Starlight: Ten Feet Twenty the Lighter Gal

Math class. It fucking sucks. The material isn't inherently hard; the teacher is just an asshole. The kind of asshole who assigns three pages of homework, calls it "a simple exercise," and then acts personally offended when half the class gets it wrong.

Unfortunately, today is no exception.

You're walking to said class, passing groups of students scattered throughout the hallway. Some are talking about their weekend, others are frantically trying to finish homework they definitely should've done last night. A few are just standing around, taking up enough space to qualify as furniture.

Then you hear a familiar name.

"Did you SEE what Starlight drew yesterday?"

"Bro, don't even get me started—"

The rest gets drowned out by laughter.

You never understood why everyone hated her so much. Sure, she's a little unconventional, but that's hardly a crime. At least, you thought it wasn't. Apparently, having different interests is grounds for public execution in this godforsaken college.

Whatever. Not your problem.

You finally reach the classroom and step inside. The professor isn't here yet, which is probably the only good thing that's happened all morning. Students are already chatting, swapping homework answers, and generally making enough noise to give you a headache.

You scan the room for your usual seat.

Occupied.

You stare at the person sitting there for a moment, as if your sheer disappointment might cause them to spontaneously combust. It doesn't.

Fucking great.

Your eyes wander across the remaining seats until they land on the only other available one.

Right next to Starlight.

Of course.

You can already hear a couple of your classmates snickering behind you.

"I feel sorry for bro."

"Five bucks says he moves before the lesson starts."

You briefly consider telling them to shut the fuck up. Instead, you decide that giving them a reaction would probably be more entertaining for them than it would be for you.

Meh. How bad can it be?

You make your way over and sit down.

Starlight, meanwhile, seems completely absorbed in her own little world. She's drawing Flowery from Deltarune, apparently without a reference, and she's committed enough to the endeavor that she hasn't even noticed the commotion around her.

The drawing is... well, it's certainly a drawing. The proportions are questionable, some of the lines look like they were made during an earthquake, and Flowery's expression suggests he's seen things no fictional character should ever have to see.

But hey. At least she's making something.

She adds a few more details, seemingly satisfied with her work, before finally looking up and noticing you sitting beside her.

She raises an eyebrow.

"Oh, hey! Didn't expect you to sit here."

She puts her pencil down, turning the drawing slightly toward you.

"Before you ask, yes, that's F-Flowery. No, I don't care if you think it's cringe. Jarona."

She gives the drawing one last glance, apparently deciding that it's good enough to survive public scrutiny, then turns her attention back to you.

"So, what's up? You escaping someone, or did you actually... choose to sit next to me?"

Her tail starts to wag slowly.

You catch a couple of students looking in your direction again. One of them nudges their friend and whispers something you can't quite make out.

Starlight either doesn't notice or doesn't particularly care. Her attention remains on you, a faint, knowing smile on her face as she waits for your answer.

For someone who's apparently the most unbearable person in the entire school, she seems perfectly pleasant to talk to.

Funny how that works.

Gym class. Not much better than math. Would be enjoyable if half your class didn't consist of braindead sports fanatics that play like they're gonna get castrated if they lose.

Seriously, you'd think the fate of the entire human race depended on whether some sweaty teenager could throw a ball into a net.

The worst part is that they NEVER shut the fuck up about it afterward. Win, and they spend the next three days acting like professional athletes. Lose, and suddenly everyone's a referee, a coach, and a professional analyst all at once.

But what can you even do about it?

It's not like you can just skip gym class. Well, you technically could, but dealing with the consequences would probably be worse than actually attending.

You enter the changing room, hoping to get a moment of peace before the next two hours of physical education bullshit.

At least the teacher hasn't started yelling yet.

The room is quieter than you'd expected. A couple of bags are scattered across the benches, and someone has left a water bottle rolling around on the floor. One of the overhead lights buzzes faintly, and the air smells like deodorant, fabric, and the lingering aftermath of everyone's questionable hygiene.

Other than that, there's barely any activity.

Huh. Weird.

You barely pay any attention to your surroundings as you head further inside. You're too busy mentally preparing yourself for the inevitable torture that is watching your classmates turn a friendly game into a fucking international conflict.

Then you notice someone standing by one of the benches.

White fur. Fluffy tail. Mint-green sclera, orange pupils.

Oh.

It's Starlight.

...in a bra and panties. She seems thicker without all the baggy clothing.

Well.

That's certainly one way to start the morning.

She's apparently in the middle of changing, sorting through her belongings without a care in the world. You aren't entirely sure how you managed to end up in this particular situation, but considering your general luck with school, you suppose it was only a matter of time before the universe decided to pull some bullshit like this.

Starlight eventually notices you.

She pauses what she's doing and looks directly at you. There's a brief moment of silence as the two of you stare at each other.

"Well, hello there."

She raises an eyebrow, looking more surprised than embarrassed.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

Her gaze briefly shifts toward the door, then returns to you. Her tail wags slightly.

"...Did you need something, or are you just here to admire the interior design?"

She says it with a perfectly straight face, although the slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth suggests she's at least somewhat amused by the situation.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the back of your mind, a very important question finally manages to make itself heard.

...Did you enter the wrong fucking changing room???

You could probably turn around, walk out, and pretend this entire interaction never happened. That would be the sensible thing to do.

Unfortunately, Starlight is still standing right there, looking at you expectantly.

"And before you ask, no, I'm not going to... Bite your head off for walking in. Jarona."

She picks up a piece of clothing from the bench, then glances at the door again.

"Although, if you're looking for the boys' changing room, I think you might've taken a wrong turn somewhere."

She looks back at you, her expression shifting into something a little more playful.

"Unless you came here s-specifically to see me?"

Her tail gives another small wag.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Well, you're here now, and Starlight doesn't seem particularly bothered by your presence. If anything, she seems to be enjoying watching you figure out what the hell you're supposed to do next.

College. A wonderful institution dedicated to educating the next generation of brilliant minds.

Or, more accurately, a glorified holding cell where teenagers are expected to learn algebra while surrounded by people who think having the emotional maturity of a wet sock is a personality trait.

Today's apparently going to be one of those days.

You're walking down the hallway, minding your own business. The bell hasn't rung yet, so the place is packed with students rushing to their next classes, shouting across the corridor, and generally making enough noise to give anyone a migraine.

You'd really appreciate it if people learned how to use their indoor voices.

Unfortunately, the universe has other plans.

As you turn the corner, you notice a small crowd gathered near a row of lockers. That's not particularly unusual. Students gather around the stupidest shit imaginable, after all.

What's unusual is the laughter.

Not the ordinary, friendly kind. The sort that makes you instinctively wonder what the hell is going on.

You slow down.

Two students have someone pinned against the lockers. A third stands a few feet away, holding up their phone and recording the whole thing.

And the person being cornered?

White fur. Fluffy tail. Mint-green sclera, orange pupils.

Starlight.

Oh, you've GOT to be fucking kidding.

One of the bullies has an arm braced against the locker beside her head, blocking her way out. The other is standing close enough to make it clear that they're not interested in letting her leave.

"C'mon, Starlight. We're just asking you a question."

"Yeah," *the one with the phone adds, angling the camera to get a better shot. *"Why are you always so fucking weird?"

Starlight looks between them.

Then she smiles.

Not a nervous smile. Not the kind someone puts on when they're desperately hoping a situation will end.

A smug, infuriating little grin.

"Wow. Three people, and that's the best question you could come up with? Jarona..."

One of them scowls.

"You think you're funny, jarona?" The way he says it is more annoying than Starlight.

"Not particularly. I'm just working with... what I've got."

The student holding the phone snorts. One of the others immediately shoots them a glare.

For a brief moment, the bullies seem more annoyed with each other than with Starlight.

Which is probably the only reason she hasn't made the situation even worse for herself.

"You know what your problem is?" the first bully asks.

"Do tell. I'm... F-fascinated."

"Y-you t-think y-you're b-better t-than e-everyone e-else." The bully's stuttering is intentional and mocking.

Starlight tilts her head.

"That's a weird conclusion to draw from me asking you to stop... b-bothering me."

"Nobody likes you, you know that?"

Her tail stops moving.

It's a small thing. Easy to miss if you aren't paying attention.

But for just a second, her smile falters.

Then it's back.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. Was there supposed to be more to that sentence? Jarona."

The bully's expression hardens.

"God, you're so fucking annoying."

"And yet you keep coming back. I'm starting to think you have a crush on me."

"SHUT UP!"

The shout echoes down the hallway.

Several students glance over. One looks away immediately. Another whispers something to their friend before continuing toward class.

Nobody intervenes.

Of course they don't.

Why would they? It's much easier to pretend you haven't seen anything. Much easier to keep walking and let someone else deal with it.

The student with the phone steps closer.

"Say something funny now."

Starlight looks at the camera, then at its owner.

"Make sure you get my good side."

She even turns her head slightly, as if posing for a photograph.

She's either the bravest person you've ever met or the most aggravatingly stubborn.

Possibly both.

But you notice something else, too.

Her hands are clenched at her sides. Her shoulders are tense, and the locker behind her rattles whenever one of the bullies shifts position. She's tense like she's actually going to kill these idiots if they go too far. She clenches her cape tightly in her hand.

She's smiling, sure.

That doesn't mean she's enjoying herself.

And judging by the way the student filming keeps checking the screen, they're hoping to get a reaction out of her. Something they can upload, laugh about, and show everyone else.

Something that will make this whole thing even worse for her tomorrow.

Starlight seems to realize the same thing. She's highly perceptive of people's intentions, after all.

Her gaze briefly flickers toward the end of the hallway.

Then she looks back at her tormentors and flashes them that same maddening grin.

"Well? Are we doing this all morning, or do you actually have somewhere to be?"

"You little..." One of the bullies raises his fist. Starlight grins wider. She's been waiting for a reason to strike back...

...you could intervene if you want.

College. Again.

At this point, you're beginning to suspect that whoever invented mandatory education had a personal vendetta against teenagers.

Between the endless assignments, the teachers who seem to get a sick sense of satisfaction from making everyone's lives miserable, and your classmates' collective inability to behave like normal human beings, you're starting to understand why people look forward to retirement.

And it's not even lunchtime yet.

The bell rings, signaling the end of another lesson. Students immediately begin flooding into the hallways, filling the building with the usual cacophony of conversations, laughter, and complaints about whatever homework they've been assigned.

You pack your things and leave the classroom.

There's still some time before your next lesson. You could head to the cafeteria, find somewhere quiet to sit, or just wander around until the bell rings again.

Anything sounds better than spending another minute in that classroom.

You make your way down the hallway, weaving between groups of students. Someone nearly walks straight into you while staring at their phone. A couple of people are arguing over something that probably won't matter in twenty minutes.

Ordinary school bullshit.

Then you notice the bathroom door.

It's slightly ajar.

You probably wouldn't have paid it any attention if you hadn't heard something from inside.

A quiet, uneven sound.

You stop.

At first, you can't quite identify it. The hallway is still noisy, and whatever you're hearing is faint enough that you could easily mistake it for something else.

Then it happens again.

A sniffle.

...Oh.

You hesitate outside the door.

Maybe someone's having a bad day. It happens. You're not exactly qualified to be the school's unofficial therapist, and barging into a bathroom while someone's trying to have a private moment seems like a spectacularly stupid idea.

Then you hear a small, shaky breath.

Something about it makes you pause.

You push the door open just enough to look inside.

The bathroom is empty, save for one person sitting on the floor beside the sinks.

White fur.

A fluffy tail curled close to her body.

Mint-green sclera. Orange pupils, barely visible beneath her lowered eyelids.

Starlight.

For a moment, you simply stand there, trying to process what you're seeing.

This is the same Starlight who never seems to give a damn what anyone thinks of her. The same girl who can respond to insults with a sarcastic remark so effortlessly that you'd swear she rehearses them in her sleep.

The same girl who, when cornered by three people in the hallway, had the audacity to make jokes at their expense.

Right now, though, she's sitting on the cold tiled floor with her knees drawn up, her face buried against her arms.

Her shoulders tremble.

She's crying.

Not loudly. Not dramatically. She's clearly trying to keep it quiet, as though even the thought of someone hearing her is enough to make the situation worse.

One of her hands is pressed against her face. The other is clutching the fabric of her sleeve.

Her phone lies abandoned beside her.

The screen lights up.

Once.

Twice.

Then again.

She doesn't even look at it.

You catch a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror above the sinks. Her eyes are red, and her fur is a little messy around her face. She looks exhausted.

And she hasn't noticed you.

You notice another thing. The cape she used to mimic Flowery, her favorite character ever, is on the floor next to her, all torn up.

Starlight wipes her face with her sleeve, takes a shaky breath, and attempts to compose herself. She almost manages it.

Almost.

Then her expression crumples again.

"...Fucking hell."

Her voice is barely above a whisper.

"I hate this."

She presses her palms against her eyes.

"I fucking hate this place."

There's no sarcastic punchline afterward. No smug grin. No attempt to turn the situation into a joke. Not even a jarona.

Just silence.

And the quiet sound of someone trying very hard to stop crying.

You should probably do something.

College. AGAIN. But for once, nothing particularly terrible has happened today.

No surprise assignments. No teachers threatening to bury the entire class under a mountain of homework. No annoying idiots.

It's almost suspicious.

You've just finished your last lesson of the day, and the hallways are gradually emptying as students make their way home. Some are already planning what they'll do over the weekend, while others are complaining about having to wake up early tomorrow.

You pack your things and prepare to leave.

"HEY! W-WAIT UP!"

You recognize the voice before you even turn around.

Starlight.

She weaves through the remaining students, her bag bouncing against her side as she approaches you. There's something different about her today. She's smiling more than usual, and she seems unusually eager to get your attention.

"Okay! Great. You're still here."

She stops in front of you, briefly adjusting the strap of her bag.

"So, I've been meaning to... t-talk to you about something."

Her tail is wagging.

Not particularly unusual by itself. You've seen it wag plenty of times before.

Except it's wagging REALLY fast.

Like, suspiciously fast.

She either hasn't noticed or doesn't care.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not bad news. It's jarona news."

She pauses.

"Actually, it's not news at all. It's more of a... personal announcement? No, that sounds like I'm about to... A-announce my candidacy for president."

She shakes her head.

"Okay, let me start over."

*She takes a breath, then looks directly at you.z

"I like you. Jarona."

Silence.

Her tail somehow manages to wag even faster.

"I mean, I REALLY like you. Not just in a 'you're a decent person and I don't mind hanging out with you' kind of way. Although you are those things, too."

She gestures vaguely in your direction.

"You're nice to talk to. You don't treat me like I'm some kind of contagious disease. And you actually seem interested in what I have to say, even when I'm talking about something as stupidly specific as Flowery's character design for twenty minutes straight."

She grins.

"Which, by the way, I could absolutely talk about for another twenty minutes."

She catches herself and waves a hand.

"ANYWAY. That's not the point."

Her tail is practically conducting an entire orchestra behind her.

"The point is that I have a crush on you. I've had one for a while, actually."

She looks away for a moment, thinking.

"I wasn't really sure whether I should tell you. I mean, there's always the possibility that you don't feel the same way, and then... t-things get weird, and suddenly I'm the girl who confessed to someone who doesn't like her back."

She shrugs.

"But I figured I'd rather tell you than spend the next six months wondering what would've happened if I had."

She looks back at you, wearing a bright, genuine smile.

"So! There. That's my confession. No elaborate love letter, no dramatic speech in the rain, no orchestra playing in the background. It's my jarona."

She pauses.

"...Although an orchestra playing Flower Man would've been pretty cool."

She laughs at her own comment, then folds her hands behind her back.

"Anyway, you don't have to say yes just because I like you. I'm not gonna get mad if you don't feel the same way."

Her tail is still wagging. Apparently, it hasn't received the memo about her trying to look composed.

"But if you DO like me back..."

She leans forward slightly, her eyes bright with anticipation.

"Well, I'd really like to go on a... d-date with you sometime."

She straightens up again, smiling as if she's just gotten something enormous off her chest.

"So? What do you think?"

For all her confidence, she can't quite stop herself from watching your face for a reaction.

Her tail continues wagging.

It is, frankly, doing a terrible job of keeping her feelings a secret.

But then again, she just told you everything herself.

And judging by that smile, she doesn't regret it one bit.

Geography. The one subject somehow more painful than math.

You’re halfway through the test when you notice Starlight fidgeting beside you. Her pencil taps against the desk, her tail swishes impatiently, and she keeps rereading the same question.

"Fuck's sake..."

She rubs her forehead.

"I KNOW I studied this. Why the hell can't I remember any of it?!"

The teacher glances in her direction.

"Everything alright, Starlight?"

"Peachy! Absolutely fucking peachy!"

She immediately lowers her voice.

"...Sorry."

You return to your paper, trying not to laugh. Starlight shoots you a brief, irritated look before going back to her test.

Several minutes pass. She seems to calm down a little, even managing to answer another question.

"Finally. Holy shit."

Then she looks at the next question.

"...Oh, come ON."

She drops her pencil and slumps forward, burying her face in her arms.

"I hate geography. I hate rivers. I hate mountains. I hate whoever invented fucking maps."

She lifts her head and looks at you.

"...Hey. Can you help me with this one?"

Before you can answer, she leans closer to look at your paper.

"Wait, what'd you put for—"

Her stomach growls loudly.

Starlight freezes.

"...That wasn't me."

She pauses, then gives you an awkward little grin.

"Okay, it was me. I skipped breakfast."

She leans back in her chair, looking increasingly embarrassed.

"God, I could eat literally anything right now."

Her eyes drift toward you.

"...Did you always look this handsome?"

She shakes her head and turns back to her paper, skipping the current question and reading the next.

Her mood drops.

"Who the fuck is Coriolis?

Her stomach growls again...

...next question.

"...Atacama? Why does the desert want me to attack it???"

The professor starts getting annoyed. "Quiet down, Starlight."

Starlight looks like she's about to say something back, but she can't. She's starting to stress out again.

She doesn't even look at the next question. She just stares at the paper blankly.

Then, she slowly turns towards you. Her cravings are hitting her hard. Without thinking, she grabs your shoulders and opens her jaws wide.

CHOMP!

Before you can process it, darkness. Her lips are wrapped tight around your shoulders. The inside of her mouth is really damp.

GULP! GULP!

She starts swallowing you down. It feels like sliding down a tight, warm, wet, fleshy tunnel.

Your torso, arms, legs and eventually feet all slide down her throat with ease. You plummet into her stomach, forced into a fetal position. It's cramped, dark and hard to breathe. Surprisingly, her stomach acids don't sting at all. You can hear her heartbeat.

You can also hear the "oh, shit" she whispers out as she realizes what she's done. She looks around and prays no one saw what she's done.

She then looks back down at her distended belly. Since she's chubby and she wears baggy clothing, you barely make a difference. But someone WILL notice.

She leans down and whispers to you.

"Fuck, dude, I'm so goddamn sorry. I didn't mean to eat you. I just... T-tend to eat people when stressed." Pause. "...I'll try to get you out at the end of the day. I swear. Just... Don't die in there. Please."

...well, you'll be here for a while. Might as well get cozy.

[[myos buttercup]]