A/N: Sorry that the chapters are kinda short. I feel that they fit the story better this way. As always, read and review so I can know if people actually like it!

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Toris looked over at his best friend's sleeping form. It had been so long since Alfred had gotten some good sleep. He had honestly been worried that Alfred would never sleep well again, but he was now glad that he had kept those worries to himself. After all, he hadn't seen the blond this peaceful-looking in a long time.

The blond began to stir in his sleep. Apparently such peace was short-lived. "Toris?" he asked, blinking up at his friend. "What are you doing here? How long have you been sitting there?"

"Not long really," the other admitted. "I came here to tell you something, though." He withheld the information for a few moments to build up suspense, but once Alfred looked as if he were about to punch him, he gave up on the suspense. "Arthur is on his way."

Alfred's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, he is?!" he cried out. "You're not messing with me, are you?! You better not be lying to me!" He sat straight up, heart pounding madly in his chest. "I swear to God, if you're lying to me, I'll-"

"I wouldn't lie to you about this," Toris calmly stated. "Natalia texted me this afternoon and told me that Arthur is at her house as we speak. Don't worry, she's going to follow the plan. She'll only tell him her part of things."

The blond solemnly sat in his bed, twiddling his thumbs. "Yeah, Nat was always good for her word," he mused. A smile played on his lips. Arthur was really coming. "I wonder how long it will take him to get here," he thought aloud. "What do you think, Toris?"

"Well it all depends on how long it takes everyone to tell him what he needs to know," the other replied. "Perhaps a month? It also depends on if he has car troubles or not. But if I may ask a question…" He thought about how to properly word what he wanted to say. "What is the point of all of this? You two had a falling out, if I remember correctly. Why does he still mean so much to you?"

"Don't you get it, Toris?" Alfred groaned, leaning back against his pillows. "Arthur is my best friend. Falling out or not, I refuse to ever give up on that fact. Isn't that enough of a point right there?" He sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "I just can't believe he's actually coming. To be honest, about a year ago, I had started to give up all hope of ever speaking to him, and now I hear he's on his way here. It's like I have butterflies in my stomach from all of the excitement. I haven't felt this way in years!"

"Good for you," Toris grumbled, still jealous over the fact that Arthur still ranked higher than he did on the friendship scale. "Anyway, that's all that I came to tell you today, but I'll keep you updated."

"Thanks, Toris. I really mean it. You're one of the best friends I've got."

"But you'll never be as good as Arthur," was all that Toris heard. Though Alfred hadn't said it aloud, the brunet knew that was what he intended. He hated thinking that way about Alfred, but it was an undeniable fact. In Alfred's heart, there was only room for one, whether platonic or romantic. And that one was Arthur. Nobody else would do.

.

Arthur blinked in surprise for a moment, unsure of if he had heard Natalia correctly. Alfred loved him the most? There was no way that would be possible. First off, they were both guys, and second off, they'd had a huge falling out at the end of their freshman year of high school. After all that time, there was no way Alfred could harbor anything other than hatred for Arthur. At least that's what the green-eyed boy told himself. If Alfred loved him the most, out of everyone else he knew, it wouldn't make sense. They had hurt each other too badly in their falling out for something like that to happen.

"I believe you are mistaken, Natalia," the boy said, taking a deep breath. "The last time I spoke to Alfred, many things were said. Many things that could never be taken back. There is no way he could harbor any feeling other than hatred for me."

Natalia stood up and walked over to the boy on her couch. She leaned over him, face inches from his, an aura of intimidation and malice enveloping her. "Are you trying to say I'm a liar?" she questioned, voice like ice.

"Not at all!" Arthur assured, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Just call it a feeling, I guess. Alfred and I were not on the best of terms at all when our friendship ended. Granted, a lot of it was my own fault, and I regret that. But in knowing that it was my fault, that's how I came to the conclusion that he has to hate me for all of it."

"He doesn't, though," she sighed, walking to a chair a safe distance away from Arthur and sitting back down. "I don't think there's any way he could ever hate you, now that I think about it." She shook her head, chuckling bitterly to herself. "The rest of us always came second to you, even after the falling out. He never talked to any of us about it, but it changed him, Arthur. After shit went down between the two of you, he wasn't our Alfred anymore. It was as if he became an entirely different person."

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Four Years Previous

After class, Alfred decided to take his chances and talk to Natalia again. She just seemed too interesting to be left alone. There was something in the back of his mind that kept telling him that he needed to get to know this girl. Though she seemed pretty aloof, it made him all the more curious. What would be so wrong about attempting to befriend her? The least she could do is ignore him.

"Hey Natalia," he said, catching up to her on her way out the door. "Uh, I'm new to this school, and I don't exactly have many friends…"

"I don't see where that is my problem," she flatly stated, refusing to look his way. Natalia stepped out into the hall, doing her best to lose Alfred in the crowd of students rushing around them.

Alfred refused to let her shake him off. "I was just wondering if we could be friends or something. You seem pretty cool, and I'd like to get to know you better."

Natalia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure there are plenty of other 'cool' people you can get to know. This school is full of them. Go ask one of them instead."

Desperate, he reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to turn to him. "No, it has to be you!" he insisted. "I want you to be my friend." He flashed her his most charming smile. "Please, Natalia?"

Flustered, she snatched her hand back and stomped off ahead of him. "Fine!" she called back to him, irritated. "But don't touch me again!" She made sure she was far away from him before bringing a hand to her flushed cheeks. They were impossibly hot, and she couldn't believe that some random guy had the audacity to come up and just grab her hand like that. No one ever touched her! Not even her own family.

Natalia looked over her shoulder just in time to see Alfred turn and walk into another classroom. Who was he, and why was he so insistent on becoming her friend? Why did it have to be her and no one else? There was something different about this Alfred Jones guy, and she was going to make it her mission to find out what it was.