Chapter Text
The bell sounded obnoxiously, signaling that the period had ended. Parrot had the same class next period, so he simply watched with a carefully neutral expression as his classmates packed up purposefully, chatting and joking with one another. He picked up fragments of conversations—something about the teacher’s awful toupee and something else about the newest meme online.
It was always so hard to believe that through one of the worst phases of his life, someone else was living their best. That the world kept spinning regardless of if someone died or went missing.
It was just as hard to believe that this intense feeling curdling in his chest had probably been felt just as intensely by someone else before.
He looked as proper as he always did. If one were to look at him, they wouldn’t be able to identify anything wrong with him.
That was just who Parrot was. Good at internalizing. Great at pushing his feelings aside like they didn’t exist and praying that they didn’t simmer and bubble over.
However, if one were to look closer, deep behind the student council facade, they could see a whirlpool of grief and paranoia.
Thank god Parrot was an expert in pushing people away. Ever since the event happened, he hadn’t had a full conversation with anyone. Not even Theo or Reina.
They wouldn’t be able to understand anyway.
Shaking away his thoughts, he took this brief break to check his phone. Theo had checked on him earlier—maybe he sent something else.
His direct messages were copy-pasted of each other. Concerned friends and classmates checking in on him after Wifies’ death, offering empty sympathies and condolences. He answered to all of them with the same empty responses. Not too dry, not too emotional.
It’s weird how no one connected his disappearance with Wifies’ “accident” yet. Though, that probably was for the best.
It wasn’t his fault that it happened.
Probably.
Parrot opened Twitter next, just for the top post to be Theo begging for help on his English assignment. Parrot sighed with exasperation. Might as well help out the poor soul.
Taking just his notes and his book with him, he left the classroom after sending a not-so-vague tweet about imbeciles who can’t be literate for five seconds.
The hallway was just as crowded as Parrot expected it to be. Students bunched up in clusters chatting, loitering around on their phones, or playing tag indoors for some unknown reason. Only a handful were actually trying to get to their next class.
The library wasn’t far. It was only about eight doors down from his—
“Parrot?”
No. Nononono.
That familiar voice. The tone, the little lilt, everything about it—
“Where are you going? I understand you’re mad, but please just try to see this from my side.” Wifies? pleaded.
Everything drowned out and faded into muffled noise. It felt like he was underwater, drowning in a pool with no discernible bottom.
“Please, Parrot. Please.”
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