Things were the same for a while year. Then, in second grade, Sollux came along. Can't say I liked him very much, but Karkat thought he was pretty cool, so I pushed that away, and played with him. There was nothing wrong him, to say, he was pretty cool, always shared his food he didn't eat at lunch and snack time, taught us hoe to play Pokemon, and was patient when we didn't get it at first. He was hyperactive, but he said his mom told him it was ADHD, so he couldn't help it. Even though he was so nice and cool, I had a bad feeling about him. I didn't want to say anything, so I just didn't say anything. I forgot the feeling most of the time, and just hung out with him.
We all went to each others house, and had sleepovers every Friday night. We switched who's house every week.
Sollux's house was very clean, and his dad was always cleaning, and was a pretty good cook. Though his older brother had Autism, and had a fit sometimes. He was pretty cool otherwise, though. He taught me how to skateboard, and told me he would get me one some day.
Equius' house was very strange. They had a workout room full of exercise equipment, and his dad was always giving us milk. His brother had some cool inventions, and he would explain them to us pretty simply while he was working on them in his basement. Equius loved it, and soon, he began working on things of his own.
Karkat's house was awesome as always. We were free to watch cartoons, and his dad was amazing at cooking. His brother kept to himself, but that wasn't unusual. Everything at his house was great. Until his dad met the new lady. Kristy. Karkat didn't like he because she yelled a lot, and got angry easily, but never around his dad. And the his dad would say he's over reacting to her, and not believe him when he said so.
My house was the same as always. Pretty quiet, as we communicated by ASL most of the time because of my sister. She was deaf from birth, though tried to speak sometimes. It didn't sound right, but she did try. My friends were pretty courteous about it, and tried to help as much as they could. My mom was wonderful, and always ordered us pizza. My cats would rub against their legs when they got here, and my friends loved it.
Sleepovers were our favorite thing. We watched cartoons, played pretend, board games, and ate as much as we could. They were our regular thing for about six months. Then, what happened, was what my mom called a phase. Sollux and Karkat decided girls were gross, and pulled away from me and Equius. I couldn't go to his house, he wouldn't talk to me. I couldn't approach him in school, he looked the other way.
Equius would hug me when he saw this happen, and tell me it was okay. Karkat was just being a big old meanie. He would sit with me at recess and read to me. He invited me over to his house all the time, so I wouldn't feel alone. He was the second greatest friend I had ever had, and at the rate Karkat was ignoring me, it would seem Equius was about to beat him for first. I went half of second grade and the summer after without him. Our parents still talked, and his dad said Karkat seemed miserable without his Nepeta, and hoped he pulled out of the phase soon. He said Sollux seemed to influence him about this, and he could only hope it was over soon.
During the summer, Equius and I grew about as close as Karkat and I had been. He took me to his dad's ranch, and we rode horses. I became a pretty good rider, and we raced each other down the path near his house, his dad not far behind us. We had sleepovers. We saw movies. We had a great time, though I still deeply missed Karkat. He was the one I knew since I was a baby. Equius told me it was okay, and if he was gonna come around, it will happen. And it did.
When we got back to school for third grade, he walked up to me, hugged me, and apologised. I was shocked for a moment, and hugged him back, happy to have my closest friend back. But as the year went on, it was clear he wasn't fully back. He was more shy and withdrawn. He didn't speak as much. He just seemed... different.
Sollux came around a little after Karkat did, and apologised for pulling him away. I accepted, but I still wasn't fully okay with him. Equius didn't really like Karkat as much after that, either, though he put up with it for me. We were all back together, though we had changed some, and things never seemed the same.