That Time in 1987. . . . (A FNAF Fanfic) (#WATTYS2015)

Foxy

        Foxy sobbed, as he'd been doing for about four periods of school.

        Those bullies! Just because Foxy had horrible grades didn't mean that he had to be beaten up! It didn't mean that he was any less than they were, but did they realize that? No!

        His sobs racked his chest. He sniffed and sobbed again, burying his face into his knees until it hurt. He didn't care. He wanted school to be over, but he didn't want to go home. Why did he ever even bother going to school? They all hate me! Everyone! he thought.

        Footsteps started to sound in his ear.

        Was it the school administration? Had the bullies told the principal that someone was ditching school? Who was it? Why were they coming?

        He didn't even want to look up. He simply sat there with his face pressed into his jeans. He didn't do anything but try to hold back the sobs, especially since someone else was coming.

        Someone tapped on his shins.

        Still, Foxy didn't look up.

        "Hey," the person said. Their voice was slightly deep, but not enough to be an adult. Alarmed, he looked up. He was shocked to find who it was.

        Freddy, the most popular student in school, was looking down at Foxy. He waved awkwardly. "Hello."

        "Shut up and go away!" Foxy bursted. "I don't want to talk to anyone!"

        Freddy backed away with his hands up. "Sorry, sorry. You just looked really alone."

        "I hear people talking about you all the time. You're popular," Foxy spat. "Why would you be talking to me?"

        "I just said--because you looked alone." Freddy took a step forward.

        This slightly got Foxy to become submissive, but he still kept his ground. "I am alone."

        Slowly, Freddy sat down next to Foxy. Not too close, but not too far. "Why are you alone? Why did I see you crying out here?"

        "I've always been alone." A tear went down Foxy's face. He didn't know why he was even talking to the popular Freddy, but he did know that Freddy was the one who came to him. He continued. "I, um, a person died. Someone very close to me died. Before then, I was a good student. But . . . that, um, person was so close a friend of mine that I started skipping school to cry in my room. Now, in Junior High, I'm still sad and . . ." He buried his face back into his knees and sobbed. Why was he even talking to Freddy about why he was alone? Why did he already go to that? These thoughts only forced mroe tears out of his eyes.

        "You're made fun of because of your loss?" Freddy guessed.

        Foxy shook his head. "No, it's more complicated than that, but that's all I'll tell you. Someone very close to me died and now I'm like this, okay?"

        Freddy still couldn't seem to keep his little nose out of Foxy's personal business. "I'm still curious as to why you're actually--"

        "No!" Foxy yelled. "I won't tell you about it, okay? A person died and that's it. End of story, okay?!"

        Freddy's face had drained of all curiosity and possible positivity. All that was left was a simple, negative face that Foxy even started to feel guilty about looking at. He looked like something was still tugging at his mind, the smallest thing, tugging, but he wouldn't let it out.

        Suddenly, he did talk. "I have an idea."

        Foxy sniffled. "What?" he croaked.

        "You can come into my classes with me. Since my teachers really likeme, I think I could convince them to let you sit by me. Almost all of my classes have extra seats that you could use. About half of them are near me." Freddy smiled a small smile.

        "Why would I even step into that dumb school?" Foxy said, frustrated.

        Freddy let out a small laugh. "Because you're hanging out with me. If you hang out with me, I bet that the people who are bullying you will leave you alone. Most people in the school seem to respect me."

        "Mike," Foxy blurted.

        "What?" Freddy puzzled.

        "That's the name of the main person who's bullying me. It's Mike."

        "The big guy with the bad breath?" Freddy said wryly. "I think he will leave you alone. Besides, people surround me a lot."

        Foxy looked at Freddy, who was already looking at him. "Does that ever get annoying? Being surrounded with people all the time?"

        "Well, actually, yeah," Freddy answered, breaking the eye contact to stare at the grass. "I never get to focus on one person without being crowded with at least ten more. I don't know how I manage it." He laughed. "Some of the people who surround me, I don't even know them!"

        Foxy laughed at that. "That's silly. That's one reason why I enjoy being alone. Less people to keep track of."

        Freddy corrected him with a sense of humor. "Zero people to keep track of."

        Foxy's emotions suddenly dropped. "The hardest person I've ever needed to keep track of is myself. Sometimes, I don't know what's going on with myself. It sucks."

        Biiing! Biiing! Biiing! 

        Freddy looked over at Foxy. "That's the lunch bell." He stood up. "Don't you wanna come with?"

        "But what if Mike--"

        Freddy interrupted him with a sputter. "Relax. If you come and sit with my friends and I, Mike will probably be jealous."

        Foxy smiled. "That'd be nice. Are we gonna go?"

        Freddy smiled back. "Yeah."

        They walked together through the doors of the school. Foxy didn't even realize until then that Freddy had sacrificed an entire class period in order to talk to him.

        For the first time that day, Foxy smiled.

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