Itsy Bitsy Influencer 35: On the Loose.
Yumi walked to school early in the morning. She showed up every morning before the wrestling team and helped with the school's security opening up the building. She didn’t mind the early mornings so much. It was surprisingly peaceful in the city. Due to the low population problem even the reused city infrastructure had a ghostly vibe to it. Many builds were made to be spacious but many were still mostly abandoned, even in the main cities. Yumi sometimes felt the ninja village where she grew up in was more concentrated than the cities with the need to be close to water and food.
Yumi did her usual check in at the front gate with Ms. Stone. She watched the gate as the other guards got ready and dressed. Yumi didn’t have to with her special status as a student guard. It had its perks. Being able to live a civilian life wearing normal clothes was a big one but not the one she was most thankful for. She pulled out her phone to check the time and saw her background picture of Matt. It was the ONE time she caught him off guard while watching a scary movie. She drank some hot tea from her thermos while waiting for the daily announcements. “Tomie Yumi, they’re asking for you in the office along with Stone.”
Yumi nodded and went to relieve Ms. Stone with the actual front guard. She was ever vigilant, always on the lookout for trouble and definitely looked like she could handle any type of it. There was an old school rumor that in her first year a gang of women invaded and tried to kidnap a bunch of the one centimeter tall male students. Ms. Stone stopped them but was shot TWICE in the process. In the end, all of the students were unharmed and of the seven kidnapers, only two left in police vehicles. The other five left in ambulances.
Yumi had heard the rumor quickly after starting her work and could tell just by looking Ms. Stone was a force to be reckoned with. The pair walked over to the main office and were let into Mrs. MacArthur's room. She always had an air of stress but today was another level. She had papers all over her desk as if she was trying to find something. “Yumi good you’re here, sit down.” Yumi did as she was told. “You are to keep an extra eye out for any kinds of disturbances after class in the next few weeks through the dance. Legally I cannot say any more you are dismissed. Anything you hear after this point will be considered eavesdropping. Understand? I am no longer talking to you.” Yumi looked confused but nodded. Mrs. MacArthur nodded at Ms. Stone.
“Ms. Stone, it appears Heather Chandler has been released from police custody.” Yumi sprang up and was about to say something but Mrs. MacArthur glared at her. Yumi sat back down. “She is not going to be accepted back into the school and the guards will be notified not to let her in but there is an issue with after school safety. Unfortunately I cannot give any of this information out to the school as she was acquitted and therefore in the eyes of the law, innocent. We can only remind the students to be safe around strangers and hope they have a guardian angel looking out for them.”
Yumi left with Ms. Stone “How could this happen?” Yumi said to her in a hushed but angry tone. “It was the evidence. You recorded the attempted murder in a bathroom which is illegal and that evidence was thrown out of court. We could have pushed harder but Brennan would have been put into the spotlight. Even if we did, all other evidence would be hearsay.” “Are you serious!? She tried to kill a man.” Ms. Stone stopped and gave her an angry look “I know and now I have to worry about whatever might happen next. I can only do so much though and that’s why I need YOU to do your best.”
Yumi swallowed hard. She was already thinking about how she was going to keep Brennan safe. “Make sure you stay safe out there yourself too.” Yumi looked at Ms. Stone. “She saw your face didn’t she? You might have her sniffing around you as well.” Her heart sank. She hadn’t thought about that. She could take her but what if something happens like she tries to get to her through Matt.
Just as she quickly pulled her phone out, Ms. Stone said “Just be careful about spreading the word. The school can get into hot water fast about this and your ex-boss might not like all the attention.” Yumi paused for a moment and thought. She said to Ms. Stone “I have to at least tell Brennan and Anna. This directly involves them.” Yumi texted Anna and Brennan immediately. It was not the greatest thing to wake up to.
There was a message from Brennan a little while later in the group chat Yumi was in with Brennan’s close friends. She hardly ever said anything in it but always wanted to be in the know. “EMERGENCY MEETING everyone try to make it to school early this morning!!!” Yumi sighed and thought . “He isn’t subtle in the slightest. Typical superstar.” Within a minute Blair responded. “Me and Matt are on our way.” Anna said she would take her a bit to get ready and get there. Wyatt was…. probably asleep still. Yumi did her rounds as quickly as she could so she could join them.
She checked the perimeter and made sure the main entrance was well guarded. Blair showed up with Brennan and Matt “Good you guys are here. Where's Wyatt?” Yumi said nervously. Brennan tried to reassure her. “It’s okay Yumi. He ALWAYS wakes up at the same time. It would be weirder if he responded.” “O-okay.” Blair asked “Where are we meeting?” Brennan answered, “Let's go to 4-B so we can talk privately.”
There was an eerie vibe being there so early in the morning. It was still dark and the school which was normally alive had a liminal feeling with the dead silence. Yumi opened the room and they sat in their normal seats. Brennan cleared his throat “Okay so how are we dealing with this.” Matt and Blair simultaneously said “Dealing with what?” Yumi answered “Heather was released from police custody last night.” Blair sprang up from her chair “WHAT?! They let that psycho bitch out!? How!?” Yumi sighed. “It’s my fault. It turns out you can’t film someone in a bathroom. That evidence was deemed unethical and thrown out.” Brennan's jaw dropped. Blair got angrier. “WHAT?!! THERE WAS ATTEMPTED MURDER ON THAT?!” “I know I don’t know how they overlooked that but the case couldn’t continue with so little evidence and anything else could have gotten me or Brennan in trouble.”Brennan slowly said. “So it’s MY fault. It was my idea not yours.”
Brennan had bet everything on getting Heather with one good trick but he didn’t know what to do now. He didn’t think she'd worm her way out of it and then put his friends in danger. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. It built up until he exploded. “Fuck… FUCK!” Brennan shouted. “She’s not coming HERE. Is she Yumi?” Matt asked. “No, the principal said as much but if she weaseled the courts she might weasel her way back into class given time.”
There was an uneasy air so tense you could cut it with a knife. Everyone was trying to think of what to do when everyone's phone sounded at the same time. It was Anna finally getting to the school. I’ll be right back, Yumi said. She went down stairs to get the distraught girl. Yumi explained the situation on the way. After leaving the multipurpose room they saw Blair and Anna waiting for them. Yumi started to rush over and Blair met her halfway. “Now is NOT the time to leave people alone guys. Why aren't you with Matt?” Blair sighed. “Because that guy is stubborn. That’s why I think you should go talk to him while we try to figure out what Heather is going to do next.” Yumi didn’t know what that meant but she ran into room 4-B. Inside was Matt on Yumi's desk with a flower dwarfing his little body.
Yumi was at a loss for words. Matt, seeing Yumi enter, pressed a button. Some soft music started playing. “So I know this is a bad time but I have a question for you.” Yumi's jaw dropped. “Are you serious! NOW!” Matt paused and waited. It was a calm and knowing pause. He waited to see if Yumi calmed down. “I want you to know I was planning on doing this today either way. Blair and I were going to set up more but I thought subtly was better. I’m not doing it because of Heather. I’m just not letting it get in my way. Would you like to go to the dance with me?”
Yumi didn’t want to answer. “Matt… I don’t… I don’t know if I should.” Matt sighed. “Yumi if YOU do not want to, that is fine. I just don’t want you to miss out on being normal again. You said the other day how much fun you were having being just a normal woman. Are you going to let Heather get in your way now? And don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t answer my question.” “Heather saw me. You could be in danger.” “More danger than already being best friends with the dude who got her arrested?” Yumi hadn’t thought of that. Wyatt and Matt might be in the crossfire.
Matt sighed. “I’m just saying now is the time to stick together. If you don’t want to, that is fine and I’ll accept it but I want you to look at me and tell me the truth. Would you like to go to the dance with me?” Yumi couldn’t lie. “Yes.” she said. Matt pressed the button again and celebratory music started playing. Anna and Brennan opened the door revealing they were eavesdropping on the whole thing. They cheered for their friends.
After some more talking they came to their conclusion. Yumi went over everything. “Alright, here's the plan. Brennan already has good security at his house in case of a situation where his identity got leaked so he is safe outside of school for the most part. You just can't go to your moms cafe. Matt, you and I will keep close if she tries to go after you. Blair can turn Heather into a pretzel. Wyatt, you keep helping Viktoria with her project so you should be good. The Buddy system is key. Every guy should be with a woman to protect them.”
Anna looked worried about the whole thing. “I’m sorry I got you all into this.” she said, starting to tear up a little. “Honestly I just don’t know what happened. I’ve been trying not to think about it for the past month or so. We were such good friends I still don’t know why she went crazy.” Yumi put her hand on Anna's shoulder. “Would you like to know? I looked into her after the incident.” Anna paused. “Y-yeah what happened.” Yumi recalled “She had been hiding that she had Borderline Personality Disorder. Basically it makes people act impulsive, reckless and erratic.”
Anna didn’t look very surprised. Heather had always been standoffish and could snap sometimes. She assumed SOMETHING had to be wrong but hiding something like that from her… for years probably. That was a little much. “The school is supposed to screen for mental illness too. Can’t have unstable people near the tiny men but somehow she got through. Presumably, Anna, you were like an anchor for her. Over time her condition probably worsened and the idea of you getting a boyfriend sent her over the edge.”
“So… it’s my fault.” Anna said. “No,” Yumi replied. “If it’s anyone's fault it’s Brennan.” “WHAT!?” Brennan said. “Sorry, that was a joke.” Yumi said. Matt snickered, Brennan relaxed and Anna cracked a small smile.
Yumi walked to school early in the morning. She showed up every morning before the wrestling team and helped with the school's security opening up the building. She didn’t mind the early mornings so much. It was surprisingly peaceful in the city. Due to the low population problem even the reused city infrastructure had a ghostly vibe to it. Many builds were made to be spacious but many were still mostly abandoned, even in the main cities. Yumi sometimes felt the ninja village where she grew up in was more concentrated than the cities with the need to be close to water and food.
Yumi did her usual check in at the front gate with Ms. Stone. She watched the gate as the other guards got ready and dressed. Yumi didn’t have to with her special status as a student guard. It had its perks. Being able to live a civilian life wearing normal clothes was a big one but not the one she was most thankful for. She pulled out her phone to check the time and saw her background picture of Matt. It was the ONE time she caught him off guard while watching a scary movie. She drank some hot tea from her thermos while waiting for the daily announcements. “Tomie Yumi, they’re asking for you in the office along with Stone.”
Yumi nodded and went to relieve Ms. Stone with the actual front guard. She was ever vigilant, always on the lookout for trouble and definitely looked like she could handle any type of it. There was an old school rumor that in her first year a gang of women invaded and tried to kidnap a bunch of the one centimeter tall male students. Ms. Stone stopped them but was shot TWICE in the process. In the end, all of the students were unharmed and of the seven kidnapers, only two left in police vehicles. The other five left in ambulances.
Yumi had heard the rumor quickly after starting her work and could tell just by looking Ms. Stone was a force to be reckoned with. The pair walked over to the main office and were let into Mrs. MacArthur's room. She always had an air of stress but today was another level. She had papers all over her desk as if she was trying to find something. “Yumi good you’re here, sit down.” Yumi did as she was told. “You are to keep an extra eye out for any kinds of disturbances after class in the next few weeks through the dance. Legally I cannot say any more you are dismissed. Anything you hear after this point will be considered eavesdropping. Understand? I am no longer talking to you.” Yumi looked confused but nodded. Mrs. MacArthur nodded at Ms. Stone.
“Ms. Stone, it appears Heather Chandler has been released from police custody.” Yumi sprang up and was about to say something but Mrs. MacArthur glared at her. Yumi sat back down. “She is not going to be accepted back into the school and the guards will be notified not to let her in but there is an issue with after school safety. Unfortunately I cannot give any of this information out to the school as she was acquitted and therefore in the eyes of the law, innocent. We can only remind the students to be safe around strangers and hope they have a guardian angel looking out for them.”
Yumi left with Ms. Stone “How could this happen?” Yumi said to her in a hushed but angry tone. “It was the evidence. You recorded the attempted murder in a bathroom which is illegal and that evidence was thrown out of court. We could have pushed harder but Brennan would have been put into the spotlight. Even if we did, all other evidence would be hearsay.” “Are you serious!? She tried to kill a man.” Ms. Stone stopped and gave her an angry look “I know and now I have to worry about whatever might happen next. I can only do so much though and that’s why I need YOU to do your best.”
Yumi swallowed hard. She was already thinking about how she was going to keep Brennan safe. “Make sure you stay safe out there yourself too.” Yumi looked at Ms. Stone. “She saw your face didn’t she? You might have her sniffing around you as well.” Her heart sank. She hadn’t thought about that. She could take her but what if something happens like she tries to get to her through Matt.
Just as she quickly pulled her phone out, Ms. Stone said “Just be careful about spreading the word. The school can get into hot water fast about this and your ex-boss might not like all the attention.” Yumi paused for a moment and thought. She said to Ms. Stone “I have to at least tell Brennan and Anna. This directly involves them.” Yumi texted Anna and Brennan immediately. It was not the greatest thing to wake up to.
There was a message from Brennan a little while later in the group chat Yumi was in with Brennan’s close friends. She hardly ever said anything in it but always wanted to be in the know. “EMERGENCY MEETING everyone try to make it to school early this morning!!!” Yumi sighed and thought . “He isn’t subtle in the slightest. Typical superstar.” Within a minute Blair responded. “Me and Matt are on our way.” Anna said she would take her a bit to get ready and get there. Wyatt was…. probably asleep still. Yumi did her rounds as quickly as she could so she could join them.
She checked the perimeter and made sure the main entrance was well guarded. Blair showed up with Brennan and Matt “Good you guys are here. Where's Wyatt?” Yumi said nervously. Brennan tried to reassure her. “It’s okay Yumi. He ALWAYS wakes up at the same time. It would be weirder if he responded.” “O-okay.” Blair asked “Where are we meeting?” Brennan answered, “Let's go to 4-B so we can talk privately.”
There was an eerie vibe being there so early in the morning. It was still dark and the school which was normally alive had a liminal feeling with the dead silence. Yumi opened the room and they sat in their normal seats. Brennan cleared his throat “Okay so how are we dealing with this.” Matt and Blair simultaneously said “Dealing with what?” Yumi answered “Heather was released from police custody last night.” Blair sprang up from her chair “WHAT?! They let that psycho bitch out!? How!?” Yumi sighed. “It’s my fault. It turns out you can’t film someone in a bathroom. That evidence was deemed unethical and thrown out.” Brennan's jaw dropped. Blair got angrier. “WHAT?!! THERE WAS ATTEMPTED MURDER ON THAT?!” “I know I don’t know how they overlooked that but the case couldn’t continue with so little evidence and anything else could have gotten me or Brennan in trouble.”Brennan slowly said. “So it’s MY fault. It was my idea not yours.”
Brennan had bet everything on getting Heather with one good trick but he didn’t know what to do now. He didn’t think she'd worm her way out of it and then put his friends in danger. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. It built up until he exploded. “Fuck… FUCK!” Brennan shouted. “She’s not coming HERE. Is she Yumi?” Matt asked. “No, the principal said as much but if she weaseled the courts she might weasel her way back into class given time.”
There was an uneasy air so tense you could cut it with a knife. Everyone was trying to think of what to do when everyone's phone sounded at the same time. It was Anna finally getting to the school. I’ll be right back, Yumi said. She went down stairs to get the distraught girl. Yumi explained the situation on the way. After leaving the multipurpose room they saw Blair and Anna waiting for them. Yumi started to rush over and Blair met her halfway. “Now is NOT the time to leave people alone guys. Why aren't you with Matt?” Blair sighed. “Because that guy is stubborn. That’s why I think you should go talk to him while we try to figure out what Heather is going to do next.” Yumi didn’t know what that meant but she ran into room 4-B. Inside was Matt on Yumi's desk with a flower dwarfing his little body.
Yumi was at a loss for words. Matt, seeing Yumi enter, pressed a button. Some soft music started playing. “So I know this is a bad time but I have a question for you.” Yumi's jaw dropped. “Are you serious! NOW!” Matt paused and waited. It was a calm and knowing pause. He waited to see if Yumi calmed down. “I want you to know I was planning on doing this today either way. Blair and I were going to set up more but I thought subtly was better. I’m not doing it because of Heather. I’m just not letting it get in my way. Would you like to go to the dance with me?”
Yumi didn’t want to answer. “Matt… I don’t… I don’t know if I should.” Matt sighed. “Yumi if YOU do not want to, that is fine. I just don’t want you to miss out on being normal again. You said the other day how much fun you were having being just a normal woman. Are you going to let Heather get in your way now? And don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t answer my question.” “Heather saw me. You could be in danger.” “More danger than already being best friends with the dude who got her arrested?” Yumi hadn’t thought of that. Wyatt and Matt might be in the crossfire.
Matt sighed. “I’m just saying now is the time to stick together. If you don’t want to, that is fine and I’ll accept it but I want you to look at me and tell me the truth. Would you like to go to the dance with me?” Yumi couldn’t lie. “Yes.” she said. Matt pressed the button again and celebratory music started playing. Anna and Brennan opened the door revealing they were eavesdropping on the whole thing. They cheered for their friends.
After some more talking they came to their conclusion. Yumi went over everything. “Alright, here's the plan. Brennan already has good security at his house in case of a situation where his identity got leaked so he is safe outside of school for the most part. You just can't go to your moms cafe. Matt, you and I will keep close if she tries to go after you. Blair can turn Heather into a pretzel. Wyatt, you keep helping Viktoria with her project so you should be good. The Buddy system is key. Every guy should be with a woman to protect them.”
Anna looked worried about the whole thing. “I’m sorry I got you all into this.” she said, starting to tear up a little. “Honestly I just don’t know what happened. I’ve been trying not to think about it for the past month or so. We were such good friends I still don’t know why she went crazy.” Yumi put her hand on Anna's shoulder. “Would you like to know? I looked into her after the incident.” Anna paused. “Y-yeah what happened.” Yumi recalled “She had been hiding that she had Borderline Personality Disorder. Basically it makes people act impulsive, reckless and erratic.”
Anna didn’t look very surprised. Heather had always been standoffish and could snap sometimes. She assumed SOMETHING had to be wrong but hiding something like that from her… for years probably. That was a little much. “The school is supposed to screen for mental illness too. Can’t have unstable people near the tiny men but somehow she got through. Presumably, Anna, you were like an anchor for her. Over time her condition probably worsened and the idea of you getting a boyfriend sent her over the edge.”
“So… it’s my fault.” Anna said. “No,” Yumi replied. “If it’s anyone's fault it’s Brennan.” “WHAT!?” Brennan said. “Sorry, that was a joke.” Yumi said. Matt snickered, Brennan relaxed and Anna cracked a small smile.
Itsy Bitsy Influencer 35: On the Loose
By insanity609 -- Report
some bad news
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