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"OI , MOUSEY !" cassie flinched at the sound of the holler as she stepped into the classroom, her heart skipping a beat. she froze in place, confusion etched on her face as she turned to see spider grinning back at her, his voice laced with mockery. the room fell silent for a moment, all eyes shifting toward her as she stood awkwardly in the doorway. the laughter that followed felt like a punch to the gut, and she could feel her face flush bright red.
"what?" she asked, her voice small and unsure as she remained rooted to the spot, too embarrassed to move.
spider’s grin widened as he leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying her discomfort. "oh, you know. you’re just so quiet, and when you do speak, it’s like a little squeak. like a mouse. mousey." his teasing rolled off his tongue so naturally that it took cassie a moment to fully grasp what he was saying. the nickname was a direct hit, and she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as the class erupted into laughter once again.
ducking her head, cassie tried to shrink into herself as she finally began to walk down the aisle, her footsteps hurried as she avoided making eye contact with anyone. the laughter echoed in her ears, and she silently cursed herself for not just staying hidden away like usual. she was halfway to an empty seat when spider’s voice rang out again.
"ay, eshay bahh!" spider called out, his tone dripping with mock bravado. cassie glanced up, momentarily thinking he was targeting her again, but before she could react, someone barreled into her from behind, nearly knocking her off balance.
"shit, sorry," cassie mumbled, turning to see cash standing behind her, his expression apologetic as he steadied her.
he shrugged off her apology with a casual nod before directing a sharp glare at spider. "piss off," cash muttered under his breath, his tone flat as he continued on to find a seat. cassie watched him for a moment, grateful for the brief respite from spider’s taunts.
as cassie scanned the room, she realized that most of the seats were already taken, leaving her with limited options. the pit in her stomach grew as she noticed the only available seat was directly next to spider. "come on, cassie, sit down," woodsy instructed, her voice firm as she gently placed a hand on cassie’s back, guiding her toward the seat.
with a reluctant glance toward spider, cassie sighed and pulled out the chair, lowering herself into it with a mix of resignation and dread. she could feel spider’s gaze on her, and it wasn’t long before she felt a light kick against her foot. she shot him an unamused look, but he just smirked, clearly pleased with himself.
at the front of the classroom, a woman with short, curly hair stood with a somewhat forced smile on her face. "hi, everyone, i’m jojo," she began, her tone overly cheerful. "kind of like yoyo, but with a j." she chuckled at her own joke, but the class remained silent, the atmosphere thick with disinterest. jojo’s smile faltered, and she cleared her throat awkwardly before continuing. "i’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here. well, your names were on the map. the one in the stairwell."
