My Delinquent Tanaka x Reader

32

As she made her way through the bustling halls of the school the next day, Y/N's mind drifted to the events of the past few days. The revelations about Maya and the ongoing investigation had consumed much of her thoughts, leaving her feeling both determined to learn the full truth and apprehensive about what lay ahead.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the approach of a familiar face until they stood directly in front of her. It took a moment for recognition to dawn upon her—it was one of Erica's minions, though her name escaped in that moment. The girl's presence caught her off guard, and she couldn't help but wonder what is was she wanted from her.

The girl appeared nervous, her hands fidgeting and her lower lip caught between her teeth—an awkwardness that seemed out of character for someone usually so confident in Erica's circle. Y/N furrowed her brows in confusion, wondering what could have prompted her to seek me out.

"Um, hey," she began tentatively, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Her hesitant demeanour piqued my curiosity, and I nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "Sure... Remind me of your name, though, please. I'm sorry, I never really took the time to remmeber it seeing as you're, you know, with Erica and her posse."

She took a deep breath, as if gathering her courage, before speaking again. "Yeah, I get that. And my name is Jessica. Look, I... I just really wanted to apologise. For everything."

Her words caught Y/N by surprise, and she couldn't help but feel a flicker of scepticism. Erica's minions were not known for their sincerity, and so she wondered if this was some sort of ploy or trick.

"Apologize? For what exactly?" Y/N  asked, unable to keep the edge of suspicion from creeping into my voice.

The girl shifted uncomfortably, her gaze darting around as if searching for an escape route. "For the way we've treated you. For going along with Erica and her schemes and not standing up for what's right. I know it's not an excuse, but... I was scared. Scared of losing my place in the group, of being ostracised like you were."

"I appreciate your apology," Y/N said, her voice softening. "But why now? What's changed?"

The girl took a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. "Some of it I can't tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because Erica didn't explain everything all that well to us. But, after everything that's happened, I realised that Erica's way isn't the right way. I don't want to be a part of her games anymore, hurting people for the sake of popularity. I want to do better, to be better."

Her sincerity was evident, and Y/N couldn't help but feel a sense of hope stirring within her. Perhaps there was more to Erica's minions than met the eye—perhaps they were just as trapped in her web of manipulation as she had been.

"I believe you," she said, offering the timid girl a small smile. "And I forgive you. We've all made mistakes, but what matters is how we choose to move forward."

The tension seemed to ease from the girl's shoulders, and she returned the smile, albeit somewhat hesitantly. "Thank you," she said softly. "I know it won't be easy, but I'm determined to make things right."

"Can I ask, though? What did you mean that Erica 'didn't explain everything well' to you guys?" I remembered her choice of words, digging a bit deeper to learn what she meant. She looked at me with guilty eyes before speaking.

"Well, when we were at the volleyball match, and your tall blonde friend left her soaking and embarrassed, she obviously got super pissed. When we went to the girl's bathroom to help her dry off, she was raging about how she was going to make you pay for everything."

"But Tsukkishima only did that because she was being a prick. What does that have to do with me if he's the one that-"

"That's just Erica. Y/N, everyone knows she hates you. Not a lot of people know why, but it's obvious. What's more is the fact that she told us she'd hatched a plan with some guy her parents knew and was going to ruin your life." She paused for a minute, taking out her phone and opening the chat for the unknown number.

"When I saw these pictures, I knew immediately that she was involved somehow. She had been all moody the day prior and was suddenly all smiles that morning before everything happened. When we'd asked her what had put her in such a great mood, she only responded, 'Justice is a lovely thing, isn't it?' and we'd left it at that."

So this confirmed it, then. Erica was a part of, or possibly even behind, all of this. I would have to tell the others later but for now...

"Thank you, Jessica, for even coming to me with all of this. My friends and I have been desperately trying to figure all of this out and I think you may have just helped us uncover the truth. I'm really grateful."

She shook her head rapidly, a small blush of embarrassment coating her cheeks and ears as she frantically waved her hands in front of her.

"No, no, don't thank me at all. I should've told you all of that ages ago but I let my fear hold me back."

"But you told me eventually, even though you were afraid of becoming an outcast. That took guts, so thank you." Y/N gently pulled the girl into a hug, the latter returning it just as tightly.

"Y/n, I have an idea!" The girl pulled away from the hug, a determined and excited expression on her face, "Can I have your number? I'll let you know Erica's moves if she plans on doing anything worse. That way, you can be a step ahead!" 

That didn't sound like a bad plan at all. So, the two exchanged numbers and headed off to their respective classes. As she made her way to her next class, Y/N reflected on the conversation that just happened, wondering what the next step was going to be. One thing was for certain—she was definitely telling the others about this. It seems Erica's been a busy little bee.