A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. It took a while to come back, but here I am. Keep reading and reviewing and I will keep on writing. I absolutely love where I'm taking this story. You will see.

Chapter 17: Bathroom Stall Confession

A bathroom floor was nothing welcoming. It refused to absorb Stephanie's tears, leaving tiny pools beneath her. Robbie knelt down to place a warm arm around Stephanie's shoulder. She was falling down a hole of depression again. Her new friend could only provide so much before it failed.

"I am speechless," He said. "I never realized how hard school was for you."

Stephanie looked into Robin's eyes. Her face showed confusion.

He redeemed himself by saying, "I came from a private school. Nothing like this was ever allowed. They would have been kicked out by now."

"I just . . . I don't understand why. My friends were out there, laughing at me. What did I do to them to deserve this? There's less than two weeks left of school and they decide to bully me now? What the hell?"

Robbie lifted Stephanie's chin. A familiar shock bounced around his stomach. He took a deep breath and said, "We should leave. The class bell rang already. Let's take the day off together, huh? Just you and I, a couple of losers."

"Sure." Stephanie sniffled and let Robin help her off the floor. She gave him a strange look. "Listen . . ."

She stepped closer to him and studied his gray eyes.

"Yes?" Robin seemed so out of place. He grew nervous and for a moment recognized the stare from Pinky. It was the same hurt glance she shot him after the Frisbee incident.

For a quick second, Stephanie could tell this boy in front of her was one-hundred percent a disguise. No one else had those looks plastered on their face; the look Robbie gave her after she released harsh words upon him just to get a Frisbee back.

"I think this is my favorite disguise." She mumbled through tears.

Robbie's face went white and then lit up with a bright red hue. His stomach twisted and turned. So she did figure it out. One day, and she knew it was him. He was more flattered than upset. As his mouth went dry, Robbie had a thought: if Steph recognized him this fast, she must really not hate him.

Admitting defeat, Robbie softly replied, "I think it's mine, too."

No more words were exchanged. Robbie unlocked the door and poked his head outside. The hall was a ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds of ripped down posters. A janitor stood a few feet away, tearing down each poster while he shook his head, disgusted. He looked at the two friends emerge from the bathroom and immediately noticed the pink-hair girl with a beaten-down soul. Her head dragged down. The guy with her seemed distraught beyond a doubt. The janitor nodded to the two and continued to forcefully rip down the terror from each locker.

"Some fresh air will do us both good. This place is terrible," Robbie said, finally, in his normal voice.

Hearing Robbie's deep and accented voice lifted her spirits. No more fraud, no more guessing games. Though she had no answer as to why he was there, it really didn't matter anymore. Robbie was walking with her, caring for her. His kindness mattered. Even if it only lasted for an afternoon, his acts would be the most genuine of friendship Stephanie had since her first step into Lazytown. Not even the Blue Hero himself could climb to her level of sadness and try to comprehend what was happening. But Robbie tried, and Stephanie respected him so much more now.

Outside, on the other end of the school, Stephanie studied the football field.

"What is it?" Robbie asked.

"I'm not going to cheerlead anymore. Those girls are not friends. Clearly, Lily is the one who took the picture. She's always been trying to be the star of our team. She probably got together with Amelia to figure out what would cause me so much stress that I would quit. Well, this is it."

"Do what you must, Pinky. These people are not worth it." Robbie was very familiar with being left out and shunned. He added, "Like I said, maybe we can be losers together. You know, with chocolate milk mustaches."

A smile appeared like a sunrise on Stephanie's face. "I tried to pick a color you liked today. I thought maybe it would trigger something in you to act like yourself again. Turns out," She sobbed again, "Turns out, you are more a friend to me than I ever knew. I don't know why you're here, but thank you. Thank you, Robbie Rotten."

When she turned to face the villain, his wig was on the ground. Aside from distressed jeans and a navy blue t-shirt, Robbie was himself again. No more disguise, no more games. Being with Stephanie for only a day changed some of his views on his purpose. Who cared if Sportacus was in love with Stephanie? Who cared if he was a nuisance? Sportacus may have had everything, but he missed something important that Robbie now possessed: Stephanie's trust. Robbie had never fully been trusted before by anyone along his lifeline. He always came across as too blunt, too weird, too mysterious. Steph saw past that. She saw the man who loved periwinkle, acoustic music, giggling at small things like milk mustaches. She saw Robbie without the Rotten. The real him.

"Let's go sit on the bleachers over there for a few minutes," Steph suggested. "I need to think about what happened. I need to figure out what I'm going to do. Running away, crying is not an option anymore."

They reached the bleachers and sat pretty close to one another. They both felt secure in this tiny bubble of space. It was a fresh feeling each one of them needed.

"I need to ask you an off-topic question," Robbie said. He folded his arms and let his glare wander around the empty field. "How did you know it was me?"

Stephanie blushed deep pink and remembered her finger tracing along his cheek. She answered, "You gave yourself away."

"How?"

"You said goodnight Pinky before passing out on my couch. No one has ever called me that."

"I suppose it's a Robbie Original. I never meant to offend you with it, I-"

"Don't worry, Robbie. It's a good nickname. I kind of just knew it was you. You just have this presence about you and . . . well, nothing."

She put her head down on her knees, inhaling deeply. She knew Nate was nothing to think about anymore. Someone else slowly seeped into her mind. Someone tall, handsome, mischievous, and mysterious. As she lifted her head back up, Stephanie placed her hand on Robbie's.

Robbie's nerves flashed hot and cold as Stephanie rested her hand on his. He didn't understand why she was so comfortable with him all of a sudden.

"I just want to thank you again, Robbie." Stephanie said. "For the first time, your evil plans turned out to be useful. I couldn't be all by myself right now. I would probably consider suicide with the rate things have been going for me. So, thank you for being here."

She moved her hand away, leaving Robbie wanting to grab it tightly.

What is going on with me? He thought.

"No problem," He answered. "I am glad I can be by your side. Now, can we get some cake? I'm wasting away here."

Stephanie giggled. "Sure, let's go back to my house and make some cupcakes. Maybe that'll help me think of how to deal with school."