Dave sighed and shook his head violently. He really had found the biggest losers in the game and it was like their tenth wipe. Maybe playing World of Warcraft wasn't such a good idea after all but what else could he do? It wasn't like he had a lot of friends to hang out now, was it?

Not that he regretted coming out. He didn't. But the last weeks at school had been awful. After he'd apologized to Kurt, all the Glee kids had come to talk to him in some way he was sure seemed nice to them. But he couldn't stand it. Him being gay or whatever didn't mean he wanted to be nice to them. He couldn't care less actually. He just wanted things to be the same…

But of course, it wasn't. And after a few slushy attacks and insults, he had resolved to quit the football team. Even with Hudson and Puck coming to his rescue, like if he needed any help, he couldn't deal with his former team members' reaction. Even those saying they were okay with it were acting differently around him.

In a nutshell, they were either being too nice and sympathetic, or complete morons!

But, the worst thing had been Kurt's reaction after he apologized. He had just nodded quickly and said that he could forgive… but never forget. And even though Dave knew the young boy was right, it still hurt… like hell. And when he saw him back at McKinley, excited to be with his friends again, that had hurt even more. Being out of the closet didn't mean that seeing Kurt everyday wasn't hard anymore. It still was, maybe even more than before.

So, here he was, locked in his bedroom on a Friday evening, playing WOW with a bunch of morons who couldn't understand the tactics he had explained to them earlier.

He was startled by his phone ringing and picked it up, wondering who it could be. Probably Hudson asking him, again, to join the Glee club. But it wasn't! And he couldn't decide if he should answer this call or not…

"Ass calling"

He couldn't help but smirk at his renaming his former best friend's name but it soon faded away. If he remembered correctly, the last time they spoke, or yelled at each other, to be more accurate, Azimio had told him he didn't want anything to do with him ever. He figured ever was a very short period for Az because it had been two weeks ago. He finally pushed the answer button, unsure of what to say.

"What the fuck do you want Az?"

He heard the boy sigh and knew he was frustrated. Well, at least, he wasn't the only one having a bad day!

"Listen man… I don't wanna fight. I just… Well, me dad is at the hospital right now. Mom said you'd probably wanna know"

Dave stayed silent for a moment. No matter how mad he was at his fomer best friend, he knew how much he cared for his dad. Well, he even danced in front of a whole crowd just to please him. And Az's voice was just weird. He felt bad for him, even if he still wanted to punch him.

"Text me the address, I'm on my way!"

He didn't give the other boy time to answer and hung up. He could be a moron but still, he should be there with him. That's probably why he had called him anyway, even though he'll certainly never admit.

The ride to the hospital had seemed to take forever. Patience had never been one of his virtues, but in times like this, he felt like he could punch a traffic light just to turn it green. Finding a parking spot had been even harder and, as he finally got out of the car, he felt panic rush through him.

He took his cell and read the text Azimio sent him again. He made his way to the E.R., trying not to think about what could happen. Because, really, hospitals were rarely a good thing… well, except for births and things like that. He went in and looked around. The first thing he noticed was the smell. A mixture of ether and something he couldn't quite figure out. And then he saw him.

Az looked anything but all right. He sat in the waiting room looking aghast, completely lost. The woman right next to him noticed Dave and shot him a sad smile. He joined them quickly, completely at a lost about what to say. He didn't have to, anyway, because the woman stood up and hugged him tightly.

"Oh… Dave! It is so nice of you to come here."

" 's okay Mrs Adams… "

He added, after a quick look at Azimio

"After all, that's what friends are for!"

He felt bad as soon as the words came out, but he couldn't help it. Azimio flinched and didn't even take a look at him when he answered.

"Yeah… Thanks man…"

"So…" He was trying to ask about the situation without saying anything stupid but couldn't come up with anything.

Azimio's mother was quicker than he was and pointed a chair to him. He sat and looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, David. We don't know much, really. He was fine all day and then, all of a sudden, he complained about a headache. And you know how my husband never complains, don't you?"

Dave nodded. Azimio's dad was a tough guy, former army guy and stuff.

"Anyway, we brought him here and the doctors are examining him right now. They believe it might be a stroke"

The last word was more a whisper and Dave saw the worry on Azimio's face grow wider.

"I'm sure he's gonna be okay mrs Adams. Your husband's like… Robocop or something"

He smiled at her and she returned it. He couldn't help to wonder, though, if Azimio had told her why they weren't hanging out anymore. After that, they waited in silence. He felt a little bit out of place but he knew he couldn't go away now. He wanted to know if Mr Adams would be okey and even more than that, he wanted to be there. .. for Az or for himself, he didn't really know.

When the doctor finally arrived to talk to them, Dave stood up quickly. He didn't understand everything the man was saying but he saw the relief on his friend's face.

"Minor stroke… He's going to be fine… He has to stay in observation though… Can you please tell him to calm down… Yes, you have to convince him to stay…"

Dave laughed at the last part and heard Azimio join him. Then, Mrs Adams left to visit her husband, and he was left alone with Az.

"So… I'm gonna leave you now… Say hi to your dad for me!"

"Dave… wait!"

He turned around and saw Az coming in front of him.

"Look man, I'm sorry ok! This is just so… Well, it's fucked up!"

Dave sighed.

"Well, if you think this is fucked up, try walking in my shoes man!

Az looked down and sighed too. And then he looked up and smiled.

"Your shoes are too big for me Bro! What size are you anyway?"

Dave couldn't help but laughed. It was the first time after the big "Hey, look at me people, I'm sooooo gay" fiasco that Azimio made a joke. A lame and stupid joke for sure, but a joke anyway.

Az joined in and a bit of the awkwardness and tension lift up.

"So look. I know I've been a jerk… and I can't say I won't be one anymore but… do you think we could like… Well, I don't know, hang out sometime? "

Dave smiled broadly and nodded.

"Sure… It's not like I'm overbooked or anything…"

"Well, 'm gonna see my dad now. But I'll call you tomorrow. See ya man!"

"See ya Az!"

Dave turned around and made his way out of the hospital. He couldn't help but feel relieved. Sure, they hadn't really talked, not that he was big on talking. And Az hadn't said that he was okay with him being gay or something. But for a small moment there, he had felt like they could be friends again, like he could be himself again.

And as he sat in his car, he thought that this evening was maybe not this crappy anymore.