A/N: Heads up for the future of this story: once the actual plot story is done, I don't want it to end there. Instead there will be little one-shots in chronological order. No real events, but just more day-to-day stuff. After all, who doesn't love our Undertale cast?

It was Wednesday now; lunch period, just a few minutes from transitioning to Biology. As far as you knew, your juvenile tormentors were in the cafeteria or elsewhere in the buildings. Save for those among the 1/3-1/2 of the school that doesn't show up. You, however, sat outside. Specifically under stacks of unused bleachers, tossed without care against the school's entire back wall. It was normally for 'games' and 'competitions' but your school never participated. No one really cared enough and thus the seats weren't needed. However, it served other purposes. Some dark, some bright, some disgusting, some wet. The purpose is served you was wretchedly wonderful. True, in context, it was really just a little hidey-hole, but it was what hid behind the blue and silver paint that made it so putrid. Because of the way they were stacked and never bothered from there on out, it was near-impossible to see anything inside. If you happened to, however, it would be barely enough to piece together anything, much less a person.

A pretty nasty bruise was forming around your chin and jaw. It didn't seem like it would be much of an impressive shiner, but nonetheless, it would be hidden. Lest you wanna walk around with it all day, which you didn't. So, you went through your backpack rather slowly. If you were late, it would only help you to remain hidden from your friends. You were already notorious for playing hooky. It wouldn't be too out of place if you were to do it again. So, you took your sweet time in searching. Your backpack, just as it had been before, wasn't so much for carrying books - though there was a binder full of loose leaf -, but more for first aid kits, makeup (mostly foundation, concealers, blush, eye shadows, highlighter and some weird greenish gel), some air freshened spray bottles (though sometimes you would clip one of those 30-day bottles on your person), a change of clothes or two... and some stuff to satisfy your... needs... Sometimes you had the extra parcel or two, and would even occasionally hide your cash in there, but that was mostly what it consisted of.

You groaned a little as you tossed aside a third container of what used to be liquid concealer. There wasn't enough in any so far to dip the brush. A bit aggravating, to say in the least. Perhaps you could clean out your luggage more often...

"I-I saw them come-come out back he-here... they can't have gone v-very far..." You suddenly heard Alphys voice, and you quickly pressed yourself into a tighter space between bleachers, curling into yourself. It would be much harder to see anything there, much less a distinct person. Moments passed and you didn't hear anyone respond, so you mentally deemed it safe enough to reach out your arm and pull your backpack towards you and clutch it against your chest, then waited a few more minutes.

Not a peep to be heard.

Carefully and ever so stealthily, you pulled away from the tight spot and back to the slightly larger but still minuscule clearing to continue your repetitive task. Or, that's what you wouldn't been doing if you hadn't noticed something... out-of-place from the corner of your eye, and then.. a voice. "Hey kiddo. Don't think you're supposed to be out here. Is dangerous, you know," Sans spoke from behind you, knocking his skeletal hand experimentally against one of the bleacher poles a few times. The whole thing shook precariously, but the logical part of your mind reasoned he's used magic. You'd knocked into these countless time, not a moan of protest coming from the structure. Heck, you couldn't budge it even if you tried (which you had once... not a very happy story or reason). "Plus, yer missin' class. Maybe we should get back, huh?" As lighthearted as his tone was, there was also a clear unspoken message that clarified it as a serious demand. Not a single pun was to be heard. You hated what you were about to do, but...

Stay determined.

"No, I think I'm gonna stay here," you said as you zipped your backpack shut with more force than necessary. Then... you swore you heard the first few bars of Megalovania faintly kick up and die. Sans wasn't playing around (though you already knew this). "I don't think I gave you an option, kid."

"I don't think I gave you an option, kid." Sans hated seeing you suddenly shrink away , but you seemed unable to confide so he had to go about it a different way. He didn't like seeing you like this. He wanted to just go to Grillby's new place or maybe get a nice cream with you... be pals. But when you started shrinking away, putting your hands behind your head and curling over, primarily about your stomach, dropping to your side and, just barely, shaking? He really knew something was up. "H-hey, kid... I wasn't gonna hurt ya..." You remained on the ground, his words barely even reaching your ears. Your heart pounded loudly against your rib cage, making it hard to concentrate on your breathing. Your head was spinning and you had nothing to calm your breathing down to.

As if reading your mind, Sans quickly came over to try and help, but when he touched your arm you suddenly jolted and flung around to slam your back into the wall, facing him straight-on. He looked taken aback, and everything suddenly came into focus. Your world straightened itself, and you realized what had just happened.

"I changed my mind," you mumbled quickly, grabbing your bag and hurriedly weaving through the metal all about you. Sans whispered under his breath and vanished into a shortcut. You, however, once out of the intricate prison, went around the school, towards the front, where you stood on the sidewalk. The flow of cars and buses was picking up, the sheet amount slowly climbing. It was that time of day, after all, where many people would be making one of their daily commutes. You glanced around. No pedestrians. The driver didn't care much, passing through the area to their respective destinations. Many ran red lights, because there was no one there at the crosswalk. It would be so easy to go on the signal and just get hit- you immediately cut off your train of thought. You may be some sort of depressed, but you sure as hell knew you had friends just remember you're doing this for them, to keep them happy. Vanishing wouldn't do much good in that regard, and thus attempting suicide is no longer an option. Steady determination and endurance had taken its place.

You waited for the signal and crossed the street, keeping your hand up as a 'stop' gesture for the drivers, who although they beeped at you, knew you had the right of way and stopped accordingly. After a couple more twists and turns, you reached an old park, not far from your house or school; sort of an in-between point. It was meant to be a kiddie playground, with a little swimming lake for the summer, but it became the dark graveyard. Condoms of sex-based relationships were now all that sat at the bottom of a filthy water body, flora wilted from alcohol and cyanide... suicides had been successfully preformed here, the dried bloodstains of years past still evident in some of the rocks, with the occasional forgotten noose looped around a tree branch a few times, away from immediate view. The occasional forgotten pill bottle lay about, some with expired items inside. But no one cared. And neither did you.

Quietly, and a bit stiffly, you seated yourself on one of the few benches left. It creaked under you, though you didn't weight much, displaying its old age. The wood was splintered, no longer treated, and metal rusted. It not breaking was quite a miracle. Yet, you came here time to time. Why you did, you were unsure. Perhaps to remind yourself that this world isn't too peachy, though you were constantly reminded. Maybe because even that became surreal as time passed. Because after awhile you would slowly feel yourself numb, as if you were there but not there when you were punished. This place... could be likened to an anchor, and you the ship, if an analogy could sum it up. You sighed through your nose and put yet another cigarette in your mouth. While many people say it won't help much, it made you feel warm inside, for a few moments. It was unforgiving and biting, but it made you warm. That was all you really wanted out of it.

Your phone buzzed with a new text, so you decided to check it immediately this time. Maybe if you were more... active, they wouldn't be as suspicious. A part of you said it was stupid to think they wouldn't and ignoring Toriel's text had done very little to help, but you were readjusting back to reality. Not that they knew that, and therefore not a plausible excuse. Oh well.

'wanna go to grillbz? ill make sure its a SANSational time'

You giggled a little, followed by a short coughing fit, but inwardly hoping (desperately and blindly) that he hadn't hit the nail on the head quite yet, but you texted back, carefully thinking about all the ways that it could be a trap that came to mind. It hurt that this is how you had to converse with your friend, but there was something vital you forgot to take into account; the time.

'sure but i dont know where the new place is. can u pick me up?'

'gee i wasnt expecting a response so soon. shouldnt you be in class now?'

Your mind blanked and you panicked, drawing up excuses from your memory bank at the random until you finally came up with one that was somewhat reasonable.

'i wasnt feeling well so i left early'

'oh okay. how do u feel now?'

'better but i dont think i should go back today'

'k. wait how can u read this?'

More random excuses... more... more... oh god, you hated this one. The one where you had to portray your bastard father as a good guy. No helping it, you supposed.

'my dad is relaying for me he says hi. where do u want to pick me up?'

'by the school'

You paused, catching the trick this time. Catch as many as possible and avoid having to use excuses... harder than it sounds with Sans. He's so goddamn observant... you admired that about him, but now it was working against you when you were trying to protect him. The fat, ugly truth is only going to hurt him and the others... he doesn't know what he's getting into.

'which school?'

'63 the one near the apartment'

'kk what time?'

'when school lets out'

'how long is that from now?'

'around half an hour. say your dad seems nice. why doesnt he come so we can meet face to face?'

Oh my god Sans if you knew what a devillish abusive ass my father was, please don't make me get into this, this is going to be hard... but stay determined.

'dad: hi sry for interrupting conversation, just wantedd to say cant come becauz have work and erands'

'ok, mr. doe. sorry to hear you cant make it'

'dad: is okay. f: so meet you there in half an hour?'

'k. u know, there's a student in a class i teach. their name is also frisk doe. you know them by any chance?'

'oh shes my cousin. her name is actually alexandra, we call her alex, but most becuz we look a lot the same a lot of people dont bother to tell us apart and call us both frisk or alex. frisk caught on better for sum reason and even the teachers wrote her down as that.'

'k, she seems a bit odd if you dont mind my saying. i found her hiding in a pile of bleachers just a couple minutes ago'

'yah when she wants some privacy she goes to some hidey hole somewhere, i dont even know half of them'

'k. so see u soon?'

'yeh'

The conversation ended, and with a grim realization you leaned into the bench. He only made that one pun in the beginning of the conversation, but the whole thing... he was drop-dead serious investigating. Dammit.

"I'm so screwed," you quietly groaned, quickly becoming distressed. Sans, meanwhile, actually stood just a few feet behind out, clear of your peripheral vision, leaning gently on a tree. His hood was up, and one of his hands was in his pocket. The other quickly clicked his phone shut and stuffed it in his pocket along with his hand. Some would say he was casually blending in, but he was a splotch of blue in a yellowed landscape, staring at the back an unawares person. He never moved from his spot, though, continuing to gaze with blackened eye sockets. His pupils, neither normal or glowed, weren't to be seen. The smile was gone from his face... instead replaced with an intense frown.

"Why are you so screwed?" he mumbled under his breath inaudibly. "I just wish you'd tell us, just one of us, what's wrong. At least say it out loud..." for the first time in a long, long time, the last time dating way, way back into Sans' timeline-extended lifespan, was he utterly confused and at a partial loss of the next step, as well as how to properly adjust based on you, the ever-changing variable. Perhaps coming up with a fully-mapped plan in the first place would also be a good idea.

He made his odd ?humming? sound and vanished before you even registered hearing it. Well, today is another day, you supposed. You just had to survive Grillbyz. At least you'd get to see him again. You liked Grillbyz. He's nice. And much more reasonable that nearly everyone you had met in the Underground. Maybe he could keep a secret...

No, you shook your head. At least, not until much later. He would be concerned, but it wasn't too big of a deal, right? He wouldn't act as drastically as your other friends would, and would respect your privacy if you asked him not to tell anyone else, right...?

This game suddenly became a whole lot more dangerous.

Word Count: 2,540

To be honest, my main reason for not liking the substitute was because I don't want the plot to be over too quickly. I want to kind of stretch it out, and Sans getting the full picture would make it jump forward over several parts I wanted to put in.

I think we can all see where the next chapter is somewhat going. At least, the beginning/middle part. I still have yet to plan the filling details.