*Garroth's POV*

I sat at the table, eating my lunch. Laurance sat across from me, doing the same. He would occassionaly glance at his phone, smiling each time it lit up. Curiosity got the better of me.

"So, Laurance...what's so exciting on your phone, that you can't have a normal conversation with your best friend?"

Laurance looked up, leaning his elbow on the table, and placing his cheek on his palm. He gave me a weird smirk, and stared at me for a moment before talking.

"Do you have any plans for tonight, Garroth?"

I nearly dropped my fork, coughing a bit. I avoided eye contact with Laurance, mostly keeping my gaze on my food.

"W-what..?" I stammered, trying to figure out how to answer his question. I briefly looked up, to see Laurance raising an eyebrow at me. "...N-no...not t-that I k-know of... W-why..?"

He couldn't possibly be...

Quiet, Garroth! You're insane! Of course that's not it!

Laurance smiled at me, and I tried to regain my composure..

"I don't know what you're so flustered about. All I wanted to tell you, is that Aph is having a party at her place tomorrow, and she invited us. And you're coming," Laurance stated firmly, going back to eating his lunch.

I let out a sigh of relief, but felt slightly disappointed.

Disappointed about what, though?

I ran my fingers through my blonde hair, thinking to myself.

*Laurance's POV*
~The Next Day~

I looked through my wardrobe, looking for something decent to wear. I eventually settled on something casual, and went into the bathroom to change.

After getting dressed, I hopped down the stairs. Garroth was at the bottom, dressed a bit more formal than I was. His blonde hair was combed back, so you could see the entirety of his blue eyes. I stood next to him, as he smiled at me.

"Garroth, why so fancy? It's just a small party at Aph's place. Not like I asked you on a date or something," I joked, playfully punching his arm. Garroth's face turned red from embarrassment, and he looked away from me.

"Sorry... I just like to dress up for events," he seemed genuinely concerned about something, and I placed my hand on his shoulder. Garroth jumped a bit, not looking at me. I could tell something was on his mind.

"Garroth, buddy, you okay? You seem out of it today."

"I-it's nothing," Garroth brushed my hand off my shoulder, putting on a goofy smile. "Let's just head to Aphmau's place, before we end up being the last ones there."

I nodded, following him out the door. Even though he was hiding it, I could tell something was still bothering Garroth. He is my best friend, it's easy to tell these things. I know it's the same for him as well.

~Flashback~

I sat on the bathroom floor of our High School- Phoenix Drop High. I wiped my eyes of any tears, as I held my notebook close to my chest. I stayed silent, and still. I simply just counted things, to hopefully make time go by faster.

The amount of cracks on the wall.

The amount of tiles on the floor.

The number of sinks.

Anything to take my mind off of what happened.

The restroom door swung open, to reveal a blonde boy. He looked exhausted, and he was panting. He closed the door, running to my side. I merely sat still, ignoring his presence.

"Laurance...I've been looking everywhere for you. You've had Dante and I worried sick. You've missed two class periods! What the Hell have you been doing?!"

I didn't look at him, I just toyed with the buttons on my school uniform. The boy sat down next to me, in complete silence.

"I know something is bothering you, Laurance. You've been distant all day, and I figured something was bugging you. Now, you're here on the restroom floor. If you need someone to talk to, I'll be right here. You can talk to me whenever, I'm not going anywhere."

I finally looked into his cyan eyes. He gave a patient smile to me, causing me to slightly smile back. Without giving it a second thought, I threw my arms around him. He returned the hug, softly patting my back.

"Thank you, Garroth."

~Flashback Over~

I looked to Garroth, whose head was down. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, and he was kicking a stone on the sidewalk. I picked up my pace, so I was at his side.

"Hey, Garroth..," I stopped in my tracks. Garroth did the same, looking at me with a quizzical expression. "I know something is bothering you, Garroth. You've been awkward all day, and I've figured something was bugging you. Now, you're kicking stones and looking depressed. If you need someone to talk to, I'll be right here. You can talk to me whenever, I'm not going anywhere."

I smiled at him, and Garroth did the same. He rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that I almost exactly quoted him from years ago. I walked closer to him, and I could see his eyes start to wander.

"You remember that?"

I nodded, causing Garroth's face to turn red again. I laughed a bit, and Garroth rubbed his forearm.

"I'm here, Garroth. You're my best friend."

"You as well, Laurance. Maybe I'll talk to you about it later," Garroth took a light breath, his face turning back to a normal colour. "We should probably get heading to that party. If we don't, I'm sure whoever else Aphmau invited will eat all of the good food."

"Heh. Let's go, buddy."