#reader x python fe

Python

Python tried as his best to read the message displayed on your screen as objectively as he could. He didn’t know your childhood best friend personally so there was hesitation on his end to say anything negative about them. He glanced at you sitting on the bleachers, then returned his focus on message.

—

You: sent an image

You: BESH! BESH! remember that competition I joined??? the writer’s thingy! well I WON. i thought i’d get an honorary mention but i got first place!

Their response came after thirty minutes

Besh<3: oh that’s great congrats

—

A bit dry, even for him, but he wasn’t about to jump to conclusions. You on the other hand rode that overthinking train hard and fast. More tears started streaming down your face, your sleeves could barely keep up with their flow.

“Maybe I’m overthinking things. I just I don’t know…” you managed to say through the stream of tears. “Ya expected a different reaction?” you nodded at his input.

He rubbed the back of his neck, he hated seeing you cry, double this time around since that writer’s competition meant a lot to you. Python witnessed how much effort you put into your submission, you even asked him to read it. You had talent, he’d told you time and time again but you always second guessed yourself.

Getting you to join the competition was a collective effort from him, Forsyth, Lukas, and your best friend, so even he was stumped with their flat reaction. He handed your phone back and pulled out a few more tissues, wiping your tears with them. “Geez sunshine, I ain’t gonna pretend I know what’s up with your bestie.” He sat himself right beside you on the bleachers, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Maybe you could ask them later? Get their side of the story first, I get that this stings. This is your big win and you wanna celebrate it with them.”

“Am I being selfish? I want them to be happy with me, for me. Maybe I’m asking too much? Maybe… my win means nothing…”

“Hey.” You turned your attention to him, more tears streaming down your face. Python reached out and wiped  away the waterworks as best he could while a sigh escaped his lips. “You worked your butt off for that piece, its your time to shine, and shine you did. A victory party is in order, enjoy yourself, easier said than done given the situation but sunshine… don’t let one person rain on your parade m’kay?” he opened his arms slightly, motioning if you wanted a hug. You went in for a quick side hug then pulled away. “Sunshine…” he lightly tapped his knee against yours a few times “I ain’t the best stand-in for your best friend but I’m here for you. We could grab a bite to eat after class. Let’s drag Fors and Lukas into our little celebration if you’re up to it eh? Whaddya say?” he tapped his knee against your while wiggling his eye brows at you.

Hard to refuse that offer, seeing how much effort Python put into cheering you up. Your schoolmate always looked overworked and tired, a bit grumpy too. Like if you wasted his time he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you off but after getting to know him, he really did care about his friends and was supportive in his own special way. “A little party sounds like a great idea Py…” talking to him lifted some of the anxiety and sadness you were feeling, its nice to be reminded that there are other people out there who are rooting for you.

—

Later that night, after the victory party, you followed Python’s advice and calmly messaged your best friend.

You: hey besh, i want to talk to you about something , its been on my mind for awhile

It took a while for them to respond

Besh<3: what about?

You: remember when I texted you about my win? i don’t want to sound demanding but i just want to be honest. i was kinda disappointed with your response. kinda expecting you to be happier for me but something tells me you have something on your mind… you wouldn’t reply like that to me.

Besh<3: …

Besh<3: oh besh… i just didn’t want to ruin your moment. i really am happy for your win but a lot of things happened around the time you messaged me.

You: hey… talk to me okay? what’s going on?

Besh<3: well… we rushed Gouda to the vet cause he just refused to eat anything

Now that made sense, Gouda was their cat they’d had for as long as you could remember, no wonder they weren’t as enthusiastic.

Besh<3: vet said it could be old age and we might have to put him down

Besh<3: i really wanted to be happy for you. i’m so sorry, i should’ve tried to be happy for you. please forgive me…

You: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?

You: OMG BESH, Gouda is  family! No! No! don’t apologize, you had a lot going on. i should apologize for not checking up on you first

Besh<3: i’m sorry…

You: i’m sorry too… i felt like something was off with your message but i went ahead and started overthinking things

Besh<3: i don’t want to play blame games besh but i am happy you opened up to me about your feelings. this could’ve been avoided if i’d been more open about what was going on my end

Besh<3: i just want you to know i’m so happy for you

Besh<3: you worked hard on that and you deserve first place

You: ;A; BBBBBEEEEEEEEESSSSSH!!!! i’m sorry for not checking up on you first

You: i want to give you a hug so bad right now! is it alright to ask about Gouda? its totally fine if you don’t want to talk about him. wanna FaceTime? i’m here for you okay, need to cry it out over the phone id gladly listen okay?

They FaceTimed you, you both had a good cry and talked for over an hour. That call made you feel a lot better and they promised to keep you updated on Gouda’s condition.

—

AAAsunshine: hey py-py thanks for cheering me up. talked to my bestie, they had some stuff going on but we sorted it out

mightyanaconda: glad to hear it sunshine and happy to help

AAAsunshine: ill see you at school tomorrow, night cobra

mightyanaconda: ugh… i have to see your face again tomorrow??

mightyanaconda: JK

mightyanaconda: ait see ya and sweet dreams sunshine 😘

mightyanaconda: btw just wanna say this. congrats on your win sunshine. ya worked hard and you deserve the win m’kay? yar a winner sunshine

AAAsunshine: ooooh praise from you??

mightyanaconda: heh savour it, praise from me is worth more than bitcoin 😎

AAAsunshine: 😒😒😒

AAAsunshine: wow such praise much wow. anyways, thanks again cottonmouth. night night

mightyanaconda: happy to serve… i guess. Sweet dreams 😉😘

Forsyth

Fosryth couldn’t have been happier for you, while you didn’t win the school talent show both the Glee club and Chorale group were battling it out to convince you to join either of them. All you wanted to do in that moment was to savour your accomplishment. Stage performance had always given you anxiety but their was this desire in you to perform as well. Fosryth, your sister, Lukas, and even Python had advised you to give it a shot, you had talent after all and that was worth sharing with the world.

You couldn’t help but smile at both the Glee and Chorale leaders but “I’ll have to think about it” was your response to their passionate invitations, Forsyth had to politely ask them to leave after they’d begun heckling you once more.

Once your “recruiters” left you poked Forsyth on the cheek “Thank you Fors.” You said in a sing-song manner, he came in for a big hug “Congratulations! I haven’t the clue why you didn’t win first place!! But you were amazing on stage!” he released you and took the guitar case from you.

“Oh you exaggerate! But I’m glad that’s over with, it wasn’t so bad.” You giggled to yourself “I might even try it again.”

You could feel Forsyth beaming with excitement “If that’s the case, the next time we have school event and in need of an intermission number you’ll be first on the list! I promise that! Why I’ll even plan more school events so you can perform more!!” he balled his fist in excitement. Without skipping a beat Forsyth changed the direction of the conversation “Oh! Do you want to stop by the café before going home? Just a small celebration, I know you must be tired but I’d really like to celebrate…” he paused for a bit, a very faint blush painting his cheeks ”… This with you.” He finished his sentence sheepishly

Either you were too dense or didn’t want to color Forsyth’s thoughtfulness. He treated everyone cordially and was always happy to help so you had assumed he was this nice to everyone. You felt your phone buzz in your pocket, making you focus elsewhere.

—

mightyanaconda: sent a video

mightyanaconda: here’s a short video of your number bubbles, its got all the good bits in it

mightyanaconda: if ya want the full vid let me know

bubz: thank you python~

—

Your sister had always been your supporter ever since you were children. She wasn’t musically gifted herself so when you picked up singing and guitar, she backed you up by 2000%. That video would thrill her

You: sent a video

You: hey sis eat your heart out, your younger sibling’s a star!!

Focusing your attention back on Forsyth who’d been waiting patiently for your response, he gripped the handle of your guitar case nervously “I’m so sorry Forsyth.” you rubbed his arm “Python just send me the vid. I just had to send off to my sister right away about the café thing, I’d love to but don’t you want to drop off the guitar case at my place first?”

“Oh oh! Don’t you worry about me! I can carry this around.” He lifted the case like a dump bell. You silently admired how he had just flexed his rather toned arms at you but you more worried about accidentally breaking the guitar.

“I’m sure you’ve lifted heavier things Fors but I’d like to keep that as safe as possible? Minimize chances of damage.” He turned beet red. “I didn’t mean to-! Your things are important and I’d want to avoid anything that would damage-“ you pressed two finger on his lips “I get it Forsyth, its fine.” You smiled to reassure him

—

You set your case at the corner of your apartment’s living room and decided to check your phone as you made your exit. “Weird.” You thought, your sister had seen your message but no response came. Was your performance so dazzling that it left her speechless? You were sure the green haired bouncing ball of energy outside would agree but something about this didn’t settle well with you. Flipping through your contacts, you dialed your sister’s home phone right away but there was no answer. Your face began to dark as you stepped out the door, greeting Forsyth with a serious expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“Maybe I’m just overthinking things but she hasn’t responded to me, I wonder if she’s okay?”

“Your sister I take it?” you nodded in response while you gave her cellphone a ring. Your call went straight to voice mail that prompted you to give her a call a few more times. After six called she finally picked up

“What do you want?” that’s not the greeting you had hoped for, she sounded really irritated

“Uh…” there was a negative vibe that seeped through the call but you tried your best to remain chipper “I sent you the video of my number for the talent show. I did it! Finally –“ you heard an exasperated sigh from the other side, stopping you from saying anything else.

“Look… you picked a really bad time. I’m just not in the mood right now okay?” that broke your heart, you were expecting her to be happier and excited like Forsyth but that wasn’t the case. Sadness and disappointed slowly began turning into mild anger.

“I don’t get you… you’ve been pushing me to do this since we were kids and now you just…”

She cut you off with another sigh that was much louder “I told you now is a bad time okay? Just leave me alone for a bit okay!?” and with that your sister hung up.

Forsyth tried his best to fish out his tissues to catch your falling tears but you’d already started crying a river.

—

He wasn’t sure how to comfort you, he had no words and he was careful not to say anything mean or negative about your sibling. The only thing he could offer you was a hug and you clung to him, crying it out into his shoulder.

“I shouldn’t be this upset!” you were a blubbering mess “Its just a stupid performance, I’m blowing it out of proportion like a spoiled brat!!”

“Its understandable that you’d be upset. Your performance is NOT stupid or unworthy of praise! Don’t discredit yourself like that!” he hugged you even tighter, he could feel you getting hiccups from crying so much.

You pulled away, wiping both tears and snot off your face with another tissue. Your living was now littered with used tissues and another one was added to the pile “Was it wrong for me to expect her to be happy for me?”

“NO!” he shook his head furiously “I don’t know what’s going on with your sister but…” he took a long pause to gather his thoughts “You were amazing while you were performing. You’ve got both the talent and the passion for it, it really shows. The way you put so much effort when you practice and the emotion your voice carries when you sing. A voice like that should be shared with the world if you ask me so I’m really happy you went ahead and performed in spite of your nervousness. I’m really, truly proud of you.” He hugged you again, it was warm, sincere, and comforting. “I’ll… always be one of your adoring fans.”

Forsyth realized how over the top and mushy what he just said was, his face burned. “I-I-I know what else we can do to help you feel better! We never got to go to café, I’ll step out for a bit and grab some food there! I’ll come back of course!” he quickly let you go, grabbed his jacket and made a mad dash for the door. He was redder than a tomato, heart drumming rapidly against his chest.

—

You had very little time to process what had just happened, right on cue your phone started buzzing. You checked the screen and saw your sister’s name, you took a deep breath before answering the call.

“He-hello?”

“Hey… I’m really sorry about earlier. You could tell I was angry but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

You felt the tears well up once more “I should’ve been more sensitive to you, I could tell by your voice you weren’t in the mood, should’ve just given you sometime and talked to you once you were ready.”

“Nope kiddo, this is all on me. I suck at being your number 1 fan but I’m proud of you. You’ve moved on from singing on top of the bed to singing on an actual stage.” That was fond childhood memory, you both would pretend your parents’ bed was a stage or stadium, and you lip sync to your favourite songs while your sister pretended to be a fan in the crowd. “I watched the video, its not the full video so you better send me that so I can put that on repeat! You did an even better job at the song than the original artist! Can I put it on my tiktok and make you famous?” you could tell she was doing her best to make up for her outburst a while ago.

“Aw c’mon that’s laying it on too thick.” You breathed in deeply as you held the phone closer to your ear “Hey… I am worried about you, you know that right? So what’s up on your end?” you heard her scoff on the other side

“Don’t worry about that for now, I’ll fill you in later. I don’t want to think about anything negative and just want to celebrate this with you!” a beat passed “Also… I’m really curious who that green haired guy is in the video… your boyfriend? When did you learn to keep juicy secrets from me?”

Boyfriend? Green hair? Only Forsyth came to mind and then the memory of him holding you close and getting all sappy a while ago rushed through head. A hot blush raged across your face “He-HE isn’t my boyfriend!” you managed to sputter out

“Hohoho! He seems quite taken by you!” the relentless teasing continued

“What makes you say that?!” you tried to fan yourself to calm down the blush.

“Seriously? You saw the video right?”

Actually, you hadn’t watched the video of your performance. You swiped out from the call and checked the video Python had sent you. It started normal enough, you in frame, the video would cut out to a different portion of your performance but one segment really stood out. Who would’ve guessed that Python would mischievously add a clip of his best friend gushing about you.

“Oh…” you heard Forsyth sigh affectionately in the video “They sound like an angel Python. I can’t take my eyes off them… I could watch and listen to them all day and night…” the video transitioned back to you on stage.

You could hear your sister making kissy sounds on the other side of the line while laughing hard. Embarrassed beyond reason, you tried your best to clear things up with your sister. Forsyth could come back any minute with the food and you didn’t want to get caught talking about him. Your sister continued to tease you and ask you to call her back once you were done with your “date”. Circumstance must’ve been playing tricks on you, Forsyth so conveniently returned at that moment with food.

“Hoh? You left the door unlocked? I’ve returned with food though, sorry I took so long. I passed by another shop and bought you something from there as well.” You could hear your sister cackling maniacally before hanging up. Keeping calm after seeing the video was going to be challenge but you managed to have a small food party and update Forsyth that you and your sister were okay now. As it was getting late, he said he’d have to go but not before giving you one last hug. You bonked yourself on the head for being so oblivious to the possibility of him having feelings for you.

—

Superman: Happy to announce I’ve made it back home!  I’m glad I was able to cheer you up even a little bit. I’m even happier to hear you’ve spoken to your sister. 

You: Glad you’re home safe! Thanks Forsyth, I’d probably be sulking all night long if it wasn’t for you

Superman: I’d do anything to cheer you up. I’ll even act like a clown if it means putting a smile on your face!

You: Don’t over do it green bean.

You: Oh, I spoke with my sister. Apparently, she lost her job that’s why she was all bummed out.

Superman: !!!

Superman: Maybe I could help her out with job hunting? Although my contacts are from around our area, is she particular about the location?

You: Thanks Fors but my sis has a plan and sent her resume to several prospective employers. I appreciate the effort and concern though

Superman: Well anything to help you out

Superman: I mean anything to help someone in need out

You: I’m heading in for the night. Forsyth, thank you so much for being there for me, you’re the sweetest and the best. Night night. 😙

Superman: 😳

Superman: Sleep well and sweet dreams, can’t wait to see you tomorrow!

Superman: UH I mean, its always great to see you because I know you’re okay and not sick… and… and

Superman: You know what… I’ll just stop talking… Good night.

Lukas

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” Lukas gave you a gentle smile “I read your paper, your passion and grasp of the topic shined through. Professor Evans echoes my opinion, you wrote an excellent paper.” You couldn’t help but stare at the post-it your professor stuck on your hard copy.

“Your final research summary paper was an excellent application of all the concepts we’ve learned in class. I want to congratulate you on your effort and dedication, you’ve earned the A+ and, if you’d allow me, I’d like to add your work to a journal I’m working on. You will be fully credited of course, its just my personal collection of student’s work.”

You’d lost count at how many times you’d re-read the note, how many times you’d replayed the commendations. The high you were feeling was difficult to complain and you found yourself tugging Lukas’ sleeve “You helped me too! You proofread my drafts and pointed out areas of improvement. Professor also commended your paper!” he shook his head in response

“My input was probably only worth two-percent of your mark, everything else was your hard work. With that being said our A’s could only mean we’ve passed the course with flying colours.”

“That calls for a celebration! So another coffee party or…” you fished out your phone and hurriedly looked up something up “Do you want to try this place out?” he inched closer to you to look at your screen “This place has started selling coffee jelly but they’ve got other items on the menu.”

His eyes perked up at the word “coffee”, his favourite “drug” of choice “I do like the sound of that, I’ll just drop off something at the learning center and we can head out. I believe you don’t have anymore classes for the day?” you gave him a thumbs up in response and told him you’d wait for him outside the school. Perfect opportunity for you to text your cousin about your “little” academic victory. You’d always been close with your cousin, granted that you grew up together. Both of you lived in the same area, so you’d alternate sleepover parties in each other’s houses. For college though, you’d gone to different institutions, you’re cousin chose a place in your hometown while you went to a busier city’s university. Though you’d gone different paths, you still texted each other almost everyday

—

YouAbu: Cuz! I got an A+ on my final psych paper! When I visit for break you better treat me to pizza!

kingkong: What’s new? You’ve always been the smarter one so that isn’t news to me heh 😜

YouAbu: LOL What’s with that? You can’t weasel your way out of treating me with pizza!

kingkong: uh 🤨 why would I reward something that comes naturally to you? Learn to drive stick then come back to me xD

YouAbu: whatever 😒… you owe me pizza🍕🍕

—

What was that about? Everything your cousin said just irritated you for some reason. Granted they always had a certain “edge”, as you would describe it, in the way they talked that didn’t really bother you because you’d gotten used to it through the years. But something about this situation coupled with what they said irritated you.

—

Lukas was far too preoccupied trying to read your mood than enjoy his coffee jelly. He watched as you playing with the metal straw in your mouth as you drummed your fingers on the table. He cleared his throat to break the silence “Something’s bothering you I take it, I’m all ears if you’re willing to share.”

Pushing the metal straw away with your lips as you let out a dry laugh “Last time I checked I’m the one studying therapy…” he quirked an eyebrow at your response but continued to observe you, the way Lukas would look at other people, it always seemed like he was putting others under a microscope. You’d grown used to that habit of his, you didn’t find it off putting at all. “Have you told your family about you’re A?” you quickly changed the subject

“I doubt they’d care. You know my older brother wants nothing to with me, my father on the other hand would simply respond with something along the lines of getting good marks are what’s expected of me.” He gave a smile, the kind that was all show, the kind that masks something underneath.

You could relate to his situation at the moment “I know how that feels…” you took a long sip of your drink “I thought this person would celebrate with me but their reaction simply irritated me.” Stirred your drink with the straw

“Sounds like we only have each other to celebrate our personal victory.” He leaned in a bit “If it helps you take the edge off things, I don’t mind you venting to me.” You slid your phone to him, the exchange between you and your cousin on the screen. Lukas read through it, took a quick glance at you before closing his eyes with a sign. That was your cue, he signalling you to start venting.

“I just… everything they said rubbed me the wrong way. Especially that bit about me getting A’s expected, I don’t just sit down ,write a test or paper then manifest an A.” you tapped the table as you spoke “Good grades don’t just ‘come naturally’ to me Lukas neither does it ‘come naturally’ to you.” you crossed your arms in front of your chest with a huff.

Lukas would be lying if he said he didn’t understand how you felt. “You don’t like it that people have a certain expectation of you.” You nodded in response “But you did expect your cousin to react in a certain way, did you not?” you flashed an angry look at your companion. Did he just defend your cousin? “I don’t mean to exacerbate your irritation. What your cousin just said, that good grades come naturally to you and are to be expected of you, failed to consider all the hard work and effort you put into your studies. As you said, we don’t just sit down and conjure up A’s.”

“What are you getting at Lukas?”

“I don’t know your cousin as personally as you do but I think they’re unaware that you find such comments disagreeable.” He tilted his head

“They’ve known me since we were kids.” He noticed your shoulders tense up as you said this

“You thought they’d react in a certain way and they thought you’d be okay with a comment like that.” He took a bite of his coffee jelly “The best option to take is to talk to them and let them know how they made you feel. The fact that you’re reacting this way, I can only wager a guess that your cousin means a lot to you and you put a great amount of trust in them.”

“Lukas… you’d make a good counsellor.” To which he shrugged “You don’t believe me? Would I lie to you?”

“You wouldn’t… I trust you a great deal, so my expectation is you wouldn’t say anything to deceive me.” He glanced at you before flashing a faint yet genuine smile. This was a rare occurrence, Lukas was showing vulnerability. Though he was very popular and well-liked in school, he didn’t have many friends and had trouble connecting with others. Something you’d observed was that he kept a lot of people at arm’s length and never truly opened up to anyone.

He looked at your sincerely “I think you need to hear this again. Don’t let the words of others undervalue your effort. You are a responsible, intelligent, and a hardworking person, I’m witness to those virtues and I admire you for them. All your successes happen by your own hand and not because you were born to succeed.” After speaking, he clinked his glass to yours. “So for now, let’s ignore those people who don’t understand and let’s celebrate our hard work?”

A smile cracked through your face, Lukas was right. It wasn’t fair to yourself, letting the words of others get you down and spoiling your day. “Thanks Lukas, I’m glad you’re here to celebrate with me.”

—

YouAbu: could we talk for a bit? You said something awhile ago that didn’t settle well with me

kingkong: yeeesh I treat you to pizza m’kay?

YouAbu: its not that, you said good grades are expected of me and that really irritated me for some reason

kingkong: but you’re smart

YouAbu: Cuz… I’m not just smart. I study really hard and put in a lot of work into my schooling. It really hurt me that all my effort was just swept under the rug. I might be coming off as sensitive but I just wanted you to know how I feel

The text bubbles below kept appearing, as if they were typing and re-typing what they wanted to say. Took a minute for them to respond

kingkong: just… growing up you always got good grades and made it look so easy but now I realize its not easy. You were always reading books or going over school stuff

kingkong: and I gotta admit… I was kinda jealous of you’re A+ and let the green-eyed monster talk for me… I’m sorry

YouAbu: Hey… we’re cool and if you ever got the impression that I was showing off or something, I’m sorry for that

kingkong: I don’t mean anything bad with what I’m about to say but cuz, you were born to stand out ya know? You’re smart, killer work ethic, and have a way with words. You’re not showing off, you’re just dazzling peeps by being you

YouAbu: You are laying it on thick there cuz, you might just get away from treating me to a pizza

kingkong: HAHAHAHA that was the plan! But, when you get another A+, what should I say to you?

YouAbu: nothing, just gimme a pizza

kingkong: that’ll break the bank cuz, maybe for every four A+’s I’ll treat you to a pizza

—

You: Hey Lukas thanks again for cheering me up and offering a different take on the situation

LukaJava: That’s no problem, I’m always here for you. How are you and your cousin if you don’t mind me asking?

You: We talked things through and they understood where I was coming from. We had a good laugh after

LukaJava: (“⌒.⌒”)

LukaJava: Glad to hear it

You: Hey Lukas, I didn’t get to say this cause I was so caught up with my troubles

LukaJava: ( ・◇・)？

You: I’m proud of you for getting that A+. We both put our blood, sweat, and tears into our final papers and got our hard earned grades. I know you have a complicated relationship with your family and you don’t open up to a lot of people but I’ll always be here when you need someone to share your achievements with okay?

LukaJava: ೕ(˃̵ᴗ˂̵ ๑)

LukaJava: That’s music to my ears. I don’t open up to a lot of people, that’s correct, but I consider you to be one of my closest friends. Your support, friendship, and understanding is worth more than gold to me.

LukaJava: Its getting late though, if my memory serves me well, you have a class tomorrow morning. Best we call it a day. Good night and sweet dreams

LukaJava: |[(*´ｪ`)]|zZＺ