Polar

Perspective

AN: Warnings for this chapter: implied child neglect/abandonment, mentions of dissociation, minor implications of starvation
....it's not that bad I promise okay-

Suitcase wasn't having a good day.

She had to stay three hours after her shift had ended at one of her jobs last night due to someone having to call off, and when she got home at nearly 11 o'clock at night, she still had a bunch of homework to do, and when she finally managed to get to bed, it was well past two in the morning, which meant she only got two and a half hours of extremely restless sleep. It didn't help that her pantry was growing bare, and she was still days away from getting paid, so she ended up stumbling out of her depressing apartment sleep deprived and hungry, which ended up being a recipe for disaster.

Or more accurately, a recipe for a dissociative episode.

She didn't even realize it had happened, at first; she just locked her apartment door and started walking to school as she slipped the keys into her bag, clawing at her arms in an attempt to force herself to stay awake, her peripheral vision growing fuzzy as sharp pangs of hunger stabbed throughout her body. Her thoughts began growing louder and more impossible to ignore, sounding like static in her mind.

Suitcase didn't even realize where she was heading until she felt Taco grab her cardigan and yank her back, snapping back to reality as a truck zoomed past her face.

She was grateful for Taco's help, of course, but that didn't make her morning better.

Neither did third period, when MePhone announced that the partners for the project were going to be randomized. That was enough to send Suitcase into an internal spiral, panicking quietly until she heard her name be called alongside Taco's.

She didn't know the other girl that well on a personal level, but at least Taco was nice to her when they were discussing the project, though Suitcase was a little hesitant about heading over to Taco's so they could work on it.

It's not a big deal, is it? Suitcase thought to herself, waiting on a bench outside of school. I'm sure Taco has a nice place, right? Her parents are probably chill, I shouldn't stress out too much about it, should I?

She clenched her teeth, grasping at her skirt with her small hands, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Taco would probably assume something was wrong if she saw her like this. She had to calm down.

Suitcase glanced up once again, just in time to see Taco and her friends exchange goodbyes, before the blonde hurried over to the girl awaiting on the bench. "Hey! I didn't keep ya waiting, did I?"

"No, it's fine," Suitcase mumbled, standing up slowly. "We're...still going to yours, right?"

"Yeah. My dad should be home, but he's pretty chill once you get to know him," Taco replied as the two of them walked off, leading the two of them down the street to where her house was. "You don't have to stress out about making a good first impression, just so you know. He only has a problem with people who are really pushy dicks, and you're pretty much the opposite."

"Really?" Suitcase clenched the strap of her messenger bag, staring at the back of Taco's head.

"Absolutely. I mean, during class, you were just blindly agreeing with everything I had to say. You weren't even voicing any of your opinions, or anything."

"Well, it's usually people like you who take charge on things like group projects, right?"

Taco glanced behind at Suitcase, a puzzled expression on her face. "Uh, no? It's a group project, everyone should have a say, shouldn't they?"