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Stanford Pines and his twin brother Stanley were inseparable. Except, of course, when Stanley got mid-day detention and Stanford had to eat without his only friend. On those days, Ford ate in the library so that his bullies couldn’t take advantage of him being alone. That day was one of those days.
While he was reading an encyclopedia and finishing up his sandwich in a small corner nook, a group of four girls quickly walked into the non-fiction section, giggling. They nudged a skeptical girl towards the librarian, Ms. Walken’s, desk, where the old woman sat snoring with a magazine by her side.
“Come on, Emma-May, just take it real fast, like a fox!” A blonde girl named Harley pressed, elbowing a tall girl with shaggy brown hair, which was so low on her face that Ford had to wonder how she could see.
Ford had seen Ms. Walken reading magazines from the same brand before. What was it called? Oh, that’s right, Men’s Swim Monthly. Why would an old unmarried librarian want something like that? He looked back to the Giggle Girls (as he dubbed them then), and watched as the nervous girl from before carefully picked up the magazine and brought it to her group. They opened it and every one of them, except Emma-May, began giggling much louder, though she did blush a little.
“Ooooh!” Swooned one brunette girl in the group that Ford knew was called Karis. “This one’s got such cute glasses!”
Stanford was immediately interested. What? Why did he care about men? Men with glasses? Men with glasses in swimsuits? He buried his face in the book he was reading, at which point the librarian woke up. She sat up with a start and saw the girls huddled around the magazine, causing the Giggle Girls to squeal and Harley to drop it.
“It was Emma-May’s idea!” The final girl, another blonde with less makeup named Teagan said, pointing at the accused. The other two quickly agreed.
“N-no! I-I didn’t… I-I’m… I’m sorry!” She wailed and buried her head in her hands. Stanford lifted his head out of his book to see how it would play out.
“You’re all thieves, the way I see it!” Ms. Walken replied angrily as Ford’s world slowed momentarily. These were popular girls. If he got them out of this mess, it could score him some social credit or stall his bullying, if only for a few days. He stood up and walked out in front of them.
“Hold on a moment, miss!” He said, trying to steady his voice. “If you send them to the office, you’ll have to admit that you had that magazine in your possession!” He adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit
Stanford had never spoken against a teacher before, and especially not for girls who had thrown milk cartons at him last week. (Not Emma-May though. She seemed quite nice.) Ms. Walken’s face went blank, and she quietly returned to her desk.
“Get out of my library. Go loiter in the halls or something…” She mumbled angrily, and once they’d all complied, the girls turned to him, with Emma-May being the only one who appeared thankful.
“Christ Almighty, if it isn’t Stanford Pines, the biggest loser on Earth!” Sneered Harley. Well, thought Ford, that didn’t go to plan…
“I feel like this brainiac freak needs to know why he his kind shouldn’t even look at us!” Added Karis, prompting the others to laugh uproariously. Emma-May had left at some point. He became increasingly concerned for his safety.
“You know what nerdy deformed scum like you deserves?”
Teagan drawled, grabbing his wrists to restrain him.
Up until then, silence had seemed like the best option. His body was racked with anxiety, and anything he said would come out cracked, wobbly, or both. Although, he knew that in that moment, speaking would get it over with faster. However, Before Ford had a chance, Harley had snatched and shattered his glasses on the floor. Great, just great! He was already outnumbered, and now half-blind? His panicked train of thought was interrupted by a knee to the stomach, and a punch to the eye. From whom, he couldn’t tell. They were laughing so loud…
Over the next agonizing four minutes, Stanford was beat and kicked and punched and elbowed until he was black and blue all over. They’d never been this cruel before. Then again, they’d never had no risk of an adult catching them. Once the bell rang, the Giggle Girls bolted to the other side of the school. Ford barely even registered it. Everything was so cold.
So cold
So cold
He just closed his eyes for a moment…
Stanford saw little flecks of light peeking through his eyelids as he slowly pried them open. He mumbled, feeling his surroundings while his eyes adjusted to the light.
“Hey, Poindexter! You’re awake! I brought you to the nurse’s office cuz you look like you lost a fight with a cactus with super-muscles. I have your glasses, by the way! I know you can’t see me.”
Stanley! He instantly felt a little better, even as his body and eye remained sore.
“H-hey, Stan…” Ford managed to squeak out. “Dad’s not gonna be happy when he finds out I was beat up by a group of girls, AND got my glasses broken in the progress…”
“Who cares! You’ll be fixed up in no time, and then we’ll go to the beach and fight kraken-pirates when you get new glasses!” Stanford assumed his brother was gesturing wildly. “And then we’ll steal parts from their ship to work on the Stan-O’-War! How’s about it, Sixer?”, Stan proclaimed with a smile in his voice. His injured twin laughed.
“That sounds wonderful, Stanley.”