Half of the dessert's rotten. || Scarian

Chapter 15: ..But what If *I* don't know who *I* is?

Footsteps.

The teacher is pacing around the room.

She's thinking. Is she gonna do anything? Probably not. They're gonna be working on the project and she's gonna stand there and do nothing. Unless a student asks for her advice. Pearl won't. Will Scott?

Where is Scott? Not here. They are here super early, with Grian. Why? She's not sure. To.. Tell the teacher.. Why he wasn't there. Why wasn't he there, last time? Roier. He saw Roier.. Because he's sad. Her brother is sad. Sad people do unexpected things. Don't go near.

Speaking. Speaking is coming from the hallway. It gets louder and then quieter. They were just walking by. It's just them 3 in the room. Pearl could handle the teacher and Grian. The teacher can't do anything. Grian is a kid. Grian is her brother. Her brother who is sad. Sad is scary.

She looks at back him. He's still sitting on his chair, on the other side of classroom. Good. The teacher was at the front of the room. Good.

She carefully sets her arms on the desk and buries her head in them. She just needed to get through this. Through this day of school. It was just like yesterday's. She could do this. High alert. Just the sound of people passing by. High alert. Nothing to signal. High--

Footsteps. Those aren't the ones of the teacher. They're lighter, softer. She snaps her head up.

Scott!

The high alert dissipates. Scott was safe. Scott was happy and honest. With her, at least. She didn't need to worry. Scott was safe. Scott was nice. Scott was well-liked. Nobody would do anything to upset Scott. Scott would be upset if someone hurt her, right? Right. Scott was safe.

"Pearl! How are you?" He says with a bright smile, one that matches his blue hair and jacket. Scott was bright. She'd be able to see him in the dark. He'd guide her in the dark. That's a nice thought. "Good, with you here, Scotty-boy." She says, and she laces her voice with the charm she needs to have. Voice high, comforting, one that Scott can like.

"You're here early!" That's true, and she's broken routine. It's weird. Scary. She doesn't like it. But Scott's here, so she doesn't need to worry. She tries to remember why exactly she was early. Right. Grian. "To make up for Grian's absence, last time. You?"

"I like being here early. The presence of an adult calms me, I think." Calms him? Why would Scott need to be calmed? Scott was always cool and chill, and most of all: Mentally stable. He shouldn't need to be calmed. Not like Grian, or Jimmy, or Scar... Or her, maybe, but she was okay, compared to Grian. She was okay. She just had to make it through the day. She could make it through the day. She did it many times before.

"Why?" She asks, but it's wrong. Wrong! She shouldn't have. What if Scott didn't wanna answer? But what if he did want to answer? But what if- Scott just shrugs, and sits next to her. Good. Scott being next to her is good.

"I don't really know," He answers after a few seconds, and Pearl's mind supplies her with Lies. Scott was lying. But she'd known she shouldn't have asked questions, and she was lucky Scott didn't look at her weirdly for it. Scott was good. Scott was perfect. She wouldn't ask questions anymore.

They're silent for a few more minutes, and Pearl didn't know if it was comfortable or awkward. It had always been hard to tell the difference. But then-- "D'you think I should ask out Jimmy?" Scott asked out of the Blue-- Pretty on brand for Blue Boy-- Which made Pearl's brain short circuit for a second. She needed to think for a minute to recall some stuff. Remember how Scott and Jimmy interacted, and how often...

Right! Right. Yeah, Pearl had guessed there would happen something between the two of them: She just.. It was hard to remember things outside of school, when she was in school sometimes... She just, Well... Dissociates wouldn't quite be the right word.

"I think you should, mate," She ends up saying, accent becoming the slightest bit more Australian. Her mother was, she thinks. She's not sure. She doesn't like thinking about Them. So she doesn't, and she continues with, "He's always either with you or Tango, or both." Which.. Well, wasn't that a weird observation? She doesn't dwell on it for long.

Scott hums, nodding along. They're silent for a few seconds, Scott seemed to be thinking.. It weird to tell herself he's probably thinking about her brother. Which, speaking of, why was Scott asking his crush's sister for romantic advice on her little brother? Eh, what would she know about romance, anyway?

"Did he like, ever have a boyfriend before me?" Which.. No, not really. Jimmy was just her baby brother, after all. Itty bitty little baby. One who sang songs and cried to her. "Not that I know of," She answers honestly, and it's weird to realize Jimmy could actually get a boyfriend. While Outside Of School Pearl would be ecstatic... In School Pearl can't help but notice this was a change.

Change.

Change.

Her baby brother was gonna change. That was scary. Not good. Terrifying, even. Change meant she couldn't tell what he was gonna do. But he was gonna be with Scott, and inviting Scott into her life was a change, and a good one at that, so maybe this would be a good change, too. He could even be a good influence of Jimmy! Yeah, maybe...

..Maybe change couldn't be so bad, after all, if it involved Blue, and if that Blue came ahead and joined with Gold and Yellow that Jimmy was, then maybe she wouldn't mind. Although she did have a question on the tip of her tongue about Reds and Oranges, she knew better than to ask questions. She couldn't ask questions.

"Oh god," Scott said, as he leaned back on the chair's back, face becoming a slight, soft, almost not noticeable shade of Pink, but around something so Blue, any other color change could be noticeable. For Pearl, at least, it was. "I don't even know what his type is. This is bad, Pearl. But you said he liked me.. Maybe.." He seemed to be thinking out loud, which was kind of adorable.

..Yeah, Scott would be good for Jimmy. "I can tell you things about Jimmy, if you want!" She'd proposed, like an idiot. She forgot she wasn't Pearl Out Of School. What was she gonna say to Scott, now? She had little idea of what Jimmy liked. Other than, well, Scott and Tango. Which again, push away that thought.

But.. Well, seeing Scott's excited nod and smile.. Both Pearls would do anything for him. Best friends, maybe not to Scott, but to her. Best friends. Things.. That Jimmy likes... What did he do with his CPS Pocket Money, again? Cookies! That's right! "He likes baked good, like Cookies and maybe like, Crepes and Waffles," If I remember correctly, was left out, because what kind of person didn't remember things depending on the place they were at?

"Good! Okay! That's good! I know what to get, or we could even bake.. That's a good first date, right? Right?" Pearl giggles, hearing her best friend's panicked tone asking about her brother. While she didn't understand, and never would, as romance simply didn't come to her, she would always be happy to help Scott.

"I think he'd love it, if you were to bake it together. Although maybe not.. He's quite the lazy fella. But energetic! He'd probably encourage you to make them." She says, remembering her time at home. It was hard, but she could make out things that happened every single day. And that happened almost every single day, right? Except when.. Grian..

"Oh, that's adorable, Oh My God." He says, but Pearl doubted his words. If they were going to become a thing, and spend a lot of time together, then he'd end up finding that more Irritating than it was Adorable, just like she did. Although, she knew there was not changing Timmy. So, she made do with it. And, it did make the times he did help more significant, like recently, when.. Grian.. What was up with Grian, again? She did come here early for him.. Why? She couldn't.. Remember..

"Not after an extended period of time, it isn't," She says, and she hopes that's not crossing the line, disagreeing with Scott. She didn't.. Exactly... Know a lot of things.. But Scott just chuckles, and Pearl hopes he doesn't hear her sigh of relief.

Yeah, she'll be okay.