Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

On Edge: Chapter 1

Chapter Warnings: Bullying

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Palette stood under an oak tree kicking idly at a patch of grass. After the final bell for school to let out rang earlier, he had gone to retrieve the books he needed to take home from his locker. He was instead distracted by a note sticking out of the slots when he arrived; it had said to meet under the tree in the courtyard after school. He didn't recognize the writing and he was supposed to be meeting up with Goth so they could go home together, but he also didn't want to be rude to whoever had asked to meet him; for all he knew, it was something important.

"You're here!" a feminine voice yelled.

Palette turned to see a tawny-furred dog monster jogging up to him. She was wearing a green dress and a white sweater with a purse to match. Stopping a foot away, she smiled at him and he smiled back as he tried to remember her name, "Hi, uh... Bridgette?"

"Oh, you remembered. I'm flattered!" she beamed, her teeth clearly visible through the fur around her muzzle.

"Right, so...," the skeleton looked to the clock set into the wall nearby; he needed to hurry up, "what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Well...," she mumbled shyly, "It's not really something I want to say as much as something I want to do..." She leaned forward as she went on.

"What do y-!" Palette's eye lights shrunk as his words were cut off by Bridgette's snout meeting his mouth. He stood frozen from shock. A kiss? What? Why? Did she like him? He didn't like her, though! He had never had to reject someone before, either; how could he do it without hurting her feelings?

A shuffling noise in the distance startled the dog monster, causing her and the skeleton to look toward the source. Starry eye lights met a single, almost non-existent white one. Goth stood at a corner of the school building, the look on his face likely matching Palette's own shocked expression as he stared at the pair under the tree. The smaller monster absently grabbed his scarf as his sockets scrunched up and he ran, disappearing from sight.

Palette immediately gave chase, belatedly realizing Bridgette was still back at the tree. He called haphazardly to her, "Uh... sorry, I have to go!" Racing down the pathway, he ran through the double doors and searched through the school in hopes of tracking down his friend. Unable to locate Goth, he pulled out his phone and sent a message asking where he went. Five minutes passed without a reply, forcing him to give up his search. Heaving a sigh, he turned around and went to go get his books and walk home alone.

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Goth never replied to the text. He showed up to class just as the bell rang, sitting away from Palette; was he being avoided? He had a feeling what happened yesterday had something to do with the current situation; did it upset or embarrass them? There was no way to know for sure without talking to his friend first.

Throughout the class period, Palette tried multiple times to attract the smaller's attention to no avail; he eventually had to stop when the teacher caught him trying to throw notes onto their desk. When the bell rang, he wanted to snarl as Goth shot out the door. Chasing them in the hallway rush would be useless since their small size would hide them in the crowd. They didn't have any other classes together either, so he would just have to track them down during lunch or after school.

Goth wouldn't avoid him forever... right? The thought left a stinging sensation in his chest. 

Rubbing at his sternum, he willed the feeling away as he headed to his next class. From there, the day continued on as Palette struggled to focus on the lessons. After what felt like an eternity, the bell for lunch break rang. Finally, he could look for his friend!

Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Palette pushed his way through the halls, keeping his sockets peeled for a white hood or red scarf. Goth wasn't in the cafeteria; he wasn't in the class he had before lunch; he wasn't at his locker either...

Making his way past a pair of double doors leading to the outdoor walkway and the gym, a flutter of red caught his eye above him. Looking up, he spotted Goth leaning against a guard railing on the gym roof; his head was pillowed on his arms as he stared off into space. Weird, he could have sworn the door to the gym was locked...

Palette opened his mouth to call out to his friend, but he hesitated; would Goth try to run again if they saw him?

Opting to sneak up on them, he immediately became distracted when the door to the gym's roof opened; it caught Goth's attention as well. Palette watched as Bridgette and two male dog monsters walked toward the small skeleton as he turned toward the trio, "Wha-"

"What's the big idea, huh?" Bridgette glowered, poking a clawed finger into Goth's chest. He backed up against the rail as she continued, "How dare you interrupt the special moment I was having with my Palette!" 

Her Palette? Since when did he belong to her?

Goth seemed to bristle before settling once more, snidely remarking, "Please, there's no way he would enjoy some bitch slobbering all over him!"

"Hey!" the bigger of the two male dogs shouted, grabbing Goth by the scarf and shoving his spine farther into the pole, "Don't you dare talk to our sister like that, you little twink!" The bar creaked as it was pushed backward. Palette inhaled sharply as he made a beeline for the gym door, toward the stairwell, and up the stairs. More shouting at an increasing volume could be heard as the open doorway came into view.

"Goth!" He yelled out, gaining everyone's attention as he burst through the doorway.

Goth tried to duck past the male dog that had been shoving him. "Don't you walk away from me!" the monster snarled, yanking on his scarf and throwing him into the guardrail once more. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the rail behind Goth groaned and broke loose... with him falling after it.

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Word Count: 1,063