"Fang, you are so cool and pretty!" 'Anon' says.
"I love you; we should get married!" 'Fang' replies.
They mash their faces together, their gigantic mouths smooshing as I wrestle my hands against one another. I don't know why, but this makes me feel funny in my stomach, and my heart beats quickly. I can feel the heat in my cheeks start to increase. And my tail flicks around in excitement.
"Judee!" Schizo says for the third time, starting to get impatient.
I am pulled back to the 'real' world. The uncomfortable one. We are in the club room, and I always come here before school to do any needed club stuff. I had some extra time today, so I did a little 'rehearsal' with my Anon and Fang puppets.
Schizo is standing over me, looking a little mad, her hands on her hips.
"Wh-what?" I managed to squeak out. I hope she's not mad at me again….
"Class is about to start. You'll be late again!" Schizo sighs.
"Shoot!" I stand up in a hurry. I can't be late again, or I'll get detention! I don't even have time to put my special puppets up, so I have to put them in my backpack with my other three.
As Schizo and I walk out of the club room together, she weirdly looks at me.
"Judee…did you bring the 'special puppets' with you today?" Schizo asks in a whisper.
I nod.
"Why…? You shouldn't take those out of the club room." Schizo asked.
"Didn't have time, I'll put them back after school." I shrug.
Schizo slumps, seeming to accept my answer.
"I'll see you at lunch?" Schizo asks.
I nod at her as we go to our separate classes.
English is incredibly boring. I speak English; why do I need to learn this crap? No one cares about the proper use of a conjugate and the difference between past and present tense participles.
I look around myself. Everyone nearby seems just as bored as I do. Most are looking at their phones behind books, which are used as a shield from the teacher's eyes. I reach back and try to silently unzip my backpack just enough to get my arm into it. I feel around and feel the soft fabric of my puppets, and it relieves some of my tension. The simple act of putting on the puppet relaxes me, and working my hand to make its mouth move feels good.
Of course, I keep my hand in my backpack as I fiddle with my felt friends. I can't have a repeat of last time; it took a long time for people to stop staring at me and whispering to each other.
I de-sleeve the puppet and try to take notes. Thankfully, the period doesn't last much longer, and the bell finally rings. As I spring up, eager to get to my next class to see Heather, I hear a dreadful sound. The small opening in my backpack's zipper got caught on the back of my chair, and the pocket was ripped completely open. I watch as all my puppets fall to the ground.
And so does everyone else.
Most of the class heard the loud unzipping and stopped to stare as my puppets tumbled out. I can already feel the rush of embarrassment color my cheeks as I rush down to pack them back into my bag and make a mad dash for the door.
I swing my head around, and I can see and hear it. The looks, the whispers, the smiles, and the laughs.
I ran down the hallway, heading to the restroom at the far end of the hall. Most people don't go to this one, so it's a good spot for when I need to cool down.
My eyes are already stinging when I get to the doorway. I dash into a stall, slamming the door shut behind me. I sit down, hugging my backpack to my chest. I can feel the tears start to flow down my cheeks.
I don't want to do this again. I want to go home. I shift to grab my phone. Maybe Mom will just pick me up…
I had to let go of my backpack to grab my phone, which allowed me to assess the damage. I hope the zipper isn't broken; I don't want a new backpack.
My puppets sit in their pocket, and the zipper to that pocket is derailed. I should be able to fix it. Except, there is something wrong.
Where is Anon?
Panic begins to set in; I reach into the bag, grab a handful of felt, pull it out, and examine it. My three normal sock puppets plus Fang…. But no Anon.
'Where is it? Where did he go?!' I feel the dread in my stomach. I look at the stall's floor, but nothing. I burst out of the stall, looking at the bathroom floor. Nothing.
'Oh no…' I groan. That means it's in the classroom… or, worse, the hallway…
The hallways were filled with people moving from class to class. My talons dig into my skin as I realize someone must have picked it up.
I can't leave the restroom. They are all probably waiting on me. Everyone already knows, don't they? The tears of frustration and shame flow freely. I can feel my shoulders quake as I begin to sob in the restroom.
I take out my phone and call Mom.
"Judee?" I hear my Mom's confused voice.
"M-mom…" I can barely talk, my voice choking and shaking.
"Are you alright?" I hear concern in her voice, which makes me feel guilty.
"No…Can you-" I sniff.
"I 'll be there as soon as I can." I hear her say.
"Thanks." I manage before the call ends.
I look at myself in the mirror. My hair is disheveled, matting to my cheeks due to the tears. My eyes are red and puffy.
The late bell rings for the next class. At least the halls will be empty. I gotta go to the nurse's office. To get picked up. Mom shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes… I need to take a moment to collect myself. I reach into my backpack. Out comes Wrinkle to comfort me. Her purple felt is the softest of all my friends.
"It's okay, Judee, it will blow over. They will all forget about it soon." Wrinkle tells me.
"But… I lost Anon! What am I gonna do? It's so embarrassing that anyone other than Schizo and Heather know about that! They won't understand!" I argue.
Next, Fang comes out of the bag.
"It's okay! If anyone makes fun of Anon, I'll beat them up!" 'Fang' says.
Finally, Buttons comes out of the bag, clinging to my tale to add his two cents.
"This is all stuff we can deal with tomorrow. We gotta get going to the office; don't want your Mom to come by, and we aren't even there ready to go, you know?" he says in his particular accent.
I nod at Buttons and put all the puppets back in the bag; holding the busted zipper shut, I head out of the restroom. I look around, the halls are deserted, I quickly walk towards the front of the building, to the nurse's office, making sure I first go by my english class, scanning the hallways for Anon, but I don't see it. Someone must have picked it up. I sigh heavily and continue to the nurse's office.
I feign stomach pain, and within a few minutes, my Mom comes in to sign me out for the day. I don't look forward to having to tell her why I had her pick me up all of a sudden today.