AUTHOR'S NOTESS~**

Ok, so I finished tweaking the other chapters, so everything should be somewhat less confusing -_-'' Umm, but I can't seperate the little scenes in the story, sooo...they're kind of separated by a HUGE space :) Good luck on figuring THAT out :D

~Alex~

Freedom.

It was so close, the taste already on his lips, the feeling already rushing through his cold veins. And all the while, a stagnant expression remained on his face as he scoffed at all his bawling peers before him. Grey, seemingly cold eyes scanned the giant crowd filled with memories that the boy didn't, and so desperately wanted, to forget.

And had it not been for the fellow raven-haired classmate next to him, cutting him out of his solemn trance, the red-haired boy would have glanced across the auditorium hall at her bright chocolate eyes, having her look downwards, flushed, with a pink tint adorning her cheeks.

Silver~!

At the ear-splitting sound of his "friend's" voice, said boy's distant, clear eyes returned to their usual hard selves as he closed his eyes, attempting at ridding his head of the name that lingered there. Opening his eyes, he could only stare at the boy with the honeydew eyes, smiling, grinning, like he won the jackpot.

Aww, don't go cryin' on me now, tough guy! I'm not THAT annoying.

Was it that the unexpected glimmer in his grey eyes was mistaken for sadness? When would his gold-eyed friend ever learn that he would never cry, be vulnerable? When would he learn that it was weak?

Okay, seriously, don't even think about crying. I'll visit every week!

Inwardly, the other boy shivered at the throught.

And yet, the red-haired boy couldn't help but wonder why he couldn't be as free-spirited as his companion, with a heart of gold. While silver eyes looked down on the petty emotions of graduating classmates, honeydew eyes laughed at their sight. And as the eager heart looked forward to the impending future, his tainted soul couldn't break free from the past.

But without his heart of gold, the boy realized, his soul of silver was nothing. For as his closest friend, the raven-haired boy had begun to break down the walls of the past that, for so many years, he'd built up. As his closest friend, he realized that without him, he was alone.

One by one, every graduating student stood on stage, accepting what they'd waited for, earned, throughout these four years. Some would smile, others would cry as they looked out to thank their parents, teachers, friends.

To him, the roll in his hands was nothing. Seeing others embrace their parents while he had none stung, but only for a moment. Knowing that he didn't know what to do with his life failed to affect him at all.

What hurt the most was the fact that as he saw his closest companion cheering him on like an idiot. It almost pained him when his eyes fell upon the shy, little, pig-tailed brunette that he saw only three or four times, and suddenly felt embarrassed. But what killed him the most was the fact that they'd be gone. Eventually, they would become nothing but distant memories, and later, they would disappear.

Unlike everyone else, he would remain in the past.

Even choking back a sob couldn't stop the tears.

It couldn't stop the sudden pain in his heart.

And although tears flowed from his face, he almost felt happy. Whether it was out of insanity or not, he didn't know.

And for the first time that day, Gold heard a chuckle, and he grinned even more than he already had been; idiot wasn't even fit to describe the sight.

The red-haired boy couldn't help himself, knowing that he'd be moving on without the people he learned to love. Without them, he felt empty and cold all over again.

And yet, no one else realized that the laugh that came from his lips was just a cover.

And no one else knew that as Silver's laughter filled the air, the shy yet bubbly brunette flushed at the sound of it.

Because of them, that boy felt free.