It had been a few weeks since the Shadowbolts came together. They had become the standard bearers around the school, but clearly that didn't stop people from starting problems. Sour bit her tongue, staring up at one of the school's athletes. Since Indigo stepped down as captain of several clubs, more athletic students had stepped up, and in doing so, gained the slightest bit of authority over other students. Some Crystal Prep students still lived by the school's old ways. She wasn't worth it. Sour was better than this, but Lemon wasn't here. No one was.
"Can't hear me down there?" The taller girl asked before shoving Sour Sweet. Her breathing picked up and she tried repeating the calming technique she had been using up to now.
"Hey!" Both girls looked up at the voice. Indigo and Sunny quickly rushed to Sour's side. "What's your deal? Why are you starting shit?" She asked, putting herself between the two.
"I'm not starting anything. She's the one making snide comments then hiding when she's called out on them."
"Whatever the case may be, this is not the answer." Sunny chimed in.
"No, no...let her talk. I'll shut her up whenever I want." The girl said with a cocky smirk.
"Not happening." Indigo huffed. She felt a hand from behind her grab her shoulder, tugging her aside, time felt like it slowed as she watched Sour rear back, pulling her aside to swing at the taller girl. Instinct took over, she hooked Sour's arm, quickly trying to defuse the situation.
"No!"
Sour growled angrily, tears welling in her eyes as she struggled against her friend. "Lemme go! I'm gonna rearrange her face!"
"Let the little freak go, let's see what she can do!" The girl said, Sour's eye twitched. A fresh wave of anger overtaking her.
"Stop! You don't-" A familiar shock jolted through Indigo, her bearings were thrown off, and she attempted to right her footing. The daze was sudden, but she refused to let Sour go. However, it appeared the fight had left her. Sour looked on in horror as Indigo tried to regain her senses.
"Indigo!" She heard Sunny's voice, but it didn't quite register. The antagonist seemed to have escaped amidst the chaos; the athlete struggled to blink, finding it more difficult to open her left eye.
The rocker rushed through the crowd that had begun to gather around, a sinking feeling hitting her as she approached. It happened so fast, but to all involved it was agonizingly slow. Indigo had caught Sour's arm, but had no defense against her free hand. The sound of her knuckles hitting Indigo right in the face was louder than any track she'd ever heard.
She pushed past the bully that started it all, disregarding her for now, "Sour! Breathe, it's going to be okay, what happened?" Lemon asked but was met with wide-eyed disbelief. She glanced at Indigo then back to the panicking young woman.
The smaller girl's breathing sped up, Sour couldn't find the words, her mouth moving in several attempts to speak. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was overcome with a mix of shame and distress. Everything was ruined. She hit Indigo, Lemon and Sunny saw, she snapped in public! How could she fuck up so bad?!
She grit her teeth, shoving Indigo to the ground before turning on her heel, running down the hall as fast as she could. They had to hate her now too. God dammit! She was doing well!
"Sour, wait-!" Indigo groaned, already up to a knee, Sunny reached out to catch her as she stumbled while standing up.
"Are you okay?" Lemon asked.
"I'll be fine, what happened?" She asked, gingerly cupping the spot she was struck.
"Well, Sour hit you because you got in the way, I would assume." Sunny explained.
"Please don't be mad at her. I-It had to be a mistake, she adores you girls." Lemon begged. "I-I'll talk to her, just please don't get her in trouble."
"I don't think we have a choice." Sunny said, looking past Lemon as Principal Cadence made her way through the crowd.
"Indigo, are you alright?" She asked as she approached.
"I'm good. Heat of the moment." She shrugged with a pained smile. "Is there uh, any way she can not get in trouble from this?"
"If we can at least talk to her about this. She did assault a student. I'm not sure-"
"She wouldn't do that normally." Lemon spoke up. "She had to be pushed to do this, that girl made her."
"Lemon, she still made the decision. While I agree that she was goaded into violence, she still chose that option." She frowned.
"She's-"
"I won't have her expelled or anything, Lemon. I just want to have a word with her. Maybe try to understand why she was driven to that point. Indigo, please go see the nurse. I'll start looking for Sour Sweet."
"For what it's worth, she really did try to restrain herself. I know she's pretty chill when we hang out. This could have been avoided." Indigo sighed. "I don't want her to get in trouble."
"Everything will be okay, I promise. Please get your eye looked at."
"Okay." She turned to walk with Sunny. "Sour's got a wicked hook." She mumbled as they left, already feeling swelling start to irritate the area.
"She's quite powerful for her size." Sunny assured her.
"Lemon, I know you're concerned, perhaps you should come with me to find her. I'd like all of her friends there when I speak with her."
"Yes, Principal Cadence."
Sour ran down the halls, ducking out of sight for any teachers that could be around. She made it to her destination, closing the door behind her gently to avoid anything that could draw more attention to her. She panted softly, approaching a table to sit. Her mind raced as she tried to calm her breathing.
"Good morning, Sour Sweet." Sugarcoat spoke as she passed, looking at the shelves behind her.
Sour stiffened. She wasn't there when it happened! Would she listen? Maybe she didn't lose all of her friends.
"Morning." She mumbled, "Um. Do you have a minute?"
"Of course, what's wrong?" She asked, now seeming to take in the girl's flustered appearance. Perhaps a hint of concern flashed across the reserved girl's face as she sat at the table with her.
"I fucked up. Bad." She sank in her seat, covering her face with her hands. Shame and anger still gnawed at her.
"I'm going to need more details than that." She said simply. "From the beginning. What happened?"
"I'm-" Sour hesitated. Only Lemon had ever gotten this information out of her. No one outside of her knew of her condition.
"You're?"
"I-I need you to swear to me that this doesn't leave this conversation."
"Huh? I'm not going to gossip about you-"
"Please."
With a sigh, Sugarcoat nodded. "I promise. Now what's going on? You're worrying me."
"I'm...not normal. Those times I act snippy? They're kinda involuntary. Most times anyway."
Sugarcoat blinked as the silence set in. It wasn't long, but it was enough for the nerves to race. "A lot of things just started to make sense."
"Huh?"
"You've always felt like you were holding back anytime we've spoken. How long have you been going through this?"
"Since...like-" The question threw her for a second. This wasn't how it was supposed to go, was it? Then the actual question: how long had it been? "I can't remember exactly."
"Have you seen a professional? You may need to."
"I'm not crazy-"
"Did I say you were?"
"People who go to therapists are-"
"--In trouble and need someone to talk to."
"But-"
"Do you think Indigo is crazy?"
"Of course not! She had a really bad experience growing up. That's excused."
"'Excused'." Sugarcoat repeated. "You have such a negative view on therapy. Why is that?"
"Because I…"
"Don't want to admit it. Right?"
"I already know I'm fucked up in the head, do I need a doctor to tell me that?!" She growled, an unnatural spike of anger hitting her again.
"You need a doctor to talk you through this mentality and help guide you." Sugarcoat explained with a frown. "Personally, I think you'd benefit from seeing a professional."
Sour sank in her chair, the fight seemed to have left. "I punched Indigo."
Sugarcoat looked surprised, but took in the obvious air of regret about her. "Clearly that's not the whole story. Go on."
"This bitch kept calling me names and I snapped. She got in the way and just...fuck!" She covered her face. "How do you try to befriend someone who got beaten up at home and then just hurt her too?! What the fuck is wrong with me?"
"It sounds like tempers were flared. You didn't mean to, did you?"
Sour looked down, her hands still covering her face.
"Sour…"
"I just acted!"
"Did you at least apologize? I'm sure Indigo would-"
"There's no way she would accept it. I'm just another person she trusted and ended up hurting her."
"I think you're overthinking this and building it up to be worse than it is. Let's go talk to her."
"It won't matter."
"Enough!" Sugarcoat stood with a huff. "What is the point of all this friendship stuff if we lose it all after just one mistake?" She asked. "You're just going to give up now?"
"How could I just come back after hurting her? Friends don't do that!"
"How about you let her decide that? Friends make mistakes, think of all the times we've said something hurtful to one another, you and I used to hate each other but here we are." Sugarcoat cleared her throat, sitting back down. "It's a testament to our efforts in making friends. You're one of my closest friends now."
"You don't hate me for hurting Indigo?" She asked, a hint of hope in her question.
Sugarcoat sighed, shaking her head. "If you did it on purpose and felt no remorse: we'd have a problem. Clearly that's not the case. Please, for your own sake, talk to someone. You can't stew on this by yourself forever. You're already hard enough on yourself, but we'll get to that some other time."
"You don't think I'm crazy?"
"I think you're someone who needs help. That's all."
Sour took a breath before sitting up properly. "You're right. Guess I should go see Principal Cadence."
"I'll go with you, if you like."
"Please." She stood, Sugarcoat following her lead. "I bet Lemon is leading her on a goose chase."
"What do you mean?"
"The teachers have probably heard about that mess, and she likely knows where I would go, yet we weren't interrupted. They have to have asked her by now."
"You two have always been pretty close."
"She wouldn't leave me alone and I guess I got used to her being around."
"Does she know about all of this?"
"She does. Maybe that's why she doesn't just drop me."
"It would explain why she never had issues with your outbursts or even tried to defend you."
"Great, my best friend pities me." She said with a sigh.
"Have you always been so cynical?"
"Guess so."
"Lighten up. You're not alone anymore." Sugarcoat said with the flattest expression she could muster for the words she had spoken. Sour rolled her eyes with a small smirk at the irony of the statement.
They approached the principal's office after a short walk, Sour hesitantly reached out to knock. "Please come in." The voice said from behind the door.
Sour took a breath and opened the door, finding Lemon sitting in one of the seats in front of the desk.
"Sour!"
"I didn't get you in trouble, did I?" She asked with a frown.
"No one is in trouble. Yet." Cadence said. "Now, please take a seat. Sugarcoat, you can head to class."
"Is it okay if she stays too?" Sour asked.
The older woman hummed in thought before nodding with a smile. "Of course. Indigo and Sunny are on the way as well. They're very worried about you, Sour."
"They are?"
"Your friends have been falling over themselves to keep me from suspending you. I'd say so." She giggled. "I wasn't going to suspend you, by the way."
"You weren't?" Lemon asked in surprise. "But isn't that what happens when you get into fights?"
"Indigo clearly defined what happened as ‘not a fight’. Simply a situation that got out of hand."
"She...isn't upset?"
"Oh, I'm livid." Indigo's voice spoke as she entered the room, followed by Sunny. Her eye was covered by gauze. "How could you not tell us about this?" She asked, walking directly to her seat.
"I-It's not so simple-"
Indigo shoved her phone in Sour's face. A conversation from a few days prior on the screen. "What does this say?"
Sour remembered this. Indigo had texted her late. 'Didn't wanna wake Sunny' for whatever reason. Her eyes glossed over the bubbles. The point she was trying to make was part of the way through.
"Look, you of all people should know how hard it is to talk about this stuff."
"True, but that also means that I'd be the most understanding about it, ya idiot!" She groaned. "I trusted you girls with a lot of stuff, and you've literally been lifesavers." She held out her hand. "We're here to help you too."
Cadence smiled proudly as Sour took the extended hand, standing to give the girl a hug. The principal cleared her throat, catching the attention of her students. "Well, I think we can ask you now, Sour, your friends and I would like to speak to you and your parents about counseling to get the help you need."
"Yeah...yeah, okay." She sighed. "I never want this to happen again."