Army of Two
Andre knew loneliness better than a lot of people. He knew what it felt like to go on a field trip to a roller rink and be the only one without a friend or two to skate with. He knew what it felt like to go to movies by yourself, because no one wanted to come with him. He knew what it felt like to hear about sleepovers, birthday parties, and the likes but never be invited to any of them, no matter how many of the people who attended called him their friend. He knew what it was like to go an entire day without talking to anybody except for his parents. Loneliness was something scorched in the pit of his stomach since he was a little boy.
It was something that hurt, no matter how much he wished or said it didn't. He wanted to be accepted by someone, he didn't care who. He tried so many times, but he was never good at making friends. Too quiet, then too loud, or too polite, the too vulgar. He wasn't into cars or chicks with big tits. He wasn't into sports, either. He didn't like a good chunk of the 'alternative' music played by fellow outcasts. He was rejected by all levels of the social hierarchy. He fit in nowhere, so he was alone in a place out of the pyramid, watching as clusters of people formed cliques and life-long friends, wondering if it'd always be just Andre Kriegman.
He'd wanted to die. He didn't want to die the way he lived. Unnoticed. Alone.
Calvin Gabriel came into his life in 1997, in the latter half of eighth grade. His schedule was changed after his parents complained to the school about the trouble he was going through in gym, so they thought by switching a few classes around things would be alright. The result landed him in Andre's third period gym class and fourth period English. When they were forcibly paired together by the coach, Calvin Gabriel didn't try to turn away from Andre to someone else, didn't walk away from him, didn't try to steer the conversation in any direction, and was, stunningly, not stupid. The right circumstances began to force the first friendship Andre would ever have, and the only one, to be honest.
He can admit he became possessive of Cal. He did his very best to bring them as close as possible, encouraging everything Cal was trying to numb in himself, probably destroyed more than one friendship Cal had with someone else. Cal was his, okay? And, no, not in the gay way. More in the lines of, "This is my friend. If you take him away from me, I will bash your fucking head in and let a necrophiliac fuck your dead body." He didn't want to share Cal's time with anyone else, because he was sure no one else deserved it. Especially fucking Rachel.
Now, Cal did complain a few times. Andre knew when his friend was trying to wedge something into their friendship, but it never lasted. Cal wanted their friendship as much as Andre did. In his own way, he'd experienced loneliness. Cal had plenty of other friends and people who he'd hang around, but he knew the loneliness when no one wanted to do the same things as you, never understood you, took your comments as jokes when no, I really meant that, I'm not kidding.
They became Cal and Andre, Andre and Cal. They evolved into the Army of Two. They planned and plotted. They made Zero Day.
They were doing to die together and kill together. If that wasn't friendship, Andre didn't know what was. He knew he'd never be able to do it with anyone else. He knew Cal felt the same, but as much of what everyone thought about the- Cal had more trouble displaying his emotions, Andre found it easy, especially with his friend. He could be the sappy prick he knew he was deep down, knew Cal understood and felt the same but couldn't say it the way he did. He understood that. He was okay with that, because he knew. He wasn't alone in the feeling.
I don't know how to exactly describe a 'character study', but I'm pretty sure this comes close. This entire thing is about delve deeper into the mindset of Andre Kriegman and his friendship with Calvin Gabriel. I might write another piece in Calvin's point of view at some point.
This is merely an attempt to establish how Andre thought, made from things taken straight from the movie. He is possessive of Cal, at least I believe so, which is why he hates Rachel so much. She is the only other person who could come close to what Cal and Andre had together. He also proved to hold sentiment, something he showed a lot more than Cal did before they began Zero Day. However, that scene could be interpreted as Cal simply not caring about Andre as much as Andre cares about Cal...However this isn't in Cal's point of view. This is Andre's. And I'm a fuck for fluff and friendship soooo
