Puppets in Uniform ~~ An Apply Fic

𝕃𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕒

Lights. They were strung from every corner and with a bright blue light. The wind howled against the windows, some of them rattling.

It looked like something out of a teen romcom. Gross. Valerie and Zaynab went to the food and drinks table. An irritated buff came from Anya, who pouted before running out of the room.

"Where's pipsqueak going?" Val asked, food already piled onto her plate. A snort came from me and a shrug.

"Dunno, seemed like she forgot something?" I asked, looking at Zaynab. She shrugged as well, a hijab matching her dress.

We all went to find a table, white and blue roses housed at each table. Along with fake electric candles, and fake snow piled on top of the table decor.

Val was already munching on some fruit. As we chatted, Anya came back in with Andy. Is that what she had gone back for?

The two came up to the table, both a little more grim then we all were.

"Sorry bout that. I forgot my handbag." Anya explained, still staying close to Andy. What was up with that? Andy was being silent, he didn't say anything to excuse their tardiness.

"You're all good pipsqueak. We've only been eating and talking." Val replied, smiling with a full mouth. Zaynab tutted her, a displeased expression taking over her face.

"Stoop!" Anya groaned, little giggles breaking through. "That's so gross!"

We all laughed, enjoying the night as much as was possible without a partner. Val even snagged a dance with this gorgeous brunette! I was so jealous...

Andy was over by the table still, even as we all danced. She was occasionally shivering, her whole body shaking for a second before going motionless.

Anya didn't look very focused on the music, or the joyful atmosphere either. She just kept looking over her shoulder at Andy, worry so clear and evident on her face.

What happened? Why didn't Andy come to me for help? Did someone hurt her? Was it Emily doing some cliche revenge for losing her spot as Head Girl and for breaking her nose?

Lance and Adam were dancing, but they slowly shuffled over to where Andy was. They both were chatting, slowly coaxing Andy out their seat and over to the foods table.

It was then that a very pretty girl came up to me this time. She batted her eyes, holding out her hand.

"Ya mind dancing with me? I seem to have lost my partner." The girl explained, I felt my face get hot and I started dancing with her. Her brown hair was curled, dark brown eyes hidden beneath long lashes. Her lips looked very kissable right now.

The sounds of off-beat footsteps distracted me from what was happening and I turned around. Anya, Valerie and Zaynab were dumbstruck as Andy ran out of the ballroom. Very few people noticed, but some ragtag snickers wafted through the air.

She was running so quickly, it looked like he was having a breakdown. What happened?!

"Is everything okay, Love?" The girl asked me, batting her eyelashes once again. I raised my eyebrow at her, this girl was too much.

"No, um. I have to go." I started backing out of the crowd towards where Andy had run out. The girl pouted but turned around to find my replacement. I turned and started running to where I had heard the snickers, a few kids still laughing to each other.

"Oh shut it! Get back to dirty dancing you freaks." I glared at them and they all gave me a bit of a stink eye before returning to the dance floor. I hurried out the doors and found Lance, Adam, Valerie, Anya and Zanyab all crowded around Andy. Who was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall.

I shoved through them, grabbing Andy's arm.

"Hey." I said, noticing her forehead soaked with sweat and her labored breathing. "What's going on?"

Lance told me she had just all the sudden started having a panic attack and I felt her forehead. She didn't have a fever, but she was warm.

"I'll take her back upstairs." I told them, standing up.

"I'll help!" Valerie added, grabbing Andy's legs to haul her up. My arms weave under her armpits and haul her up, Adam sighs.

"You're going to hit her head like that." He lifted her up, and it was at that moment she looked like a little girl. She leaned in towards him, getting smaller as he took her up the stairs.

"I'll go get the nurse." Zaynab muttered, running off and out of the library. Anya and Valerie stood next to each other, confusion still evident along with fear.

"I'm staying with her." I mumble, running up the stairs and into the dorm. Adam already had laid her down, they were panting and shivering.

"What's happening to her?" Adam whispered, pouring some water into a cup. She whimpered again, sweat coating their forehead. How long had she been sick for? Did she know she was sick?

"Who knows.. let's hope the nurse knows." I reply, pulling over a chair. Taking care of her was somewhat easy, the only hard part was whether or not I had to change her out of her clothes.

✨✨✨

Zaynab rushed into the dorm, a kind older woman behind her. She had her hair up in a gray bun, and carried herself with a confidence I envied her for.

"Where's Miss Martinez?" She asked, I waved at her, brushing some hair out of face. Andy looked like a little kid. "Well then, she's certainly seems exhausted, has she not been sleeping lately?" The nurse asked, wiping some sweat off of her brow.

"No Miss. She struggles with going to bed so I let her come with me on nightly patrols. I'm head boy." Lance explained, telling her how often Andy came with him, how long it took for her to go back to sleep.

"Well then, no wonder! Miss Martinez is just extremely exhausted both physically and mentally. It sounds like she's a very drained person if she's also had two panic attacks today?" The nurse concluded with a concerned tone. We all nodded, and she sighed.

"It'll be best to have her take some days off from classes to sleep, I'll speak with the kitchen about having some food from meals set aside for her.  The teachers will let her catch up but I'll also talk with them once I've found her schedule." The nurse concluded, taking a quick rag to Andy's forehead. Once she had finished that, she shooed the boys from the dorms and went off into the school.

"We should probably sleep too." Valerie sighed, rubbing her temples. We nodded once more and began to get ready for bed.

"Bitch I want cuddles." Andy hissed, pulling me over by the wrist. They're so warm! The bed is so small too!

"You should be sleeping." I tutted, rolling my eyes slightly. Andy huffed, latching onto me like a koala.

"You're negative vibes made it difficult."