Chapter Text
Brighton Middle’s cafeteria was typically chaotic during the lunch period. There was never enough room for all the students to sit and eat. The cafeteria had rows of long tables and benches that were packed shoulder to shoulder with students, and yet there was a table in the center of the back row that was always empty.
There was enough room at this table to seat 20 students, but there were only two occupants at the moment. Occupants that nobody else dared to sit with. Molly McGee sat alone on one side of the table as she was trying to enjoy her lunch consisting of a sandwich, fruit, and a water bottle. But the cheese and lettuce felt like cotton in her mouth; she wasn’t able to enjoy her food as her mind was elsewhere.
Whispers. Molly could hear them amid the din of the cafeteria, but she couldn’t tell where they were coming from.
“I can’t believe she showed up in that cringe jacket again. Who wears a jean jacket with no sleeves?”
“Did you hear that she tried to say hi to Penny this morning? She thought she was actually getting attention! As if!”
“I heard she’s totally the worst of the worst.”
Molly stared ahead blankly as the voices were simultaneously around her and nowhere. She would focus on someone speaking, but the words they said weren’t what she heard. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel the truth in those words. She was the worst of the worst in Brighton Middle, and she couldn’t lie to herself about that.
Molly was evil. That was it. She was an evil person, and any effort to believe she wasn’t has only led her down a road that has harmed so many people. Several have died, and more will die in the future if she continues down this road, yet she keeps going because, despite the cost of everything, there was a single reason it didn’t stop her. She was weak. She wanted comfort and validation from an awful person in front of her, and that validation meant more to her than the value of life itself.
The girl sitting across from Molly lifted their hand and snapped their fingers in front of Molly’s face. Molly didn’t see it. She was staring directly at her, and those voices were still in her ears, increasing in variety and volume until she couldn’t hear anything but a persistent ringing. Her vision started to grow dull as everything shifted out of focus.
“… -lly”
Why was she even prolonging this suffering? Why did she have to eat lunch here in the cafeteria instead of at her desk alone? Nobody wanted her here, and she could tell she was an inconvenience with her mere presence.
“… -olly”
She was better off gone. Gone. She knew nothing would really change if she just went home, but there was a truth in that thought and despite it she chose to remain here.
“Molly!”
Molly regained focus, and she registered that she was staring at Libby sitting across from her. Libby always had an expression of pure neutrality as though she was utterly unbothered by everything around her. Yet, Molly felt like she might’ve annoyed her even though there was nothing in her face expressing that. It was more likely than what Molly wished she saw in her, but it came to light so rarely she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
“Why are you staring at me?” Libby asked.
A blush came to Molly’s face as she wanted to think of a way to explain herself to save face. She could lie, and she knew Libby would probably accept it at face value, but as she glanced around furtively, trying to think of something, she accidentally locked eyes with another student. The boy gave an expression of pure disgust and turned away. Molly kept staring as she felt the familiar feeling of shame creep into her heart; she really had nothing to lose by being honest.
“I was… disassociating,” Molly said softly.
Libby’s expression remained, and she didn’t say anything while she unpacked her lunch. Molly began to feel self-conscious as the silence went on, and she shrank into her seat. Libby didn’t care; she never chose to.
“Things have been hard lately,” Molly continued.
Libby took the bait and replied, “I know.”
Libby unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite out of it. Molly continued to stare at her own sandwich, and she didn’t have the appetite to continue eating. Too much was going on inside her already, and she’d rather eat later. So she began to quietly pack up her food, but a question came to mind.
“Libby, do you think we go somewhere when we die?” Molly asked as she put her lunchbox into her backpack.
Libby paused with a mouthful of food, she chewed a few more times than swallowed, while Molly waited. It always bothered Molly how Libby could not care about the mood around them. She was just eating her lunch like a normal student when there was so much more going on with themselves.
“I wouldn’t know Molly. My rabbi told me there was someplace when I was little. I don’t really care where people go when they die,” Libby answered. She took a moment to bring a napkin to her mouth to wipe away crumbs.
“That man might’ve deserved to die, Libby…” Molly was going to say more, but she was cut off by Libby’s gaze meeting Molly’s.
“That man was our target, and you kept saying that what he was doing as a business was wrong. Have you changed your mind about the puppies they had in that lab?”
“I’m glad we released the puppies. But Libby. What you did… Did you really have to put him through the testing equipment?” Molly closed her eyes unconsciously, and they snapped open. The moment they were closed, she could still picture the horrible events of that job; what they did to that man was…
“I thought you’d like it,” Libby answered, then she gave a shrug which made Molly feel particularly irked.
Molly’s fists closed on the table. What they did was not just wrong but inhumane. Killing people was an evil enough crime, but making them suffer was even worse. Libby didn’t care. She never cared. She didn’t see the cost it took on Molly’s mind and heart. She was still acting like she did nothing wrong.
Libby took another bite of her sandwich, she gave a small smirk and mumbled “Mm!”
Molly’s fist slammed on the table loudly. Normally, this would draw the attention of the people sitting nearby, but Molly glanced around. She thought she might’ve seen a brunette girl looking at them, but her gaze drifted away. Nobody batted an eye at the commotion Molly made, and she gave a heavy sigh of resignation before she leaned forward, looking at Libby.
“You thought I’d like it?” She asked in a quiet hiss.
Libby wasn’t fazed in the slightest. “You kept saying they were terrible people for testing makeup on animals, particularly so when you found out the subjects were puppies. It was worse than most other crimes we’ve seen because the animals were innocent and trusting. You said you’d like to see them get a taste of their own medicine.” Her smirk faltered as she added, “I thought you wanted to see them get that taste.”
Molly took a sharp breath, she could feel tears welling in her eyes as the weight of Libby’s words ran through her mind, “Did you even think that I was just venting and didn’t want you to show me some horrifying awful thing that’d affect me?”
“Everything we do affects you, Molly,” Libby replied flatly.
“No…” Molly slid back down into her seat and put her face down; she was upset about so many things. The voices she heard earlier, even if she couldn’t tell where. The feeling of being out of place and unwelcome in the cafeteria, and now the realization that her mere words caused the agony of a person in their final moments of life. She closed her eyes, consequences be damned, and let the scene replay before her eyes.
She could remember every bloody detail, every plea and scream. The way the words changed from coherent to pure blubbering. Molly began to cry as the negative feelings overwhelmed her. The guilt. The trauma. There was a dark abyss within her soul, and she was in free fall with no bottom to signal an end to the agony. She didn’t care who heard her or if Libby watched her cry. She was beyond shame and embarrassment in this moment; what was one more humiliation?
Molly sobbed, and the noise of the cafeteria continued as usual. But her ears noticed the sound of Libby reaching into her bag, followed by the crinkling of plastic. Something landed against Molly’s arm, and for a moment, Molly thought that the students had started throwing food at her. Again. But when nothing else hit her, she finally raised her head to see what was resting against her arm.
It was a pack of sandwich cookies bearing the brand Hydrox. Libby’s mom loved them, and they were always in stock at Libby’s house. Molly did prefer them more than the alternative. But she didn’t know why Libby threw them at her, so she looked up.
Libby was sipping on a juice box and seemed to be intentionally avoiding her gaze, “I had an extra pack in my bag today,” She said.
Molly could see the slight redness in Libby’s cheeks, and she wiped away her tears to make sure she was seeing things clearly. Molly took the pack of cookies and clutched it close to her on the table. It was a kind gesture, but she still didn’t understand why. Nothing was in it for her.
“Libby…” Molly began to say, but Libby spoke first.
“I know it doesn’t help,” Libby stated.
Molly’s gaze turned to the table as she gave a sigh and agreed, “Yeah…”
When she looked back up, she was surprised to see Libby looking directly at her, “You deserve it regardless,” she said.
Libby was visibly uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. She had a light blush on her face, and Molly could tell she was anxious and not used to this. But, Molly appreciated the gesture, and she reached over the table to pull Libby into a hug. Libby tried to pull away before Molly hugged her, but once she did, Libby just froze stiff while Molly held her tight. Libby didn’t want this, but Molly needed it, even if it wasn’t much at all.
“I appreciate the gift,” Molly whispered.
“Let go of me!” Libby growled out in discomfort, but she stayed frozen as Molly continued to hug her.
Molly’s gaze fell on the cafeteria, and as usual, nobody was paying attention to them. There were the occasional eyes that passed by, but nobody cared about their display of affection. One girl was probably reading the posters on the walls behind them as she kept looking over at them. Molly just enjoyed the warm feeling fluttering in her chest that kept away the dark thoughts for a fleeting moment.
That girl kept looking at them, and she seemed to be writing or something. She was looking at her notebook, then at Molly indirectly, and it piqued Molly’s curiosity. She turned her head to look back at the wall. There was a poster talking about a volunteer event to clean up the park this weekend. When she turned back around, the girl’s eyes were firmly elsewhere and no longer looking at Molly.
She was probably just writing down the details for the volunteer event. Molly wanted to sign up for it herself when lunch was over. She wasn’t looking at her; nobody ever did intentionally.
It was a coincidence.
Obviously.