled at you.

“Good morning, precious, what can I do for you?”

“Oh! I’m here to speak to the boss lady, about working here?” you asked.

“Oh honey, yes of course, come come come, I’ll take you through,” she said with a little effeminate wave of her hand as she adjusted her glasses with the other and ushered you through the side door, bustling herself after you, her curvy hips jiggling as she tottled down the hall.

You kept to the side and walked with her to the back of the shelter and she did a polite little ‘rappa tap tap’ on the door, curling her beautifully manicured nails over so as not to damage them.

“Come~,” the boss called and the woman called out her greeting as she opened the door.

“Morning Linda, I’ve got a beautiful little bean here who has come for the job,” she said with a warm smile at you.

<<< ‘That’ Side Character Chapter 7: Unhappy 

‘That’ Side Character Chapter 9: Animal Shelter >>>