Toby was coming home from school.Nothing out of the ordinary.Just taking his normal stroll around the block before entering the same road he had been taking for years on end.

Everyday and ever since he started school he would take a shortcut through the park that was outside their school and would walk through two more neighborhoods to get to his.The only days he would take a different road were when he would hang out in the local park, and the playground when him and his brother were younger.In fact that was when he first met his best friends,Lucas and Jessica,whom he playfully called Jess.But regardless of all the fond memories he had the fact remained the same. He was getting tired of that same,usual routine.

Repeating itself over and over again.

Walking through the same houses,porches,fences.Seeing the same familiar faces over and over.

There was however something that made this day,today,a little bit more special. It was the kids' last day of school! And what made this even better was the fact that he wouldn't have to go to school anymore.

That's right folks,our dear Toby was a senior who was now graduating from high school and the gradation ceremony was held the same day,at around 20:00.But our protagonist was everything but happy.Despite the fact that he passed (even if barely) high school and was now free from this torture.

No.He was anything but satisfied with himself.

He didn't want to admit it but Toby was not happy at all with his life and how he ended up.He shut himself off from others.When he passed by neighbors he pretended that he didn't see them,or that he was looking at his phone.By all means,they didn't do anything to him.But he had grown tired of the same routine.The same faces.

The once hyperactive young boy that loved pranks and his friends,with the lucious and weirdly styled blond hair,that covered his forehead and the expressive sea blue eyes was now a big smelly pile of misery.His hair was almost always unmade and messy,his choice of clothes was now mostly consisting of grey and with a hint of blue whether is be from a jacket or a pair of sweatpants.Another thing he almost always wore,were fortable,affordable and most of all,convenient.He matched it all with a simple white or grey t shirt.Of course he didn't bother if the t shirt was filthy.All that mattered was that his chest was covered and the teachers couldn't scold him.

It was obvious he never cared all that much about his appearance.Even though he didn't look terrible,he almost never looked perfectly.. Presentable.

His once stunning blue eyes were now always tired,unexpressive and with bags under them.They seemed tired,red from the lack of sleep and with a hint of sadness to them.But just a small hint.His facial expressions never changed,except from the usual poker face he had plastered on.

It was obvious he didn't sleep a lot.In fact he would sleep for barely 3 hours per day.He was suffering from insomnia for the past 4 years.He even fainted some times during the school year and while at first the staff were worried but because of his previously mentioned "pranking addiction" they brushed it off as a new rebellious act,to prove that he "refused to learn".So this year almost no one noticed when he did faint.

Only once this year,a new teacher amongst the staff noticed that Toby had lost consciousness and got him to the nurse's office.After he was treated properly there,his parents were called and he was advised to see the school counselor.He never did.

Even though he was lying to his parents about it,by making up stories of how much the counselor helped him.

Another thing that changed on him was his body.While he was pretty swole for a while (around 2 years back.This helped him a lot with the ladies) eventually,and as he says it, he " lost interest in eating" and lost drastically weight.He was almost never at the cafeteria eating lunch.No one knew where he went except for him.Now looking thinner then ever he also felt weak.Not just physically but mentally too.He couldn't think straight and he was very easily agitated, getting angry at the slightest inconvenience,yelling at his teachers and classmates when there was a disagreement.

Of course it didn't help his public image.

He also lost interest in pranking, in his homework,his friends and in pretty much everything.My god his friends.How much he missed them.How much he wishes he could talk to them about how he felt.How much he wished things would go back to normal.While Nick (his brother),Lucas and Jessica where always accepting of him and they never excluded him from their group,Toby simply lost interest in everything.He would sometimes go in his home,throw his bag away not say a word to anyone and just leave for another one of his usual long walks through the forest or the park.He would come home around midnight,thus making his family worried sick.But he didn't care.One time Nick followed him,very carefully and undercover so he wouldn't be recognised.He followed Toby through another one of his walks because the entire family and mostly his mom and dad were suspecting he was part of a gang or perhaps he was doing drugs or...or..any other thing a parent would worry about.Instead all they found was a Toby sitting in a bench for 3 hours straight looking in the distance.At around midnight when no one was seemingly around Nick heard sobbing coming from Toby's direction but didn't think this was his brother.Eventually they both got home at around the same time,even though Nick came home 10 minutes before him so Toby wouldn't suspect him.

So there was our protagonist walking through the usual road alone.Getting closer to his home with each step.He was getting bored so he took out his headphone and blasted some music at maximum volume.Of course there was the same warning appearing on his phone every time he put his volume to the max.And he always ignored it.

And thus after around 10 minute of walking he finally arrived at his neighborhood. He could see his home in the distance.But he stopped at his tracks as he saw many people gathered in the front yard.There were balloons,decorations and a big sign that read "congratulations".He remembered a conversation him and his parents had the other day about some sort of party they would throw if him and his friends passed highschool.

As soon as Toby remembered this, he turned around unaware that his father had caught a glimpse of him turning back

" HEY SON!!" Toby's father screamed at him ,in his usual goofy way as he was running towards his blond son.

"Why are you leaving? The party is just getting started!"

"I don't think I want to stay dad..Thanks for inviting me though." Toby forced a smile on his face.

His father kept talking to him about something,but he just lost focus and his notice fell on the party that was currently on going on his house.He felt even worse then before when he saw at the corner of his eye his three friends laughing and drinking punch in the yard.All having fun and enjoying their freedom.

"Son?..Son can you hear me?"

Toby's focus shifted back to his father,who looked terribly worried of him.

"Son we haven't seen you a lot recently.We are worried about you.Now we trust you and we know you wouldn't do something bad like drinking or smoking or something like that but..You just look sad son.Do you wanna talk about it?"

Toby tried to open his mouth but his father continued

"..Or would you rather party it out like all teens do!" then his father proceeded to laugh. Toby couldn't help but giggle at the statement.

"Hey thanks dad..But I would rather sleep out this one.I have been pretty tired lately if you cath my drift"

Toby didn't know why he said that last part.After his father gave him a weird look he realised that what he said was kinda dumb.Why the heck did he say that? Maybe he thought that every adult went through what he was going through and could relate with him.

Apparently not.

He almost immediately run past his dad,his shoulder brushing the other's arm and he almost sprinted towards his home.Thankfully his friends didn't see him.Walk by.Toby made a quick stop by a nearby counter that had a big bowl of punch and he put some in a cup and almost immediately run for the front door.He shouldn't have had that punch because that was when Jessica saw him

"Hey! HEY Toby wait up!!" Jess said in her usual,girly voice.Not that he minded of course,Jess was just being herself and he liked her honesty with the group.

As Jessica run towards her friend ,who was now at the patio, her light blonde hair,that she had in a ponytail, flowed against the wind and her electric blue eyes were filled with joy from seeing her childhood friend after such a long time

Lucas and Nick run behind her,trying to catch up.

Eventually Toby was in the front porch of his large house and he stood still for an instant.He turned around to look at his friends.He took a deep breath,sighed and prepared to greet them.God he had gotten out of shape in the talking department

"Hey..guys"

Jessica proceeded to hug him and Lucas patted his back

"Where have you been?? We haven't seen you in,like, forever!" ,Jessica said with a worried tone in her voice

"Yeah well..You know..stuff is.keeping from...you know" Toby mumbled under his breath,he didn't know if his friends even heard him due to the low volume of his voice.

"Well regardless of all that,it's good to have you back Toby!" Lucas said.

From all his friends Lucas seems to have changed his appearance the most.While his brunet hair was now the same hairstyle he had when he was 13-14 ,there were times when he had dreadlocks and for a year he had his head saved.He was working out a lot lately and was pretty muscular.Most of his female classmates wanted to be with him. But despite all that Lucas was still the same nature loving,sensitive,supportive and determined young man he always was.

Toby smiled at his friends thanks to their kind gesture.He hugged jess back and after that he threw an arm over Luca's shoulder and gave him a light headlock.All of them laughed.

Then Toby's focus shifted towards his younger brother,Nick , who had just caught up with the gang.

Well he wasn't famous for being fast after all.But he was famous for being the school's smartest student, the kid who had been accepted to Yale and brown and had so many career paths to choose from. The boy who knew what he wanted to do with his life.

Toby never wanted to admit it,but he was jealous of his younger brother.He was always careful,good kid who was always "the good example" and yet he managed to get a girlfriend and have a steady relationship with her throughout high school.He never seemed bothered by anything,his grades were almost always straight A's and etc etc.He was the perfect kid.

Toby loved his brother,he really did,but he just couldn't help it and would constantly compare himself with the other.Always being reminded of his flaws,of how he was a disappointment. It just hurt his ego so much and if anything,that was the reason that started it all.

Indeed.His insecurity and inability to match up to his brother Nick and the achievements the later had done at such a young age.He felt diminished that way.He felt embarrassed of how he was.The stress of school and social events came in and completely crushed him.That is why Toby is the way he is now.

"Hey bro! What's going-"

Nick didn't have the time to talk to his brother.Toby went inside the house without talking to anyone.He slammed the door behind him.And once he was in the comfort of his home...

He run upstairs with tears in his eyes