VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 9

"So? How was it?" Asgore and Frisk were alone in the car now, having dropped off Terrence at the park per his request.

"Oh, it was, um . . ." Frisk paused. She didn't want to worry Asgore, so she decided to talk about what had happened before the awkward incident. "It was really fun. We got burgers and lemonades, and almost uncovered one of Grillby's darkest secrets!"

"You mean the one about . . ." Asgore was suddenly serious, and Frisk raised her eyebrows. It had been a joke, but she was quick on the uptake. Why was Grillby doing that simple thing he did such a huge deal all of a sudden?

Asgore didn't continue, so Frisk shook her head, "N-no, I was just . . . making a joke . . ." She was a bit disappointed that Asgore hadn't gotten that, and glanced out the window as the silence suddenly grew heavy. She could tell Asgore knew something was wrong, but she didn't want to say it aloud.

"I'll take you home now," Asgore told her. "Ms. Juniper is done for the day, so the Relief Center is closed for now. Do you need anything from me?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Frisk shook her head. "Thank you for taking me to work today. I . . . had a lot more fun than I thought I would, actually."

"I was hoping you'd feel better." He smiled. "I know that whenever I feel down, doing something to help other people makes me feel a lot better. It's good therapy."

"It's a bit tiring too," Frisk added, suppressing a yawn. "Or, maybe I'm just not used to doing work," she shrugged. She hadn't been to school in quite a while. She hadn't really been doing anything that required effort lately.

"Well, you have school tomorrow. Maybe . . . things can start returning to normal soon," her father said, hope stringing his voice.

"I guess I'd be alright with that," Frisk nodded, feeling ready. The thought of going back after such a week of missed work was intimidating, but not as dreadful as it had seemed the day before.

They pulled into their driveway, the doors unlocking. "There should be some fresh produce in the fridge should you get hungry," Asgore told her. "-and you might be without internet, the WiFi has been acting up again."

"I'll survive," Frisk gave him a smile as she got out of the car. "Have fun at work!"

Asgore chuckled, "I'll do the best I can. I'll see you later this afternoon," he told her, before she shut the car door. The vehicle slowly rolled out of the driveway, before driving off in the direction of Obatech Industries. She watched him go, before sighing, and heading back inside. Sure enough, the WiFi was out. That meant no Webflix, much to her dismay. Webflix was a great way to pass the time, especially with Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. She decided she'd check her bag for all that homework she'd had Greg and Terrence deliver her this last week. Might as well get some of it started, finally.

The homework was mostly algebra and English. They were reading a new book in English, and Greg had delivered her a copy. They were already on chapter eight, according to the homework, and she hadn't even started. Oh well. No time like the present. With a resigned sigh, Frisk grabbed her school bag from her room, dragged it downstairs to the living room, kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the couch with her English, which she'd deal with first.

Her thoughts continued to become distracted, however, with Terrence and the way she'd simply blown him off. He was trying to rekindle a relationship she wanted, but her own fears and insecurities had prevented it. Part of her considered texting him, but then stopped herself. Maybe it was too soon to talk about it? But not talking might just make things more awkward. Aaand now she was overthinking it. But she really couldn't help herself; her mind was getting the better of her. She needed to focus. She doubted her teachers would expect her to have finished the homework, but she still wanted to put a dent in it.