= flip side = a cube smp fanfiction = discontinued

= seven =

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Flip Side! c:

The reason this chapter is going up a little earlier today is because we had a half day today (and will tomorrow) for finals. So I've actually already been home for a few hours. The WHAP semester exam was way easier than any unit exam I've taken this year. I am mildly relieved.

Anyway, my laptop is still on the risky side. We don't have a hard-drive backup for it (for some reason or another I'm not even sure), and my dad is going to have to do a complete restore to get it to work. This means it's iffy to even be on the internet because we don't have a backup, but I trust Wattpad... anyway, I'm going to have to go back and save all my GIMP brushes, Word Documents, and Fonts before he can do that, so as a result, chapters are still a little iffy, too. I wrote this one during Graphics a few days ago, but that can't always be guaranteed... but hopefully, this should be fixed soon enough c:

These chapters are still short and not the best, but I'm pushing through ^^"

Remember to follow code_cherry on Twitter and Instagram, and to vote and comment for more. Enjoy seven!

= graser =

Cold air buffeted my face the instant I stepped out of the safety of my apartment. Wincing but relieved at the bit of familiarity, however small, I tugged a little at the collar of my jacket as I locked the door behind me. It was only another few seconds before I was walking, hands stuffed in my pockets as I watched my breath fog the air in front of my mouth.

The day seemed to reflect my mood; the sky was a cloudy gray, it was hovering around freezing, and even the colors of the buildings seemed to be subdued. With a reluctant sigh that sent a puff of fog curling forward, I shook my head and kept going, ignoring the fact that the streets were practically empty. It was just past midday on a chilly Tuesday--it wasn't extremely unusual for Canada. I simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other, doing my best to ignore my current predicament and lose myself in the icy breeze instead.

Emerging from the line of buildings, I observed with a small, flat smile the sidewalk that twisted through the field in front of me, stark white against the dull beige of grass that had been battered by winter. At least my route hasn't changed. Though the recognition was comforting, everything else that was wrong nagged at my thoughts relentlessly, and I couldn't muster up any happiness at the prospect of my usual walk. If I wasn't currently being tormented by the reality of it all, I would've scoffed at how pathetic I was acting. The Cube isn't the end of the world, Zach...

But it is. If it doesn't exist here, what do I have?

Exhaling shakily and rubbing impatiently at my red and runny nose, I forced my feet to move again, the sound of my sneakers scraping concrete and the soft whispers of the longer reeds around the pond the only noise in my ears. Every now and then, a brief but powerful gust of wind would whistle by, causing me to stumble a little, but I ignored the discomfort, choosing instead to lose myself in it.

And it was working, mostly, until voices snapped me out of my reverie.

Blinking myself out of my daze, I glanced up, prepared to ignore the strangers and continue my trek as soon as they passed. My breath caught in surprise.

A shorter figure, looking to be in his late teens or early twenties, was running a hand through frizzy brown hair, other stuffed in the pocket of his dark green hoodie. The black ink of a tattoo was just visible beneath his sleeve as he lowered his arm. I was only able to catch the second half of his sentence: "...liking it here? It's pretty damn cold all the time, but..."

His friend rolled his eyes. The other boy appeared about the same age, only slightly taller and lankier, dark hair swept out of his eyes and mostly covered by a beanie. Both of his hands were shoved into the pockets of his shiny maroon jacket as he answered with an obvious accent, "England can get just as cold, if not colder, man."

The first boy snorted. "Right. Sorry. But back to the question..."

The second exhaled, but a small smile was visible on his face as I neared. "It's fine, Jordan. I was the one who wanted to come visit, remember? You don't have to sell me on this place."

They were getting closer, about to pass by me, and I hesitated, trying to decide the best course of action. Should I talk to them? What if what happened last time happens again? They'll think I'm insane!

The moment was about to pass as the two continued to banter back and forth, oblivious to my presence. I bit my lip and made up my mind. Might as well try.

"Yo, Bayanidood! William Shakespeare!" I chanted loudly, mustering up as much confidence as I had left.

The boys gave me strange looks, as they were the only other people in the nearby area, but kept walking, choosing not to reply. My heart sunk a little, but I had to be sure. I changed my course so that I was walking in the direct center of the sidewalk, blocking their paths and forcing them to slow.

"Uh, can we help you?" questioned Will, giving me an uncertain look that Jordan mirrored.

"You guys didn't tell good ol' Graser that you were in town?" I faked an overly-dramatic hurt look. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, of course."

Jordan's reply was cautious. "...I live here. And my friend's just visiting."

I shrugged, shoving my growing hopelessness into the pits of my stomach. "We should totally do something, though! Meet up for an SG or UHC match, maybe... there's no conventions we could go to..."

Will gave Jordan a look that clearly stated 'Who the hell is this guy?' Jordan gave a subtle shrug that I, unfortunately, caught, before turning his attention back to me.

"Uh, I think you've got the wrong people, dude. We don't know you."

Acid burned at my throat. I chuckled nervously. "Good one, Bayani. But pretending I don't exist doesn't work when I'm standing right in front of you."

Confusion and awkward uncertainty seeped from the boys in front of me, and my heart finally dropped completely. It's no prank. They actually don't know who I am. Who Graser is. My mouth tasted foul.

Will exchanged another glanced with Jordan before stating, "He's not kidding. We're not your friends."

I snapped a little and glared. "It's not funny anymore! Stop trying to trick me, because it's not working!"

Jordan rose to meet me, eyes turning cold. "Shit, dude, leave us alone! We don't know you. So let us by, if you wouldn't mind."

"Jordan," Will murmured, but he made no effort to stop his friend from barging past me, and instead followed just behind.

I was left standing, alone, in the middle of the sidewalk, hand reaching out to grab at nothing, tears of anger and desperation cold against the bare skin of my cheek.

Writing Will is so easy compared to Graser, holy crap. And Bayani always seems to be angry in my stories lately...

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:

Does everyone seem mostly in-character to you in this story? Graser is REALLY hard for me to get right (Will not so much xD), and I feel like Tomahawk is off a little, too... I just haven't really watched Cube in a little while. Can you guys tell me if anything seems off?

I'm, at the very least, glad there's still some ghost people out there interested who showed up in last chapters' comments ^^"

Vote and comment for more! Until next time!

~ Cherry