A/N: Apolgizes for the long wait, we've been very busy with life! Althought short, we come back with angst and reassuring chaos to come! Thank you very much to those who commented and waited!

The day began with rain against Jim's bedroom window. It was 4am. Barbara had just gotten back home not long ago before Jim heard her walk up to her bedroom and fall onto her bed, probably without even changing into her sleeping clothes.

While he waited for his mother to fall into deep slumber, he sat on his bed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, fiddling with the amulet in his hands. The patch of blackness he noticed the other day seemed to have spread a little further around the rim, and he didn't miss the yellow glow starting to take over the cyan blue light that reflected in the artifact's metal.

The more he stared at the amulet though, the more it looked like it was turning into a shade of green–near the tone that reminded him of someone's eyes.

At first he thought the color flickered near Toby's eyes, but it then started to almost briefly flash to a more intense green that didn't quite match Toby's humorous tone.

It looked somewhat more sinister…

He couldn't quite put a finger on it. The only person he ever met who had green eyes was Toby, and the thought of the stout boy was making his blood start to boil–

It then clicked in the back of his head.

Morgana.

He brushed a finger over the rim of the amulet and looked at the window, watching the rain splatter and slide down the glass.

His mind started to drift to last night's events with Toby, and Blinky and Aaarrrgghh breaking in. The overwhelming aggravation was nearly suffocating, and he was a tad bit surprised at how he managed to go on through the night without completely lashing out. Especially when he got Toby to leave.

Was he supposed to put up with that everyday…?

He wetted his lips and pursed them together, his eyebrows furrowed as his thoughts started to cloud his mind.

He wouldn't be able to stand another day alongside Toby, and last night was only within an hour of the whole weekend he spent alone by himself. He was supposed to go to school with Toby, and get dragged with his Trollhunter duties? Jim was sure he wouldn't last a few hours in Trollmarket with Toby, Blinky and everyone, let alone a couple of days.

He glanced down at the amulet, gazing at the green flickering glow that formed an image of a certain sorceress in his head.

There wasn't anything stopping him from doing anything, really. It wouldn't hurt too much if he started to stir some mild trouble up, would it…?

Toby barely slept at all. Not when the same scene from last night kept playing over and over again in his head. He was upset at Jim, about this whole new Troll world, at himself. He could hardly even understand what had happened. What was happening .

By the time 6am came, his sore back couldn't stand the mattress of his bed anymore. He sat up and rubbed his face with his hands, feeling as gloomy as the day ahead of him.

Around fifteen minutes later, he somehow mustered up the energy to get up and drag himself down the stairs to brush his teeth and probably eat something. Nana was still asleep, so he tried to keep quiet doing his things around the house and fixed himself up to head to school.

The ride was quiet and lonely. He was already missing riding to school alongside Jim, joking, just talking to each other.

Would they ever do that again?

Of course we will! Jimbo's just… a little moody right now… he should be back to normal sometime, right?

He was lying to himself thinking that, and it made him feel nearly sick. Deep down, a small part of him knew things between him and Jim weren't going to be the same anymore. And he hated how it kept growing.

Thankfully the rain had stopped a while ago. The roads and everything were wet and the air smelled thick of it, more showers yet to come.

He arrived at the school, slowing down by the entrance before noticing the gates were still closed.

It can't be that early, right?

He looked down at his phone, pulling it out of his pocket, and frowned when the time read 7am sharp.

He sighed and placed his bike by the stands near the entrance of the building, leaning against it while looking around, bored and promising more rain to come later. He looked back at the horizon and saw a couple of cars pass by the road up ahead, the sound of wheels rolling over wet concrete being heard.

Between each of the trucks that passed he could see a guy in a trench coat and cap casually walk past the buildings across the street, some other lady with her young daughter walking the opposite direction, and that one guy who worked in the cafe and bookstore following behind, probably listening to music on the phone he was looking down at. .

Thinking nothing of it, Toby looked back down at his own phone and pulled up the local weather app, reading the forecast that mentioned heavy downpours to come.

While he waited, a car slowed to a stop by the sidewalk that led to the entrance of the school, and stepping out of it was Claire Nuñez.

She inaudibly bidded a farewell to her parents inside the vehicle before running up to stand not far besides Toby.

After the car drove away, the wheels spattered some puddles of water a little further from the teenagers standing by the entrances.

Toby put his attention back to his phone, opening up his messages and looking at the last ones he shared with Jim from about five nights ago. There was pang of sadness as he reread the old messages he and Jim shared, their jokes and quips. He yearned to do that again.

Unbeknownst to him, Claire was looking at him from aside, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"You're Colby?"

He looked up from his phone and glanced at her, frowning a bit at the mispronunciation of his name. "It's Toby," he stated flatly.

"Ah, right…" Claire played around with the strap of her backpack, looking away sheepishly for a bit. "You're friends with Jim?"

His stomach twisted at the mention of his friend, but he kept his posture and face expressionless. "Yeah."

"I see you didn't come with him again today."

He clenched his jaw and looked back down on his phone, closing the app.

Claire wetted her lips, somewhat uneasy. "...Do you know why he's been acting so weird in school lately?"

Toby glanced up and glanced around, tense and uncomfortable. He didn't feel like discussing Jim at the moment. "No, I don't. He's been a real butt lately and I don't want to talk about him."

He'd probably regret the words later, but right now they just felt so good to say out loud.

Claire must have noticed his snappiness since she only gave a single nod, staying silent for the rest of the while.

One of the janitors of the school came to open the gates, and Toby and Caire were finally able to head inside before it started dripping outside, along with two other students who had just arrived.

By the time 7:20am rolled by, Toby was already sitting in the history classroom waiting for 8 o'clock to arrive. He silently stared out the window and occasionally glanced at Jim's empty seat beside him and the doorway, secretly hoping to see his friend walk in with that casual sheepish look on his face. He imagined the lanky boy, calm and out of his moodiness, sitting next to him and apologizing for his recent behavior, and he could easily hear him full-heartedly say in his soothing voice, " I'll make you your favorite dish to make it up for you. That good Tobes ?"

That would sadly not be the case, and it made Toby want to cry.

Instead he found himself waiting endlessly, his patience soon wearing thin whenever a student walked in who wasn't Jim. By the time Mr. Strickler walked in, his patience had turned into an anxious suspicion. Walt himself looked méfiante as well when he realized a certain boi had not yet arrived.

"Did anyone perhaps see Jim on the way?"

Toby swallowed when the History teacher's eyes drifted towards him. He briefly met them with his own before they quickly fell onto the book on his desk. "No, sir."

He didn't need to look to know Mr. Strickler was still looking at him with somewhat narrowed eyes. He played with the page of his textbook and wired for his teacher to start the class, queasy with unease.

It was already 9am and Jim had still not come yet. Toby finally grew worried. He debated giving his friend a call, but the knot in his stomach that kept reminding him of last night's argument made him hold back.

Toby never found himself actually paying attention and focusing when it came to math, but today was harder for him to even listen to what Ms. Janeth was saying. She had also asked about Jim's absence beforehand, and Toby would have been a six-legged frog if she didn't look somewhat distracted during class. Her usual ease writing the mathematical problems on the chart were a bit slower than average as she too kept glancing at the door, and she didn't sound as enthusiastic as usual when explaining, either.

By the time 10:30 came, Toby was sure Strickler had called Barbara to ask her about Jim. He probably should call her too.

He didn't feel like it though. Not when that weariness of the thought of somehow getting to the topic of his and Jim's fight last night with Dr. Lake lurked in the corner of his mind.

Who knows, maybe Jim was at home, or maybe Barbara was informed of her son's behaviour had simply given him the day off to talk to him about it? It soudned reasonable to at least calm Toby down for a bit.

Lunchtime was neither better nor worse. Without Jim having made an extra lunch for him, Toby had to get himself the only decent "appealing" choice for his lunch at the cafeteria.

Cheese dippers it is , he thought as he walked with the tray holding his bread and cheese to an isolated table. He sat down heavily, staring down glumly at the bread stuffed with cheese on his plate and the smaller than small carton of orange juice that was probably moldy or frozen.

Right before he was going to dig in his lunch unenthusiastically, someone had walked by and sat across from him on the table. He gazed up and found himself staring at Claire Nuñez.

"Hey," she said with a sheepish grin. She had a tray with what seemed to be a fish sandwich and a carton of milk that was wet with condensation. "Didn't bring lunch either?"

She was probably being light-hearted, but Toby wasn't in the mood.

However, at this time whatever emotions he had earlier had drained, and now he was feeling more tired than anything. He simply looked back at his food and dropped his shoulders, murmuring, "Jim would usually make one for me."

That seemed to make Claire shift uncomfortably, clearly remembering their brief talk before school began. "Ah, I see…"

Then there was an awkward silence as the two began to eat, but as a couple of minutes passed by it seemed to have lightened into a more comfortable quiet.

They were half way done with their lunches when Claire heard Toby mutter with a saddening look on his face, "'Don't know what's gotten into him."

She slowed down her chewing and watched him put down the rest of his cheese dipper on his plate, looking like he already decided on not finishing it up. He kept blinking rapidly, almost as if he were fighting tears that were threatening to form. She felt a pang of pity for him–he and Jim must have been really close. Maybe they fought or something?

She wanted to ask, but seeing how the boy in front of her obviously struggled to hold in his emotions, she kept quiet to prevent triggering him any more. She put down her fish sandwich and carefully asked him, "Hey, after school do you want to talk and hang out someplace?"

He gazed back up at her, his eyes a shimmery green as they continued blinking.

"...Sure."