Over The Rainbow (Ink Sans X Reader)

Chapter 18

and Chapter 18 as well lovelies!!

Today's the day. The big day. The day I meet up with Brooklyn for the first time in years. I'm excited, suspicious, hesitant...a whole mess of emotions. I feel like throwing up.

Slumped on the couch, I try to steady my shaky breathing, but nothing works. The TV is on in front of me with the volume low, and I'm seated next to Classic. I glance at him desperately, hoping he'll get my signal that I need more advice from him. He notices quickly.

"Listen," he says, folding his jacketed arms. "I have no new advice. This is the exact same situation as last time. Stop listening to your mind and just go. It's not like you'll have more fun stuck at home."

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. "You're right. I'm leaving. Hip-Hop, Ink, and Dream are in charge, try not to burn the house down, and if the police show up at the door, don't let them in. See you later."

Without waiting for a response, I hurry out the front door door and start speedwalking down the street towards the park. My steps beat at the same pace of my heart; quick and anxious. An uneasy smile plasters itself on my face, and I run a hand through my hair nervously. I wonder what Brooklyn's gonna think of me after all these years of staying quiet, shying away from every call and text she sent me. I hope she won't be mad.

I don't realize I'm in the park until a man walks by, walking a sleek, energetic, black dog. The dog's tongue is lolling out, and he looks up at me with a sort of doggy support, like he knows how I feel and is telling me it'll all be okay. I want to stroke his head and thank him, but that would be weird and I don't want to draw attention to myself.

It's about 5 minutes before I see Brooklyn lounging on a bench off the sidewalk. I wave my hand and jog over. My old friend smiles warmly, and as I take in her appearance, I notice she's changed. Her style used to be badass, but now she's preppy and more modest with her clothes. I then shift my attention onto her hair. I think she's dyed it. The roots are black, but fade into a gentle gray. I like her new style.

"It's been a while," I mumble, sitting on the opposite side of the bench awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

Brooklyn dismisses it with a wave of her hand. "It's fine. But do I have news for you!" I recognize a familiar twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah..." I mutter under my breath. "Same here." Luckily, Brooklyn doesn't notice, instead bursting with excitement.

"I got a girlfriend!" she squeals. "We have an apartment like ten minutes away, and they allow pets, so we got this Beagle mix, probably has some Jack Russell in him, and called him Stanley! He's so cute, Y/N, I wish I could've brought him, but Lilian's taking him to the groomer's today, so-"

I cut Brooklyn off, laughing. "Slow down! Is Lilian your girlfriend?" Brooklyn nods happily. "Wow. I mean, uh, congrats! That's really big news!"

Brooklyn beams. "I'm stoked we got to meet up again. How's life been treating you?"

I shrug coolly. "Pretty calm," I lie. "Nothing much has been going on. Quit my job at that drugstore a while ago, though."

"What? Why?"

"I didn't get paid well, and wasn't treated great. I should've kept working, though. Now I have a limited amount of money and quite a few mouths to feed. Not that they need food, though." Great, I almost gave myself away.

Much to my relief, Brooklyn thinks I'm joking around and begins to suggest new jobs for me. Barista, store clerk, librarian, author, etc.

"I would need training and diplomas and all that legal stuff to get one of those jobs!" I complain. "Got anything easier?"

Brooklyn thinks for a minute. "You could work at a bookstore."

I pause, then smile. "Good idea. I'll check out what goes into that later. So now can I ask a few questions?"

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As soon as I step foot back into the house, I breathe a huge sigh of relief and kick off my shoes. Brooklyn is still fun and all, but damn, is she chatty! I could barely keep up with her.

I scan the downstairs for any signs of life. Nothing. I raise an eyebrow and knock on the wall in the stairwell.

"Hello?" I call. "Anybody home?"

I'm about to walk into the kitchen when I run straight into Dream and Hip-Hop. They both look frazzled. I open my mouth to speak, but Dream beats me to it.

"The others," he pants. "They ran off!"