Author's Note: HOOHHH MY GOD YOU GUYS I finished writing this chapter this morning and then I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED IT I had a major heart attack but I got it back so it's okay. It's OKAY. But tbh if I hadn't managed to save it I probably would've given up on this story altogether so THANK THE LORD.
Anyway!
Second to last chapter here OMFG are you guys as excited as I am?!
Alba: No.
Ros: Yes.
Shima: ...You guys suck. Both of you.
Alba: Huh?! Why me?!
Shima: WHATEVER! Moving on, I'll try to make this as short and sweet as possible and then we can get started, alrighty? This chapter is super long, it's 16 pages total so enjoy that. Compared to the last chapter which was uber short (again, I apologize).
I forced myself to write the rest of this chapter today...I had the first half of it written since June, I'm sorry it took me so long to finish! Now my end of summer goal for this story may not come true since I move into my college dorm on Thursday, but...I WILL GET IT DONE. I SWEAR.
Just to let you guys know, an update for my upcoming fanfiction—it's Mother 3, and I'm writing it with a friend, so that's super awesome. If you guys like that game then GET EXCITED because I'm definitely pumped to show it to all of the Mother fans. Woop!
Reviews real quick and then we can move on to you guys hating me! Yay!
AmiliaFloral: How's it going? You progressing at all? Sorry to dump more work on you, haha! But I hope you enjoy this chapter as you have the others! I hope to hear from you soon!
kotoko-kurosaki: Ahh, nice to hear from you again~! I will never forget about you! Just don't forget about me okay? XD Thanks for reviewing again, I really appreciate it!
Okay! Ros, disclaimer?
Ros: Shima doesn't own Senyuu. But I do own Hero, so hands off.
Alba: WH-WH-WHAT?!
Shima: -chokes-
Teuffel: ...
Ros: And roll the chapter. -winks-
Chapter 14
Too Much To Bear
"...euf. Teuf...Teuf!"
Teuffel shot up like a bullet, eyes wide. "H-huh? What?"
Ares leaned over his desk, deep blue eyes shining with worry. "You okay? You kinda spaced out there for a while...did you forget to take your meds again? Don't go falling asleep on me, now," she teased lightly, though he could tell she wasn't putting all her heart into it.
He sighed and reached up to rub his temples. "I'm fine...thanks for your concern."
She puffed out a breath, annoyed. ""Fine" my ass. Ever since you told Alba the truth you've turned into a space case."
Teuffel glanced away and looked out the window, frowning. She knew he didn't like it when that topic was brought up, but what else was there to talk about, really? It was the sole subject of their conversations recently.
It had only been three days since Teuffel spilled the beans about the little game he'd been playing with Alba, and he hadn't seen the brunette since. The first day he decided to keep his worries to himself; he knew that it was a huge shock and he wanted to give Alba some time to get over it. He'd expected the boy would stay home for at least a day, but now three had passed and Teuffel found he couldn't wait any longer. He was planning to visit Alba after school to see what was up. He knew he was probably overreacting and getting all worked up for nothing, but Alba was his friend and a person he cared about very, very much. He had to make sure he was doing alright.
God, what an awful year. His best friend moves away without a word, he gets kidnapped and cut up by some psycho, and then he figures out that one of his friends has been lying to him, Teuffel thought sourly. I don't blame him for staying home. I probably wouldn't want to come to school either...
The black-haired teen started chewing the inside of his cheek. I really hope he isn't angry...maybe he hasn't come to school because he's avoiding me? But...no, he said he didn't blame me...if I know Alba as well as I do, he's probably still blaming himself for what happened...
He sighed again. That idiot.
"Um, hello? Earth to Teuffel?" Ares waved a hand in front of his face and he jumped. She made an aggravated sound. "You should really pay attention to people when they talk to you, you know."
He shied away from her and fidgeted in his seat. "Sorry, A."
Ares stared at him for what seemed like forever, and then she sighed heavily. "Whatever. Just make sure you give Alba our regards, okay?"
He looked up at her, surprised. "Wait, how did you—"
"I've known you since middle school, you dolt," she snorted. "I can read you like an open book. I know you're going to see him. It's written all over your face."
"Uh...right," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed. Was it that obvious?
The bell chimed loudly, and students rose out of their seats, chatting excitedly. They were all oblivious to the problems happening in Teuffel's world. He kind of envied them. It was funny how, not too long ago, he'd been just like them, happy and completely carefree.
To think so much could change in such a short time...
Teuffel gathered his things quickly and nearly bolted out the door, anxious to see how Alba was faring.
Ares watched him go, expression one of sorrow and pity.
"And you're constantly telling me I have love problems," a voice mumbled from behind her.
"What was that, Hime-chan? You want me to tell Foyfoy about your crush on him? Well, if you say so," Ares responded cheerfully, not missing a beat.
"Wh—no! For the last time, I don't...I don't..." Hime trembled, her entire face flooding with color.
"Noooooo!" She screamed, fist flying out as a reflex. A resounding crack was heard as she accidentally caught Janua in the crossfire.
The boy was sent flying backwards into a cluster of desks. He immediately started howling and holding his face.
"Nice," Ares complimented with a nod, completely ignoring Hime's earlier comment about Teuffel.
"O—oh my gosh! Janua-san, I am so sorry!" Hime fretted, hurrying over to inspect the damage.
"What the hell just happened?" Ares glanced over to see Foyfoy, who had returned from his trip to the bathroom.
The blue-haired girl shrugged. "Beats me!"
Teuffel held his breath as he stood outside the door to Alba's house. He could've made it there sooner but he knew it was better to take things slow, considering that he'd passed out from stress a couple days before. His foot tapped impatiently on the doorstep as he waited for the door to open.
Right on cue, the door swung out, revealing Alba's sweet mother, who was tidy and simple-looking as always. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blinking in surprise at her guest.
"Oh, my, Teuffel! How are you?" She asked.
"I'm fine, thanks." He peeked around her, looking for any signs of his object of affection. "Is...is Alba here?"
Alba's mom made a face. "Yes, but...I'm afraid he's in a rut. He's hardly gotten out of bed at all..."
Teuffel blinked. "Did...he tell you anything important?"
She nodded and gestured for him to come in. Teuffel stepped inside gratefully.
"He told me about you," she whispered, not wanting to disturb her son upstairs. "He's very upset about it...I don't know what to do with him. He won't eat, he won't get out of bed...this is almost worse than the time when Ros left."
Teuffel made a concerned noise. "He's really beating himself up over this..."
Her face softened. "Yes, well...still. Thank you, Teuffel."
He lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Huh? For what?"
She smiled sincerely. "For telling him the truth. I know it must've been very hard for you...but hopefully now that he knows things will start to get better." She chuckled quietly. "Well, if you can get him out of bed, that is."
He grinned at her. "I'll do my best, ma'am."
"Good."
"Alba?" Teuffel knocked at his door, shaking with nervousness. "Um...it's me. Teuffel..."
The only response he received was a small noise from behind the door.
Taking that as an invitation to come in, Teuffel slowly opened the door, blinking rapidly as darkness filled his vision. The curtains were drawn, blocking out any light from outside. Alba was curled up in a ball on his bed, body hidden by the covers, face peeking out. He was staring blankly at his phone, which wasn't even turned on. Teuffel noticed that the screen was cracked.
Teuffel tip-toed in and shut the door behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and when they did, he gently called out, "Alba...?"
The teen jumped a little, eyes darting about the room, and when they finally settled on Teuffel his expression morphed into one of pure guilt.
"Hey," Teuffel greeted awkwardly, quietly. "Um...how are you?"
Stupid Teuffel, stupid! He yelled at himself. That is the worst possible question to ask him right now!
Alba swallowed and shifted slightly, still deciding on whether or not to emerge from his cocoon of blankets. "...I'm...okay. I guess."
Teuffel could only stare as the boy's dull hazel eyes quickly averted from him. Even Alba's voice sounded broken and empty. The black-haired teen started fretting on the inside.
Dammit. This is my fault, isn't it?
"You haven't shown up to school in a while...are you sure you're okay?" Teuffel asked gently, daring to step a little closer.
Alba flinched as he drew nearer, making him immediately stop in his tracks. He didn't want to spook the boy. Teuffel wanted him to open up, not shut him out.
A long moment passed where Teuffel did nothing but stand and stare, one foot still out slightly in front of the other mid-step, and Alba's gaze had returned to his broken phone, thinking deeply.
Suddenly Teuffel heard a quiet chuckle. Shocked, he watched as Alba giggled quietly. However, he didn't look happy about it at all. Instead, his face was contorted in pain, and his entire being radiated with self-loathing.
"Why are you here, Teuffel?" Alba asked him randomly, his giggles stopping as quickly as they'd come.
Teuffel wasn't sure what to make of his behavior, so he just answered honestly, "I...I was worried about you. I just...wanted to come see how you were doing."
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why," Alba mumbled, "why do you care about me so much? I don't understand."
"What are you—"
"I'm pathetic," Alba snarled, sitting up straight. The blankets fell from around his shoulders. His eyes glistened with tears. "You've noticed it, haven't you? Ever since Ros left I've been a complete mess. Funny how my life completely fell apart after that. All because I was stupid and let him get to me."
Teuffel's mouth gaped, and he found himself unable to respond.
"I'm so dumb," Alba sighed, tears sliding down his face. "I'm so, so stupid. You know why? Because I fell in love with that moron."
Teuffel could only watch as his most important person broke down in front of him.
"I-I thought...I was happy," he choked, rubbing his eyes, "I thought I could be happy, for once...I thought we'd be together forever. But dreams like that can't last, can they? I—I can't believe myself. I depended on him...I let myself fall for him, and now..."
"Alba..."
"I love him," Alba sobbed, "I love him and now h-h-he's..."
Teuffel exhaled quietly and shook his head from side to side. This is a complete disaster. Now I've gone and made things worse.
"And then there's you," Alba continued, very quietly. "You tried to save me...and I dragged you into this mess. I'm sorry...Teuffel..."
"No—no, you can't blame yourself like this. It's not your fault. Alba, please," Teuffel begged.
"Ros was wrong about me," Alba breathed, eyes flickering to his phone. "I'm no hero. I'm just a pathetic excuse for nothing."
"Stop that," Teuffel snapped, eyes livid with rage. Alba looked up to him, surprised. "Stop saying those things. This isn't like you. You're not pathetic, Alba! You're just...going through some really hard times. Just because things are a little rough...doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up over it."
Alba gazed at him for a long while, completely silent. Then, he rose off the bed, the blankets pooling around his feet. Teuffel felt his entire body stiffen as the teen suddenly threw himself onto him, the force of his weight almost knocking them both over.
Alba's arms hung limply around his shoulders. Teuffel squeaked and tried not to have a breakdown as the shorter boy hugged him.
"Teuffel...you're a really great person," Alba murmured into his ear. Teuffel shuddered involuntarily. "I envy you. I envy you because you're so much stronger than me."
The raven opened his mouth to argue, but Alba beat him to it. "When I was in that state...you pretended to be Ros even though it hurt you. You were strong and you pulled through and you had the courage to tell me the truth."
Teuffel shook his head. No, no. I'm not strong. I was on the verge of breaking every damn day...don't you see?
"I'm a coward," Alba whispered. "I'm always running away. I...I tricked myself into believing you were Ros because I didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to believe he was gone...because I was running from the truth. I want to be strong...but I can't. I can't do this anymore..."
Teuffel froze. "What...what do you mean by that?"
Alba didn't answer him, of course. Silence hung in the air between them, thick and tense.
Teuffel jumped when Alba finally sighed into his ear, and then he pulled away. Teuffel blinked rapidly at him as he moved to go sit on his bed.
"Look, I'll...come to school tomorrow. I'm...I'm going to try to...to get over this."
Relief came to Teuffel so quickly that he almost staggered. "R-really?"
Alba breathed deeply and attempted a smile. "Yeah."
"That's—that's great," Teuffel squeaked, breaking out into a smile of his own. "Good. I'm...I'm glad."
"Teuffel..."
"Hmm?"
Alba looked at him shyly. "Thank you."
Teuffel grinned, his heart feeling lighter than it had in days. "Anytime, Alba."
Not too long after that, he bade Alba goodbye and left the teen to his own devices, not forgetting to reassure Alba's mom on the way out. She thanked him infinitely and marveled at his skill to bring Alba out of his shell, so to speak. Teuffel supposed the only reason he was able to do so was because he'd been in that type of situation before—alone, in his room, hiding himself from the world because he was afraid to face it. Hopefully things would be looking up for their little group—and Alba—soon.
Alba watched from his window as Teuffel left the house, a bright smile on his face as he took the road to home. The brunette's eyes darkened once he was out of sight.
Alba closed the curtains and buried himself under the covers once more, eyes drifting to land on his shattered phone again. His lips pulled down into a nasty scowl as he stared at the screen.
"Great. Now I'm a weakling and a liar," he muttered hoarsely.
His eyes fell half-mast and he sighed.
"Ros...if you saw what type of person I've become...would you be angry?" He wondered aloud, mind clouding with memories.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
"What are you doing out here? You know that class is gonna start soon, right?"
"Say, what's your name?"
"Alba, huh? That almost sounds like a hero's name."
"So, Hero, do you watch that kind of stuff? You seem like the type. Maybe you want to be just like them?"
"The name's Ros. Nice to meet you, Hero."
"Good morning, Hero."
"...Hero. I...need to tell you something..."
"You'll be alright, I'm sure."
"...'Bye—"
Alba shot up from his position, gasping. He let out a quiet snarl and fell back face-first into his mattress, throwing his hands over his ears.
No. No, no, no, no, no...
No more...no more...don't think about him. Don't—
"Alba, Alba! It's okay! It's okay, I'm here!"
"It's me. I've got you. It's gonna be alright."
"I wouldn't leave you, silly."
"B-but, since you got beaten up, Hero, I guess I have no choice but to stay here and make sure you don't...die."
"You're strange."
"I'm okay, Alba. Really. I'm alright. I'm used to it."
"There's something...I haven't told you. About me."
"I'm not playing a joke on you. I'm telling you the truth. I promise."
"I'm not him! Can't you see?! I'm just me!"
"Finally, you can see me..."
Teuffel...
Alba frowned as the swirly-eyed teen came to mind, and his stomach twisted painfully. Guilt. So much guilt.
The other day had been absolutely devastating for him. What once was a stable world came crashing down on his head when he found out that Ros had never been there. On top of that, it had actually been Teuffel, who'd suffered endlessly while he was forced to play the role of the boy who left them at the beginning of the school year. Teuffel hadn't said it outright, but Alba could tell how much it hurt him to have to pretend to be somebody he wasn't. He mentally chewed himself out for putting the boy into that kind of a position. He was awful. He didn't even bother to stop and think of Teuffel's feelings; instead he created a delusion that would never last, even though he'd wanted it to.
Oh, how badly he wanted for Ros to return, to see him once again. Even if Ros hated his guts and did nothing but insult him all day, Alba still missed him. He felt sick. Was he becoming a masochist? He was actually starting to miss the way Ros teased him and put him down.
I really am messed up in the head, he realized. But I guess I haven't been completely sane since that happened...
Right. The night of his kidnapping.
He shuddered involuntarily. Even now, thinking about it was difficult. To be honest, he hadn't gotten much sleep lately, even when "Ros" was around. His fears followed him into his dreams and that scene would replay in his head, over and over, until he woke up crying with Ros' name on his lips. It was hard, getting over such a thing. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to forget.
And that scared him.
"Heya, Alba-kun! Nice to see ya again!"
"Ya seem so surprised. I guess I did too good of a job impersonating Ros-san, then! Eheheheh!"
"Oooh, I didn't know ya could be so intimidating, Alba-kun! I have to say, ya look really charming like that..."
"Be a good boy and take a nap. When ya wake up, everything will be aaaallll better, I promise."
"I like that look on yer face. It's nice, but the one where ya look all hopeless and defeated is even better. I'll havta bring out that one soon."
"Now, show me more of those expressions. If ya play along and do what I say, I'll let ya go."
"Ahh, yes. Perfect. Ya look so submissive and scared of me. I love it."
"Sorry, Alba-kun. I know I told ya I wouldn't use it unless ya start misbehaving, but I can't think of a better way to make you scream than this."
"Oh, yes! How wonderful! Oh, yes, look at yer face, it's perfect! So scared and afraid...show me more...more."
"Yer screams...they sound so lovely..."
No...no no no no no no no—!
Alba whimpered and clapped his hands over his ears, shaking his head back and forth.
Don't remember. Don't remember. Just forget.
I just need to forget it all...
Teuffel was absolutely overjoyed when Alba showed up to school the next day. Granted, he looked beyond exhausted and somewhat hollow, but it was a start. The road to recovery was a long one and Alba was only starting to walk down it. But Teuffel was going to be there for him, every step of the way. And so were the rest of their friends.
Alba slid into his seat that morning, rubbing a hand over his face. Rchi looked over from her desk next to his and placed a worried hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay, Alba-san?" She whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder she'd end up spooking him.
Alba did end up jumping in surprise, but only a bit. "Y...yeah. Sorry. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so..." For some reason last night his nightmares had been even worse than usual. Perhaps it was because "Ros" wasn't there anymore. Alba felt more afraid than he'd ever had before and having to deal with the aftermath of everything by himself wasn't easy.
"I'm sorry..." Rchi apologized, unsure of what else to say. Before she could ponder over it any further, the classroom door opened and in strode their homeroom teacher.
"Good morning, everyone," she greeted cheerfully. Alba was annoyed by her peppiness.
"Good morning, sensei," the class responded.
"Alright, let's take attendance and then we can begin." She pulled out the attendance log and straightened her glasses before she started calling out names.
Alba was half-dead through most of it, instead choosing to look out the window and get lost in his thoughts.
"...Fruhling-kun? Fruhling-kun?"
"Alba-san," Rchi hissed, prodding him in the side. Alba flinched visibly and then relaxed when he realized what was going on.
"Sorry. I'm here," he mumbled, earning a couple of worried glances from his friends, especially Teuffel.
"Are you feeling alright?" The teacher asked him with a slight frown.
He nodded quickly, wanting the attention to be taken off of him as soon as possible. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."
"Okay, then..." She said, shooting him a suspicious glance before the roll calling began again.
It wasn't until she'd reached towards the end of the list that the entire class froze.
"Ros?"
Alba's eyes went as wide as saucers and Rchi stiffened from beside him. The rest of the group were in similar states of paralyzed fear. Teuffel sat rigid in his seat, feeling sweat beading on his forehead when he saw Alba's eyes turn glassy.
"S-sensei," he squeaked, trembling where he sat. "Ros is...um...not here anymore, remember?"
She seemed to realize her mistake right away, her hands coming up to cover her gasp. "Oh, yes! You're absolutely right, I'm...so sorry, Diabolos-kun." She'd been informed of Alba's change in condition right before class had started...and to think she'd forgotten about it already!
The rest of their classmates stared on either in complete confusion or utter concern. They too had been told about what happened with Alba—and now that things had returned to normality they couldn't quite get a grasp on it.
"M-moving on, then..."
Alba lowered his head a little and breathed out a sigh. Just ignore it. It's not important. Nothing...
Nothing matters anymore...
Teuffel relaxed when he saw Alba do the same.
This is going to be a long week...
The front door closed with a small click as Alba wandered into his house. The warm smells of dinner had his mouth watering a little. He set his stuff down and headed into the kitchen to see his mother cooking away as usual.
She lifted her head as he entered, eyes brightening at the sight of him. "Oh! Welcome home, dear!"
Alba gave her a smile that may or may not have been a little twisted. "Hi, Mom."
"Dinner will be ready in a little bit," she said, returning to her work. "How was school?"
The brunette shrugged. "It was...fine. I guess."
Mrs. Fruhling paused in her activities and gave her son a worried look.
Alba felt the familiar clench of guilt in his gut. His mother was always looking out for him and helping him whenever he needed it, and he was repaying her by making her so very worried...
How many more people's lives had he ruined with his little charade, he wondered?
"I'm alright, Mom," he said, forcing himself to sound happy. "I'm just really tired. I think I'll go to bed early."
She blinked in surprise. "Right now? But don't you want something to eat, sweetheart?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I'm alright. But thank you. Maybe you could just put it in a tupperware and I can eat it later?" He felt awful for blowing off dinner, but right now he wanted nothing more than to curl up and never wake up again.
"Alright, then..." She narrowed her eyes at him, biting her lip. Alba nodded and turned to head upstairs.
"Alba?"
He paused, looking back at her questioningly.
"I love you," she said, smiling.
Alba sighed and smiled back, though it was half-hearted at most. "Yeah. I love you too. 'Night, Mom."
"Sweet dreams, dear."
Stay away stay away stay away don't touch me—
Alba woke up screaming.
He immediately buried his face in a pillow to muffle the sound. His body convulsed with gasps and sobs as he fought to gain control of himself once again.
Eventually he collapsed, body trembling violently, on the bed. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, breath coming out in quick spurts, trying to slow down his breathing.
His eyes fluttered weakly in the darkness of the night. Yet again another nightmare had come to plague him in his sleep. This was the third one that night, and Alba had to admit he was getting awfully sick of them.
He pulled himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his temples.
I'm such a mess, he thought slowly. I don't know how much more of this I can take...
How do I...get rid of this pain? I want to just forget everything...
What can I...
And then it hit him.
The solution to everything.
It was simple, really.
That's it, he realized, The answer's been there all along, hasn't it?
It was perfect.
With this, I'll...be able to see Ros again...I can forget everything and just be happy...
With a determined nod, Alba tore off his bedsheets and quickly sat down at his computer desk, putting his plan into motion.
As he worked, his eyes began to sting a bit.
It's okay, he reassured himself, it'll only be for a little while. Then I can see you again. So wait for me...okay, Ros?
That's right. Because tomorrow, I'm...
Going to fix everything. Right?
"'Bye, Mom," Alba said, hugging her tight. "I love you."
Mrs. Fruhling chuckled in surprise, but accepted her son's hug nonetheless. "Goodbye, sweetheart. Have a good day."
Alba waved her one last goodbye before he left the house, seeming to be somewhat anxious and jittery.
Mrs. Fruhling focused back on the task of putting all of her cooking utensils away. She scooped up the empty frying pan and placed it into the sink. Her eyes scanned over the counter and her eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"Huh? Where did I put my kitchen knife...?" She wondered aloud. "Hmm. I must have put it away already. I'm becoming so absentminded in my old age..." She sighed, going back to work.
Alba purposely kept his gaze straight ahead as he passed by what was once his favorite intersection, heart hammering in his chest.
"Just a little longer," he said to himself without any emotion. Just a bit more.
The apple tree swayed in the breeze, its branches creaking under the weight of the fruit it bore. Summer was nearing. Only a month or two left and then Sophomore year would be over. Everything was covered in greens and blues and purples; the freshly cut grass and the flowers that smelled so sweet. The grass sparkled with morning dew as the sun peeked over the horizon, spreading streaks of pink and orange across the sky. It was a perfect day...almost too perfect, in Alba's opinion.
He stood beneath the trunk of the great tree—the tree that held so many good memories for him. This was where his plan would begin.
He sighed, unable to stop a few tears from sliding down his cheeks.
"I just wanted to have a happy ending," he murmured to nobody. "But I guess things like that don't exist, huh?"
He rose his gaze to the sky, basking in its beauty. His face scrunched up as more tears escaped from his eyes. He let out an audible sniff.
"Goodbye, everyone." He stated, completely empty. "I'm going far, far away. But I'll be alright."
Because I'm going to see Ros again.
So please...don't get too angry with me.
I can't take this anymore...please forgive me for giving up.
Ros...
I'm coming to see you now. So...wait a little longer. Just a little more.
Teuffel walked onto the school grounds that morning, the day promising good things. Alba had come back to school and was starting to recover, which was great. Teuffel couldn't be happier for the brunette. Maybe he'd finally get to see Alba's smile again.
Suddenly, the wind picked up and blew his hair about. Teuffel ducked a little and his eye caught movement in the distance. Blinking, he made out a small figure with brown hair and a familiar stance...
Alba?
What was he doing by the apple tree?
It wasn't unlike him to go there, but Teuffel found it strange that the teen was standing there doing absolutely nothing. Maybe he was lost in thought?
Without anything better to do, Teuffel turned his feet in the direction of the tree and started walking. Maybe Alba was trying to say goodbye to Ros by coming to the place they'd first met.
Good riddance, Teuffel thought sourly, it's his fault this whole mess started anyway. It's about time Alba forgot about him and focused on his real friends.
As he approached, he noticed something was off. Alba was staring at the sky, face completely blank. Teuffel felt his heart jump in his chest at the sight.
What is he doing...?
Teuffel picked up his pace a little, feet clapping against the sidewalk as he jogged closer towards the shorter boy.
Suddenly, Alba moved. Teuffel stumbled a bit, letting out a puff of relief as he got nearer. Well, at least he didn't look like a zombie anymore.
Teuffel raised a hand in greeting and opened his mouth to call out to him—
Then Alba pulled something out of his pocket.
Teuffel felt his entire body go rigid with absolute fear.
Alba held it in front of his face for a moment.
Teuffel let out a shaky gasp and darted forward, movement clumsy due to the numbing terror that was engulfing his body.
Alba raised the item high into the sky.
"Alba, no!" Teuffel shrieked, feeling adrenaline course through him as he ran faster than he'd ever run before.
Alba brought the knife plunging down.
...