(a/n: i tried to make this chapter cool but idk how i feel)

"Look. You're avoiding me, and you have every right to, but do you want to stay friends or not?" Virgil asked.

Declan could've said two things. Yes or no. Yes or no. Yes or no.

Yes.

The answer was obvious.

But... no. It would never be the same. They still wouldn't work and Declan just wanted to be alone.

He hadn't truly wanted to be alone in a long time, but when he thought of people like his brother and Virgil and Patton, he couldn't imagine them being near him.

So he wanted to be alone.

Declan looked straight ahead and stayed silent, blatantly ignoring Virgil's question.

Virgil huffed and stood up, but Declan, on impulse, grabbed his hand. Virgil looked down at him curiously and a bit surprised.

The older man would have said yes. He would have pulled Virgil back down. He would have made him stay.

Instead, he let go and didn't say a word.

There was a pause, and then the sound of footsteps getting fainter.

"I'm sorry," he said, but nobody was there to hear it anymore.

His head hung low as the familiar feeling of regret set in, pouring itself all over him, weighing down his clothing, and preventing him from seeing clearly.

"Bye."

Who do you have now?

Nobody. And it wasn't like he deserved anybody anyway.

Hot tears fell into his lap.

It was his fault. Everything was his fault, and he knew it.

A punch to the face. A gunshot. A heartbreak.

"Bye."