Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Obsequious sat in one of the many cracked blue plastic chairs within room 115 of Iolite High School. It was Seminar at the moment, and the time seemed as though it couldn't possibly pass any slower. The classroom was fairly empty at the time, just like it always was. This was fairly normal though, considering the small number of students who attended, and coupled with staffing issues, it didn't seem like this would change anytime soon. Her seminar teacher, Mr. Da Luz, was sorting papers at the front desk of the fairly small classroom.

   Seminar was always the worst. There was never anything to do except stare at your phone, and nobody really talked to each other, so the silence was unbearable. Suddenly, the teacher's voice shattered the familiar and routine silence. "As some of you may already know," Mr. Da Luz began. "We are going to be doing a fundraiser." This caught Obsequious's attention. Perhaps too visibly as she sat up almost instantly, eyes focused as she listened. For as long as she could remember, Obsequious had loved participating in fundraisers. They were a great way to gather money and foster competition, while also selling something people wanted in a way that was cheap and fun. But the best part, in her opinion, was the class parties awarded to the winner. Obsequious had always wanted to be part of one, but she had never won. No matter how hard she tried, someone always swooped in at the last second.

   "We've partnered with a local chocolate bar company to be able to supply anyone who wishes to participate with boxes to sell, and I also have sheets to hand out." He picked them up in a stack from off of his desk, tapping them twice on the worn down wood to even the stack, and held them up for the class to see. The sheets seemed to be organized like a graph, with spaces for signatures, dates, and amounts sold, as well as a space for the total profit. "The sheets have spaces for all of the information you have to fill out for each sale, as well as the money you collect." He continued before adding "I also have large envelopes for all of the money, which you can staple to your sheet at the end of the fundraiser. If you'd like to sign up to receive a box, just ask the office. They're also handing them out at lunch." A few murmurs spread around the classroom, but not enough to really be anything other than background noise. After Mr. Da Luz had said everything that he was required to say, he placed the papers and envelopes on a table by the wall, sat back down on the tattered fabric office chair by his desk, and went back to doing what he was doing before. Obsequious waited for a few moments to see how many people actually went to get a sheet. Wow.. not many people actually seem to care. She thought, waiting another moment before quietly getting up to get both the sheet and the envelope, along with one other student.

   She tried to grab the envelope first, not realizing the other student was also attempting to do the same. She pulled her hand away from the table, taking a step back before muttering a quiet "Sorry" The other student shot her a piercing glare, and she felt a small pang of embarrassment. After the other student had sat back down, she took a sheet and envelope for herself and returned to her seat at the back of the classroom, still slightly self-conscious. As she put them both in her pink and brown backpack, she realized she didn't remember the student's name. She always tried her best to remember names, and now this person would probably never speak to her again. Not that they've done that in the first place anyways..

   She watched them from the corner of her eye, trying to tell if they were upset or not, but it was fairly difficult, considering they always looked at least somewhat upset. Obsequious wanted more than anything to have a healthy relationship with most of her classmates, and didn't really like having rivals or enemies, so she hoped this wouldn't develop into a problem. The first year she attended Iolite High had been rough, to say the least. She had moved into the neighborhood halfway through the school year, and being 'the new kid' wasn't as fun as it was in movies. She didn't fit in anywhere, and almost nobody had talked to her. That was, until she met Hyper. Hyper was a freshman at the time too, and she had helped Obsequious navigate her first year of High school better than she would have done alone. This year, however, was a bit different. She had time during the summer to figure out how things worked, and since she'd been back, she had vowed to make sure she never had any issues like the ones she had experienced the year before.

The ringing of the bell derailed Obsequious's train of thought entirely. She got up and zipped up her backpack, slinging it over one shoulder and standing there as everyone rushed out of the classroom at once. Once the majority of the class had left and the doorway was clear enough to walk through, she left the room as well. It was finally time for lunch.

   Walking through the halls, Obsequious pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her dark gray shorts, turning it on and unlocking it to check her texts. At this point, she had the phone numbers of what felt like half of the school, but there were no new texts. Usually, one person or another was asking her to sit with them and their friends. She checked the date. Wednesday. Of course. How could she forget? Today was the day she and Hyper had together. The best day of the week. She picked up the pace until she eventually reached the door next to the side of the lunchroom where they usually met. A familiar phrase pushed through the voices of other students in the hallway.

   "Hey, what's up?" It was Hyper. "Hey Hyper!" Obsequious started excitedly. "Did you hear about the fundraiser? I'm gonna do it again this year!" Hyper looked up at her with a slight sigh. "You know half of that money doesn't even go back into improving the school, right?" She stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, yeah, but I still want to host the winner's party this year! It would be a great opportunity to get to know more people here, and I-" Obsequious paused. "I dunno, I've just always wanted to win it." Hyper looked at the envelope and paper that Obsequious had pulled out of her backpack while speaking. "Just make sure this doesn't get out of hand, okay? You don't need to put extra pressure on yourself just for this." Hyper tried to show her the reasonable side of this fundraiser as much as she could. She just wanted to make sure Obsequious knew she didn't have to go all out for this, but she doubted it would help. Once she had an idea in her head, there was usually a slim chance of changing her mind.

Eventually, Hyper changed the subject, and they walked through the door into the lunchroom, setting down their bags at the table near the wall they always sat at. They both got in the line as it slowly moved forwards towards the inner cafeteria. Lunch at Iolite High was... something. Most of the food was cold by the time it was served, and considering the small staff, it took very long for students to actually receive food. Sometimes a few good dishes managed to slip through the cracks, but the self-serve line was where the best food was. Most of the food in the self-serve section was sweets or junk food, but it was still better than the food that was prepared in the school kitchen itself. They were nearing the front of the line now, and the mixing scents of various school foods were somewhat unpleasant.

   When they finally entered the inner cafeteria, there was almost nothing left except for self-serve items anyway, and Obsequious made a beeline for the fridge where one of her favorite items was kept. She opened the fridge, grabbing a paper bag labeled 'YP' in scrawled black sharpie, placing it on a flimsy cardboard tray and swiping her student ID at the checkout. She walked out of the inner cafeteria and waited for Hyper to walk out as well before continuing over to the table they had previously set their bags down at. Obsequious sat down and opened the brown paper bag. Hyper had managed to snag one of the last pieces of pizza before they ran out, and the grease was soaking through the cardboard tray and onto the table. "Do you want me to get you a napkin for that?" Obsequious asked, opening the plastic cup of yogurt parfait and setting the complimentary banana bread to the side. "Nah, I'm good." She replied, before adding "I still don't understand how you eat just that tiny yogurt and a banana bread." Obsequious got out a small plastic spork and started stirring the tiny cup of parfait. "Well, it's better than the soggy nachos at least." She said nonchalantly. Then, in the most unassuming moment, it hit her.

   "Oh my God! I just realized something!" She nearly bolted out of her seat in realization. "What?" Hyper said, eager to know what made Obsequious jump up so quickly. "I almost forgot about signing up for boxes!" Hyper sighed again. More of this fundraiser nonsense. It wasn't that Hyper didn't believe in helping the school, it was the popularity contest that came with it that was the problem. People would do anything to get ahead when it came down to it, and Hyper didn't want Obsequious to get too caught up in the struggle. But it might have already been too late as Obsequious ran over to the table where the line for the fundraiser was already beginning to grow.

When the line got to her, Obsequious decided she would get the maximum amount of starting boxes that she could. "Could I get three boxes please?" She said as she wrote her name down on the sign-up form laying on the table. "Okay." The person at the table said, grabbing the boxes from behind them and giving the boxes to her. They were almost too heavy to carry, having 32 individual bars of chocolate each, but she managed to carry them back to the table, setting them in a row on her side. "You got three!?" Hyper asked, now definitely concerned. "Yep!" Obsequious chirped excitedly. "And I plan to sell it all, too!" She added. "Wow, uh.. okay then." Hyper replied, not sure what else to even say to this.

   The rest of lunch went on fairly normally, and after lunch, Hyper and Obsequious parted ways for the day, hugging goodbye and walking to their respective classes. Obsequious had History class with Ms. Aurora, and the class seemed to fly by as Obsequious's excitement for the fundraiser grew.

   Eventually, the bell rang, and it was time for dismissal. As she walked towards the main exit of Iolite High School, Obsequious was lost in her own thoughts. Last year's fundraiser may not have gone well, but this year was different. This year had to be different. This year, Obsequious was going to win, and nothing in the world was going to stop her.

Chapter Text

   The electric whirring of a light gray ceiling fan was the only sound Obsequious could hear as she walked into her bedroom, closing the door and setting her backpack down on the floor. She flopped down onto her bed, exhausted after all of the excitement that had overtaken her mind earlier that day. Staring up at the spinning of the fan blades, something else entirely was now the center of her attention. Entering a fundraiser was one thing, but actually figuring out how to sell a product was something else entirely. How was this going to work? What was going to be the selling point? The worries were starting to get to her.

   She shook them off for the moment though, getting up from her bed and walking over to her dresser. She sifted through the shirts until she found a looser gray t-shirt, which she paired with black leggings. She then picked up her backpack again and moved it over to the wall it usually slouched against. Then she remembered again. The sheet and envelope. She got them out of her backpack, along with a pen, and zipped it closed before placing the papers on her desk and sitting down. Obsequious filled out as much as she currently could on the sheet, starting with name, date, grade, and the amount of boxes of chocolate she had started with. Maybe she had overdone it. Maybe she should have just started with one. What would happen if she couldn't sell it all in the end anyways? She tried not to focus on the possibility, skimming over the rest of the blank spaces meant for customers she had yet to sell to. The only thing left for her to fill out before she could officially start selling chocolate was the box numbers. Each box had a number associated with it to make sure no foul play occurred, and she would need to go downstairs to write them down. It seemed strange to her that the school had decided on this system, but at Iolite High, one could never be sure when it came to things such as this.

   As Obsequious grabbed her pen and the sheet, opened the door and walked back down the stairs, a gust of cool air greeted her as she went towards the kitchen island. She set her things down on the granite countertop where she had placed the boxes earlier before going to her room, and began to look at the numbers on the boxes. "10-04, 10-05, and 10-06," Obsequious muttered to herself under her breath as she wrote the numbers down. The first two numbers represented the number of times the school had done a fundraiser in the past, and since this was Iolite High's tenth annual fundraiser, all of the boxes would start with 10. The next numbers were in consecutive order of how many boxes had been handed out. She had gotten 4, 5, and 6, meaning that she had been the fourth person to sign up. Maybe I won't have too much competition this year. Obsequious thought to herself. Once she was done writing down the numbers, she placed the boxes in a stack and went back upstairs to her room.

   The rest of the evening had gone on as usual, and by the time Obsequious was getting ready for bed, she had pretty much forgotten her earlier woes. She had already come up with the perfect plan as to how she would sell the chocolate, and it was practically foolproof. She would arrive early to school, waking up at 6:30 and walking to school instead of her usual commute via bus. Then, after selling as much chocolate as she could before school, she would visit as many lunch tables as possible, making sure to visit new tables every day. After school, she would go to a different club every day to promote sales, and after all of that was done, she would go door-to-door in and around her neighborhood, covering as much ground as possible. She had exactly two weeks until it was time to turn in any collected fundraiser money, and she was not going to lose this year.

   A subtle knock reverbated through the door to Obsequious's bedroom as her mother walked in and sat down next to Obsequious on her bed. "Hey sweetie, I noticed the boxes on the kitchen island earlier today." Obsequious fidgeted a bit with one of the corners of the blanket she was sitting on before replying. "Yeah, I'm gonna try to do the fundraiser again." She said, her voice sounding more hesitant than she had intended. Her mother paused for a moment before saying anything. "I just want to make sure you don't dig yourself into a ditch this time.. okay? You know last time wasn't really- well.. I just don't want you getting too upset over this if you don't win, that's all." Obsequious looked up at her mother, with a bit more confidence this time, and nodded. "Don't worry, I have a plan, and I promise I won't get too worked up this time, okay?" Her mother embraced her warmly before adding, "Okay sweetie. I love you, and I know you can do whatever you set your mind to." Obsequious smiled as her mother got up again and walked to the door. She turned off the lights and wished Obsequious good night, before closing the door and leaving Obsequious alone with her thoughts again.

   Am I really lying when I say I won't get worked up? Maybe I should just quit before this becomes a whole thing.. Obsequious felt unsure of herself a lot, but today seemed like a whole new swirl of emotions that she didn't know if she was ready for. No.. I have to prove I can do this. I haven't even started selling yet and doubt is already getting to me.. I just have to push through it and it'll be fine. Obsequious eventually started to drift off, the motivation and doubt all mixing together as she fell asleep, marking the end of the first day of the fundraiser.

   Obsequious awoke to the sound of her phone's alarm playing a loud but cheerful tune, and she jumped up almost on instinct. Today was the day she would officially start selling chocolate for the fundraiser. The course of this morning would determine everything that would happen for the next two weeks, and Obsequious was anxious to see how this would play out, but excited nonetheless. She got up and got herself ready, then ran downstairs to the kitchen as fast as she could, nearly tripping down the stairs in the process. She poured herself some of her favorite cereal, eating it hastily in an effort to leave for school as fast as she could. After eating, she went upstairs, brushed her teeth, and put everything she needed other than the boxes of chocolate in her backpack. She headed to the door, stack of boxes in hand, when her mother walked into the living room with a slightly puzzled expression. "Sweetie, you don't have to leave for another forty-five minutes.. where are you going?" Obsequious had figured this would happen, but she also knew her mother would (probably) understand. "Oh, well, I thought I would start walking to school in the mornings so I could start selling chocolate for the fundraiser before school. Sorry I didn't say anything yesterday." Her mother contemplated this for a moment, then gave a slight smile. "As long as you're being safe, I guess there's no issue with it." "Okay, thank you mom! I love you, bye!" Obsequious said quickly before nearly running out of the door, eager to get to school. Obsequious had a plan. Today was going to be great. Today had to be great.

Chapter Text

   The crunching of the fallen leaves and twigs underfoot did nothing to slow Obsequious's stride as she practically ran to school. She knew the path well, having seen the way to school from the window of the bus hundreds of times, and she wasted no time following it. As Obsequious continued to the end of the sidewalk, she stopped at the crosswalk of a particularly busy road. The wait time was usually about a minute before the crossing guard was able to stop traffic and Obsequious knew almost immediately that there was an opportunity for a sale. The crossing guard stood waiting for a while, and after a few minutes of quiet chatter from a few of the younger kids who were walking to the local elementary school, Obsequious decided it was the perfect time to approach him.

   She weaved through the small group of children and gave the crossing guard a quick tap on the shoulder, supporting the weight of the boxes of chocolate with her other arm and shoulder. "Uh, excuse me?" She said. The crossing guard turned his head to look at her for a moment before she continued. "My school's doing a fundraiser, would you be interested in buying a bar of chocolate? All of the proceeds go towards bettering the school!" She said with a smile as she placed a paper and pen on top of the boxes, holding it down with one hand. "I would love to!" He said before adding "How much is it for one bar?" "One dollar!" Obsequious replied, trying not to let her excitement get in the way. The crossing guard pushed his glasses up a bit, bending his head to read the form. "Where do I sign?" He asked, still looking down at the form. "Right here!" Obsequious said. The crossing guard pulled a dollar out of his vest pocket, placing it on top of the box as he signed the paper with his other hand. Obsequious opened one of the boxes and handed the crossing guard a chocolate bar, putting everything else away just as traffic slowed enough that the group could cross. 

   As Obsequious walked across the street, she waved goodbye to the crossing guard, wished him a nice day, and continued her walk to school. I already made my first profits! Obsequious thought, feeling incredibly optimistic and full of excitement. As she continued on her walk to school, she was already looking around the neighborhood and coming up with a good door-to-door route that didn't cross too many streets.

   When Obsequious finally arrived at school, it was already 7:15. That means I have 25 minutes to sell chocolate before I need to head to class, give or take. Obsequious thought before heading to the gymnasium to see if anyone who had went there after school breakfast was interested in buying. People usually gathered in groups just to hang out, so this was the perfect opportunity yet again. Obsequious scanned the room again before deciding to head towards a group that was sitting on the bleachers the wall. She got close enough to listen to the group talking, waiting until there was a pause in conversation before she approached. "Excuse me, does anyone want to buy chocolate?" At first, nobody said anything, but eventually a few people bought some, and Obsequious moved on, going from group to group until it was almost time to head to class. The amount of students roaming the halls had become little to none, so Obsequious decided to just head to class early. She had already got gotten twelve people to buy chocolate just in that morning alone, so she wasn't doing terribly. As Obsequious was walking to 4th hour, which she had first that day thanks to Iolite High's strange schedule system, she heard a familiar voice in the halls.

   Obsequious turned around, the stack of boxes in her arms shaking from the motion. It was one of her friends from lunch. "Hey Slurpee!" She said perhaps a bit too loudly as she lowered the boxes to meet her chest. "Oh, hi Obsequious!" Slurpe said, signaling for the group she had been walking with to go on to class without her. "I didn't know you were doing the fundraiser this year! I hope it goes well this time." Slurpee continued, barely letting Obsequious get a word in. "Do you want me to buy some? I have some spare money if it'd help!" "Sure, that'd be-" Obsequious started, before Slurpee grabbed the paper Obsequious was holding and signed it, placing five dollars into Obsequious's backpack pocket as she spoke. "Don't forget we sit together at lunch on Thursdays! I know you forgot last time, but I have big news, and sooo much stuff to catch you up on!"

   The sound of the warning bell interrupted both Slurpee's talking and Obsequious's internal exhaustion. There was a short moment of silence after the bell went off, but it was just long enough for Obsequious to regain her composure. "Well, I have to go to class now, but it was nice talking to you." Obsequious said, handing slurpee five bars of candy before putting the stack of boxes back into both hands. "See ya at lunch!" Slurpee said, walking off to class and leaving Obsequious in a moment of calm. As Obsequious walked to class, she took a moment to take some deep, calming breaths. It wasn't that Slurpee was particularly annoying or anything, but matching her energy was stressful in and of itself. She was always so wrapped up in gossip and who said what, and spending time with her could be incredibly draining. No.. I shouldn't complain. Be thankful you have friends in the first place.. last year was way worse than just a high-strung conversation or two, Obsequious thought to herself. She continued walking the rest of the way with complete silence in her mind, trying to just focus on the fundraiser and not get caught up with anything else for the time being. It was hard at times, navigating high school. But this fundraiser was the one thing that could truly change all of that.

    Time seemed to stretch on for ages again as Obsequious's English teacher, Mr. Elsner, was giving a lecture over tone and voice. Obsequious was trying to pay attention as best as she could, but the frigid temperature made it very difficult. It was only October, but the school's ventilation system was ages old, and the lower floors could get very cold, very fast. "Can anyone tell me the difference between the two?" Mr. Elsner said, referring to tone and voice. A few hands had raised, but Obsequious still wasn't paying as much attention as she should have been. "I need new people to answer, I already called on you Charon." Mr. Elsner said, still looking around the room for new people to answer his question. "If nobody new raises their hand, I'll have to start picking at random." He said, trying to get people to interact with the lesson. "Anyone? No?" He asked, clearly somewhat exhausted by the lack of participation. "Obsequious, would you like to tell the class the difference between tone and voice?"

   Obsequious's head snapped up as she realized she was being called on by the teacher. "Uh.. sorry wait.. what was the question?" Obsequious stuttered out. A few people at the back of the room were laughing, but Mr. Elsner definitely wasn't. "It seems nobody wants to participate today.. I guess that means we're all just going to have to read chapter seven by ourselves." A loud sigh could be heard echoing across the room as Obsequious mouthed a silent "sorry" to the class.

   Mr. Elsner sat down to grade papers with a tired sigh, the class getting out their English textbooks and flipping to the beginning of chapter 7. The room had become silent except for the turning of pages as students absent-mindedly skimmed through the chapter, eager to do literally anything else. Obsequious started to read as well, focusing on the text to stave off the cold of the classroom. But the silence didn't last long. Whispers, giggles, and random noises soon erupted from the back of the class, and Mr. Elsner looked fed up with the class's inability to focus. "Okay class, change of plans. I'm going to have all of you write three MEL-Con paragraphs, due at the end of class, about why it's important to focus on your education. And if I hear any talking, I'm going to have to ask you to stay after the bell." Students mumbled angrily in the back of the class, but at this point, the punishment was well-deserved.

   The teacher sighed and began to speak again, stepping to the front of the class with an empathetic look on his face. "You know, I really don't want to have to do this to you guys, and I know you guys are excited for Friday, and it's been a long week, but I need participation in this class." Mr. Elsner paused for emphasis before going on. "English is incredibly important for your future, and I don't want to see any of you fail. I want you guys to succeed, I really do, but we need to take education seriously, okay?" The class seemed decently receptive of the impromptu speech, and a few nods could be seen from some of the more serious students. The class continued on, and most students, including Obsequious, finished the paragraphs before the end of class.

   When the bell finally rang, Obsequious took a moment to wait for the rest of the class to leave before approaching Mr. Elsner. "Obsequious, did you need something?" He asked as Obsequious walked over to his desk. "Yeah, I just wanted to apologize for not paying attention earlier when I should've known the answer immediately." She said with an embarrassed laugh. "Obsequious, you weren't really the problem, to be completely honest. I was mostly upset with the lack of participation and the disruption of class." He replied with a smile. "I know you're an A student." Obsequious let herself relax, the reassurance offering a calmer atmosphere. "Thank you, Mr. Elsner. I know teaching a large class can be stressful, especially with all of the fundraiser stuff going on right now." The teacher nodded in agreement before speaking again. "I noticed you signed up again this year, just make sure you don't let it get in the way of classwork, we have a big essay coming up." "Of course not," Obsequious responded. "Would you like to buy some, by the way?" "I can buy some next class since I don't have any physical bills right now, but since passing period is almost over, would you like me to write you a pass?" Mr. Elsner asked. "Sure, thanks!" Obsequious said with a slight grin.

   As she headed to her 5th hour, Obsequious remembered that she had forgotten to take example pictures of all of the different classes of animals for biology. She decided she would just ask her lab partner when she got to class, since she knew they probably would have done the work just in case. She hated having to ask, and she felt really guilty about not doing the work herself, but at this point it was too late.

   After putting the signed pass on her teacher's desk, Obsequious sat down in her assigned seat. The tall stool squeaked as she turned to place the boxes of chocolate on the floor next to her backpack. Obsequious's lab partner, Say, was checking their phone, barely noticing that Obsequious had sat down. The bell had already rang, but their biology teacher, Ms. Tinea, was still setting up for part two of the lab. Obsequious gave Say a tap on the shoulder, trying to signal to them. They looked up with an absent-minded "Hm?" before looking back down, typing quickly on the screen. "So.. I kinda forgot to take photos yesterday and I was wondering if you ended up getting to that part of the homework?" Say looked up again, this time more attentive. "Oh, uh, I didn't take any for the lab specifically, but think I have some photos on my phone from a while ago that would work. I could text them to you maybe?" "Okay, that works, thanks! I'm so sorry I didn't end up doing it myself.." Obsequious said, a hint of regret in her voice. "It's okay, but just remember, you owe me one!" They said with a chuckle.

   Eventually, it was time for lunch, and Obsequious was glad to leave 5th hour. It was one of her least favorite classes, and for good reason. The amount of homework Obsequious got from just that class alone was almost equivalent to the amount she got from all of her other classes combined. Obsequious met up with Slurpee in the hall, and as they walked to the lunchroom together, Obsequious had actually become interested in the 'big news' Slurpee had so eagerly wanted to discuss. Whatever it was, it would probably just be more gossip that led to nothing else. At least, that's what Obsequious thought.