A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long! I've recently started a job working at my older sister's daycare, so I've been pretty busy as of late! Also, I'm getting ready to take placement tests for college! It's pretty exciting! But don't worry, I haven't forgotten you!

I'm also in the process of developing a dating sim with a group of my friends, so updates may be a little sporadic!

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For a few moments, Lilli sat next to Emil in a stunned silence, not knowing what else to do. From the way he had dropped the phone like that, she knew something unexpected must have happened. Her heart pounded in her chest upon seeing the look of absolute devastation on his face. What had happened that would make his face warp into something so sad?

Emil slowly reached for his phone after recovering from the shock of it all and hung up on his mother without speaking to her. He could feel the rush of hot tears burning his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to cry in front of Lilli. Instead he jumped up and excused himself before rushing to the bathroom and locking the door. For the next ten minutes, he sat on the bathroom floor and sobbed as quietly as he could.

Out in the living room, Lilli sat on the couch, feeling confused. What had just happened? What had made Emil so upset that he would need to excuse himself? Before his mother began speaking, she had heard a much lower voice. Could that have been what upset him? Why would something like that upset him?

"Hey, where'd Emil go?" Mathias asked, walking into the living room. "He was right here a minute ago. I had a question for him."

Lilli bit her lip. "You see, he tried to call his mom," she began, "and I guess someone else answered the phone. He got really upset and rushed off to the bathroom. He's been gone for awhile. I really hope he's okay." She figured she wouldn't get a more perfect opportunity to ask about Emil, so she went ahead with her question. "A man answered his mother's phone," she slowly said. "Does Emil not get along with his father?"

Mathias's eyes widened. "A man answered her phone?" he asked. "Emil and Lukas's mom is a widow. She dedicated her life to Emil, so she never had time for anyone else. If she started dating someone once he came to America, I can see why Emil would be upset. That's got to be rough." He looked down the hallway toward his and Lukas's bedroom. "I'm gonna have Lukas check on him. I'll be right back."

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Emil heard a soft knock on the bathroom door. He summoned his voice as normally as he could. "Who is it?" he asked, cringing when his voice cracked. What a mess he really turned out to be.

"What happened?" his brother's voice asked through the door. Lukas's voice was soft and patient, as if he knew that Emil had been sobbing for the past ten minutes. "I heard you tried to call Mom and some guy answered. Are you okay?"

The Icelandic boy sighed. He knew he shouldn't have called his mom, and especially in front of Lilli. She was probably going to think he was stupid or a big crybaby. It wasn't like he could explain his discomfort about a man answering his mother's phone without making himself seem childish. After all, how could he explain how he felt betrayed because his mother had some guy in her life after saying she only needed him? Hadn't he betrayed his own mother in the same way by moving to America and leaving her all alone?

"I'm fine," he finally managed to say. "It was just a shock, okay? I'm okay, so don't worry about it." He couldn't stop his voice from sounding bitter as he talked to his brother through the bathroom door. "Just go back to doing whatever you were doing. It's really nothing."

He listened as his brother's footsteps faded off down the hallway toward the living room. His heart felt heavy as he realized he needed to see Lilli again after doing something so stupid. What was she going to think? Will she think he's stupid for crying over something so small? But was it really as small of a deal as he was making it out to be? After all, his mother had replaced him. How was that not a big deal?

Deciding to play it off as nothing, he went back to the living room to find Lilli, Lukas, and Mathias all laughing together. He felt a slight twinge in his heart that made his body suddenly feel heavy and sluggish. Though he wanted to smile to prove that he was okay, he just couldn't bring his lips to properly form the shape. His mind was going a million miles an hour, and the one thought that kept rushing back to him made him feel sick. Even Lilli replaced me. She seems to be having a better time with Lukas and Mathias than she has with me all day.

"Are you feeling better, Emmy?" Lilli asked, smiling brightly at him. "I was worried about you." It was so obvious that she was ignoring the redness around his puffy eyes. "Come sit with us!" She eagerly patted the cushion next to her.

"I'm actually feeling pretty tired," he admitted. "I think I'm going to go and take a nap. I'll be back later." With that, he excused himself to his room, but not before he watched Lilli's smile fall into a look of concern. He hoped he would never have to see her make a face like that at him again.

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Emil looked up as his bedroom door opened an hour later. His eyes focused on Lilli as she softly closed the door behind herself. He knew that she had already seen he was awake and realized that he couldn't pretend to be asleep to avoid talking. He felt Lilli sit on the end of his bed near his feet.

"Emmy, it's okay if you don't tell me what has you so upset," she softly said, gently patting his ankle. "You never have to talk to me about anything you don't want to." Lilli took a deep breath. "I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you. If you ever need anyone to just listen to what's bothering you, even if I'm what's bothering you, I'll always be here to listen. You're one of my best friends, and I love you a lot. It hurts me to see you upset when I know there's nothing I can do to make it better." She retracted her hand. "Then again, this isn't about me. It's about you. Please keep in mind that you can always talk to me about anything, okay? Ever since Arthur shot himself, I've been trying to be more attentive to the feelings of my friends. I guess you could say that I regret not realizing how hurt Arthur truly was." She sniffled a little. "If you're ever hurt or upset, please don't let it come down to something like that. Please reach out to us before deciding that being alive isn't worth it, okay?"

Emil slowly sat up and grabbed her hand, gently caressing the back of it with his thumb. "I won't let myself get to that point, Lilli," he told her. "I know that you, and everyone else, are here for me. I'll admit that I do have a bad habit of bottling up my feelings until they suffocate me, but I'll work on it. It's just hard right now." He could feel the words flowing out of his mouth, unable to stop them. "My mother always told me that I was all she would ever need, the only man in her life. And then, when I left, she got someone to replace me. It's not like I expected her to be lonely without me, but why couldn't she have talked to me about it first?" A tear trickled down his cheek and he hurriedly wiped it away. "In the end, will I really be that replaceable?"

"Oh, Emmy…" Lilli stood up and wrapped her arms around her friend, cradling his head in the crook of her neck. "No one could ever replace you. Your existence will always be needed, by all of us. Even if you feel that way, let me tell you right now that it's not true. We all love you, and our worlds would never be the same without you. Your mind is just being mean right now." She rubbed his back with one hand and soothingly ran her fingers through his hair with her other. "Don't listen to it. No one will ever replace you in anyone's heart or life. Please don't let your sadness get the best of you. We all love and care about you so much."

The Icelandic boy clung tightly to her, like a scolded child. "I'm sorry," he kept repeating into her neck, each time more frantic. "I didn't mean to upset you. I don't mean to make you worry about me. I'm okay. I'll be okay. Sometimes my feelings just get the best of me. That's all. I won't make you worry anymore, I promise."

She smiled her herself, ruffling his hair. "I'll always worry about you, Emmy. I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't. You're just too precious to me."

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The rest of the weekend flew by before Emil could even remember that it even was the weekend. He kept thinking about how quickly time passed as he sat next to Lilli in the back of Lukas's car on the way to school. After the incident with his mother, Emil didn't have any more of those depressive episodes, yet he couldn't help but avoid his mother's calls for the next couple days. He just couldn't bring himself to talk to her, but he promised himself that he would properly discuss it with her once he was ready. Whenever that would be…

"Good morning!" Leon cheerfully greeted from the library table where they had all started gathering once it began getting cold out. He smiled up at his boyfriend, a playful glint in his eyes. "Did you have a good weekend? I heard Lilli stayed with you, so I doubt there was ever a dull moment there."

Emil sat down next to Leon, grinning. "It was a pretty nice weekend. How was yours? I didn't really have a chance to talk to you after the ice skating at the mall."

The Asian boy rolled his eyes. "Ugh, Yao is the worst! I had an appointment at the University hospital, and he had some stuff to take care of there, so of course I had to ride with him. Since we live across the city from there, I had to stay there until he was done. Emil, we were there from nine in the morning until four in the afternoon. I had to go up to the library on the eighth floor and just read all day. It was so boring! I would have rather been doing literally anything else!" He groaned loudly to prove his point and then reached under the table to hold his boyfriend's hand. "But yeah, that was my Sunday."

"Sounds rough," Emil chuckled. His hand felt so warm when enveloped in Leon's. In that moment, he felt so safe from himself. He felt as if Leon truly were the source of his happiness. If he could just sit there all day, holding Leon's hand, he felt as if everything would be okay. "My brothers took Lilli and I out to rent movies and get snacks before leaving on a date night. We kinda just chilled all day yesterday."

"Lucky you," Leon scoffed, a false bitterness in his tone. "I guess you could say that I chilled, but not in a fun way. Do you know how cold that hospital can be?"

Emil felt his lips pulling into a wide smile as Leon ranted on. Some laughter even escaped. He felt genuinely happy whenever he was with this boy, and he wished that they could always be like this, never having to separate at the end of the school day. Why must he ever have to separate from the best part of his life? It seemed too unfair.

Mei and Max soon came and joined Emil and Leon at the table. Talk of pop quizzes and pointless gossip filled the air around the table as Mei pulled out her notebook and spilled her latest findings, but only the juiciest ones. By the time she was finished, everyone was at the table and laughing about the rumors Mei had revealed, or they were discussing how to make sure they got everything right on the pop quiz.

It was then that Emil realized it. Whenever he felt hopeless, as if there was nothing still tying him to his pathetic life, he would remember these moments. He would think of the times where they all came together and laughed and joked and helped each other out with things. If anything was worth continuing on for, it was the people who had become so dear to him in just a few short months. They would always be worth it, because they made him feel worth it.

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That night, as Emil sat in his bedroom, he figured that time would be as good as ever to call up his mother. His heart pounded in his chest as the phone rang, and when he heard the click of her picking up, he felt as if his heart were about to burst. He nearly dropped his phone upon hearing her voice.

"Emil, my darling, is that you?" she asked. "You called this weekend, but I don't know if you meant to. Are you doing okay? How's America? I'm sorry that I've been launching questions at you, my love. It's just been too long."

"Hallo, Mom," he slowly said, calming down. "I am doing well. America is nice. I'm sorry that I haven't been a good son and called you lately. I have made many friends, and we are always doing things together."

"That's wonderful to hear!" his mother enthused. "I'm so happy that you have made friends! I was so worried about you isolating yourself. You had always been so shy. I guess my worries must have been in vain. I'm so happy that you are doing well! I have something to tell you as well!"

Emil's heart pounded in his chest. This was it. This was the moment that she was going to tell him about the new man in her life. He didn't want to hear it confirmed, but at the same time he wanted to be happy for his mother. She must have been so lonely once he left. He wanted her to be happy, but he didn't want her to be happy without him. But that wasn't fair to her, considering that he was happy in America.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice from cutting out. His anxiety of this moment had him trembling, but he knew he needed to be strong for his mother. After all, she was allowed to be happy and have a life outside of him. Though he knew that, why was it so hard to think about? Why couldn't he just support her happiness without feeling horrible about it?

"Things got lonely after you left for America with your brother," she slowly began. "One day I went to the market, and I met someone. His name was Hans, and he really helped me out with my shopping, just like you used to." Her voice had a definite smile to it. "He and I decided to get dinner together, and I met his two daughters. They're so darling, Em! Anyway, Hans and I have decided that neither of us are getting any younger, and he proposed to me last week! I've been wanting to tell you about this all weekend, which is why I had been calling you! But I figured you were busy."

"I was," Emil choked out, trying his best to hide how upset he was. "I'm glad that you're happy, Mom." The lies he was spouting felt like poison in his mouth. "This is exciting. I hope to meet him sometime. He sounds great."

"Oh, he is!" she gushed back. "I hope that one day you find a love like this!" Without realizing how upset she was making her son, she continued on about Hans and his daughters, randomly remarking about how she had always wanted a daughter.

After a few minutes, Emil couldn't take it anymore. "Mom, it's time for me to eat," he lied. "I'll talk to you another time, okay? I love you." He didn't even wait for her response before he hung up and broke down sobbing. Only this time, Lilli wasn't there. He cried to his heart's content, as loudly as he wanted to. It wasn't like there was anyone home but him.

Once he felt as if there were no more tears left in his body, he ventured out into the kitchen to get some water, just as Lukas was walking through the front door. He was talking on his cell phone, so Emil didn't greet him like he normally would.

Lukas peeked into the kitchen. "Yeah, he seems to be okay," he said into the phone. "I told you that there was no need to be worried about him. He was probably stressed out about tests or something. He is in high school, you know." He listened for a moment. "Yeah, I know. I love you too. Congratulations again; I'm happy for you. I'll talk to you later."

Once he finally hung up the phone, Lukas stood in the kitchen doorway before looking at Emil. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. "Mom was pretty worried about you. She said something seemed off about you. You don't like it, do you?"

Emil fixed his eyes on his brother's feet. "Who would like being replaced?" he quietly asked. "All my life, she told me that all she needed was me. Now she's telling me she had always wanted a daughter, and now she's engaged to some random guy with two of them." He could hear his bitter feelings seeping into his words, but he couldn't help it. "I doubt she even misses me."

Lukas chuckled bitterly. "I remember feeling that way," he admitted, causing his brother to look up. "When you were born, I felt as if I were replaced in her heart by you. That was why I never took the time to come and meet you when we were growing up. And my dad always told me that she would always love you more than me." He shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "But this past summer when I went to see her and meet you….I don't think I ever remember her being so happy. Even though I left her at a young age, she never replaced me in her heart. She could never replace you, Emil. She has a big enough heart for all of us."

The younger brother felt as if he were being forced to dry-swallow a large pill. "Yeah," he finally choked out. "I guess I was just so used to it being me and her versus the world, but I left her alone up there. She needs someone to be with her and remind her that the world is a beautiful place, just like what I have here. Maybe I just needed someone other than myself to remind me of that."

Lukas smiled at his little brother. "I'm glad that I could help then," he said. "Your feelings are valid, though. You have every right to be upset. I have to admit that even I was shocked. Then again, she's to that age where she doesn't exactly have the time to date around, you know? As you get older, you just find people you click with. That's what happened with my dad. Like, I swear, one of his wives when I was growing up was someone he married after a month of knowing her. She was my step-mom for about six months before they finally divorced." He bitterly chuckled. "I guess when you're as rich as my dad, you can literally buy love and then pay to get rid of it to buy more. At this point, I can't even remember all of the names of my step-siblings."

"Your dad is rich?" Emil asked. "So that means you're rich, too? Is that why we live in such a nice and fancy apartment?" He gestured to their elaborate surroundings.

"He may be rich, but the last thing of mine I ever let him pay for was my schooling," Lukas replied with a smirk. "I just chose one of the most expensive schools I could find, just to take advantage of his money. But I got a fantastic education, which landed me a great job that eventually transferred me to America. What you see right now is a product of mine and Mat's own work. My dad still wants to send us money, especially now that he knows you live here with us, but I refuse to let him. I want to be proud of my life because it's mine, you know?"

The younger of the two smiled to himself. "I can respect that," he admitted. "I mean, you are pretty stubborn when you want to be. It's pretty admirable when I think about it."

"Oh please!" his brother snorted. "It's nothing to be too impressed with. You could easily do it too! In fact, your grades are amazing! Your friends must really know how to study. Like, since English isn't your native language, I didn't think your grades would be as high as they are. You're in the Top 25 in your grade, and that's really impressive." He grinned. "I'm glad that you have such good friends."

At that moment, Emil decided that what really went on at those "study sessions" would always stay a secret from his brother. He would never admit that he would get drunk while Neoklis did his homework. Yet he was genuinely surprised that his brother gave him money for every "study session" he had with them. Lukas would never know that the money would go to his friend to forge his handwriting instead of the snacks he claimed it went to.

"They really are the best," he admitted. "I don't know where I would be if Lilli hadn't approached me on my first day. It's all thanks to her that I found a place where I really belong at school."

"I knew I liked her for a reason," Lukas laughed. "She's really something. And her passion for her friends is something to be admired. Her heart is most definitely in the right place." He smiled to himself. "This weekend, how about we have all of them over? I would love to meet them all."

The younger of the two looked up at his brother with wide eyes. Had he heard correctly? Lukas actually wanted all of them to come over? He had never mentioned Emil being able to have friends over other than Lilli before.

"Yeah!" Emil agreed. "I'll invite them!" And just like that, he couldn't wait for the weekend.