Sugar And Spice

~5~

To Paper, it was a sound that shattered his world.

From the moment he heard that crack, he could already feel the sirens going off in his head. It all had happened in the blink of an eye—one moment Paintbrush walked out of the room, and the next they'd sent Trophy and OJ flying. It was strange seeing Trophy look so small, but even to him, that was a thought that felt like nothing more than a blur. He wanted to forget about it as much as he could. He was aware what occurrences like these had done to him, the kind of things that would resurface if he kept looking at it for even a few more seconds. So in the end, it wasn't a surprise that he'd run off without anyone taking even a second glance.
Turning towards the janitor's closet, he bolted the door open, and closed it just as fast as he had opened it. His body slid to the floor, each breath becoming harder and harder to control. Knees buried in his face, he tried to calm down and focus. He could hear the steps of students flocking to witness that madness that was happening just a few meters away from him. Each step felt like it was being pushed into his eardrums, the sounds just growing louder and louder, and the urge to scream was suppressed in his throat. He didn't want it to happen again. He didn't want to become it, nor did he want to even experience the actions of it when he came back to his senses. It hadn't happened for a while, but with lots of therapy (and the power of medication), he'd been able to recognize his triggers as soon as they appeared. Violence like this, of course, was one of them. Maybe it was the adrenaline of watching scenes like the one occurring outside, but seeing things like that made him nauseous at the sight of it. He took a breath in, and another out. His heart rate was slowing down, which was a relief to him. If it had gotten any worse, who knows what would be happening right now. But, that anxiety left a sense of paranoia. There's no way that something like this wouldn't stick through people minds.

Moments like this are things people always remember.

No one forgot how Bow died, Balloon's stunt, neither did anyone forget Taco's actions towards Pickle either. Strange things like this had lead their year to be...quite disconnected compared to the other students. Especially since the recent merging of their schools. Noticing that the commotion had died down, he decided to finally open the door.
He didn't return to class that day.

-

"Oh my god."
Fan could feel his leg bounce in his seat. Rubbing his thumbs together, he typed away on his phone with brimming accuracy and speed.

Trophy was actually at school.

Was he putting this on his blog? Of course he was, this is Fan we're talking about. Window seat, two seats away from where Trophy was sitting. He still looked like an absolute wreck, and you could clearly tell they had to do at least some sort of procedure to get his jaw healed up. Analyzing these sorts of things only made him type even faster, and he could feel his excitement brimming, but also brewed a sense of anxiety on the side. Once he hit the publish button, he immediately kept his hands busy messaging Test Tube.

Fan: Trophy actually showed up!!!
Test Tube: The jeebweezer actually showed? Interesting
Fan: Who knows what kind of things will happen? It's honestly kind of scary.

Just as he hit send, the room went silent.
Paintbrush entered the classroom, walking to their seat and putting their backpack down beside them. Everyone in the room could feel the tension brewing between Paintbrush and Trophy, as Trophy's quite aggressive glare towards them wasn't enough of a hint. Fan didn't really think he'd be able to forget that fateful day—his phone being smashed to the ground, and obviously watching Trophy being beaten half to death by Paintbrush's own hands was quite the interesting (and bloody) spectacle to behold. Even after almost two weeks, people were still buzzing on about the fight. All sorts of rumors would come of, the story changing bit by bit. But the fact still remained that no one, and I mean no one, should ever get on Paintbrush's bad side. Ever. After what happened, Fan suspected that not many people would really go near them for a while.

And even throughout the majority of the day, this tension stayed resonant.

From that period onward, the whispers through the halls became even more evident. They weren't exactly whispers anymore, and at this point, people were actually speaking their mind in quite the audible manner. Working on the semester project didn't seem as fun anymore either, since no one really talked to each other. Sure, his teammates were present, but the atmosphere made him anxious. Even Nickel, who looked like he never had a care in the world since the project began, wore a stressful look. Everyone only really gave each other the occasional glance, and that was that. It was a complete disconnect, and he couldn't help but worry.
Even during lunch, Test Tube noticed his lingering worries.

-

"Eugh. I can't imagine the tension in there!" Test Tube said.
In the end, Fan had practically told Test Tube everything. This wasn't supposed to be a therapy session, this was supposed to be lunch.

"It's not like I didn't expect something like this but, it's just so...strange, you know?" Fan replied.
"I don't think anyone's been this shaken up since-"

"-the Taco incident. Everyone knows what happens before our schools merged." Test Tube said as she took the words from Fan's mouth.

Ah yes, that incident. Fan couldn't help but recall all the talk that spread around from the moment the merge had began. Rumors of drama, and a death that practically left an entire classroom traumatized for who knows how long. You could tell there was a sense of unity between that set of classmates, though. Sure, a lot happened, but they all stuck with each other through thick and thin. Most of the time, at least.

"I've heard the principal is pretty upset about it, too. Not even two years as a new school, and there's already some big blow to the school's reputation." Test Tube added.
"Believe me, seeing all those videos of the fight give me the jeebies."

"Speaking of jeebies, I haven't seen Paper lately." Fan said.

"Paper? What's with the thought of him all of a sudden? You two don't even interact that much." Test Tube replied.

"Ever since the fight, he hasn't been to school. Even OJ disappeared today. Doesn't it feel suspicious that people are dropping like flies?" Fan said.
"First Paintbrush got carried out of the classroom by Lightbulb, Paper hasn't been to school since the incident, OJ didn't come to school today, and at this point, who knows? Maybe the entire senior class won't show up anymore!"

"Maybe they have things going on. I mean, we all know what Paper's been through. But now that you mention it, it's kinda strange, isn't it?" Test Tube replied.

It was strange.
So many things were changing at once. So many that Fan couldn't even begin to keep track. He could feel his hands tremble at this thought, and by impulse, he immediately took out his computer.

"Hey, Test Tube?" Fan asked.
"How about we solve this mystery for ourselves?"