Work Text:
The teacher walking in front of him fumbled with the key to unlock the teacher’s lounge, the stack of books in her other hand.
“Pardon me, Miss Kettle, I can hold those books,” he interjected, a smile on his face.
The counselor turned back to look at him, a look of relief and appreciation on her face, “Are you sure? You’re already holding all of those folders and binders..”
“Of course.”
With a sigh, she carefully sat the books on top of the stack already in his hand. Double checking over the weight and fretting over him carrying so much, she quickly turned around to unlock the lounge with much more ease than before.
“Goodness me,” she smiled. “You are such a sweetheart. You know that?”
Mepad ducked his head with a small smile, with Tea Kettle grabbing a few off the stack in his hands and placing them on the desk in front of them. Letting out a hum, she took something out of her pocket, then turned to face the student next to her.
Taking a hold of his hand and placing the candy in his palm, she smiled up at Mepad, “We seriously need more students like you, dearie. I just wish everyone would be nicer to each other, even if just by a little bit.”
Glancing down at the candy in his hand, a swell of warmth went throughout his chest as he stared back towards the teacher, “I appreciate that, thank you. However, I am not sure if this is something you should thank me for. I simply helped you carry a few books.”
She placed her hands on her hips, clicking her tongue, “You didn’t have to though! You helped without someone asking you to,” she sighed. “I do think it’s time for you to make your way home now, hm?”
Mepad glanced out the window to see the sky tinted with a slight orange, a sign that extracurricular activities would be wrapping up soon.
“I believe so, thank you. Have a pleasant afternoon, Miss Kettle.”
The guidance counselor gushed over the boy once more, having him bend down so she could ruffle his hair with a proud smile. Waving him off, Mepad exited the room and walked down the hall to the classroom where he left his bag.
A warm gust of air breezed in through the cracked windows and blew his hair around, which messed it up even more than Tea Kettle had.
Mepad swiped his hand over the stray curls, tidying them up, and continued walking until he stopped at the classroom. Something had caught his eye through the windows, and he leaned over to check what it was.
It was a student. Unruly, blonde, waves rested on her head, which rested in her arms that were propped on the desk in front of her. Almost immediately, he recognized the infamous girl, Taco.
His brows furrowing in concern, he slid the door open quietly and stepped inside.
Without a doubt, it was her. The wrinkled uniform, crumbled balls of paper around her feet, and he winced when he saw the dried wad of gum at the back of her head. She had papers and pencils strewn along the desk, her bag half open to the side, and he couldn’t tell if she was asleep or just had her head down.
Glancing over to his desk, he spotted his belongings still sitting there, along with his bag on the seat.
Mepad strolled over towards the desk in question, grabbing his bag and sliding it over his shoulders. He turned towards the open window that led to the outside, reaching up to close it, locking it with a click.
From the ground below, he caught sight of the outdoor sports clubs running around the field and the track.
Turning back to glance at the girl who appeared to be asleep, he wondered if he should shake her awake or leave her be. Maybe she wasn’t asleep, and was just staying here for a bit longer? But- what if she did fall asleep, by accident, and would end up getting home late?
He stood in place, eyes fitting back and forth between the door and the girl with her head down.
Just as he was about to make a decision, he was halted by a voice speaking up.
“Do you need something?” the girl- Taco- had grumbled, her voice muffled by her arms.
Mepad cleared his throat quietly, “No-.. I do not, my apologies. I assumed you were asleep, and was debating on if I should wake you or leave you be.”
Taco sat up, turning to face him with a glare, “Well, as you can see, perfectly fine. You can leave.”
Wincing at the bruises on her face, Mepad added in concern, “I believe you should visit the nurse. You look quite pale.”
The blonde stared at him with a puzzled expression. Her mouth slightly hung agape, her eyes squinted in confusion, and on top of looking almost completely lost, she looked incredibly irritated too.
“Don’t you have something better to do than sit here and psychoanalyze me?” she gestured with a hand, waving him off. “Go help an old lady walk across the street or something.”
Mepad glanced at the clock, and then back towards the girl in front of him. His eyes trailed down towards the ground with all the paper balls, then back up to her hair that still had a chunk of gum stuck in it.
He spoke up, “I did not mean to offend you, I apologize.”
Taco rolled her eyes, grabbing papers off her desk and shoving them into the folders in her bag, “Stop apologizing. I simply don’t want, nor do I need your pity, I can take care of myself.”
Mepad hesitantly shut his mouth, confused. She clearly needed help, she was injured, was she not? She didn’t have the best reputation within the grade, he knew that much, but there are clear signs of her being mis-treated by her peers. What did she mean by pity?
“Of course,” was all that had left his mouth, despite him wanting to say much more.
This seemed to somehow anger the blonde further, and she grabbed her bag quickly. She tugged on her skirt, smoothing it down. Sending a final, harsh glare towards the seemingly meek boy, she proceeded to swiftly walk out the room, not without slamming the door behind her.
Mepad stood behind, processing what had just happened.
Jolting up as if he suddenly remembered something, he walked over to the desk where she had just sat, aiming to pick up the trash that had gathered there. Reaching the chair behind it, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing the desk-
-or what had been written on it.
He felt the foreign feeling of his stomach dropping. Many insults had been crudely scribbled with pencil, the majority he could recognize being targeted towards her the more he read. A wide variety of threats and.. ‘names’ were included onto the wood, furthering his unease with the whole situation.
Wordlessly, he crouched down to pick up the paper that had been scattered into balls on the floor, his objective to throw them away. However, black ink that faded through the paper- presumably from a sharpie- had caught his eye, and he carefully unfolded the ball.
Less than a second later, sounds of paper ripping and being crumbled could be heard, as he threw them into the trash bin located at the front of the room. His posture was stiff, his jaw was clenched, and his hands were balled into fists.
An emotion he couldn’t describe festered within his chest, and he took deep breaths to simmer it down.
As Mepad glanced back at the mess still scrawled on the wood, he grabbed a cloth and spray bottle from the teachers desk without a second thought.