The Monsters Inside and Out (Scott Howl x Depressed Reader)

8. Pep Talk

After that day, you quieted down a little bit. Your once semi-comfertable self was now scared of everything again. Scared of your teachers, your classmates, what people thought about you, everything. The back of your mind kept telling you that no one cares. They just pretend to like you. They feel bad. You are pathetic. You are weak. You are nothing. You stopped going to the cafeteria to eat, and eventually stopped eating altogether. Instead of eating, you would just hang out in the bathrooms, or study in the library. You even stopped talking to Scott. Well, you tried. But in the end, you just couldn't resist. He was so cute, and positive, and charming, and handsome, and strong, and supportive, and caring. When people talked to you, you typically gave them single word answers, but when Scott talked to you, you could talk to him for hours. In classes you would hear people asking Scott about you. Polly would ask, "What's wrong with (Y/N)?" Scott would say he doesn't know. Liam would ask, "Is (Y/N) okay?" Scott would say he doesn't know. It continued like this for days. Everyone would ask you or Scott. Everyone except for obviously Damien. As you think about it, you realize it's kind of funny. The only people who knew about your current state of mind was you, and your worst enemy, as far as you knew. But it turns out someone else knew.

As you were sitting in the library, skipping lunch, you were approached by someone. You look up and see the one and only, Vera Oberlin. She stared at you. She squinted her eyes, and sat down across from you. "Hey.. How's it going?" "I'm fine." "No, you're not." You look at her, confused. "You cannot tell me you're fine." "And.. And why is that?" "When you were younger, your brother was killed by one of your parents, you were separated from your dad, you were diagnosed with depression and anxiety when you were 7 years old, you weren'tallowed to interact with people because of your mother, your mother made you switch classes, the reason you are able to attend here is because you are half demon, and you started here after the incident at your old school, where you murdered 4 people. You'd have to be an utter psychopath to be unaffected by all of that." Silence. How did she know all of that? Sensing your confusion, she answers that for you. "I do research on all the students AND staff that are here, so I can use their weaknesses against them and threaten them into doing whatever I want. I can use it to make a profit, I can get favors, or I can just fuck with them for kicks and giggles." She looks at you, noticing you are intensely sweating. She again reassures you, "Don't worry, I'm not going to do that to you. People already tease you enough for things that are not your fault. The way you look, the way you act. Normally, I would find it hilarious. However, I can tell you mean a lot to Scott. I don't exactly understand why, but if you make him happy, that makes me happy." She gives you a look. It's not threatening, it's more of an expecting look. You two stare at eachother, until she finally says, "Listen, I know what you're thinking, but you are never going to survive in this world if you can't learn to speak for yourself. So what are you thinking?" "Why did you want to talk to me about this?" She smiles at you. "It's unhealthy to keep your emotions bottled up, you need to talk to someone who doesn't do extensive research about people to find their most hidden information. You need to find someone to confide in, and tell them what you are feeling. Tell them about your experiences. I may know what's happening physically and mentally, but I can't know what's happening emotionally. I also don't know everything. You were starting to get better until a few days ago. Something else happened. Normally, I'd tell you that you can always talk to me, and I'll listen. As true as that is however, I feel like there is someone else you would rather talk to." Scott. She was talking about Scott. You looked down at the text book you were studying, and started blushing. Vera got up, and said, "I think I'm starting to get why Scott likes you so much." She walks to the library doors. "It's because you're adorable." She then leaves the library.