*Hey guys, so I changed the rating to T. To tell the truth it was always meant to be T rated, I just pressed the wrong button XD! There are some adult themes which present themselves in this story such as self-harm and (implied) eating disorders. You have been warned. Anyhow, let's get on to the story*
Catch Me: As the Darkness Closed in.
You sit in your robot repair class, mindlessly tinkering with the simple assignment in front of you. In all actually, you completed the assignment twenty minutes into the class, but continued to modify and improve the small item of machinery. Anyway, if you told the teacher Mr. Strider, who often told you to call him Dirk, you finished, the other students would feel less than average. This could not be allowed, for when they feel this way they tend to dislike you and, Nepeta, by association. You know Nepeta's sense of belonging already hung by a thread, especially with how the others girls say how she acts and dresses in a childish fashion. And as her best friend, you feel the need to protect her from unhappiness. Especially with her… condition.
Speaking of which, you check the clock, ten minutes from the end of class, and, realizing most have completed the assignment, decide to raise your hand. "Mr. Strider, may I go to the bathroom?" you ask.
"Yes, however," Mr. Strider begins, "There are no needs for such formalities, Equius. Please, call me Dirk." You simply nod your head in acknowledgement and leave the room. Although you do not intend to call Mr. Strider by his first name, you do not confront him about it; you consider such a blatant insubordination of a teacher highly inappropriate.
Sometimes adhering to the rules can come second to the correct choice. For this reason, you head down the hall away from the boys bathroom, and towards the woman dormitories. As you slowly walk down the well-lit, horrendously decorated hallway you begin to sweat. You never understood how anyone could stay so calm when disregarding school regulations, you always sweated and breathed heavy. You hurriedly walk down the hall, and look around and desperately hope no one discovers your intent. You eventually reach the door which leads to the girls' dorms and check your surroundings to make certain no one can catch you before you finish your mission. Deeming the passage and the area safe, you enter and begin jogging silently down the hall. Even though you realize all students should have class, you still feel as if you could get caught at any moment and rush ever faster towards your destination. After the grueling experience, you finally reach your destination and peer inside. Opening the door completely, you utter a horrified gasp as you encounter the worst possible scenario.
~Third Person Perspective of Nepeta~
Earlier, Nepeta wiped away her tears as she entered her favorite class. Once she sat down, her special notepad opened and she knew exactly what she wanted to draw. Forgetting the depressing conversation with Equius from earlier, she began drawing something she believed her best friend would appreciate. Concentrating on the paper before her, she slowly began with the basic shape of her sketch and gently added detail. As the class continued, her drawing became more feverish, quicker-paced as she became comfortable with the utensil and paper before her. She lets all of her worries and doubts go and simply focuses on the gentle, steady movements of her own hand, allowing the action of drawing consume her Thoroughly interested in why the thin girl remained so intent on her work, Ms. Harley came to see what the talented girl created so far after thirty minutes of watching her devotedly invested in her art. The teacher's quietly inhaled she looked over the girl's shoulder, astounded and impressed by the work in front of her. Although she knew Nepeta received a substantial scholarship from the school and had seen Nepeta's talent before, the detailed illustration far surpassed the skills of a sixteen year old girl. Shocked, the instructor sits down at her desk and starts filling out a form of some sort.
Forty minutes into class Nepeta finished her artwork and decided to take a break, cracking her thin knuckles. Her hands ached stiffly and seemed almost rubbed raw from the consistent, tireless overuse. However when she looked over her work for any errors or room for improvement , the girl still beamed with pride and satisfaction. Brimming with an unprecedented, unfamiliar confidence, she decided to take on a long delayed undertaking. Pleased with herself, she skipped up to Ms. Harley and asked politely to leave. Knowing the girl worked incredibly hard in class, the teacher happily allowed the departure and gave her a vague hall-pass. Nepeta walked cheerfully down the hall and entered a computer class she had no business to enter. Perplexed and stunned by the border-line rude, unannounced intrusion, all the curious students and the surprised teacher watched as she strolled across the room. Ignoring the stares, Nepeta walked to a short and irritable boy, who stared at her completely bewildered. She slowly lowered her head to his ear and asked a simple and straightforward question, "Will you go out with me?" The girl stepped away and waited for an answer, expecting the best. Caught off guard by the question, Karkat sputtered out complete nonsense until he calmed down enough to deal with the strange and embarrassing situation. He looked at the smiling pretty stranger in the eyes and responded shyly, blood rushing to his face and causing his cheeks to burn bright red.
"I'm sorry, you seem perfectly nice and all, but, no," Karkat replied, more embarrassed for the unfamiliar girl than for himself. No, Nepeta repeated in her head, he said no. As if stuck in a trance and utterly breathless, the rejected girl left the room without changing expressions and slowly closed the door softly behind her. And then she ran. She sprinted as quickly as possible to her room, tears streaming down her face. As the heartbroken hurried away from the embarrassing situation, she clutched at her heart, as if it physically hurt in her chest. Down the hall, she burst through the door into the girls' dorms breathing heavily and sobbing uncontrollably. Running down the empty hall, she finally reached her destination and quickly entered her dorm-room.
Slamming the door behind her, she stripped off everything but her shirt and short skirt. Nepeta walked up to her closet door, and peered into the mirror hanging there. She stared at the girl in the mirror with disgust. Looking at her unnaturally thin physique, she saw long angry white scars trailing menacingly down her body. More tears brimmed in her eyes. How I could think he would like me, she mentally cried, not only am I ugly and disfigured, but an idiot as well. She reached into her top drawer of her dresser and pulled out a familiar small object. The sharpened little blade had cut the hate and pain out of her several times in the past, unbeknownst to anyone but her best friend.
She then grabbed her notepad and took another look her drawing which now appeared dingy and lifeless. On the next page she wrote everything she felt furiously and started sobbing once again. She poured out everything unfair in her life into one little note, informing the desired reader of her hidden sadness. Incapable of holding back the ever-present pain any longer, she let the emotions flood into the paper. Hot tears dripped onto the paper as she continued weeping, completing the letter. As she slipped the notepad into her trench coat's pocket, a miserable and empty Nepeta pulled on her coat and sat on her bed.
She peered at the knife and examined it curiously. Although she never took the time to thoroughly inspect a the tool, she decided she would today. She noticed it's cool, welcoming touch and the way in glinted softly in the dim light. Examining it further, Nepeta thought it had a certain kind of cold, unwavering elegance to it. Warm tears staining her frowning face, she realized even a knife bested her in matters of beauty. Filled with terrible sadness and loathing, the defeated girl deftly cut into her wrist with the sharp knife, swiftly burying itself deep in her skin. As she felt her inner turmoil numbed by the excruciating and familiar physical pain, her best friend entered the room the darkness closed in.
*Okay, so maybe this chapter isn't much longer, but it is longer. Also, a shout out to my editor and friend who goes by the penname shuantrai! Thanks for helping out so much! Anyway, thanks so much for reading this story! :]*