Beneath Their Devotion (Yanderes x Reader)

2.5 New Friend

The next day dawned heavy with grey clouds, a sluggish kind of weather that showcased exactly how Y/N felt.

She moved through the crowded cafeteria, her tray balanced carefully in her hands, earbuds in as she hummed quietly along to a song. It was comforting, in its own way, this small slice of normalcy she could still claim.

Her eyes scanned the room, looking for a free spot.

She spotted one near the far end of the room. Relieved, she began weaving her way through the maze of chairs and students.

She was just a few steps away when it happened.

A sudden shove, a blur of movement, and then someone collided with her, knocking the tray from her hands. Food splattered across the floor, a messy sprawl of what had once been a hopeful lunch.

Y/N yelped, stumbling backward, her headphones yanked out as she tried to catch her balance and failed.

She looked up, heart hammering, ready to snap at whoever had been so careless.

And found herself face-to-face with another girl sprawled half on top of her.

For a breathless second, they just stared at each other, both of them wide-eyed, caught between shock and recognition.

Sylvie. That was her name.

The realisation hit them at the same time.

Sylvie scrambled upright, reaching out a hand to haul Y/N up with her, murmuring a flurry of apologies under her breath. Y/N took it, steadying herself, brushing food off her uniform as she glanced around, trying to make sense of what had happened.

That's when she saw them.

A girl with dark blonde hair and a boy with brown hair she faintly recognised standing a few feet away, smirking and snickering. The girl's arms were crossed over her chest, and she was looking at Sylvie like she was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.

Y/N's stomach twisted with a sudden and sharp anger.

Sylvie, cheeks burning, ducked her head and started gathering her things off the floor.

"Girl asked if she could sit with us," the girl said loudly enough for half the cafeteria to hear, her voice syrupy with fake sweetness.

She pointed at her chest where a small Circle pin gleamed proudly.

"You need one of these to sit here," she said, almost laughing, tapping the pin with one perfectly manicured nail.

The boy beside her snorted.

Y/N straightened slowly, brushing off her skirt with deliberate care. She stepped closer to Sylvie, so their shoulders brushed, a silent show of solidarity.

Then, without any rush, she reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her own pin. She fastened it slowly to her lapel. An inner circle pin.

The girl's face paled slightly, and the boy shifted uncomfortably but covered it with a derisive little scoff.

Y/N smiled sweetly at them, tilting her head in that polite, dangerous way she had seen Ren use.

"I can sit with you, right?" she said, her voice honeyed but unmistakably sharp. "I'd like to know your names."

There was a pause. The girl swallowed hard, glancing sideways at the boy as if unsure what to do.

The boy barked a short, nervous laugh.

"She's bluffing," he said under his breath, a little too loudly.