Kris watched incredulously as Susie ate Alphys' chalk. This is my project partner? We're doomed. Though the thought was surprising, framed as if they had never met Susie before. Kris had absolutely met Susie, class delinquent, before now.
Susie turned around with a satisfied look, then froze. Kris observed as her face turned from surprised to carefully neutral. "…Kris. Didn't see you there." Her neutral expression became a little more strained. "Hey. You didn't see anything just now, did you?"
Kris said nothing. Ever since they could remember, Kris had had a stilted way of speaking. They paused too often in the middle of sentences. Questions became statements, then turned back into questions. The more complicated portions of mom's vocabulary replaced simple words. Other kids picked on Kris or avoided talking with them. Asriel was the sole exception.
So Kris said nothing.
"Hmm… You can't even say? Kris…" Susie got closer and closer. Kris anxiously backed up, but Susie made sure to get right in their face.
…
"Hey." She put a hand on Kris' shoulder. Kris' eyes followed her arm down to it.
…
"Let me tell you something." Kris didn't move. They were adept at reading facial expressions, and Susie's held the promise of violence.
…
Susie grabbed their shirt and slammed them into a locker. "Quiet people piss me off!" Kris gasped, air knocked out of their lungs. This was sure to leave a bruise, but they couldn't fight back. Even a defensive fight between a human and monster was heavily in favor of a human. If Kris let their temper get the better of them, Susie could be greatly injured.
"You think just 'cause you don't say anything… I can't tell exactly what you're thinking?"
If you knew my thoughts. You would know. I just want to walk away from this.
"'This was her last chance! Now she'll finally be expelled!' Right?"
I don't even know you. Lady. Though for some reason, the memory of a girl with a clamshell head kept echoing through the non-panicked parts of their mind. Wait. That's Suzy. Not Susie. Is there a difference. Who even was that?
Susie pulled them back, then slammed them into the locker again. "Don't act confused! Everyone's waiting for it. Everyone wants it!"
The pain knocked Kris out of the annoying not-memories. I want you to let go of me.
"So congrats, you got me! I'm done for. Just lemme say one little thing."
Kris didn't even look up. There was no point. If you don't release me…
"Seems a waste to get expelled over a snack. So how about I get expelled for some real carnage?" A frightening gleam came into her eyes.
I will show you carnage. But Kris did not speak. There was no point.
"Kris, how do you feel… about losing your face?" She brought their face closer to her open jaws.
Kris felt their anger rising. And rising. Closer to the breaking point.
But just before that happened, Susie let them go. "Nah." She walked back down the hall. "Kris, you got a good mother. Be a shame to make her bury her child."
Mom has done it before. She will do it again. But Kris did not speak. They sat there. Shaking silently.
Susie snorted at that. Likely she thought they were terrified. "We'll get more chalk, mosey back to class, and then… you'll do our project. How's that sound?"
Kris got up. Their fists clenched.
"Don't bother answering. If you haven't gotten it by now… Your choices don't matter. Let's go, freak." And then she left.
Kris raised a single hand. Almost whimsically. And rammed it into a locker. Again. And again. And again. Until the locker was dented and the flesh of their hand was torn away. And bones showed through blood and tendons.
And then Kris took a deep breath. And sighed. And their hand was whole and immaculate, and Susie spared their wrath.
…Mom never had to bury her child. I know that. That is reality. This unthinking and delusional malice. That makes me believe falsehoods. Is not healthy.
It needs to be restrained.