Putz12 Plus One

THIRTY ONE | A SINKING FEELING

It was a long night. A long night to think about things. Maybe she was right. Maybe he didn't treat her so well. But that never meant he was going to leave her. Now that he wasn't as famous as he had depicted, she's left him.

Way to go, you screw-up. You couldn't even keep a girlfriend for a week. He got up and yelled. "A girl that's a friend! I mean, she wasn't with me with me, right?!" As if someone could hear his thoughts. Maybe it wasn't all doom and gloom. Maybe she'd come back with Pheobe and they'd make up. Fights were normal parts of relationships, right? At least, that's what the TV taught him in the past years. He closed his eyes, thought of the ways he'd like to change. No, you didn't change me, Iza. But I'd like you to.

What was it about him that was so unlikable? If she thought that was bad, what if the others told her everything he'd done up there? He cringed at the woes of his past. When he punched an inkling girl for beating him during tryouts, knocking her out cold and ran away as the crowd gasped. When he called a couple's baby "ugly" when he realized they were fans of DUDE instead of him. When he got arrested for throwing eggs at Sorin's house. Cod. I've really done a lot of damage. It was no wonder no one liked him. But Iza... she was the only person who was supposed to like him. And she wasn't there.

"I can't do this anymore." He said, getting out of bed and heading for his dresser. He pulled out the all-too fancy tux and pants and reluctantly slipped it on. And then the shoes. "I'd never wear this dumb squit in my life. Fuck's sake remind me to go shopping at Annie's when I get home."

He had questions and was too tired of waiting. He stomped with fortitude to the door. No sign of Pheobe or Iza. He breathed in and calmed himself. If I can just find Pheobe, I can make her happy. Okay. He exhaled. Find Pheobe. Win Iza back. And one. Two...

The door opened.

Just the door.

Silence, the sound of wind blowing against nothing. He turned around. The mansion was gone.

"What. The. Fuck?!" He looked around, and all he could see was grey. Concrete flooring. A blue sky with the rip still there. It blinked very subtly, as if it were glitching. The weather was both cold and warm somehow and everything and everyone seemed to be missing. Except one thing. From a distance he saw a figure. It wasn't too clear whether it was Pheobe, Iza, someone else, but it gave him hope and that was all he needed. "Iza?!!!"

He leapt with great faith, fast as he could up the hill toward the figure. And just before he got there...

Blood and ink seeped out of his nose. A tree trunk appeared in front of him. Not too long after the vegetation from before appeared below and around him. It was so bright it was hard to make sense of anything. The world around him was now abstract, even the sounds were muffled, echoed, and the heat weighed down on him. Then, when he looked over his shoulder...

"IIIIIIIZAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" He rushed and screamed, toppling over the ground, real or fake he didn't care, until his skin felt shattered by the electric forcefield blocking his entry. She was there, but asleep, asleep in the arms of...

"Kleims!" He yelled. "Give her back!" He knew it was all too good to be true. The Order really played them, he let his guard down when he should have held it up the most. He scowled, "I'm sorry if wandering around is against your weird culty protocol, now give her the fuck back!"

He lifted his chin, as if this were something to be proud of, and held a knife to the young octoling's throat.

"STOP! PLEASE! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT DON'T HURT HER, PLEA-" Sinister laughter stopped his pleading. Putz stepped back a bit, staring at the monster of a man. "This is fucking funny to you or something? A sick joke?" He swallowed what he feared was karma for all he'd done and then some. The world had punished him enough, he thought. Please not again.