No, can't risk it.

I trust Vanessa to keep her word, but the pen is too dangerous to be disposed of carelessly. Only I realized it potential, and I had to make sure it did not fall into the wrong hands. Besides, I didn't know what I wanted to do with it yet for certain. I slip the pen onto my shirt pocket. "Thanks for offering Vanessa, but this one's on me. 'Sides, you have gossip to find and bitches to ruin."

She cackled. "Oh ho ho, they will sorry they ever crossed into my sight." You smile wryly as she launches into a monologue about the latest controversies erupting on the cheer team.

Yep, that's the Vanessa I know.

I spend some time with her, egging her on as she bitched about Jacinta and offering a little resistance to her attacks on Annalena. Poor Annalena, you think, the simultaneous target of the school's admiration and jealousy.

"...but that's just how things are, if you don't get into the popular group at the start, you're stuck outside till a member takes pity on you. I've had to suck up to Max- I said suck up, not suck his cock!- Dammit Lasse, you perverted shit!"

"That's rich coming from you!" I countered with a chuckle.

"Cheeky little rascal. You won't be smiling when you find you're the one collecting pubes in the boys locker room, courtesy of yours truly."

"Hey- You can't do that to me! Who's going to listen to your gossip if I'm gone!"

"I'll find someone better than you in heartbeat. It's not like you're much of a standard. You know what, I'll find someone right now!" She jumps to her feet and does a little twirl as she steps out the door. I half throw a candy wrapper at her. In classic Vanessa fashion, she puts on the most ridiculous Offense-taken pose. "L-move, Lasse, you'll pay for it. Toodles!" Vanessa gives one last grin before she takes, searching for other soul to torment.

I take moment to exhale. That girl comes and leaves like a hurricane. Hurricane Vanessa, it has a nice ring to it.

I pick myself up from the mattress and dust off my back. "This sure is a nice place to kickback and relax." You say to yourself. Unfortunately for you, someone heard that.

"Hello, Lasse, shouldn't you be in class?" Ella Strickling, student representative, st(r)ickler for the rules, appeared at the doorway, as you spun around to face her, wincing at the rhyme.

Despite having the students body's approval, the fact that Ella was an eccentric was apparent to everyone. Her vigour for enforcing rules aside, she did not seem to have much of a character. She mostly kept to herself and conversed more with the faculty unless she was resolving concerns or attending to her duties. Physically she had shoulder-length black hair that parted into two loose ponies on either side. She was of average height with a modest figure, however she chose to wear unflattering baggy clothes. She also chose to wear glasses instead of contacts, another oddity that stood out.

She crossed her arms and assumed a more intimidating stance, her arms tightening over her grey pullover. "Well?"
"Erm.... I was on my way there?" I make no attempt at making a half-hearted excuse, knowing she wouldn't buy it regardless of its merit. Instead I gambled on the idea that she may be more welcoming to compliance. However, she wasn't impressed.
"Right. And I imagine the student counselor will want a word as well."
"Are you certain? You know, since it's my first time and all?" I plead my case, hoping for the best. However, luck was not on my side.
"Counselor's office. Now!"

Sighing, I give in and awkwardly begin the walk to my class. Ella follows, her inscrutable gaze pinned to my back.

"What brings you out here, Ella? I'm convinced you have class as well." I ask, hoping to bring about a more amicable atmosphere between the two of us.

"I was on my way back after a meeting with the Director. Simply chalk this up as a sidequest." She doesn't seem interested in small talk. She opens up a notepad and begins scribbling away at what seems to be a schedule.
Sidequest, huh. Not the kind of terminology I expected from her.

"Aww, fuck me."
Halfway down the hallway, we chanced upon Lena Zimmerman, who also shared classes with me. Lena was an unconventional person. Unlike most girls, she had a short boyish haircut and had reputation for skipping classes for frivolous reasons, not to mention doing poorly in her academics. Ella and Lena were therefore, well acquainted.

"We're on our way to the counselor's office. Care to join us?" Ella says dryly.

"Is it optional?" Lena asks, putting on puppy eyes, which promptly crumbled under Ella's **** stare. "Guess not." She observed dully.

Soon, we found ourselves at the counselor's office. I prepared to knock, but Ella brushed me aside and pushed the door open, revealing the office, with the counselor's chair vacant.
"Too bad, guess we have to walk all the way back to class. What a shame." Lena said, trying to capitalize on the situation.
"You will do no such thing. I'm sure the counselor will be back shortly. Take a seat." Ella left no room for argument, and so we found ourselves sitting in front the counselor's desk, awaiting his arrival.
I stare vacuously at the desk as Lena cracked her knuckles in boredom.

"Excuse me, I need to borrow this." Ella plucks the pen off my pocket. "My pen ran out."
"Wait, no, you can't-" I start, but it's too late.

Click.

I watch, horrified, as Ella deflated, the pen and notepad clattering to the floor along with her glasses. "Fuwaah~-" She makes a weird noise as she turned hollow and lifeless.

"What the fuck!" Lena stares at what remains of Ella. "How did you do that!"

"I -It wasn't me! It was the pen, she used it on herself!"

Lena walks past and begins to examine the skin. "What is this?"

"A skin. She's hollowed out on the inside now." I explain, walking up beside her. I look down guiltily at the flabby mass. That used to be a person. The reality of your actions sink in. Your carelessness was the cause for this!

Lena, however, didn't seemed to share my discomfort. She bent over picked up the skin by what had been Ella's face. "Stretchy." She commented.
"How are you taking this so casually?!" I ask, perplexed by her indifference.

"Hmmm.... Realistically, I should be scared. This goes against everything I know. The laws of physics, reality, common sense. I should be having an existential crisis. Normally."

She lowered her hands, letting the skin fall to her side and locked eyes with me.

"But then I saw you were more scared than me. And that got me thinking. If he's more scared of this than I am, surely he'll think twice before he does anything. So there, that why I trust you."

Lena's words resonate within me. Truthfully, I was grateful she was the one who was with you in this compromising situation.

"Well, it might also be that fact that I don't like this bitch very much either. If you really were evil, atleast we share a common enemy. And if we have a common enemy we're friends." She flashes you a stupid grin.

So much for the moment you were having.

"Whoa, she didn't have a stick up here after all!" You look up to see that Lena has found Ella anus, and was stretching it apart to peer inside. "I figured ol' Stickling here would have a few crammed in here, considering how uptight she is. Guess I was wrong!"

"That's no-"

"Kidding. It's horrid. But hey, atleast you can console yourself knowing that of all the people this coulda happened to, it was the one who wouldn't be mad about it." She grins at you but your puzzled face elicits a look of surprise from her. "No way, you don't know!" She squealed, much like Vanessa did when she had juicy gossip to reveal. "Ella's had a fetish about being skinned and worn since middle school! It's a girls locker room classic!!"

"No way, you're kidding!" I could scarce believe i could have had that much luck.
"Nope, it's 100% fact mister!"
"I don't believe you!"
"Well, you'll have to when you hear it out of the horse's mouth! Ella- Oh shit, it's too late to ask anything now isn't it." Lena appears disappointed.

"There's a way." She turns her head to you, listening with rapt attention. "If she is worn by someone, they can peer into her memories. So if-"
"So if you wear her, you can be sure!" She stretches her hand out excitedly, offering the skin to me. "Here, take it!"