Day fucking three. I'm gonna lose it, I swear.

John still remembered his father coming into his room after he'd calmed down, and told John 'Two weeks, no leaving the house, no leaving your room other than for necessities.' It was better than having his computer taken away, but it was useless, he didn't exactly know Dave's usernames to any networks. He certainly had no idea what Dave's chumhandle was, or if he even had a pesterchum. He probably didn't.
Swinging his feet around, he stood up, rubbing his eyes. It was almost two in the afternoon, and all John did was sleep when he was grounded. What else was there to do? He glanced towards his laptop, that sat under his nightstand. Maybe one of his internet pals was on.
He slid it out from under the nightstand and sat on his bed with it, logging onto his account and opening Pesterchum. Sure enough, only one was online. Karkat. He lived in Missouri, and basically always online. He clicked on his handle 'carcinoGenticist' and messaged him.
EB: hey!
CG: OH GOD. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF YOU.
EB: karkat dont be an ass
CG: IT WAS A JOKE, DUDE.
CG: LIGHTEN UP FOR ONCE.
CG: THOUGH IT ISN'T REALLY LIKE ME TO SAY THAT, IS IT?
EB: not really
EB: you must be having a good day then.
EB: what perked you up?
CG: ...YOU KNOW THAT BET WE MADE BEFORE YOU MOVED AND YOU DISAPPEARED LIKE A FUCKING ASSHOLE?
CG: THAT I COULD GET A BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR AND YOU TOLD ME IT WAS FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE?
CG: YEAH I DID THAT.
EB: really? awesome! who?
CG: THAT INSUFFERABLE CAPTOR PRICK.
CG: I MEAN.. HE ASKED ME. BUT YOU KNOW.. I DID IT.
EB: i know this is text but wow! love the enthusiam!
CG: OKAY LET ME TRY LIKE YOU.
CG: i did it! hehehe! ghost busters! shitty movies! huge crush on vriska serket! im not gay hahahah!
CG: BETTER?
EB: yeah. totally. thanks karkat.
EB: im gonna go though, good job with your crowning achievement.
CG: YEAH YEAH. SEE YOU.

John smiled to himself, and exited the chat, looking up as another friend came online. Known universally as Vriska Serket. He'd had a huge crush on her, and hit hard when he found out she didn't feel the same. But hey, life goes on and crushes pass. He understood and respected that. They were almost best friends now, but they hadn't talked for almost a month, aside from group chats and skype calls with multiple people. Any one-on-one time was only for a few minutes. It actually kind of hurt, so he decided to message her.
EB: hey vriska!
AG: i'm sorry, 8ut who is this?
EB: um.. vriska
EB: its me.
EB: john.
AG: oh!
AG: what's up with you john? how's texas treating you? ::::)
EB: three words.
EB: hot. desert. wasteland.
AG: no shit? ::::o
AG: i'd h8 to be there.
AG: michigan is gr8.
AG: never complaining about the cold again that's for fucking sure...
EB: haha yeah.
EB: so guess who got a boyfriend?
AG: karkat?
EB: well yeah..how did you know?
AG: duhhhhhhhh john. he told me.
AG: we spent like an hour talking about ours.
EB: 'ours'?
EB: what is this 'get a boyfriend' day?
AG: if it were it would be pretty l8.
AG: i've been in the throes of romance for almost a month.
AG: her name is kanaya. she goes to my school. we talk nonstop, even when we get home im on pesterchum with her for hours.
EB: is that why you haven't been talking to me as much?
AG: yeah. i'm really sorry about that. i'll try to get in more friend time.
AG: so weren't we talking about me coming to visit you sometime?
EB: it's no big deal, really, i'll get used to it. i don't want to seem like i'm jealous or trying to control you. is that how it seems?
AG: not at all. ::::]
EB: and yeah, we were talking about that last time we talked.
EB: since it's summer break, it's a good time to plan.
AG: totally. maybe i could bring kanaya and we could hang out.

John look at his computer wearily. That wasn't what they had planned since John had mentioned moving. They talked about it just being the two of them, and going to theme parks and the movies and talking for hours on end and laughing. Not this. John held back a lump in his throat and shook his head. He couldn't say no. Then he'd seem like an asshole. Maybe it was better for him to just let Vriska and him grow apart.

EB: now that i think about it, maybe we shouldn't.
AG: why? ::::(
EB: it would be hassle for our parents and you wouldn't be able to stay long. it's a really long drive.
AG: i'm sure they wouldn't mind johnnnnnnnn.
EB: it doesn't matter. we still have pesterchum.
AG: oh...okay.
AG: john?
AG: joooooooohn?
AG: did you leave?
AG: did i say something wrong? ::::((((((((
AG: john? what did i do?
AG: i bet you lost connection. well kanaya is calling, so i gotta go. see you l8r!

John buried his head in his hands and sighed. He felt like a dick. He didn't want everything to involve 'Kanaya'. He was happy for Vriska, she deserved someone like that. But what about their friendship? They'd been friends for almost three years. If Vriska could neglect actually sititng down and talking to him one on one for a month what else could she do? What else would she do? Knowing his luck, people would probably start pegging John as one of those assholes who always cried about being in the friendzone, when the friendzone was all that he really wanted right now. He wanted to drown in the friendzone, he wanted to be smothered in it.
He didn't notice that by the time he looked up, it was already around six, and that he'd fallen asleep sitting up. It was dead silent, and a heavy exhaustion clung to him. What had woken him up?
A tapping noise came from his window, and he looked up to see Dave on the fire escape. He stood up and walked towards the window, trying to open it. It wouldn't budge. He shrugged, and he thought he saw a look of disappointment on Dave's face. He tried again, and heard it creak miserably when it finally tore open. "Hey man." Dave said, helping John out onto the fire escape.
"He...woah.." John looked out towards the horizon where the sun began to dip down behind the city lights. Being on the fifth floor obviously meant a great view. He looked at Dave incredeously. "I come out here a lot. The view is awesome." Dave agreed, standing by the railing with him.
For a moment John was lost in the pinks and oranges and the pure whites, until he was reminded of the fact that today had confirmed the end of the best friendship he'd had. Dave noticed his expression fall. "What's wrong man?" he asked, looking towards John.
"Nothing."
"Oh bullsh-"
"Dave.."
"John, just tell me."
The dark-haired boy glanced at him nervously and broke down. "There was this girl I used to like, and we've always been best friends, even after I told her. It never got awkward or anything. But then she gets in a relationship- and I'm okay with it, I really am- but she's shutting me out, and all my attempts to spend more one-on-one time with her always have to involve someone else. She forgets about me so easily. She forgot who I was when I messaged her. I get the feeling if our circle of friends was doing something and I had disappeared, she wouldn't even notice I was missing until someone else pointed it out." he muttered.
Dave listened intently, and shrugged. "Sorry bro, I don't really have much sympathy, I mean, why would you need it? Frankly, you don't need her if she's just going to treat you like trash." he said, shrugging. "It isn't sympathy you need, just the push to realize that you're better off without her if she's bringing you down this much."
"I don't have anyone else, Dave.. She was my best friend."
"You have me."
John bit his bottom lip, and glanced at the floor of the fire escape. "I guess." he mumbled. "You have to move on sometime Egbert." Dave added, his shades showing John his reflection. He looked miserable, and Dave, on the other side of those glasses, looked pained to see it.
A chill settled over the night, and left the two of them in silence, looking up at the moon. A breeze moved through their hair, and the lights faded as the two of them sat there longer and longer. John lost track of time, honestly, and the quiet was comfortable, though it lasted for hours.
"You're cool, John. You don't deserve the bullshit that's being thrown at you." Dave finally said. "Nobody deserves it when they're already going through what you are. But hey, I'm here, and I'm good 'till the last drop." he added, holding out a hand to John. "Us against the world. What do you say? I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon."
John was about to make a snarky remark, but then it hit him, that Dave was serious. He paused, and took Dave's hand. "Alright. Us against the world, Dave."
With that, they spent a few more minutes in a cozy silence, before parting ways for the night. As John closed his eyes, the last thing he saw was Dave disappearing into his own window, and the moonlight cast onto his floor.