"I…have to get out. I have to stop…her."

Sayori's legs had given out forcing her to sit back in the spot her doppelganger left her. The day grew darker. She went without food and water for the remainder of the day. Sayori's stomach grumbled miserably. Her evil half did say she would leave her there to starve. Sayori's movements slowed. Pangs rocked her body.

"I'm going to die here…" Sayori stated.

Her eyelids fluttered with Sayori's vision becoming blurred. Deprived of food or water, Sayori's mind began to deteriorate. In her food-deprived mind, Sayori's life flashed before her eyes. Snippets of her time in the Literature Club were her only solace. Of how she met each of the girls, to her getting together with Monika, something that she honestly could not have imagined because of her girlfriend's actions. Despite her hunger pangs and feelings of despair, Sayori was satisfied with the direction her life had taken, for better or for worse.

"I feel at peace now."

Monika and Sayori returned home having not spoken to each other after bidding their friends farewell and leaving the mall. Initially, Monika considered asking Sayori more questions about her temporary disappearance, but she felt that probing her further for answers, it may lead to some bad blood. They ate a bit and prepared for bedtime. Monika was trying to feel happy that she got her vice president back, but there was something horribly wrong with her. She looked like her Sayori, but her mannerisms felt hollow and there was a festering feeling of malice emanating from her. Monika shook her doubts from her mind dispelling them as just being bouts of paranoia.

"What, you don't want to sleep with me?" Monika asked.

"Yeah, I'm just…kinda sleepy tonight," Sayori replied. She waved her hand in front of her mouth and mustered up a yawn. A contrived one at that.

"Oh, okay…"

Sadness was in Monika's voice, but she made sure that Sayori did not hear the disappointment. "Where will I sleep then?"

"I personally do not care, you," Sayori bluntly answered.

Monika felt her heart ache from her girlfriend's cold retort. "I guess I will go sleep downstairs. If you need anything, please tell me."

Sayori said nothing merely turning her back against Monika. Monika sighed and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She only had a thin blanket in hand because Sayori had also denied her any of the covers. She made a makeshift bed from the couch using its cushions as pillows. After doing this, Monika laid down on the couch, shifting from the discomfort. "Goodnight, Sayori."

There was no response.

School began at its usual scheduled time. Ako, Natsuki, and Yuri arrived at school on time, meeting in the halls. Natsuki rolled up her sleeve to read the time on her wristwatch. "What's taking Sayori and Monika long?"

"Monika said something about her barely getting any sleep last night because of Sayori forcing her to sleep on the couch," Yuri said.

"Sleep on the couch?" Natsuki reiterated, "what did Monika do this time?"

"That is none of our business, cupcake," Yuri emphasized. She looked away uncertain. "I do hope that they are not fighting."

Natsuki nodded. "Yeah; I hope not too."

The three girls walked over to their lockers. As Natsuki was opening hers, papers fell out of it. Natsuki scratched her head and bent on the floor to retrieve them. Her eyes widened in shock.

Hey, tranny, we do not want you in our school.

I did not know the carnival's come to town already; a freak like her should join it.

LOL, no wonder she is always alone. Poor girl is gender-confused.

Go crawl into a deep hole and die, sick freak of nature.

Natsuki's eyes scanned each paper with such precision, Yuri and Ako were worried that she would cross her eyes. More and more crude obscenities and name calling. Natsuki's stomach was twisting into knots. Yuri started to sweat out of concern. "Natsuki, are you okay?"

Before Natsuki could respond, some of the silhouetted students approached her. They were being led by a tall girl whose only discernible feature were her white mouth and subtle hints of her school uniform. "Well, look who decided to come to school anyway!"

The group of students laughed. "I see that you are wearing a skirt again. What? Is it to compensate for something?"

Natsuki gritted her teeth and scowled. "You have something to say to me?"

"Ah, you made the shemale cry," another girl remarked before laughing. Natsuki felt her cheeks redden with rage. Her fists clenched and popped into place. More of the students gathered to harass Natsuki. She was shaking badly now. While trying to keep her ground, tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

"I think you all have done just enough," Yuri warned, "please leave my girlfriend alone!"

The leader girl snickered. "You really do not know that your girlfriend has a dark secret?"

Yuri looked at Natsuki with curiosity. "Natsuki? What are they talking about?"

In that madness, Sayori and Monika finally arrived to school. Monika's eyes were slightly red with bags being under her eyes. Monika's legs wobbled. She was in such a dazed state of mind, she could barely keep her balance. But she too noticed the gathered assemblance of students. "Girls, what happened?"

Natsuki's head turned a near 180, tears were now streaking down her face. "SAYORI! I told you not to tell!"

Before any of the girls could speak, Natsuki ran at Sayori and slammed her to the floor. Before her friends' terrified eyes, Natsuki hit Sayori squarely in the face. Sayori tried to grab Natsuki by the wrists to no avail. Natsuki hit Sayori in the face again. And again. She slammed her fists om Sayori's ribcage eliciting a gag from the coral pink-haired girl. Yuri covered her eyes to refrain from watching the scene any further.

"Natsuki, please stop," Yuri wept, "I beg you!"

Natsuki did not respond, completely ignoring Yuri's screams of protest. Natsuki resumed hitting Sayori in the face over and over until she found herself getting hauled off by two of the school's faculty members. Natsuki thrashed and squirmed under the staff member's hold and shouted at them as she was being dragged away to the principal's office.

"SAYORI!"

Monika collapsed on the ground to cup her lover's face. Sayori's right eye was swollen shut and a few of her teeth were missing. Sayori went to respond, but her words came off in a pained hush. "Take me to the nurse."

The crowds dispersed to allow Monika to collect Sayori. Yuri fell on the ground and got into a troubled fetal position. Ako looked down the hallway unsure of what to say to alleviate the tension. Rumors started to circulate in the school.

"Have you heard about what happened to that tranny?" one student asked.

"Yeah, hard to believe that she was actually that dangerous," another replied.

"Well, have you heard? That shemale had been expelled from school. Taken to some juvenile hall, methinks."

As the remainder of the school day droned on, Yuri found it hard to focus on her studies. Everything that had happened previously was replaying in Yuri's mind in full speed. Natsuki getting shamed by the student body and then attacking Sayori in an unprovoked attack. It had to be a dream; Yuri desperately wanted to believe it. If it was a dream, then she would wake up in her bed with her arms wrapped around her little girlfriend. But that was wishful thinking in its most simplest of forms. The reality is that Natsuki did assault Sayori and was now expelled from the high school. The idea of seeing her again was fleeting.

"Yuri, could you answer this question?" a voice suddenly called out. Yuri shook in surprise and her eyes returned to the board.

"I…I am sorry, sir, I was not paying attention."

The teacher sighed. "I understand that you are upset about what happened to Natsuki, but you need to remain focused. You are one of my highest-graded students after all. Cannot have your grades slip because of this debacle."

"Yes sir. I understand."

Sayori woke up in the school's nursing room. She was in one of the white beds with a few bandages on her face. The first thing she had seen when she came to was Monika. Sayori grimaced under her breath but returned to a level of normalcy.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Natsuki jumped on you and beat you up real bad," Monika answered. Monika crossed her arms.

"Where is she now if you do not mind me asking?"

Monika frowned. She felt her body tense up. "She got expelled."

"Is that so?" Sayori asked.

"Yuri's still greatly upset over it, I think we will have to visit her on our way home to give her some company."

"A nice idea you have, Monika," Sayori replied.

Monika's eyes darted back and forth. "Sayori, did you make a promise with Natsuki and broke it?"

Sayori's eyes darted as well. "I do not recall me making any such promise."

"Right," Monika said. "But Natsuki was going to have a preop surgery. Why did she think we would not support her decision?"

Sayori shrugged. "I guess because she thought it was too embarrassing. After all, we are talking about physically changing something about your body that you did not like."

Monika nodded her head in agreement. "I should have known more; she always acted bizarrely about the topic of being a girl came up like staring at clothes for a long time. If I would have acted sooner, maybe she would not have taken her frustrations out on you and we could have accepted her."

"Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up over that," Sayori replied, "mistakes happen."

"Yeah, I guess they do," Monika said. "I'll let you get some rest now. See you soon."

Sayori heard the door to the nursing room click. She scanned the room for half a second; with the coast clear, Sayori slipped out her cell phone. She accessed her social medias where more people online were still openly shaming Natsuki. Sayori turned the phone to herself and snapped a picture before sending it to her social medias with the text: Just recovered from that tranny attacking me.

Hostile responses immediately began to get published each and every one of them speaking negatively about the pink-haired girl. She smiled.

"With her out of the way, I should go after her tall girlfriend next."