Chapter Text
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- [AUGUST 2ND 20XX]
The rest of the summer had been pretty boring. And that was saying something, considering the fact they were literally trapped in a real life YHS having to do something that they hadn't even considered those nine years ago when they actually wrote the storyline.
There was a lot of going around the city, avoiding any guys with red hair or dark blue hair or avoiding girls who wore way too much black to not be off-putting and girls who hung around the local police department with a different case file in her hands each time.
So, pretty uneventful. It was almost boring enough to make them forget they had to go back to—
"KAT, GET UP!!"
The door to Kat's bedroom slammed open, with Betty stood there breathing heavily like she had just ran a marathon. ..Has she just run a marathon? Kat sat up, pushing her hair out her face and rubbing her eyes.
"Betty... it's too early for this.."
"Kat. Do you know what day it is?"
"Uhh... August... 2nd?"
"Yeah. Pretty much two weeks until we have to go back to school!"
Kat blinked, looking at her, "No, .. I already finis- no, wait, the whole mist.. yeah.. wait." She frowned. "We have two weeks, why are you making a big deal..?"
"BECAUSE, we still have to go and buy stuff! The uniforms, the supplies, you know, the ones we got emails about yesterday? The supply lists?"
"Okay, okay, give me, what, 10 minutes?"
"If you're not out here in 10 minutes I'm volunteering you to Kim's taste tester next time she cooks."
Kat shot up, falling face-first onto her blanket. "OKAY, OKAY!! I'll be out in ten minutes!"
"You better be." Betty shut the door, leaving Kat to go get ready for this apparently impromptu shopping trip.
Why was she so worried about being Kim's taste tester, you ask? Well, after they got shoved into this universe, Kim's cooking took a turn for the worse. It's so bad, guys. She's started burning food way more often, and it almost always tastes horrid. I'm sorry, Kim, but there's no saving this.
It took Kat a record five minutes and forty-three seconds to get changed. It was just into a pair of jeans and a shirt but like, where's the world record submit button when you need it, right?
She rushed out her room, chucking the hairbrush she had been using onto her bed and shutting the door. Betty was stood outside on the opposite wall with her phone in her hands, and she tapped something on it when she saw Kat.
"5 minutes 43. That leaves Allen and Wenny, then. We'll see who I'm volunteering, won't we?" She smiled, and went back to whatever she was doing.
Kat frowned again, wow she's been doing that a lot and she's only been awake for, what seven minutes? "Wait, I rushed 'cause I thought I was the last one up, what time even is it?" She went to grab her phone, before realising it wasn't in her pocket and was in fact on her desk.
She groaned, going back into her room to get it.
10:57 AM.
"You made a big deal out of it being 10 AM??"
"It's almost 11, actually."
"Betty- girl- it is not late enough for you to be running around door to door panicking about school lists and uniforms."
Before Betty got a chance to reply, another door slammed open, and Kat walked towards the hallway to see who it was. It was Wenny! She was in a skirt, jacket and shirt that did not match at all.
Betty looked at her. "Wenny. What are you wearing?"
"You told me to be quick!"
"That doesn't excuse whatever you're wearing."
"Yeah, uh, sis, even Allen would be disappointed in that." Kat added. After she said that, another door opened, like she had summoned Allen by saying his name. He left his room, took one look at Wenny's outfit and went back in his room.
Wenny stared at his closed door. "I'll go change my outfit." She turned and walked in her room. Betty sighed, "and it would've only taken her 3 minutes 15 if she hadn't chosen that abomination."
"Uhuh, uhuh, I'm gonna go have breakfast and find Kim, and hope she's not cooking." Kat mocked saluted her, and went downstairs.
Luckily, she found Kim in the kitchen not cooking and instead washing some dishes. "Oh, hey Kat!"
"Kiiimmmm! You.. didn't make breakfast, did you..?"
"No, Betty did! Isn't that so nice of her?"
"Oh, what'd she make?"
"Pretty much what she usually makes, you know?" Kim dried her hands, and turned to face Kat. "We're going to the mall soon, so you should go eat!"
Kat nodded, "Got it! Also, don't you mean the MA LL?"
"Kat. No."
"It literally is though!"
"We all know they meant mall!"
"You're just trying to hide the builder's artistic genius, Kim."
"Go eat."
"'Kay, 'kay, 'kay!!" Kat walked towards the dining room. The smaller one that fit five people, to be exact. yes, the smaller one.
While she ate, Wenny and Allen stopped by to grab some food as well. Thankfully, Wenny had changed out that horrendous outfit into something much more appealing to the eye by the time Kat saw her again.
Eventually, all five of them met up in the entry way, not completely ready to face the horrors of back to school shopping again.
"Aren't we like, in college or whatever here? Why do we have a supplies list? What are we even majoring in?" Wenny wondered out loud, but Betty just shushed her.
"Let's worry about that when that system thingy we saw ages ago shows up again." She replied, checking something on her phone. "Right, so turns out the store the uniforms are in doesn't actually deliver online orders. Which means we have to go to the mall and find the store."
"Kat and Kim, you two are in charge of getting at least some of what we need on the supplies list. I chose you two 'cause at least Kat would get you out if you ran into a clothes store, Kim."
Kim sighed, "What's the point of having the largest walk-in-wardrobe in the house if you can't even get stuff to put in it?"
Kat patted her shoulder, "It's okay! Maybe we can go into one after getting the supplies. Um, what are the supplies, Betty?"
"I sent you the document, Kat. Check your messages."
"OH- Got it!" Kat pulled out her phone, and Betty turned to the other two.
"You two will be with me, getting the uniform and everything."
"That's so boring though! There's nothing fun about getting a unifo-"
"We're allowed to personalise it however we want as long the tie's visible."
Allen looked somewhat happier about that, I guess.
-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- [TWENTY MINUTES LATER]
KAT
Kat walked through the mall alongside Kim, keeping her from running into any stores as she looked for their first stop. "Kim, we're looking for a Michael's. Or a MUJI if we're lucky. Who knows.."
"I don't think Michael's are in malls. There's also literally a MUJI right there, Kat. Use your eyes!"
"Oh. Well, let's go get what we need."
They walked towards the store, and Kim peeked at the list on Kat's phone. "Why are we getting a binder for each lesson? I thought we only needed one for each person."
"Yeah I thought that too, but I checked the emails they sent out and we actually do need one for each class. It's weird and really expensive, but like I'm not getting a detention because I was one binder short."
"Detention really doesn't seem scary like, 10 years after finishing school." Kim recalled, but was shushed by Kat who began frantically looking around. Kim just stared. "I- Why are you looking around like that?"
"Kiiiiimm! We're not supposed to talk about that! What if someone's listening?"
"Who's gonna eavesdrop on us when the mall is packed?"
"You don't think we're cool enough to be eavesdropped on?!!"
"How is that what you focus on?!"
Behind them, Kat thought she heard a camera shutter, but when she turned there was nothing. "Did- did you hear that?"
Kim glanced behind her, grabbing Kat's sleeve and pulling them into some store they were about to pass. She didn't let go until they got near the middle of the place, and actually looked at where she dragged them into. "Hey Kat, I think I found a stationery shop."
Kat didn't answer, still looking behind her. But after a few seconds, she turned back to face Kim, her nervousness showing. "I'm gonna text the others- can you grab the binders?"
"Of course! How many do we need?"
"Uh- I'll send you the document?"
"Okay! Don't leave the store."
"I won't."
Kat quickly sent the document to Kim, walking towards a part of the store that didn't have anyone near it. Leaning against the wall, she messaged Betty.
Kat: HI um r u guys busy rn
Betty: One sec
They have it sorted
Whats up
Kat: i think someone took a photo of kim andi
Betty: ????
Kat: idk we heard a camera noise and went in a store
where r u guys
Betty: Still in the uniform place
R u guys ok?
I can come find you if u want
Kat: nono its ok we got this
idk what store we r in anyway
Betty: We can meet at the food court soon if u want
Kat: k ill let kim know
Betty: Stay safe!
Kat: u too !1
Kat turned her phone off, looking up to try find Kim. It took a few minutes but she eventually found her staring at some.. sticky notes?
"What're you looking at?" She asked Kim, who jumped slightly, having not noticed Kat walk up.
"I thought Betty would want some sticky notes- she said she wanted to be organised or, something like that." She looked away.
Kat frowned. "That's weirdly nice. Did you break something of hers?"
"Wha- No???"
"I mean she did say something about her door not closing properly, is it that?"
"Ka-"
"Or is this about her photocards that mysteriously vanished?"
"That was Wenny!"
"It was? I thought it was Allen?"
Kim put her head in her hands, which lead to Kat noticing the shopping cart next to her. "Why are there so many binders?"
Kim's voice was slightly muffled when she replied, "that's how many we need. 32."
"Why do we need 32 binders??" Kat whisper shouted, trying not to disturb the other shoppers.
Kim raised her head from her hands, raising an eyebrow at Kat. "One for each class? Betty and I have 7 lessons we need them for, so that's 14."
"Yeah."
"You and Wenny have 8 lessons, so that's another 16."
"Right.. 16 and 14 make 30."
"Allen has 9 lesso-"
Kat interrupted her, chuckling. "He- oh my gosh, Allen has- 9 lessons?"
"Obviously not 9 in a day."
"9 a week??"
"No- wh- Kat they're not making him stay at school an extra three hours each day!"
"If only they were... also your math's wrong."
Kim shook her head, "It literally isn't. I had better grades in math than you ever did, so I dunno what you're on about."
Kat sighed, "I can't believe Betty expects me to put up with this for who knows how long."
Kim gasped dramatically, "How dare you—"
"Kim, dear sis, what's 30 add 9?"
Kim faltered, realising her mistake. "...39...."
"Yes. 39. So tell me, how did you get 32?!?"
Kim opened her mouth, but she had no reply. Looking at the shopping cart, she just said, "I dunno.."
Kat face palmed, looking into the distance like she was on some TV show with an audience. "Wow. And she said she's better at math."
Kim decided to ignore her, pushing the cart back towards the binder section. Kat shrugged and took a look at the pens, which weren't really interesting.
She glanced over them, spotting a bright yellow one with a blue pompom on the end. It even had twelve color options! She picked it up, deciding she needed it.
"I wonder what the others are doing...." she mumbled, before turning to go show Kim the pen.