Chapter 13: Derse Academy for Troubled Teens
The new school wasn't so bad. Yes, uniforms sucked, and yes, Aradia hardly got to see her friends, but the staff was all very nice, and if she had a bad mental health day, they treated it like an actual sick day, and she was allowed to return home (or not show up at all) as long as she made up all the work. But she missed Sollux, and Feferi, and even Equius a little bit. There were even times where she missed the short-lived period of time she was in Japanese classes. It was another odd time of transition in her life, and she wasn't sure how to handle it.
Time passed, and Aradia still had a lot of anger in her, but she did stop acting out. Instead, all her aggressive energy was thrown into writing. Poems and short stories steeped in turmoil, feelings of betrayal and deceit. Her English teacher was thrilled with some of her works, despite it not being a creative writing class. Friends would still message Aradia on Pesterchum, Feferi wanting to talk about all the gossip from Skaia High, Vriska taunting her on occasion. Aradia even chatted with Kanaya, both girls talking about their respective crushes. It wasn't until sometime in April that things got weird again.
grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began pestering apocalypseArisen [AA]
GA: Aradia
GA: I know this is highly unusual from me, but I need your help.
GA: I am in a bad situation.
AA: whats going on?
GA: I have told you about Rose.
AA: yes
GA: Well, the situation is as such: she went to a party with her older sister not very long ago, and I suppose she had a drink there, and has been binge drinking since then.
GA: I fear she is on a self-destructive path, much as you were not long ago.
GA: She will not listen to me, and I do not wish to lecture her, at risk of no longer presenting myself in a romantic way; rather in a platonic way.
AA: are you asking me to talk some sense into her
GA: Only if it would not be too much of an imposition on my part
AA: i can help but
AA: i dont think she will listen to me
AA: i never spoke much to her or the others
AA: how do i even get in contact with her?
GA: Her screenname is tentacleTherapist
AA: …interesting
AA: ill chat with her
GA: Thank you, Aradia
grimAuxiliatrix [GA] has ceased pestering apocalypseArisen [AA]
apocalypseArisen [AA] began pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]
AA: what do you think you are doing?
AA: just stop
AA: stop stop stop stop stop stop
AA: maybe if i say it enough something else will happen instead of the thing that is happening
TT: Ah, I had a feeling this might happen.
TT: Kanaya sent you, didn't she?
AA: you arent going to stop are you?
TT: You want me to stop drinking too?
AA: i know it can be exciting
AA: breaking yourself
AA: and not worrying about it
AA: but there are consequences to humoring your self-destructive impulses
AA: and consequences to…
TT: Hmm?
AA: nevermind
TT: You seem frustrated.
TT: Like you know you can't change me.
AA: i hardly know you and i know what i say means nothing
AA: that knowing is the same as this sick feeling thats been with me for months
AA: probably since before i died come to think of it
TT: You… died?
AA: metaphorically
AA: i just wish
AA: back when i was behaving recklessly
AA: i had someone to tell me to stop
AA: even if i ended up ignoring their advice
AA: point being
AA: you have people around you that care about you and are concerned for your well-being
AA: you should think about that before you bug and fuss and meddle with dangerous things
AA: what good do you really think could come of it?
TT: Do you know anything about my situation?
AA: no
AA: i know someone will get hurt if you are reckless
AA: you still havent gathered that you are the problem
AA: im through contributing to other peoples problems
TT: Well
TT: Aren't you doing that regardless?
AA: maybe
AA: but im just talking
AA: maybe the things i say will trigger your actions
AA: maybe not who knows
AA: maybe!
AA: maybe if i behave in a manner so random people wont know how to handle it!
AA: blah bloo blee bluH! #$%^&*()
AA: didnt see that one coming did you?
TT: O_O
AA: hahah oh wow im sure you were just being facetious with that but you have no idea how funny that is right now
AA: you had no way of knowing thats a thing i used to do all the time but with zeroes
AA: this is great
AA: anyway
AA: goodbye rose
AA: nothing i say will make a difference
AA: enjoy your rampant indiscretions
TT: Don't go!
TT: You were very interesting.
apocalypseArisen [AA] has ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]
Aradia slammed her head on her desk. That conversation went about as well as she'd expected, and she'd lost her temper. Why did Kanaya even ask that favor? What good could she have possibly done? Aradia had no idea who Rose was; what she was going through. Was it even her business if a girl had a few drinks? No. Aradia growled in frustration, pushing a small ceramic sheep off her desk. It bounced on the carpeted floor.
"Why won't you just break?!" she shouted, then took a deep breath. No. Breaking things wasn't the answer.
Aradia went to school the next day in a funk. She couldn't get her mind off that conversation with Rose, and how it wasn't really her business what Rose did or didn't do, even if it was done of the sake of a friend. And yet something in her wanted to know Rose better. It was a sudden regret that she hadn't made more of an effort to be friends with her, or Jade or Dave or John. They had seemed nice enough, and Rose was probably the kind of person she would get along with. And she missed all her old friends, too. Especially Feferi and Sollux. Sollux had been suspiciously quiet on Pesterchum since she changed schools, even after mentioning his break-up with Feferi. Aradia wasn't sure if he was avoiding her, or was just nervous about starting something again.
That day went by slowly, the only saving grace being that it was Friday, and Aradia's birthday was that weekend; April 4th. Her dad picked her up from school, and instead of driving straight home, he went in the opposite direction.
"Dad, where are we going?" Aradia asked. Daniel simply gave a light-hearted chuckle. It was seemingly out of character for him. It was a quick drive, and Daniel stopped at the community park. Aradia stepped out of the car, shedding her blazer as she went, to find all her friends there; snacks and pizza and cake filling up the picnic tables.
"Surprise!" they all shouted. Aradia couldn't help but smile. She hadn't planned a birthday party for herself and didn't really expect one at all. The gesture was overwhelmingly kind.
"Whose idea was this?" Aradia asked through her smile. "Feferi?"
"No," Feferi shook her head. "It was Sollux's."
"Just… wanted to see you happy," Sollux muttered. Aradia threw her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Thank you sooooo much Sollux!"
The party was not wild, and the kids mostly just hung out. Vriska made a game of challenging the others to a soda-drinking contest if they crossed her path, but eventually people just started avoiding her. Aradia and Feferi caught up with each other, talking about the differences between Skaia High and Derse Academy. Sollux had been pulled aside by Karkat for quite a while, but eventually he returned and approached Aradia.
"Hey," he said.
"Oh, hey, Sollux. Thanks again for the party."
"Yeah well… everybody missed you. Even Vriska, odd enough."
"Even after I punched her?"
"Yeah, you're… important. To everyone here." Aradia softly chuckled. "Important to me…" Sollux continued. He glanced over at her. "Listen, I was… dumb, before, and nervous about… relationships and stuff. I know we never… dated or anything, but I always thought we… had something. And when I was with FF… she kind of reminded me of you, and I thought that if I was thinking of you instead of her… maybe we- you and I, I mean… maybe we were supposed to be together, and…"
"Sollux, are you..." Aradia was abruptly interrupted by a loud shout.
"HOLY SHIT!" Karkat yelled into his phone. "I'll be there as soon as I can."
Everyone turned to look at him, Sollux blushing furiously. "Karkat, you FUCKER!" Sollux yelled, storming over. "Can you not lose your shit for one day?!"
"Well excuse me, shithead. I need to go now. My dad just got shot."
