Playing Their Game

You do some chores around the house and— Fuck, you are THAT desperate for something to do. You’ve been mindlessly sweeping this floor for a good twenty minutes now. You look at the broom before pushing it away. There must be something to do. Maybe unblocking the girls’ numbers might interest you. You take out your phone, look for the first four numbers in your block list and take them out of it. Now you play the waiting game.

It has been two minutes since you’ve unleashed the hounds, and nothing has happened. No messages or calls, so you leave the phone on the couch and go back to the kitchen. You grab the broom from the floor and resume sweeping. After a few sweeps, your phone starts to ring. You go over and look at who it is. “Fuck...” You accept the call and see what she wants. “Hello?”

”Anon, I think we should talk.” Fluttershy says in an unsettling tone.

“Wait, you aren’t pissed that I’ve missed out on helping you guys?”

”No, we didn’t do much. But I do need to talk to you in private.”

“Why? What’s it about?”

”Something that I’ve should have done a long time ago. Please, just meet me outside of town.”

“What? Did you just say—“

”Yes! Make it fast, since I wont be here for long.” She hangs up and sends you an address via text message. You better go there, since you can count it as going out to help her for whatever reason. Before you grab your keys, someone starts to call you.

Darn that Anon! He thinks he could just ignore your call and text messages, will he!? You aren’t letting him go without a harsh talk! ”What?”

“Don’t you question me! Why did you keep on brushing away my calls or text messages!?” You shout over the phone.

”You left messages?” Oh no. You spent hours on creating those threatening messages.

“Y-yes! You never listened to them?”

”Why would I? What’s the worse that you could do; paint my nails pink, give me a bad haircut?” Anon assumes.

“...It was going to be pistachio.”

”Right, I’ve had more life-threatening comments from high school dropouts. Are we done?”

“NO! We are most certainly not done here!” You bicker, demanding that he stays on the line.

”Too bad, because I have somewhere to go.”

“Oh please, where do you need to go?”

”Helping out Fluttershy, okay? Bye!” He hastily says before leaving you. You stand there with your phone still pressing against your cheek, bewildered by what he just said. Helping Fluttershy? Your shakedown from last week’s fiasco is now turning into an authentic suspicion. What does Fluttershy want with him?

This fifteen minute drive better be worth something. You park your car outside of a burger shack that is sitting on the side of the city. There is a settling orange glow over the gloomy clouds taking most of the sky right above you, while the sun in the distance still stands strong for the next few minutes. You walk over to the practically empty tables to see a lone girl in pink hair sitting all by herself with a tray of french fries sitting on the table. She looks around before noting your presence. You walk closer as she starts to waive. ”Hi, Anon.” She speaks in a low tone. She doesn’t have that leather jacket on and her hair is back to the way it was, curvy and elegant. You sit on the opposing side of the table that she’s facing.

“What’s up?” You casually ask.

”Nothing.” She moves the plate of fries over to you. “Do you want some?”

“I’m good, I just want to know what’s what.”

She sighs when crossing her arms. ”I didn’t expect for you to be in so much trouble. I’m sorry for putting you in this mess.”

You look around, making sure that this place is deserted. “Is that the reason on why you drag me out here?”

Fluttershy shakes her head. ”I just wanted to have a talk about all of the things that’s been going on.”

"We could have done that on the phone. You know, where no one else could hear us?”

”I just wanted to make sure.”

“Paranoid much?” You ask with some sort of sarcasm.

”You don’t know the half of it.” She admitted with some unsettlement in her voice.

“Lighten up, there is nothing to worry about?”

She raises an eyebrow. ”Anon, you don’t know how many people want me gone now.”

“And do you think it’s any better for me?”

”At least you didn’t have those that ruined your middle school experience.” You just sit there and cross your own arms. ”But that’s the thing – I kind of like it.” She sits straight up in her seat. ”People respect me now. No one ignores me or pushes me away at school. They all look at me when I’m walking down the hallway, wondering what terrible thing that I might do.” You let her drone on to whatever she’s talking about. ”Normally I would be afraid from people, thinking that if I do the slightest wrong step in my path, they will constantly tease me about it. But now, it’s completely different.” At this point, you can sense the aggression in her voice. ”I’m the one who looks down at them. I can get the smartest kid in class to do my homework, or shake down another for his money.” Flutershy is starting to speak up. ”Everyone in school now thinks that I’m in control, and I can’t be knocked down.” She settles down. ”And it’s all thanks to you.”

You scratch the side of your neck, unsure on what to say. “Uh, that’s cool?”

”It is. But please, I ask this out of empathy; why?”

“Why what?”

”Why are you allowing me to do this?”

When will anyone drop this? “Why do you want to know so badly?”

”If I tell you, would you answer my question?”

“Yes.”

She rubs her left elbow with her right arm. ”It’s just, that I feel awful. Ever since from the beginning, that day that I asked you for a donation, Rainbow Dash instructed me to demand some money from... a loner. it felt good when someone did something for me, but it was short-lived. I never wanted to bother you, but I needed to start from somewhere. Now that I scare everyone else, I don’t have to be afraid. Maybe by you, since my friends did have to visit the hospital.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

”I kind of have to. Now can you answer my question?”

You take in a deep breath. “Fine. I acted along just to mess with the school.”

”Y... you just pretended to be picked on?”

“Yes. I didn’t mind it at all, seeing everyone’s face was worth it.”

”Phew. I’m glad about that. I was afraid that it was something else.”

“Like what?”

She puts a finger to her bottom lip. ”Hmm. I don’t really know.” From the sidelines, you see something move around right behind the shack. It sops to where a part of. ”Maybe, if you—“

“Could you hold onto that for one second?” You get up and walk over to find out that it was Norman who was hiding. He gets off of the wall and appears to hide something.

”Hey Anon! How you’ve been?”

You cut right through his fake greetings by grabbing his jacket and slamming him to the wall. “How much did you see?”

”Oh, no hello? Fine. I was on my way to get a burger and what do I see? Two of the schools most threatening students having a heart-to-heart conversation.”

You shove him to the wall. “None of this happened, you hear me?”

”Tell that to the evidence.” He wields his phone and scrolls through it with his thumb. Norman smiles as he shows off certain pictures of you talking with Fluttershy, each one with a mood difference. You move your arm from his chest to get closer to his phone. He turns his screen off by pushing a button with the same thumb. ”Ah! Not so fast.” You grab it and turn it on, only to stare at a password lock. You type in 1234, 4321, and 0000, all of which failed. ”So, how do you feel, knowing that karma finally caught up with you?”

“What do you want?” You ask out of shame.

”First, I want my phone back.” You give the phone back to him. ”Second, I want a part of the action.”

“Fuck right off to whatever drug-of-the-week you’re on.” You snap at him.

”Fine, but I’ll send every photo to my friends, who will send it to everyone else.” Someone is approaching you from behind.

"Anon, what’s going on?” Fluttershy asks as she stands right beside you.

“This shitstain saw us.”

Fluttershy puts on a threatening glare and looks at him. ”What do you know?”

”Nothing, really. But the two of you talking on the same table is more than enough.”

”No one would believe you.” Fluttershy calls him out on the bluff.

”Tell that to the pictures.” He gloats when holding his phone up.

Fluttershy’s face quickly looses the momentum and she starts to panic. ”Oh no, no! What are we going to do?!” She sounds devastated by the situation.

”Relax. You let me pick on him, and we’re square.” You press him against the wall.

”Anon! Wait!” You ease up from Fluttershy’s demand.

”See? Like that. I can call the shots on what you do.”

“I would rather shoot you—“

”Leave him, Anon.” Fluttershy calmly asks.

“What?!”

She stands right beside you, keeping a straight face, regardless of how agitated she was. ”Just let him go.” You do, and watch him fix his shirt by brushing his hands around it.

”I’ll let you guys talk about it. I should get an answer when you get back to school this Thursday.” He puts his phone in the pocket of his jacket and walks away.

”What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll think of something.” You and Fluttershy walk back to the table and awkwardly stare at the french fries. You decided to break the tension to asking her a small question.

The two of you talked about your current situation with Norman. Every answer seems to have a drawback. Fluttershy suggests reasoning with him, but he really desires to be a part of this. You recommend smashing his phone, but clearly the phone that he carries isn’t the problem. It is synced with a cloud, meaning he could post it from a computer afterwards. ”Darn it!” She grieves over while grabbing her cheeks. You have one last idea, but it’s not a pretty one. It’s too vulgar, she would go against it. ”Anon, do you have any suggestions?” She sounds desperate, even more so than usual.

“Yes, but it’s a work in progress.”

”What is it?” You look around, making sure that he isn’t around. Fluttershy’s paranoia might be rubbing off to you since you motion your hand for her to lean in while you’re already doing so. She does and turns her head to the side, allowing you to whisper into her ear.

The moment that you finish whispering, she quickly jumps back and sits in her seat. ”Anon!”

“There isn’t any other option.”

”But, resorting to that?”

“Its been done before, it can sure as hell be done again.”

”No, Anon. Maybe it’s time we forget it.”

“This will keep us safe. He won’t be a problem when it’s over.”

”Anon, this takes more than what you said.”

“And there is, but the pieces are still trying to fit.”

She shakes her head. ”You’re in enough trouble. We can’t go any further than this.”

“Would you mind that he starts picking on me?”

”I... I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.” She tries to speak in a positive way.

“What if he slowly takes over and fully replaces your position?“

”Then... I guess you become my bodyguard?”

“By then people will know that something’s up.”

”Anon, we should just let him. There isn’t any other choice.”

You slam your fists on the wobbly table. “There is always a choice, damnit!”

Fluttershy looks at you, then to your fists. ”Some are more comforting than others. If we let him, we would at least know what would happen.”

“You’re just going to let him walk all over you?”

”It’s not like that.” She tries to correct you.

“It kind of does.”

She slams her hand on the table. From a reflex, you take your arms off of it. ”It’s one jerk compared to the ENTIRE school, and after the school learns about what’s going on, there are certain people that want to talk to me.” Her eyes show how aggravated she is. Even if she looks provoked, you noticed the slight detail of how afraid she really is.

You stay silent and calm down by getting comfy in your seat. “We’ll think this over. For now, we just act natural for the next few days.”

Fluttershy retracts her arms and sits back in her seat. "Y-yeah. I'm sorry about that. I'm just worried about this."

"I know. Hey, what was that thing you were about to say before he bothered us?"

"Hmm? Oh, that." She anxiously rubs her right forearm. "I was... afraid that, you liked me or something." Fluttershy mumbles out. You're not entirely sure on that. It's pretty conflicting, but you never really focused on her the entire time you've been around her. "D-do you...?"

"In all honesty; not really." Fluttershy stops rubbing her forearm and grabs it. "But, it's not that you aren't pretty or anything. I just didn't pay attention all that often." Her hand clenches on her arm. "All I'm trying to say is that yes, you are attractive. It's just... forget it."

Her fingers relax. "What? You can tell me."

"It's just... I'm not really fit for girls."

"Oh..." She moves her hand up her arm, stopping it by grabbing her shoulder. "I didn't know that you were... into guys."

You almost jump in your seat, almost wondering if she actually said that. "What?"

"I get it now, it's a secret. Don't worry, I pinkie promise to keep it between us." She uses her other hand to extend her index finger and presses it against her smile when winking at you.

She is. "Fluttershy, I'm not gay."

The hand that was resting on her shoulder tenses up, almost pulling off her sleeveless shirt. "Y-youre not?"

"No, I'm not" You calmly say without any tension. "Listen, I'm just here to mess with the school, and I'm sure you're in it for the same thing. We don't have to make this anymore bizarre than it already is, okay?"

"Y-yes, you're right." She lets go of her shirt and puts her hand under the table. "But, I'm still in charge, right?"

She is trying, and she really wants to enjoy this. It wouldn't hurt to let her have this, seeing that she wants some control. "Yeah, you do."

Fluttershy brings her hands up and gives a short but energetic clap. "Thanks. I mean, good." She tries to straighten up her tough voice. You couldn't help but crack a smile from her effort. The two of you stick around for a few more minutes before parting ways.

When you get home, your parents were expecting a report. They don’t trust you, and you really can’t blame them for it. ”How was it?” Your mother asks as you’re going through the refrigerator.

“I kind of expected it to be worse.” You pull out some slices of ham and swiss cheese.

”What do you mean by that?” You set it down by a plate with two slices of bread on it.

“Just some trouble with what I’m doing, nothing else.” You’re trying to be vague with it so that she doesn’t have to catch on anything. The best part is that you aren’t lying. Not in any sense of it from where you can see it.

”What kind of trouble?” Shit, your mom is catching along this little ride.

“Listen, I’ve already been helping her for the last couple of days, isn’t that more than enough?”

Your mother pouts at you. ”Just tell me on what was troubling you. There is nothing to hide from me, is there?”

You need to bullshit yourself out of this and fast. Make yourself the victim! You push the plate away and face your mother. ”It’s bad enough that I’m getting watched at school, the animal shelter, and now my own parents!?” You start to march away from the kitchen and head for your room.

”Anon Yankee Mous, wait!” You close the door and sit on your bed. Now you wait for results.

Five anxious minutes have passed by. You’re worried about being too harsh or not enough on the matter. That all ends when you hear your door being opened. ”Anon?” Your mother subtly asks through a small creek. You just say nothing and sit there, staring at your sneakers. ”Anon, I just wanted to come by and say that, I’m sorry for putting pressure on you.” Hook line and sinker. She opens the door and enters your room. ”I know that being a teenager is stressful, especially when making friends is tough, but you can always look on the bright side.”

“What bright side?”

”You have a chance. A future you can build, one where you can go or do without seeing these people or any of the troubles that you’re having right now. Sure, there will be some people who won’t like you for whatever reason, but that’s how life is. We can only try to make ourselves acceptable to as many people that we meet.” You bring your head up to see that she I currently holding a plate with a sandwich. ”You just eat up and relax. I’ll go and tell your father to stop as well.”

“Thanks mom.” You give a weak smile as she leaves your room.

From some regret in your chest, you almost didn't eat the sandwich. After a few minutes, you did. Clearly you weren’t going to waste food that was originally going to be made from the start. What makes it better is from the fact that someone making your food tastes wonderful when it’s compared to what you make. Even though you savored this small victory, something tickled your mind - how will it be when you finally get back to school? What would people think about you after your absence, ad how the fuck would Norman try to stand out as a bully? Even so, you’re more than prepared to meet him this Thursday.