Chapter Text
Lunch rolled by without any more tears and screeching. (Y/N) walks beside Rizza and Lady with furrowed brows, mind still reeling. She was that much of a bitch? She called them good for nothing's? But why? What was the reason? How could she ever do that to someone, and a whole group at that, who were once her friends?
Hissing lightly, her hands shoot up to grab her head, which is now pounding in utter pain. She can't describe it in detail, though it resembles that of tongs pulling at every corner of her brain. In hot flashes, she sees a fraction of memories. They weren't her own, and they seem to invade her mind like a virus.
Rizza and Lady's worried voices fill her ears, but it's drowned out by the ringing of her brain. She sees a younger her meeting a couple of people, she sees the ways they showed her the darker side of highschool, and finally, she sees a blurred image of her former friends. Shock and hurt is evident in their facesㅡ Eren's face, most especially. With that, the memory diminishes.
Her heart hangs heavy in her chest, and she opens her eyes to Rizza's worried blue eyes. Disoriented, her eyebrows furrow to see herself in a staircase. Lady pulls out her bottle of water, gently urging the girl to hydrate which she accepts.
"What the hell is happening to you?" Rizza's worry is obvious in her tone, almost sounding defeated within the edge. As (Y/N) gulps down the liquid, her mind travels back to the memories. Her…other version's memories. Well, this dream version of hers, to be exact. It's just so confusing…
"Sorry, sorry. I think it's just the weather. I feel too hot, and a bit dehydrated. Thanks, Lady." She gives her friend a strained smile and Rizza persists.
"Are you sure? You're so…out of it. We're really worried. Are you sick?" Her tanned hand rests on the (h/c)'s girl's forehead. Noting a bit more warmth than usual, she frowns. But (Y/N) just chuckles.
"Just feeling a bit under the weather. You know what? I think it's that damned cafeteria food." She forcefully complains. Behind her friend's a couple of students pass by, and she recognizes them from earlier. They turn to her but she immediately looks away. Clearing her throat, she smiles up at Rizza.
"Let's get back to class."
Despite their hesitation, her friends just follow along.
The day dragged a bit quicker than she expected. Despite her initial free spiritedness, worry starts to claw at her. Isn't this supposed to be a dream? She saw the clocks by the hallways, and she's spent way too long dreaming vividly. Plus the fact that there's too many memories constantly spilling inside her brain. And her usual dreams aren't like this. Is it…it can't be. Is this real?
Groaning in frustration, she throws her empty can of juice onto the floor more aggressively than usual, "I don't understand. Am I going crazy? What's wrong with me?" She almost whines her last words, kicking the can forwards with a grumble. Her eyes follow the item, but they widen when a clang! resonates as it hits an unsuspecting victim at the back of the head.
A guy with short parted brown locks releases a pained noise, hand reaching towards the affected area. His head swiftly turns to her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and slight annoyance. His brown eyes widen though upon finally seeing her still form, arms awkwardly held above her hips and body jutted forwards like a gremlin.
"Sorry!" She almost yells, crimson spreading across her entire face in embarrassment as the guy stands speechless. They continue to stare at one another, and ultimately, his face also explodes in crimson hue.
He stands straighter, before bowing a complete 90 degrees, " No! I'm sorry for being in your way! " His voice booms out across the field beside the school building, where the lone vending machine resides.
She stands frozen, surprised by his apology before a snort falls from her lips. Slowly, the snorts finally escalate into full blown laughter, and the guy before her looks at her with slightly confused and scared eyes. But (Y/N) just laughs to her heart's content, finding the turn of events hilarious in a way. Was she that much of a bitch that people apologized to her even when it was her fault? That's fucking crazy!
Finally, she manages to calm down, before giving him a grin, "Sorry for laughing. It was just…kind of overwhelming and I'm kinda out of it right now."
He finally stands straighter, gulping as he watches the girl. Confusion is evident in his freckled face, but (Y/N) just waves a hand, breathing out softly.
"I was that scary, huh? Well, not me, but the original owner of this body. Oh, why am I even telling you that, it's not like you'll understand me. Oh well," Her rambling confuses the male more, and she walks to him to grab the fallen can. He stands rigid upon her movements, watching her with wary eyes, but (Y/N) just stands beside him with a somewhat solemn smile, "I'm sorry for being mean to you, Marco."
The name falls from her lips easily, and Marco's eyes widen at the sheer genuinity across her alluring face. Suddenly, his cheeks flare again, and he breathes heavily as he stutters.
"Eㅡeh?"
Pursing her lips, (Y/N) thinks for a moment. Based on her memories, she cut them off because of her new group of friends. She wanted to be on their level, wanted his approval the most, who promised her the world at the palm of her hands. And she thought having her 'good for nothing' friends would hinder any possibility of that. And they fed her lies she viewed in rose tinted glasses. And now, her sins are catching up to her.
"I wasn't a good person. Still am not, to be honest…and it's really up to you what to make of my apology or if you'll forgive me, but I'm sorry for being mean to you. I thought it was easier to cast you aside since you're not firm like the rest…but I was wrong about that, too." Sighing, she smiles up at Marco, whose soft eyes focus on her with trembling lips.
Realizing he won't be replying soon, she gives a pursed lip smile, raising her hand to pat him on the shoulder before finally leaving. This time, she throws the can on its proper place and she feels his eyes on her even as she disappears behind the walls.
The sunset falls on them in gentle waves, the hues of orange, red and yellow making the scenery even more mellow, and as she finally feels she's out of his sight, (Y/N) releases a breathless and inhumane noise.
"Yo ! I just did that! Look at me go!" With a laugh of disbelief, she settles in front of the volleyball gym doors, letting the high of the previous moment leave her bones as she jumps and shakes her whole body. A stream of monotone ' aah ' leaves her lips as she shuts her eyes, mind thinking back on what had happened while still shaking the nerves away. If the possibility of this not being a dream, then she might as well make things right by them before she goes back, right?
That is, if she is still able to go back. But this is just a really vivid and long dream, though. Why is she touching that subject? Shrugging her shoulders, she starts to finally exit the school grounds. A lot of things happened today, and she'll need a good, warm bath to settle her nerves and think things through.
As much as she's scared to admit it, the possibility of this not being a dream seems more plausible than it being one.
While deep in her thoughts, a sudden thought strikes her, and she stops all movements. With her posture now straight, she tilts her head in confusion. Wait a minute.
"What was he doing there all alone?"
Shrugging it off, (Y/N) just releases a relieved sigh. She can't help but smile, noting the weight that lifted off her shoulders. It was subtle; like a small, tiny, miniscule, piece of pea but...it's still something.
Walking seems to help calm her all the while, and she strides among the exiting students who would give her glances every now and then. Rizza and Lady are nowhere to be seen the moment she exited her last class, and she forgot her phone as well. So, even if they try to call her, she doubts she'd be in any way of contact with them unless they approach her first.
The moment her foot reaches past the gates, she stills. (Y/N) feels like she needs to go somewhere right now, but she's unsure what. The memory flashes didn't touch the subject of her everyday life, so she just shrugs once more and skips her way back home. Well, to the train station specifically. Her body seems to be memorized enough to find the route home, so she's trusting her gut.
But fate had other plans, and she releases a gasp the moment her eyes fall on the familiar stature of a certain teal eyed boy. She stops walking, posture stiff as she sneakily makes her way out of his sight. But a certain blonde boy already catches her movement, and his eyebrows furrow upon seeing her hunched figure with her knees tucked behind a trash bin.
" Eek !" She huddles closer unto the wall, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could, but he just watches with a somewhat disturbed face. She seems unaware of her gremlin-like mannerisms that just started today, and the blonde clears his throat before focusing back on his friends.
That's good. He ignored me. The other two won't know unless he tells them.
But alas, nothing ever goes right with her anymore, and her whole skin crawls as Rizza and Lady spots her figure, the former's voice calling out to her in confusion.
"(N/N)? What are you doing there?"
Her eyes almost fall out of her sockets as everyone around them turns to her, and she stutters out her words. This is just embarrassing!
"I was just trying toㅡto see what it's like to be tiny! And unmoving! Like a trash bin !" She squeals out, dragging her body from its formal spot and speed walking past her friends and former ones with burning cheeks. This is the gag bit, right?! Oh, her dignity! She's no more than trash right now!
Rizza stammers, following her mumbling friend while Lady catches up with a horrified face. Her brown eyes fly to the trio, who just watch them with different expressions.
Mikasa is stoic as usual, though somewhat confused, while Armin watches on with conflicted eyes. But Erenㅡhis eyes are what made Lady gulp in slight nervousness. His eyes are cold; indifferent. If what he had with (Y/N) was one for the books, now it is anything but.
Now she worries. With how her friend seems to have a change of heart, will she ever be able to make things right?
The next day couldn't come any quicker.
(Y/N) sits beside her mother in the car, with pouty lips, and her hands fidgeting all over the place as she recalls the events of yesterday. She got a good scolding from Rizza about the boundaries of stalking which she wholeheartedly denied against, as for one, it's not true, and two, she doesn't stalk! It's supposed to be the other way around!
She left them by the train station, the two stuttering as she refused their usual routine to hang in a karaoke place or even the mall. The (h/c) girl had even stated that she doesn't like singing when she used to belt out her entire organs whenever they do!
"Is something wrong, (Y/N)?" Her mom finally asks, and is surprised when the girl starts complaining.
"I don't understand! I can't seem to have the courage to just walk up to them! It's not like they're celebrities! And mom, I just made a complete fool out of myself yesterday! I was supposed to be a cool girl, who's about to be a good cool girl and now…" She slumps into her chair, face pale, "They're gonna think I'm a weird stalking idiot…"
"Well, you kind of are…"
"You are my mother ." She speaks in a tone of disbelief scolding, almost accusatory but brushes off the comment as the car reaches the school entrance, "Mom, tell me. I must know," She gets comfortable, expression serious, "If you suddenly woke up in a different body and you realize you've got enemies you don't really want to be enemies with, what will you do?"
Her mother's darker shade of (e/c) stares into her own, before giggles fall past her tinted lips, "You are a weird child. Now, off you go, you're gonna be late."
"You're no help at all." (Y/N) sighs, defeated. But as she heads out the car, her mother calls out to her before she fully shuts the door.
"I'll probably try to talk it out and make things right. Slowly gain their trust or something like that, and if it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried." With a smile, her mother bids her goodbye.
(Y/N) in unwavering silence. Last night, she came to a horrifying realization. She already felt it was the truth, but her own fear and uncertainty made her blind to it. This place is not a dream at all.
(Y/N) (L/N) woke up in a version of herself that had the life she's always wanted, but along with it came the unwanted conflict of broken friendships, and her own demons to deal with. It's not her cup of tea, but maybe figuring out a way to solve said conflicts will bring her back to her own version of the world. And now, she'll have to learn and figure out a way to make things right, especially to the teal eyed boy standing in front of her with blank eyes. Her eyebrows furrow. She liked them better when they were brighter. Softer. Less accusatory.
Wait. In front of her?
"What are you up to?"