Nick stepped out of the schoolhouse and breathed in the free air. He scanned the yard before him, watching kids pour into the streets and run amuck. Somehow, he managed to pinpoint the one kid he was looking for. He ran over to the boy with sandy hair.

"Hey Larry!" Nick said.

Larry turned around, looking plain and dull. "Oh, hey Nick."

The spiky-haired boy just smiled and walked alongside him. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Yeah, you too," Larry said unenthusiastically.

"Man, my backpack is killing me. What about you?" Nick said.

"I'll manage," Larry said, looking at the road in front of him.

Nick cocked his eyebrow quizzically. Larry had been acting like this for the past few days, but he still didn't know why. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Larry said.

"Say, I heard about the murder that happened in the courthouse a while go? I saw it in the newspaper, but I only read the headline," Nick said, hoping to get his friend talking. He seemed to be in to trials and criminal investigations.

"Nope," Larry said, walking a bit faster.

Nick matched his stride, determined to cheer his friend up. "So I met this cool reed-headed kid the other day."

"Uh-huh," Larry said.

"Yeah, he was pretty cool," Nick said. "He had a little cousin too. She was cute but kind of weird. She said something about 'special someones' or something like that. Any idea what she was talking about?"

Larry was silent for a minute, than he shrugged. "You are pretty special."

"Aaaaaaaaaah! Personal space!"

Nick and Larry turned their heads and saw Miles, who appeared to be running for his life. Soon after, they noticed the swarm of girls on his tail.

Nick pretended to check his nonexistent watch. "Hmm, 4:00. Yep, the fangirls are right on schedule."

"Shut up!" Miles yelled and darted for his friends.

Miles grabbed Larry and Nick by their shirts and the three of them flew into Nick's house.

Miles slammed the door behind him, panting. Nick could see dark rings beginning to develop around his eyes.

"What am I doing that attracts all the frothy ones?" Miles said.

"I guess you're just too irresistible for your own good," Nick said.

"Put a sock in it!" Miles said, breathing heavily.

"It's just their way of saying 'Happy Valentine's Day you hunk,"" Phoenix said.

"Would you just be quiet already?" Miles said, his face as red as his sweater.

Larry looked up to the heavens. "Can I go now?"

"Go?" Nick said.

"Out there?" Miles said, not exactly on the same page as Nick.

"Yeah, as in, not here," Larry said.

"What's going on Larry?" Nick said, growing concerned.

"Nothing, I just need to go okay?" Larry said, clearly getting peeved. "Bye."

Larry removed Miles from the door and opened it. The first thing the 3 boys noticed was the gang of smiling girls standing at the doorstep. One of the girls applied some kind of lip gloss.

Larry ran for his house, which was a few doors down. Miles slammed Nick's door shut before either of them could find out what the girls did next.

"Don't worry hot stuff, I'm sure your fans will stay loyal to you," Nick said.

Nick ran through his house, an irate Miles at his heels.

The school bell rang and Nick sat down at his desk along with the other students in his class. The teacher, who was standing in front of the chalkboard picked up a clip board and a red pen.

"Aldridge?" the teacher said.

A girl, Penelope, raised her hand.

"Baxter?" the teacher said.

A boy, Tom, raised his hand.

"Benton?" the teacher said.

A boy, Nate, raised his hand.

"Butz?" the teacher said.

Nick looked around the classroom, but no one had their hand raised. He looked at Miles, who was a couple seats away. Miles just shrugged.

"Oh right, now I remember," the teacher said. "Larry had to stay at home to pack."

"Pack?" Nick said.

"Yes," the teacher said. "Apparently he's moving to another neighborhood. Now then, Cambert?"

Nick stayed silent, absorbing what his teacher had just said. Larry had never told him he was moving. He glanced at Miles again, who looked just as dumbfounded. Apparently he had been kept in the dark about it too.

Nick didn't remember much of the school day after that. He couldn't stop thinking about Larry, questions circling through his head. Why is he moving? Where is he going? Will they still see each other? Why didn't Larry tell him? Did this have anything to do with why he was acting so bitter yesterday?

At lunch, Nick and Miles decided that after school they would ask Larry those question themselves.

The final bell rang, and soon Nick and Miles were walking through the suburbs until they reached Larry's house. Miles knocked on the door and they both waited.

"No one's in there."

Nick's heart fell then rose again when he saw it was Larry who had said that.

"Oh good, you're not gone yet," Miles said.

"We found out about your move, where are you going?" Nick said.

"Just to another neighborhood," Larry said disinterestedly.

"Is it far away?" Miles said.

"Kind of, I guess," Larry said.

"Well we'll still come and visit you any time we can, right Miles?" Nick said.

"Actually…" Larry said, biting the inside of his cheek.

"What?" Nick said.

"Just… Don't," Larry said.

"Don't?" Nick said.

"Yeah, don't," Larry said, with more conviction this time.

"Why not?" Miles said.

"I can't see you guys anymore," Larry said.

"What?" Nick said, crestfallen.

"I need to move on, grow up you know?" Larry said.

"What are you talking about?" Nick said.

"Look, just leave alright?" Larry said. "I need to get some stuff done."

"Larry, what happened?" Miles said.

"Nothing!" Larry said.

"It doesn't sound like nothing!" Nick said.

"Just go okay?" Larry said.

"Why didn't you let us you were moving?" Nick said. "Why don't you want us here?"

"Because I hate you!" Larry said.

Nick and Miles were silent, feeling numb. Larry pushed past them and stormed into his house, slamming the door behind him. It was that touch that brought Nick back.

Hurt was the only word to describe Nick. He couldn't fathom what he had done wrong. Larry, his friend who had always been there for him, now hated him. Yet, he couldn't hate him back. Instead of all the harsh words Larry had said and the ways he had tried to distance himself, all Nick could think about were happy memories of all the things Larry had done for him. All the things they had done together as friends.

"Nick?" Miles said. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," Nick said. "You?"

"Yeah," Miles said. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Nick said. But one day, he vowed he would find out and make it right.

That's what friends are for.

"There, now do you get it?" Phoenix said.

He and Dahlia stood in the defendant's lobby together. Dahlia had asked about Larry, and why Phoenix considered 'such a jerk' as a friend. It inevitably lead to him telling the story of when Larry had changed.

"No, not quite," Dahlia said, crossing her arms with contempt. "It sounds to me like Butz ended your friendship."

"Something happened to Larry," Phoenix said. "He never said what, or gave any hints as to what it could be. After all that, he started cutting himself off from everyone. Not just me and Miles. He dedicated his life to school, even skipped the odd grade."

"So he turned into a nerd?" Dahlia said.

"No, he turned hallow," Phoenix said. "And I never found out why."

Dahlia was silent, absorbing what her assistant just said. "He doesn't deserve such a loyal friend."

Before Phoenix could reply, Larry stepped into the defendant's lobby. Dahlia shot daggers at him.

"What?" Larry said, noticing her gaze.

Just then, the two men witnessed the Devil's fire burn in the defense attorney's eyes. She sprinted for Larry, who wisely chose to run.

"You selfish jerk!" Dahlia said as she chased her client around the lobby. She caught up to him and whacked him upside the head. "I'd whack your soul out of you if I thought you had one!"

"Ow!" Larry said.

Phoenix stepped between them and kept Larry out of range from Dahlia's rage.

"Uh, th-thank you," Larry said, out of practice.

Phoenix smiled. "That's what friends are for."