The entrance to the cafeteria was in Nico's reach within seconds. Arms shaking, he shoved all his weight into the door's metal bar, the exit swinging open with a crash as the edge hit the wall.

"Nico, wait!"

He almost turned around, almost skidded to a halt, as he heard his name being shouted from behind. But Nico didn't have it in him in that moment to trust in anything else but his legs as he dashed through the hallway away from the crowd. Moments later, the single cafeteria door behind him slammed shut with the force they were pushed open with, creating a barrier between Nico and Will, who the former was leaving behind with every additional stride.

Go away.

Leave me alone.

Don't come after me.

People and scenery alike blended into a single colorful blur as he sprinted down the hallway, escape the only thing on his mind. Racking his mind for the most isolated spots in the school, he decided that the second floor, usually empty save for students retaking quizzes and tests, was the best place to find somewhere to hide.

I just want the world to go away.

Please make everything go away.

I don't want to be here anymore.

He rounded the corner and nearly crashed into a girl with wildly curly red hair, who dropped the markers and paintbrushes she was holding in surprise.

"Oh my god, watch where you're going!"

Green eyes narrowed in annoyance as the girl bent down to pick up her art supplies, Nico yelling out a half-hearted "Sorry!" back towards the girl as he pushed open the stairs to the nearest stairwell. Taking the stairs two at a time, Nico never stopped running, as if he was instead trying to outrun the frantic thoughts racing through his head.

What a stupid idea.

Why am I so stupid?

I already knew things were going to go poorly.

Should have just not showed up.

Should have just stayed home today.

Bursting into the nearest bathroom, Nico threw open the first stall and locked the door with shaking hands. The rush of relief the quiet click of the stall's lock brought him was second to none, and Nico was finally alone with his own shame and guilt. As it should be.

This never would have happened if you hadn't let him get so close to you in the first place.

The memory of Will tightly squeezing Nico's hand. Will's warm, tear-soaked cheek pressed against Nico's thigh, golden curls spilling out into his lap. The hint of afternoon sunlight peeking in through the gap in closed curtains in an otherwise dark room, save for the movie playing on the TV. Will's tender, comforting hug goodbye that smelled faintly of lemon detergent.

Gods damn it.

Stop.

Stop thinking about him.

Stop remembering everything that happened.

A sickly feeling welled up in Nico's throat as he slid his backpack strap off his shoulder, the heavy bag falling to the tiled floor with a solid thud. He sucked in a breath, trying to distance himself from his memories, but his body was fighting him with every inhale. The muscles in his upper chest tightened, forcing Nico's already crouched form even further in on itself, waves of emotions filling his body from his chest to his neck, and finally, his face. Nico was no stranger to the sinking sensation of losing control, despair and panic overtaking the cold, emotionless logic that he yearned to embody.

Agonizingly sharp pains flared up in his abdomen, breaths now trapped by the tension in his airway. The precariously building sense of hope that Nico had slowly accumulated over the last two weeks had now been shattered irreparably.

I knew I was going to get hurt again.

This is what I get for letting myself have feelings.

Nico drew uneven, ragged breaths, his furrowed eyebrows aching from the emotions clawing their way to the surface as he stumbled backwards onto the toilet seat. He crumbled into his own body; face buried in his own forearms as he stared down at the drab bathroom tiles between his well-worn shoes.

Finally, knowing he was alone, the overwhelming urge to cry finally broke free of what little emotional restraint he had left, and Nico's eyes flooded with tears, humiliation and disappointment escaping him in muffled whimpers echoing in the bathroom.

Pathetic.

Look at how pitiful you are.

Crying alone in a shitty bathroom stall.

Why are you surprised things turned out this way?

As tears streamed down his cheeks, fluid filled his nostrils, causing his already struggling breaths to become even more erratic. Unable to breathe properly, Nico sat back up, propping his elbows up on his thighs. He drew in a rough, shaky gasp, wiping away the tears dangling under his chin with the back of his hand.

Who the fuck would want someone like you?

"Hey… you okay over there?" A kind, but sharp voice from the neighboring stall quietly spoke up, causing Nico to freeze up in panic.

Grasping at words to reply, Nico managed to squeak out a quiet "um" before his throat closed up on him again, and his voice faded out to a shaky sob.

"Listen, I have no idea what you're going through or what happened, but I promise it is going to be okay. I've been there and it feels awful to go through alone." Unable to respond, Nico inhaled shakily, trying to regain control of his emotions, knowing that someone else was in the room with him.

Gods, how could you be so stupid?

Why the fuck would you come to a bathroom in the middle of lunch to cry?

Obviously, there would be someone in here.

Nico heard the other stall door creak open and watched a pair of worn-out pink Converse high tops walk around the front of his stall. They paused before then walking around to the sink, where Nico heard the faucet turn on, the splashing of water, and then the whirr of the paper towel dispenser.

However, to Nico's surprise, the stranger then turned back towards the door of Nico's stall, gently tapping on the door.

"Will you open the door for me?" they asked, the concern in their voice pushing Nico to the verge of tears again. "You don't have to, I just want to help any way I can."

Why are they being so nice to me?

I don't deserve it, nobody should care.

I'm so pathetic.

No one should have to put up with my shit.

"I'm sorry if I'm overstepping," the voice continued, "but usually I feel better about crying when I can wipe off all the gunk on my face. I've got a paper towel for you."

Nico paused, glancing at the toilet paper dispenser in the stall, and visibly deflated when he saw that, as per the usual, it was empty. Quickly wiping the apparent tears off his face, Nico reached forwards and pushed the sliding lock open, gently tugging the door open as a pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest came into view.

A lightly tanned hand held out a damp paper towel to Nico, who gratefully accepted the token of kindness. He unfolded it and gently rubbed it over his lightly swollen eyes before blowing out the snot building up his nostrils.

Nico somehow managed to subdue the voice in his head into a forced silence, trying to focus on the person standing in front of him.

"Thank you," Nico muttered, balling up the paper, not sure what to do with it. He pulled his arms back down into his lap, fist clenched around the paper towel, not wanting to be more of a burden than he already was.

"Here, I'll trade you," the other person said, holding out a dry paper towel as they held out their palm for Nico to place the wet paper towel in. Nico looked up into a pair of mismatched amber and brown eyes, dark green hair catching his attention.

"Are-are you sure?" Nico asked shakily, anxiety rising as he acknowledged the unexpected kindness. Nico received a nod in response, and then hesitantly reached out to take the clean paper towel, dropping the dirty one in the outstretched hand before once again wiping off his own face.

Nico watched as they turned and tossed the balled-up paper to the side, an amused puff of air leaving their nose as the wad made a quiet thunk from hitting the inside of the trash can. Nico studied his new acquaintance, registering their sharp facial features and the lime green skinny jeans that were far too bright to miss.

The caring kindness he hadn't even realized he needed had somehow manifested before him, clothed in shades of neon.


Hi everyone!

As always, thanks so much for reading, and I sincerely apologize for the long wait between updates, as you wouldn't have been informed unless you were also reading The Mysterious Metro Musician. Hearing from my readers brings so much light into my life, I truly do appreciate you all coming back and continuing to stick with the story. In short, I've been accepted into a study abroad program for the summer and then will be attending nursing school full time in the fall, so as things get busier in real life my chapter uploads will likely only happen when I have time to do so. In the meantime, I'll be trying to update my stories more frequently when I have time. Thank you for bearing with me and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Love you all,

Aleavon