Students and Worms
( spoiler warning to those yet to finish reading Worm). I decided to cross with this fandom to work with an existing high school setting, and failure to recall better alternatives I'm familiar with at the time of the writing.
"What do you want now, Victor?" Cody Miller was exasperated.
"I have heard that we will be expecting a new student today- a girl, and-"
"-You hoped for my helpful advice before the girl realizes just what kind of creep you are." Cody finished for his blonde haired companion.
Victor hesitated before replying: "Not in these words exactly, but…yes", sighing after uttering that last word.
"And Romeo..?"
"Still mad about what happened a few days ago".
Bowing his head in Cody finally agreed.
"Come on; let's go see what we have to work with."
They found the girl easily enough, as she looked utterly wrong.
Very short hair-like a military haircut, tall figure in loose clothing with no visible bust, the only hint of gender being, beside the clothing, the slight widening of hips and the clearly feminine voice.
And strangely enough it was with Jake- the tattooed guy that was rumored to have been sent here from juvie, and to be part of a gang, of all people, that she was talking.
After a surprisingly amicable looking conversation with the one kid even the local bullies didn't approach anymore (and who was only behaving as to not give cops an excuse to arrest him according to some rumors), Jake gave her a surprisingly respectful nod-as if to an equal –to the point that Cody couldn't help but imagine her sitting on a fancy chair accepting allegiance from shady looking mobsters kissing her ring, both her and the vassals wearing expansive Italian suits, and a cat on her knees. After receiving a return nod and they parted ways.
"Hey Flash, so what have we learned about our fellow student?" Victor asked in what he thought was quiet enough to not be overheard, when the aforementioned girl came to them.
"You don't want to mess with her, Victor, I don't know why, but something seems familiar about her, and all my instincts scream to stay away, something disturbing. There just seem to be something dangerous about her. I bet even Jake senses it.
Victor being Victor went to her anyway. Surprisingly, it didn't end in any blatant rejection, and only in Taylor finding something funny about the name, and giving her left hand to shake, rather than the gloved right one.
Still, Cody couldn't help but think it over the next lesson-it was a really boring one, and Cody had better uses for his time.
So engrossed was he, that Cody failed to notice his audience until a gasp sounded to his right and a bag was dropped.
The new girl, Taylor, was right over his shoulder, a shocked look on her face as she looked at the caricature of herself, in black leather, with teeth and skulls hanging on her, and a big machinegun in one hand, one foot crashing a prone Victor, like a hunted game, or defeated foe, face with a crazed smile.
He barely heard her whispering 'Butcher'.
Noticing the classroom emptying-a sign that the torture\lesson has ended, Miller the Younger collected his wits. "Yes… let me help you", he got up and kneeled to help her collect her bag and the fallen books and notebooks.
"Is something wrong with your right arm?" he asked the question that bugged him.
"No, there is nothing wrong with it", Taylor replied nonchalantly as she continued to struggle using only the left arm, "beside the fact that it's missing".
Getting up as he held the full and now closed bag for her and taking the bag from him, she showed it by removing the glove, showing a plastic prostatic hand, before sheathing the fake limb.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
As Taylor exited the school, paused, and after hearing footsteps behind her, turned around and met the face of whom she would later learn is Flash.
"I don't know you, and I don't want to, but keep away from Victor, he is a jerk, but a harmless one. DON'T hurt him."
"I don't want any trouble", was the defensive reply. It even seemed almost innocent.
"And yet you have a Mace in your bag, another in left upper pocket, a collapsible baton in under the jacket, and I bet a knife expertly hidden somewhere as well-seems a funny way to avoid trouble. Do you also happen to carry a gun on you?"
"Guns are Illegal-and why would a teen carry one-what kind of a person do you think I am?"
"And yet you're saying that you don't carry one because it's illegal-and would lead to too many troubles if found, not any other reason. And even if we ignore that, the rest of the arsenal you carry-none of which you deny yet, is a good sign with 'TROUBLE' written on it in big letters.
I don't know, and don't want to, but keep away from my friends."
Flash was surprised when the girl, rather than resolve to aggressive behavior, or do something that will show her suspicions to be true, as she dreaded, just showed consent, one that seemed much more heartfelt and honest, and even somewhat melancholic, and in her reply.