Brief summary: Season 3 Episode 1 broke my heart. Melvin's trying, he's really trying, but in the end it's the same as it ever is, George is using him in order to get what he wants.

"It worked! We fooled everyone!" Melvin heard George say, as he was making his way to Principa-uh Camp Director Krupp's office. He was going to request a move to George's cabin, since they were friends now.

"Yeah. We got exactly what we wanted"

Harold? Why was he talking to Harold? Weren't they enemies now? He pondered this to himself, missing what the two of them said until he was snapped back to the present when he heard George say, sounding disgusted, "I still can't believe I made a comic with Melvin".

"Ha!" Harold replied, in a tone that could have been easily taken for sarcastic, if the listener happened to be very sensitive, "I can't wait to read it".

What? Melvin's brain, in a rare moment, stopped in its tracks, and he felt his heart clench as the two friends laughed and walked out of the main office. George and Harold were friends now? And they were mocking him? But what about…

Tears pricked at his eyes as his brain played George's disgusted comment on loop. He was only stopped from breaking down further by Dressy's distracting music.

"Dressy!" he snapped at her, "Do you mind?!"

"Ha, sorry. More betrayaaaalll".

Discreetly wiping his hand over his eyes, he muttered, "Whatever", and left for his own cabin. It was the middle of the day, so there probably wasn't going to be anyone else in there. Good. No one got to see him like this. He didn't want to see himself like this.

But even though he tried to ignore it, tried to be mad instead, he did feel betrayed. And used. And it hurt. I thought I was doing it right. His thoughts whispered, tears pricking back at his eyes, and he tried again to swipe them away. I was really trying this time. Unbidden the image of his future self came to mind, crazy, dangerous, willing to kill George and Harold. He didn't want to be that, he really didn't, and he thought he was improving. He thought that George was his friend.

They had made a comic together! Melvin would never sink so low, not for just anyone.

And wasn't it an interesting comic? His inner thoughts mocked, A sad story about a dangerous monster no one liked, who just wanted to make a friend.

"Shut up!" he screamed out loud, hands clenched at his sides, wanting to will his thoughts away. Immediately embarrassed, he slapped his hands over his mouth, and checked to make sure that no one noticed his outburst. There was no one. He was alone. Good. Good.

He managed to keep up the fight against tears until he was curled up in his bunk in the cabin. As he had predicted, the building was empty except for him. Pulling the covers over his head, he allowed himself a pitiful sniffle. The tears wouldn't stop now, and they trailed down his face, dripping all over his sheets. "We really fooled everyone!" he remembered George saying, and he buried himself deeper in his cover. It had all been a lie, a big con. And he had been George and Harold's fool. Again. Of course. Of course. Why did he think it would be any different this time? Just because this time he was trying? Angrily, he wiped the tears from his eyes.

That was enough crying. He was just degrading himself. And getting his covers wet and covered in snot. So, falling back on habits he had been trying to get out of, he got mad instead. That flat tire, George and his kidiot "best friend" had used him! He wouldn't let them get away with that. He would be no one's fool! With a forced smile, he climbed out his bed and marched back towards Krupp's office.

He didn't have a friend? Fine. But he would make sure that George lost his precious best friend.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* Time Skip *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"Melvin, dude!" He tensed and glared spitefully as George ran up to him right by the brick wall Krupp had built (with his help, of course). It made him more annoyed and angry to see that George was mad, "What the heck? Why did you tell Krupp about our plan?"

George talked like he was the one who had gotten used and lied to. Even worse, George didn't even seem to realize what was wrong with all of this, and the knowledge made Melvin's scowl deepen. "Why!? Are you seriously that oblivious, you dented coat rack?"

George blinked, clearly not understanding what he was talking about. After a moment of thinking it over, the boy shrugged, saying, "Ok you got me. I have no idea what you're talking about".

Melvin stared, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly a few times at...well, glass houses and all that, but at George's sheer insensitivity. Finally he managed to yell, "You used me, you hingeless door! I thought that we were friends!"

George blinked. "Huh? Oh, that? Well, we had to make Krupp think me and Harold were enemies" he shrugged again, "It worked pretty well, too". Brightening, while Melvin's mood only sunk further with every word, he added, "If it makes you feel better, Harold and I both liked your comic. You've got some skills".

The compliment helped. A little bit. He was tempted, for a moment, to tell George everything. To be completely honest about how much their apparent friendship had meant, about how he was trying to be better, about how much he was truly hurt. But it was still too little, too late. George had lied to him. Pretended to be his friend while Melvin had taken it all seriously. He couldn't trust him.

"Of course I have skills" he spat out instead, sidestepping his original conversation, "If you idiots can make comics, it would be no challenge to my vastly superior mind".

George rolled his eyes, and Melvin felt a bitter satisfaction at having restored their status quo. "Yeah, ok. That's the last time I give you a compliment".

Melvin shrugged bitterly (if that was even possible), 'Whatever. Like I need compliments from the likes of you anyway. Now leave me alone!"

And George did.

Wrote this for some catharsis after watching the first episode of S3 made me sad. Like, Melvin just looks so genuinely happy to be considered George's friend that whole episode, and it is so sweet. And then he learns he was just a pawn in one of George and Harold's schemes? Ouch. I mean, at least with Erica she was in on it. Anyway, watching that ep made me want to yell at George a little bit, so here we are.

Hope you enjoyed this, if you haven't already read it on AO3. R&R, see you next chapter.