[CHAPTER THREE] Bait & Switch [DW AU]

Instructions

{ Chapter Three - Scraps } You know, ever since I talked to Cosmo a few hours ago, Sprout has been giving me dirty looks every time he passed by me. I don’t really know why. Did Cosmo tell him that I think Brightney’s innocent? Another weird thing; I haven’t seen Brightney since the incident yesterday. Actually, it’s not that weird, seeing that everyone thinks Brightney is a murderer. ‘I should probably go check on her.’ I think as I begin to walk near her bedroom door. I put my hand up to knock on her door, but stop. Maybe she didn’t want me bothering her right now. One second of self-doubt later, I knock on the door anyway. I hear Brightney grumble, before walking over to the door and opening it just barely. She peeks through. I give her a smile. “Hi, Brightney!” “...What do you want, Scraps?” “I just wanted to check on you!” She gave me a skeptical look. “Sure.” “I did!” “Okay.” She sighed. “I’m... fine, okay? I just don’t have my glasses and I’m sort of blind.” She’s really underreacting to this situation. But she does look weird without her glasses. Wait. … I forgot. “Y-Your glasses?” I stutter. “Yeah, I don’t know where they went. I didn’t misplace them, though. I couldn’t have.” “I- um…I found your glasses on the floor earlier… And put them in my toolbelt to bring them back to you… And then got distracted with fixing Cosmo’s oven and forgot to bring them back…” Her face writhes into an angry expression. “You. WHAT.” I quickly pull them out of my pocket and hand them over. She snatches them from my hand so hard that she practically slapped me. “I’m sorry!” I exclaim. “I found them around 8, and you were still asleep so I didn’t want to bother you! A-And then Cosmo came to me around 10 to tell me to fix the oven, and…” I feel really awful all the sudden. Was Vee’s death my fault? If I had just returned her glasses when I’d found them, would Vee still be here? Brightney was putting her glasses on when I realized this, and I must’ve looked mortified for her anger to completely fade and ask me, “Um… You okay…?” “It’s my fault.” I mutter. “What? No, it’s not.” Brightney explains, like logic would make me feel better. “It couldn’t be, unless you’re the culprit, but you couldn’t be the culprit because you have an alibi of fixing the oven.” “No-!” I snap. “That’s not what I meant!” She gives me a pitiful look. Great. Now she thinks I’m stupid. “Even if you gave me my glasses, the culprit would’ve still done it. The circumstances just so happened to be in their favor.” She shrugged. “Do you even CARE about Vee?!” I exclaim. She looks taken aback for a moment, before trying to regain her composure (and failing). “I- I do-” She stuttered. That’s out of character. “If you did care, then you wouldn’t be more worried about your glasses than her!” Brightney slammed her door in my face. Okay. That was a little rude of her. But deserved. For some odd reason, as I stared at Brightney’s closed door, I remembered how Cosmo nervously tried to end our conversation. Why did he suddenly start acting so weird? I stand at her door for a few more moments, not sure whether to walk away or knock on Brightney’s door again. Suddenly, Brightney’s door opened again. “Hi. You’re still here.” She said. “Yeah.” I look at the floor. “Why?” “...I don’t know.” We stood there in awkward silence for maybe 30 seconds before I spoke up again. “I know we aren’t exactly… friends, but maybe we could work together to find who actually killed Vee.” “Why don’t you just do it yourself?” Brightney scowled. “Because I want to help clear your name!” Brightney thought for a moment before sighing. “Fine.” She said. “You probably couldn’t figure it out yourself, anyway.” I try to chuckle, but it comes out very strained and nervous. “Okay.” I say. I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?