Next morning (7:00)

  I wake up to someone yelling in my ear, what else is new. I let out a groan before rolling over, away from the voice. It's quiet for a while but I suddenly feel something, or should I say someone, climbing my hair. The voice returns and I recognize it as Dart's,

"Uhhhh.... Dart? What are you doing?" I ask tiredly,

"Trying to get your lazy butt up! You have school today, remember?" He says sounding annoyed.

  This wakes me up! I look at the clock and it reads 7:10. I quickly get out of bed, placing Scratch on my pillow, and quickly grab some clothes. Dart is still on my shoulder but I don't really care, he and Scratch have both seen me without clothes on before so it doesn't bother me to get dressed in front of them.

"Guess we should keep our 'fun times' on nights you don't have school the next day," I hear Dart snicker in my ear.

"Oh pipe down! You guys are the ones that did it! Not that I mind," I mumble the last part.

  Soon I'm dressed and I carefully scoop Scratch off my pillow and put him in my chest pocket. After pocketing my phone and earbuds, I put up my hood and run downstairs. I quickly grab a muffin for breakfast and make a small lunch. I grab the rest of my stuff and head out the door in record time.
I make it to the bus stop with a minute to spare. On the bus, I sit in an empty seat before pulling out my phone and earbuds to listen to music. I feel Scratch shift around in my pocket so I undo my sweater a bit so he can easily climb up to my shoulder without being seen. I end up starting out the window with music playing in my ear.
  For a long while, I'm lost in my thoughts, thinking about what happened last night, what will happen in the future, if I really deserve to be in a relationship with my friends. I'm so far into my thoughts that I don't notice Dart and Scratch trying to get my attention until they are nearly yelling in my ear. I come out of my thoughts and notice that Scratch is sitting on my nose while Dart is talking in my ear,

  I quickly move Scratch back to my shoulder and I pause my music."what's up?" I ask quietly,

"Dude you were pretty much asleep, you nearly fell over! Something up man?" Dart asks worriedly,

"No I'm fine, just thinking." I answer, looking back out at the scenery as it flies by.

I don't get a verbal answer but I feel them slip under my shirt,

"Guys, now's not the time to be doing this!" thinking that they're doing 'something'.

  They don't stop, and they don't go much lower but they continue to move towards the necklace I always wear.

  I suddenly know what they're doing and relax.

When I was thirteen, I was given the necklace as a birthday present by my grandmother. She said that it had very special magic that can shrink things that I hold close to my heart, and keep them safe within the pendent. She also said that it would release them whenever I wish, all I had to do was hold the object(s) over my heart and wish them to be safe. At first I didn't believe her but I accidentally did it to Dart and Scratch.
They were sleeping on my chest one night and I was just dozing off, they had almost been killed by a cockroach that had been wondering nearby where I set them down outside while I was reading.
I was wishing that they would always be safe with me, I didn't notice till the next morning when I couldn't find them! It wasn't till I heard their voices in my head, telling me where they were. I'm not sure how but some how we established a mental link and I could hear there thoughts whenever they're in there, and they could do the same.

  Catching on to what they wanted, I placed my hand over them and quietly whispered. "I wish for them to be safe," and with a dull flash of light, they were no longer under my hand. I carefully lift the pendent out of my shirt and looked into the deep blue gem. Inside, I see the two tiny boys snuggling together. I slowly return the necklace to its place under my shirt and lean back in my seat. At first my mind is clear but soon one of them speaks up.

'Took you long enough to get it,' Dart snickers. I can see the smirk on his face.

'Well excuse me for miss understanding what you were doing! Hard to tell what you want when you climb into my shirt after last night," I retorted.

'Fair enough. So what's bugging you? And don't say nothing,"

'Then I don't have a response cause that's all it was, nothing.' I think back to them, I look outside and see that we're at school already. 'I'll talk to ya when we're inside'' I think before turning my music back on and getting off the bus.
I can feel their annoyance but they don't say anything. I catch up to my group and we head inside. I reach my locker after saying a quick 'see ya later' to the guys, I turn off my music and I put my stuff in my locker while taking the stuff I need out. Scratch chooses now to try and get answers from me,

'....Rob?'

'What?'

'Are you really that worried about our relationship?'

I let out a sigh, 'knew there was a reason you wanted to go in there so suddenly. Yes I am, how much did you see?'

'Enough. Rob, you know you can always talk to us when you're thinking like this, right?'

'Yeah, I know. Just don't always want to,'

'Well do you want to now? Dart's asleep so it's just you and me,'

'Huuuh, I don't know man. I mean I love you two more than anything but what if I find a girl or another guy that I love too, I can't just drop you off at the nearest corner and hope you can get by. You're too small to get by without being in a human home and I wouldn't want to risk your lives if I do find someone else. I- I just don't know anymore! We've been friends for twelve years and I don't know why I'm thinking like this but I can't help it!' I mentally shout, I feel tears starting to form at the corners of my eyes.

Suddenly, I feel something swelling inside my chest. 'Scratch, is that you doing something?' I ask, not sure what's going on.

'No, that's all of us. It's the love the three of us share for each other! Robert, whether you find someone else or not, we will always be here for you, just like you're always there for us. For now just worry about the present, what you have here with you.' Scratch says,

'You're right Scratch, thank you!' I say feeling much better,

'Now stop crying and get to class, you're gonna be late!' He says, trying to change the subject.

'Yeah ok, I'll talk to you two later.' I say and head towards class after locking my locker,

'Whatever big guy,' he says and I feel his mind drift into sleep.

I walk into class, feeling better than I have in years, and sit in my usual spot in the back. There's still a few minutes till class starts so I let my mind wander, thinking of the good times with my tiny friends. I stop at one memory in particular, the day I met Dart and Scratch, it was probably the best day of my life.
I had been picked on almost every day since I started school, before meeting them, I was considering walking in front of a truck that was driving by or something, but when I found them in my room that day and they became my friends, it gave me a reason to keep going. Yes I was still picked on by kids at school and my parents were always too busy to talk but having them with me during those times when I had no one else. They were always there, and now, I know they'll always be there, till the day we die.

To be continued...

Hey guys haven't said much in a while so I figured now's a good time. So first of all if any of you are wondering, yes I have thought of suicide a few times when I was younger. Obviously it didn't happen but I did think about it. Another thing, I was watching "the secret world of arrietty" before writing this so yeah you can figure those parts out. Any-who, I'll see about getting another chap up but it might be a while. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to comment then in the comment spot.
Squirt out🤠