""Wallflower tries to kill you"


                                            >You are Anon, and you are screwed.

                                            >You've been picking on and teasing a cute sperg girl all year, and it's finally come full circle.

                                            >You just thought Wallflower was cute when she got red in the face and teary eyed.

                                            >You never really meant to hurt her.

                                            >And you definitely didn't want to end up out in the woods, digging your own grave while the girl stood above at the edge of the hole, a hunting rifle aimed shakily towards your back.

                                            >Why couldn't you have learned to show affection in a healthy manner instead of being an asshole?

                                            >You blame your family of jerks always treating you like shit while still saying they loved you.

                                            "So... There's definelty nothing I can say to change your mind about the whole killing me thing?"

                                            >"N-no! I'm done! 'm not going to let you push me around any more, A-anon! Sunset told me I have to stand up for myself!"

                                            "Yeah? Well, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean that you should murder me."

                                            >"I-it'll get you to stop! N-now keep digging?"

                                            "Or what? You'll shoot me?" you can't help but snark, sticking the shovel into the dirt and leaning on it. "You know, I'm starting to think I should just let you kill me now and have you dig the whole. Less work for me."

                                            >"Then I could just shoot you in the leg or something and let you bleed out instead of making it quick."

                                            "... Touché."

                                            >With that, you get back to digging, the hole nearing your knee.

                                            >Only the sound of crickets and the wind blowing past the trees could be heard for several minutes, until Wallflower sniffles behind you.

                                            "Um, you alright?" you ask, not daring to turn around.

                                            >"What do you care?" she snaps. "You love it when I cry, don't you? Why else would you bully me so much?"

                                            "You are pretty cute when you do it," you admit, causing the girl behind you to sputter.

                                            >"W-what?!"

                                            "You're cute when you cry," you repeat. "The way your eyes shimmer, and your lower lip quivers. It's adorable."

                                            >"Y-you're teasing me even when I'm going to kill you?!"

                                            "No point in teasing you when I can't see your face. I'm just telling you the truth. You're a pretty girl, but I think your prettier when you're about to have an emotional breakdown... Damn, I'm really messed up, aren't I?"

                                            >"I-if you think you can trick me into letting you go-"

                                            "I don't. I have this coming, after all. Though, I wish it wasn't you."

                                            >"...What do you mean?"

                                            "You pulled up in your Dad's old beater, jumped out, hit me with a shovel, and presumably dragged me into the truck, all in the middle of the street. Not very inconspicuous."

                                            >"It's the middle of the night."

                                            "So? All it takes is one person having trouble sleeping to look out the window and be able to ID you later when I turn up missing. Let's be real here, you won't last ten seconds in a police interrogation."

                                            >"If I still had the memory stone, I could wipe my own memories so I couldn't confess."

                                            "What was that?"

                                            >"Nothing! And who cares if I get caught if it means getting rid of you!"

                                            "I do. I don't want you to throw your whole life away over an asshole like me."

                                            >"... You're just trying to mess with my head so I'll let you go. S-stop messing with me, already!"

                                            "I'm being honest with you, Wallflower. Probably for the first time ever. All those times I called you ugly, or a loser, or a waste of space. Those were the lies, because the truth is, I think you're beautiful."

                                            >"Stop lying! You probably don't even remember what color my eyes are!"

                                            "They're the color of milk chocolate," you answer instantly, the shovel coming to a stop. "And you have exactly fourteen freckles on your face. Five under left eye, for under your right, and five more over your nose. I always thought it was cute how they're uneven."

                                            >She's silent for a few seconds, and you're tempted to turn around, but then you hear fumbling as she shouts, "don't move!"

                                            >You do as she says, glad for the chance to stop digging your own grave for a bit.

                                            >There's the artificial sound of a camera shutter and flash that lights up the forest for an instant, and you hear Wallflower mumbling under her breath, "One, two, three, four, five..."

                                            >You realize she must have taken a picture of something, but before you can capitalize on her distraction, she shouts, "Alright, s-so I do have fourteen freckles! Big whoop! I'm still gonna shoot you for all the other mean stuff you said to me!"

                                            "Like saying you're a loser?" you supply. "That's a lie, too, like I said. Ever since Sunset's been helping you to be more outgoing, you've become president of the Gardening Club, made the honor roll. Heck, you're even learning an instrument. I know 'cause I heard you practicing in the music room with Fluttershy a couple weeks ago."

                                            >"... It's just the tambourine."

                                            "And you were rocking the hell out of it."

                                            >"You really think...? Wait no! I don't care! I'm not going to turn back now! I... I can't!"

                                            You hesitate, but ask, "Why not?"

                                            >"Because you'll run straight to the cops if I let you go! That's why! I'll be arrested for sure! At least this way there's a chance I won't get caught... right?"

                                            "Wallflower, if you let me go, I promise I won't tell anyone about this."

                                            >"You think I would trust you?"

                                            "I know I haven't ever given you a reason to, but I swear it. Not for my life, but because I don't want the girl I've been falling for all year to become a murderer."

                                            >Her breath hitches and you feel hope rising in your chest, but then she says, voice quivering, "J-just... Just keep digging."

                                            >You heave a sigh, then tighten your grip on the shovel and pry it under a mound of dirt.

                                            >Saying those things out loud only solidified your feelings for the girl behind you, and so, even if it means a slow and painful death, you're willing to risk it.

                                            >With a heave, you chuck the dirt directly over your shoulder with all of your might, and are rewarded with a yelp and sputter from Wallflower, as well as the crack of a gunshot ringing your ears.

                                            >You don't feel any pain, cold, or numbness like you've read about, so the shot must have gone wide.

                                            >You don't hesitate, whipping around to see Wallflower blinking the dirt out of her watering eyes as she struggles to chamber another round.

                                            >Just as she slides the bolt forward, you swing the shovel to hook behind her ankle and tug, sending her toppling hard onto her back.

                                            >While she's winded, you scramble forward to grab her by the foot and tug.

                                            >She kicks out with her other leg, a panicked cry escaping her lips, and manages to split yours as the blow rocks your head back.

                                            >You don't let go, however, tugging hard even as you stumble back in your would-be grave, dragging her along the forest floor and into the pit you've dug.

                                            >She's trying to aim the rifle up at you even from her prone position, and you barely lunge forward in time, arm sweeping the barrel aside just as it goes off once more.

                                            >You fall on top of her, chest to chest, your ears ringing louder than the fire alarms at school.

                                            >Disoriented as you are, you fight for control of the weapon, managing to yank it from the girl's hands and toss it clumsily a couple of feet away on the grassy ground above.

                                            >Without the firearm, Wallflower desperately tries to claw at your face, her eyes wide in fear, which only intensifies as you manage to gain control of her flailing limbs and pin them between your bodies.

                                            >You're both breathing hard, and you're content to simply catch your breath and let the ringing in your ears fade for a minute as you lie on top of the much lighter girl.

                                            >When you finally get your breathing under control, you look up to see that she has failed to do the same.

                                            >Her chest is heaving beneath you, and when your eyes meet, she flinches away, turning her head and cringing as if you had threatened her.

                                            "Wallflower," you pant. "I'm... I'm not going to hurt you."

                                            >"Y-yeah right," she rasps. "Y-you're going to kill me now and bury me out here because I tried to do it to you. D-don't pretend like you don't want to."

                                            "But I really don't." you reiterate. "I just needed to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Honestly, If I could trust you to not try and gouge my eyes out or knee me in the balls or go for the gun as soon as I gave you some wiggle room, I'd be getting up right now."

                                            >Slowly, she turns her head and opens one eye to look at you.

                                            >"Y-you mean it?" she asks in a whisper, and you nod.

                                            "I do. Like I said, I'm perfectly happy for us to both just go our separate ways and never talk about this night again."

                                            You're practically pleading her with your eyes as you ask, "Please, Wallflower, just go home. You're parents are probably worried sick by now, anyway."

                                            >She turns her head the rest of the way to look at you with wide, confused eyes.

                                            >"Are you...? You're serious right now, aren't you?"

                                            >You smile, finally feeling like you're getting through to the girl as you nod.

                                            "I am. If you promise you won't try anything, I'll get off of you, and we can walk back to the truck."

                                            You awkwardly nod your head towards where you had tossed her rifle as you continue, "I'll have to carry the gun, for obvious reasons, and toss it into the back where neither of us can reach it fast. but after that, we can go our separate ways. I'll even just walk home as long as you promise not to swing back around for another attempt. So what do you say?"

                                            >She gulps and nods slowly.

                                            >"Okay, let's... let's do that."

                                            "Great," you respond, sighing in relief. "Alright, I'm going to get up now. Nice and slow. That alright with you?"

                                            >Again, she nods, and you slowly lift yourself off of her and stand.

                                            >She remains in the dirt, just staring up at you, arms over her chest.

                                            >Rubbing the thumb and forefinger of one hand together awkwardly, you reach down towards her.

                                            >She looks from you to your hand, then back again, then slowly reaches up to take it.

                                            >As you pull her to her feet, she suddenly hisses and falls forward into your chest, your arms coming up around to steady her.

                                            "Wow, you alright there?"

                                            >"Y-yeah, I think I sprained my ankle though."

                                            "I'll help you walk, then, just lean on me."

                                            >"A-alright."

                                            >Slinging one of her arms around your shoulder, you help her step up out of the pit, then take a moment to grab the rifle by the still-warm barrel.

                                            >She eyes it cautiously, but once it becomes obvious you aren't going to try anything, she relaxes and leans more of her weight against you.

                                            >The trek back to her truck takes fifteen minutes, but feels much faster than the first time when you thought you were marching to your death.

                                            >Neither of you speak the entire way there, and when you arrive, you toss the gun into the back along with the shovel like you said before helping her into the driver's seat.

                                            >You stand, shifting from one foot to another as she slides in.

                                            >"Um, do you need directions?" she asks, not looking at you.

                                            "I can follow your tire tracks out of the woods, if that's what you mean, and once I'm back on the road, I can find my way home," you answer.

                                            >She looks up at you, then down at her hands thumbing the steering wheel.

                                            >"Okay... A-anon?"

                                            "Yeah?"

                                            >"Did you really mean it?" she asks, not looking at you even as her cheeks begin to grow red. "When you said that you were falling for me?"

                                            "I did," you say after a moment, your own cheeks turning red in shame. "I also really am sorry for all that crap I put you through. I just didn't know how to deal with my own feelings, I guess, and ended up acting like a complete ass."

                                            >"It's alright."

                                            >You blink at her.

                                            "It is?"

                                            >She hunches her shoulders, but shrugs.

                                            >"I mean, it's not alright, but it's alright, you know? Like, I've done some pretty bad stuff, too, and after what I was going to do, you know, back there, I... I can't exactly take the high ground anymore. So I guess we're even... ish?"

                                            >You can't help but smile tiredly.

                                            "Yeah, we're even. And I'll cut if out with the bullying crap from now on."

                                            You chuckle and add, "Don't want to end up on the wrong side of a barrel again, do I?"

                                            >She doesn't laugh, her hands tightening on the wheel as her chin lowers to her chest.

                                            The smile fades as you quickly say, "Hey, I was joking. I'm not mad-"

                                            >"You're not mad about me trying to kill you? Are you crazy or something?" she says harshly, though you can hear her voice quiver.

                                            You shrug, rubbing the back of your neck.

                                            "Maybe I am, but the way I see it, I was the one who pushed you to it, and, you did change your mind in the end so why hold a grudge"

                                            >The smile comes back tentatively.

                                            "Besides, even after all of that, I still think you're cute, and well, it's hard to stay mad at cute things, ya know? Like, you ever have a puppy chew up your favorite shoes, and you still end up forgiving them in a couple hours? It's like that."

                                            >She finally looks at you, and you can see tear streaks running down her cheeks.

                                            >She opens her mouth to say something, closes it, tries again, then repeats three more times before giggling with a shaky smile.

                                            "You're unbelievable. I've seen a girl turn into a she-demon, other girl's sprout wings and others turn into sea horses, and I had the power to erase peoples memories a year ago. And after all that, you're the most unbelievable thing I've come across."

                                            "Well, I'm glad I'm in such esteemed company as literal magic and shit," you joke. "That's pretty impressive, don't you think?"

                                            >"Yeah, it is," she says, laughter dying down but leaving the smile. "Hey, um, do you want a ride back into town? I can drop you off at your house."

                                            "You think we can swing by TacoToll? They're open all night, and I'm starving. I'll even pick you up something if you want."

                                            >"That actually sounds pretty good right about now. I'll pay for myself, though."

                                            "Really, I insist. I'll buy."

                                            >"Anon, I was planning on blowing your brains out tonight. You're lucky I'm not insisting on paying for you, but I only have five dollars and some change right now."

                                            "Alright, fine, you can pay for yourself, but I want something in return then."

                                            >"What's that?"

                                            "You let me take you on a date this Saturday."

                                            >"Unbelievable..."

                                            "Is that a yes?"

                                            >"You know what, yes it is. Now get in. I want a double decker supreme."

                                            "Yeah, I can practically hear that chimichanga with extra sour cream calling my name."

                                            >"You think they'll ask questions, what with us covered in dirt like this?"

                                            "I'm sure they've seen stranger things in the TacoToll drive through at three in the morning."

                                            >"Huh, you're probably right."

                                            >And so you and your maybe, possibly future girlfriend leave the woods, both surprisingly still alive.

                                            >She even lets you split your drink with her later as you sit in the TacoToll parking lot to eat your food.