Frenefits

The rest of the day went by faster than he thought it would, which was a change for him since he was usually so anxious about what might happen throughout the day that it made the day seem to go by slower. But after Pinkie showed him his classes and left, time just flew by.

The classes were easy to understand and most of the teachers did a good job of teaching, and, despite his fears, almost no one tried to talk to him to try to learn about the new student. Before he knew it, it was lunchtime.

“Come on, sit with us! You’ll love my friends, they’re the bestest people in the whole world!”

He probably should have expected this, but when lunch came around Pinkie was trying to introduce him to her friends. He was more than a bit worried, his interactions with her earlier that day was already enough to run his social battery dry. But it would have been more of a hassle to resist her than it would be to just give in, plus he felt like Pinkie was the kind of person who would get him to agree one way or another.

The cafeteria was about as big and looked like his last one, big tables and chairs, lines that lead in to the food and then out. The only thing different was the back of each chair had a sun symbol on the back, similar to the one on the front of Celestia’s desk.

“Pinkie...can you at least take it slow? I didn’t get breakfast today and I’d really like to eat.”

Pinkie had grabbed him by the arm as soon as he got his tray of food, a chocolate milk carton, slice of pizza, mashed potatoes and an apple. The food looked better than his last high schools too, so far everything about this school seemed to be an improvement. He just wished more people left him alone.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I promise I’m working on giving you your personal space, I’m just not used to having to do it with anyone else.”

*Anyone else?”

“Hey Pinks, is that the new student I’ve heard about?”

A girl from the table Pinkie was trying to lead him to said, having a deeper voice than Pinkie, but still somewhat high pitched. She had rainbow hair like Celestia, but it was darker and less majestic. She had light blue skin and cerise eyes, she was wearing a white blouse with a blue vest like Pinkie, but a rainbow lighting bolt on the front instead. She had rainbow bracelets on both her wrists, a long pink and white skirt with black shorts underneath, with blue sneakers that were white laced.

*I try not to be judgmental, but she’s the most girly tomboy I’ve ever seen.*

“Yeppers! He’s not very social though, so be easy with him. “

Pinkie sat beside the multicolored tomboy, immediately chowing down on the various desserts and candies on her tray, leaving Jason to sit across from her. The person sitting beside him had red and yellow hair that went down to her back, having hair that was some mixture of straight and poofy, curling up near the end. She had bright cyan eyes and beautiful amber skin. She was also wearing a blouse, this one being a bright orange with a red and yellow sun on the front. Though instead of a vest, she was wearing a leather jacket. She had a bright purple skirt that went to her knees, being paired with small, black boots that had multiple straps on it.

*She somehow managed to combine school girl with bad girl in her outfit, this school is filled with some interesting people.*

“Hey there, I’m Sunset Shimmer. It’s nice to meet you.” She said as she smiled at him, giving him a brief smile before gesturing towards the girl sitting across from her.

“That’s Rainbow Dash,”

Rainbow Dash put her hands on the back of her head, setting her feet up on the table beside her already empty lunch tray. Except for an apple she seemed to be saving for later.

“Yo.”

“That’s Applejack,”

Applejack was a very southern looking person, she had light blonde hair tied in a pony tail that goes down to her back, wearing a tan cowboy hat on her head matched with emerald green eyes and three white freckles on each of her cheeks. She was wearing a light white button up shirt with the upper part of it being green, a brown belt with a red apple as the buckle went around her waist. Wearing a blue skirt with pockets on the front that went down to just above her knees, big cowboy boots with red apples on the front.

“Hey there, partner!” She said with a tip of her hat.

*Huh, didn’t think I’d find anyone of the country variety in this part of the country.*

“This is Fluttershy,”

The girl sitting beside Applejack looked different than the others, she seemed less...gregarious. She had long, straight pink hair, similar to Diane’s. Though it was a much brighter shade of pink, and curled up at the ends. She had opal eyes and grayish olive skin, and had surprisingly well cared for skin. She only wore a bright white t-shirt, a bright green shirt with various butterflies. She wore large green boots, but the bottom had a different design that resembled white high heels.

“H-hello…” She said barely louder than a whisper, hiding her face behind her hair as she twiddled her thumbs.

*She’s...really shy, maybe even worse than me. Is this the girl Diane was talking about?”

“And then there’s Rarity. There would be Twilight, but she didn’t come today.” Sunset said as she gestured to the girl beside her.

Rarity immediately made an impression on Jason that the others didn’t, she just seemed more...flamboyant. She had dark purple hair, the front part of it curving downward, the bottom part curving back and around to her side, it was clear she knew how to use a curling iron. She had stark white skin and bright azure eyes, he could also tell she heavily put on makeup.

She was wearing a light blue t-shirt, a purple belt with a blue buckle around her waist, the bottom of the belt is where the dark purple skirt with blue diamonds started. She was also wearing large, purple boots that went up to her knee, diamonds that looked like they were embedded into the top of the boot.

“Hello darling, splendid to meet you!”

*She’s the beauty queen of the school, every school has one. But she’s close friends with these girls specifically, what an interesting group of friends. I wouldn’t fit in at all.”

“Um...thanks for the warm welcome. I’m Jason Pitler, nice to meet you guys...I guess?” Jason said awkwardly with a nervous wave of his hand, glancing around the cafeteria for a moment.

Some part of him hoped he’d see Diane, sitting in the corner of the room somewhere eating by herself. They’d make brief eye contact, he’d look away from her out of habit, and look back to see she was waving for him to come sit by her.

But that didn’t happen, all there was were the chattering of conversation and dozens of faces he didn’t know.

*I wonder, is she watching me right now?”

“So, why'd ya move here?”

He heard Applejack ask him, causing him to turn his attention back to them. He immediately felt his stomach drop, seeing that the eyes of all the girls were now on him, even Fluttershy. He didn’t deal well with being the center of attention, but this wasn’t the first time he’s had to deal with something like this.

*Alright, calm down, you’re fine. Just...focus on talking to one at a time, pretend the others aren’t there.*

“Oh, I just wanted a fresh start somewhere, is all.” He said as he looked down at his food, awkwardly picking up his pizza and taking a bite out of it.

“Well, you chose a pretty good place. People around here take their grades pretty seriously, especially me, so things get kind of hectic around test time and finals. I can help you with studying and stuff if you need it.” Sunset Shimmer offered, giving him a brief smile.

*These guys seem...really nice actually, at least to a stranger like me. Everyone I’ve met in this town has been really nice to me, it's a bit unnerving, honestly.*

“No, I think I can handle that, thanks. Though,” He mumbled as he laid his pizza down, opening the milk carton and taking a drink from it.

*They are girls, and you don’t really have anyone else to ask about it. Fuck it, what’s the worse that could happen?”

“I’m...sorry if this comes off as rude, since we just met, but I don’t have anyone else to ask.” He said as he tugged on his shirt collar nervously, “I need advice, I’m having some...girl problems.”

“Is she hot?” Rainbow asked, seeming more interested in Jason now.

Jason immediately thought of when Diane was straddling him, his face turning beet red as he tried to look away from Rainbow Dash, quickly chowing down the food on his tray.

Strangely, Pinkie stopped eating mid bit, cupcake frosting still on her face. Her eyes shifting to Jason, not surprised, but more..curious, like she was expecting something.

“Rainbow Dash! That is not the first thing you ask about a lady.” Rarity shouted, seeming genuinely offended.

“What? I just wanted to know if she was hot or not.” Rainbow said nonchalantly, putting her feet back on the floor and taking a bite out of her apple.

“She….k-kind of looks like Pinkie, sort of.”

Rainbow turned her head to Pinkie for a moment, looking her up and down for a moment like she was checking her out, before turning back to Jason and taking another bite out of her apple.

“Pinkie’s hot, so is that a yes?”

Applejack smacked the back of Rainbow’s head, not to actually hurt her, just to discourage her.

“Get yer mind out of the gutter! Is that all ya think about? Just last week, ya were asking for our cup size to figure out who had the biggest nubbers!”

“Well yeah! How else was I supposed to know?” Rainbow said as she rubbed the back of her head, “I mean, I could have guessed it was Fluttershy, but I wanted to be sure. And even I was surprised by how much!”

Fluttershy’s face quickly got beet red as she made a high pitched squeal, somehow managing to hide further behind her hair.

“Not that big....”

He just barely heard her whisper. He also noticed that Pinkie was no longer looking at him, seeming to have lost interest and gone back to her food. But he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that she was still intently listening.

“Don’t mind them, they just get…” Sunset Shimmer gestured towards them, trying to think of the right word to use. “Overzealous. Anyway, what kind of girl problems are you having?”

“It's...a bit complicated, I’ll try to explain.”

He couldn’t quite put it into words, but there was something about the aura Sunset gave off that was just very comforting. He was significantly less anxious than he would usually be, he just felt less nervous about her, it was strange.

*Diane was right, this school is full of weirdos.*

“I...met her in an alleyway a little past midnight, we started talking and-”

“Woah, wait, in an alleyway past midnight? Jason, those aren’t the kind of girls you want to associate with.” She said with concern in her voice.

“No, she...looked upset, so I just wanted to check on her to make sure she was ok. Then she wanted to talk with me, and she….took my first kiss.”

He heard Rarity give an excited squeal, leaning over to Jason with her hands on her face dramatically.

“Oh spill the tea! What was it like? Was it magical? Did you kiss her first or-?”

Sunset Shimmer loudly cleared her throat, furrowing her eyebrows as she glared at her. Rarity sat back down in her seat, giggling nervously.

“I apologize, I just...really enjoy hearing about others' love lives. But a lady should never be so...obtrusive. Anyway, go on now,”

Rarity said as she put her hands on her knees, tapping them excitedly.

“Um...ok. After she kissed me...she asked me if I wanted to have a...relationship with her, and said that I should take the day to come to a decision.”

Sunset’s eyebrows raised slightly in confusion, not entirely understanding what he was implying.
“Like dating....or?”

Jason shook his head, bringing his hand up to his face and awkwardly scratching his cheek. “I believe the term she used was...frenefits.” He said with heavy emphasis.

There was silence among the group as Rarity and Sunset stared at him for a moment, he could almost hear the gears in their heads turning as they tried to understand what he was saying. There was almost an audible click as their eyes opened and their mouths opened in a circle, like their faces were saying ‘Oh’.

“Hawt.” He heard Rainbow Dash say, flinching when Applejack glared at her, like she was threatening to slap her again.

“I...wow, alright that’s not what I was expecting.” Sunset said as she turned toward her tray, picking up a fork and playing with it, like she didn’t seem that interested in actually eating. “How..well do you know her?”

*More than I should, less than you think.*

“Not very well, barely more than strangers, really.” He said as he put a spoon full of mashed potatoes in his mouth, swallowing before speaking again. “I...know she’s a student here, that she knows everyone in this town, and that she has siblings, a job, and is a part of a club. That’s about it.”

Pinkie let out an audible gulp, swallowing the last bit of her food and chugging it down with her milk. She seemed to be thinking about something, her eyes darting back and forth as she tried to work something out in her mind.

“Well, at least she isn’t from Crystal Prep, then I’d have to assume it was some elaborate plot to get back at us.” Sunset said with a scowl on her face.

*Seems like Diane wasn’t the only one who had issues with Crystal Prep, what happened to cause turmoil like that?*

“Darling, I don’t mean to sound obtuse, but this girl sounds like...a floozy. And that isn’t the kind of girl you want to have relations with.”

There was a...hot feeling he could feel in his body, similar to the heat he felt when Diane was straddling him, but less intense. He couldn’t quite explain it, but the feeling made him...agitated.

*Is this...what getting angry feels like? I don’t like it.*

“No, I don’t think so. “ He said with a bit of hostility, more sternness in his voice than he believed he’s ever had. “She told me that she wasn’t like that, and I believe her.”

“Partner, how exactly do you feel about this girl?”

*That’s the exact question I’ve been asking myself all day.*

“I’m...not sure. I like her, I think. She was nice to me and held the conversation, making up for my lack of conversation skills. But, you’re right. I don’t know her, but she didn’t know me either. I think...I deserve to give her a chance.”

Fluttershy put her hair behind her ears, opening and closing her mouth like she was going to say something.

“I...I think yo-”

Before Fluttershy got the chance to say anything, the bell signaling the ending of lunch. Fluttershy gasped out of surprise, going back to hiding behind her hair.

“Oh shoot, I gotta go, I can’t be late to class again, see ya.”

“I need to go too, I promised Soarin to meet him in the janitor’s closet after lunch, if ya get what I mean.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack said as they got up and dumped their trays, quickly leaving the cafeteria with many others. Jason turned back and noticed that Fluttershy had already left, a bit surprised at how silent he was.

“Darling, as much as I’d love to help you, Sunset and I should be heading to class.” Rarity said as she began to stand out of her chair, her tray in her hand.

“Yeah, Cherilee hates it when her students are late, even by a second. I’m sorry we couldn’t have been of more help to you, it was nice meeting you!”

Just like that, it was just him and Pinkie. She stared at him for a moment, a blank expression on her face as she was thinking of something.

“Do you trust her?” She asked, no evident tone in her voice.

*Well, she could have just kissed me. But she asked for my permission first, she could have done a lot of things to me, but she didn’t.*

“Yeah,” He said as he ate the last of his mashed potatoes. “I think I do.”

As soon as he said that, her empty expression disappeared and was quickly replaced by that same childlike smile, the one that just seemed to irradiate joy and happiness.

“Then what else is there to say? If you can trust her, then you should already have your answer.”

Pinkie said as she stood up, her tray being surprisingly organized despite it being a mess earlier. “I gotta go now, I need to stop by the baking club and pick something up before I go to class. Good luck with your girl troubles.”

And just like that, he was alone again, just like it he was used.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*That was...an interesting first day.*

Jason thought to himself as he threw his backpack across the room, face planting into his bed.

His room wasn’t really impressive, and was actually quite small. He had one bed barely big enough for one person, with white sheets, a blue blanket, and one pillow, and were all placed in the right corner of the room. Across from that was a small tv he would watch movies on when he had the time, and a small window to the left of that. His closet, with the few clothes he had, was in the back left of the room, covered by a small white door.

He didn’t have anything else in the room besides a fan he used on hot days, the room overall looked very bland. A black carpet with bright white walls and a roof, normal, like him.

“That was easier than I thought it’d be, but it didn’t really solve my problem.”

Jason let out a loud groan, flipping over and staring at the ceiling with his arms to his sides. “Pinkie seems nice, but she’s also really unpredictable. Her friends seem like good people, if a little....peculiar.”

He reached into his pocket with his right hand, pulling out his phone and seeing the message he got from Pinkie earlier. She had convinced him to give her his number, but he was just as bad at texting as he was at socializing in person. He hadn’t gotten around to opening it yet, he was still trying to figure out how to respond to ‘hiya ;)’.

“Should I ask Diane for her number? I don’t want to seem creepy, but even if she says yes, I feel like I’d just be annoying her. But I also want to talk with her outside of the alleyway.”

Jason brought his right hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. “I’m still not even sure what to say to her. I want to say yes, because I really like her and she’s the first girl to be so forward with me. But I’m also worried I’m going to mess it up somehow, and I really don’t want to do that with her.”

He let out another frustrated groan, when did things get so complicated?

*I know I came here for something different, but I wasn’t expecting this!*

He heard a ding coming from his phone, signalling someone texted him. He looked at his phone, seeing that Pinkie had texted him again.

‘When are you going to be meeting alleyway girl?’

Alleyway girl was Diane, obviously. She somehow didn’t connect the dots that when he asked her about Diane, he was talking about the alleyway girl.

*Pinkie isn’t stupid, but she doesn’t seem like the smartest out of the six girls I met.*

Jason swiped up on his phone, beginning to type in his response.

‘Tonight at-’

He stopped for a moment, realizing something. She never said what time to be there, just tonight. She said that when she went there, she was usually there for a couple of hours. And when he met her, she had probably been there since maybe ten.

And right now, the time was ten thirty, which meant...

*She’s probably there right now, waiting for me.*

He sent a message to Pinkie, just saying ‘tonight’. Then he quickly put his phone back in his pocket, ignoring Pinkie’s near immediate response. He didn’t bother changing clothes, his weren’t dirty and he didn’t want to make her wait any longer.

*I...think I have an answer, just not sure if it's one she’ll be satisfied with.*