Lost In Purple

Chapter 68: Relapse

Hey friends. Sorry this took so long. I meant to upload last week but I got really sick. I've also been having to work on my Neurobiology, Biogeography, and Human Anatomy finals, so I've just been so burnout of writing and doing work. I hope this makes up for the time I wasn't here.

Johnny's POV

A normal monster would be met with an unbearable amount of confusion when hearing such a remark, but this is an exception for me and me only. Hearing that conniving, smug remark coast in my direction, and in hopes of causing a scene, only makes me grit my teeth while making my fists clench. There's a small fire that's been ignited within me, sending my heart rate in overdrive and causing me to involuntarily turn my head to the monster who said that. I immediately realize that this is the response that was wanted and that I've fallen for their trap. But of course. Who else could it be other than the corpulent, crooked tooth, cretin that is Faust. The prince of JOX and representative of ursan kind stands there with a cocky smile. His crossed arms make it seem like he's about to give me one of those 'I told you so' lectures even though he hasn't told me anything. Simply put, his presence is nothing but aggressive, and he's clearly here to try and prove that he's better than me in every imaginable way.

"Who would've thought that the Johnny Worthington would hit rock bottom after reaching the pinnacle? It's totally not like it was deserved or anything, no no no," He scorns.

Keeping myself from growling is a challenge, but I'm able to miraculously hold back an astronomical amount of negativity. I'm tired of negativity, and like I've said plenty of times, I would like it if everything could go back to the way it was before. Unfortunately, it seems like Faust doesn't want that happen. He's going to try and ride out his newfound popularity he and his few remaining JOX buddies have obtained tonight.

"What is this about 'her?'" I ask with a sigh.

Faust laughs. "Oh don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about. You know damn well that she was everything to me, yet you still took her away. Seeing you unsuccessfully court her couldn't make me any happier."

So he's only talking to me to feel satisfaction and enact the vengeance he's been craving for the past two years. He's talked a lot about how I'm the worst monster ever to live, yet here he is kicking me while I'm down, never showing a single ounce of sympathy. Then again, I probably shouldn't be talking. I've given many people a life time supply of pain because of my words and questionable behavior. This vengeance of his is likely shared by all of his peers anyways.

"I can't begin to tell you about how much it hurt me to see her get manipulated by someone like you. Knowing that she was just another stepping stone for you to wipe your feet on…knowing that you would just throw her away like you did with every other girl you didn't deserve…," He reminisces, "It hurt, especially when I've been trying to protect her from people like you all this time."

So...he never actually wanted to be friends with her in the first place. It's not surprising. The JOX don't know how to protect anyone considering that they'll do anything to come out on top. They cheat in ways that cause others to get hurt, using horrendous methods to satisfy their physical and mental desires, and resorting to violence when it's completely unnecessary.

"Protect her? Then what was with you harassing Melanie after the Fall Formal and making her feel like the least important monster in the world? What was with you sabotaging her academic career? What about you ending your friendship with her? You knew that you were her only friend," I question.

Faust let's out a couple deep chuckles. "Hehehe…fine, I'll admit it. I couldn't care less about her now considering that I can get some action with a snap of a finger now, but I did love her before. What you're feeling now, is what I felt after having the one girl I lived with all my heart during my childhood taken away from me by a dumb demon like you. Yes I tried my hardest to convince her to let me do thing to her, but so what? It doesn't matter now."

"Do things?" I inquire, hoping that Faust will elaborate.

"Yeah, there were several times where I tried to get her to come out and drink with my old football teammates so that we could have some 'fun' with her, but I mean who wouldn't?! She's the hottest girl any monster could lay their eyes upon! Her intelligence and personality means nothing when she has a body that's begging to be satisfied," Faust grins.

I'm honestly shocked beyond belief to hear such disgusting words ooze out of somebody's mouth. I'm normally able to react similarly within a physical sense too, but all I can feel is genuine concern for every single girl on campus. It's almost as if this is the first time anyone has found out that there's an actual criminal on campus that's just a couple steps away from ruining others' lives. What bothers me the most though…is that this makes Melanie's introverted personality valid. After trying so hard to get her to open up…it only meant putting her more in danger. I normally would be angry at myself for that, but all of this actually started because of Faust.

"Don't look at me like I'm crazy, we all know that you've done the same. This is exactly what you did to those other girlfriends you had anyways. You're no different from me," Faust laughs.

I'm about to shake my head in disagreement but Faust stops me before I reply. "Actually no, I'm completely different from you. I actually want to live a good life, have fun, and make friends. All you do is find ways to become superior. If anything, you're the one that has nothing to offer anyone, and honestly, good on Melanie for realizing that you're nothing but a slimy rat that's desperate for attention."

I've never clenched my teeth harder in my life. If he speaks one more word to me he's going to regret it.

"Oooo, isn't it nice to seethe in the presence of someone you hate? Why don't you do something about it? Is it because you know that I'll be the one who comes out on top horns?" Faust laughs before grabbing my right horn and pulling it down.

I can't remember what happens after that.

Melanie's POV

Keeping my sore limbs from collapsing is quite the chore. Each step sends a blast of pain throughout my body, but I know that I'm going to have to tough it out. Others are going through worse things than I am anyways, so it's pointless to complain about it. I can't have people thinking that I'm sheltered or lazy either. What's worse though is that I almost fall asleep every few hours out the pure exhaustion of constantly working. The days have all blurred together, making it feel like I've been stuck in limbo for an eternity after the process of getting up from a six hour nap, taking the bus to work, being exploited for 18 hours, going back to bed, and then repeating all of that the next day.

The diner proved itself to be an unsustainable job for many others so it's just my mother, two cooks and I running the entire place. Not only is the food pretty mediocre, but the atmosphere has become suffocating and nobody could remain sane after the customers became increasingly more moody and needy. I've been at the mercy of many violent monsters already and have had to escape into the kitchen where my boss and the other cook have to think of clever ways to protect me. It's really embarrassing…knowing that I was going to be a Scarer even though I didn't have a single ounce of bravery or abrasiveness within my scales, but I guess this is a better fate than dying in the human world.

I'm able to keep myself upright by trying my best to act natural. The heaviness of my eye-lids is distracting, but there's nothing that will stop me from making it to Frat Row. I never had the chance to go back and get all of my belongings that I left after having that meltdown and breaking it off with Johnny. I'm hoping they haven't thrown everything out, because I would like to have my bed sheets, pillows, and blankets. Getting all my clothes and school supplies that I'll hopefully get to use once more someday would be great too. Unrelated to that, I've been having these cravings to draw again, but work has been getting in the way.

It feels weird being back on the MU campus though. It hasn't even been very long since I left but at the same time it's felt like I haven't been here in nearly a year. Nothing looks like it has changed since the last time I was here…and I can't decide if that's a good thing or bad thing. I guess that doesn't really matter though. All the students seem to be acting like everything is normal, taking up their positions under the campus trees, playing acoustic guitars, using hacky sacks and frisbees, and simply having friendly conversations with themselves. I kind of wish I had that experience when I went here, simply just living life slowly and comfortably. Of course I won't be able to do that even now.

I was able to walk to Frat Row without anyone bothering or noticing me. I guess I'm an irrelevant and invisible being when I'm not around any of the RORs, which is another thing that I can't really decide is a good thing or a bad thing. Is it truly a curse to not be noticed by people, or is the curse of not being noticed the curse? After going through what I did this past year, it's impossible for me to decide what I like better. Walking up to the archway where I met Johnny makes me consider if my memories of him are a curse or not too. I can remember his snarky remarks and how he was protective of me even after only just meeting me…but did he really care?

After stopping in front of the archway, and looking down at the ground in a depressed manner, I take a few steps forward. Some hollers from above the archway echo down to me, followed by a couple cups of alcohol splattering to the ground. I growl in frustration before picking up the pace and moving away from the archway before I get a nasty, sticky shower. I look back and see the monsters drop their alcohol laughing uncontrollably as they point towards the horizon, trying to get each other to pay attention to something. Being curious, I look in the same direction and don't see anything special, but that's probably because the entire street is filled to the brim with students partying. The commotion made by those monsters on the archway seems to make their way into the crowd though. Many of the students turn their heads towards the back of the street, near the ROR house, voicing several slurred concerns.

"Wait what? What's happening?"

"Oh shit, they're really going at it."

"There's no way this is happening for the second time. Won't someone stop him?"

"You know that he almost killed some poor guy during his freshman year right?"

I personally get concerned as well, since this is apparently something that's stopping people from partying. I also don't want to get caught up in any trouble that could land me in prison or something similar to that. Students here usually don't care about anything that happens, but if they're concerned as well then this must be very, very bad. With an increased pace, I swerve in and out of the crowd, trying my best to not step on anyone's foot or tail. It's starting to feel like it's not worth it doing this anymore since it takes this much effort to even get to the house, but I finally have a straight shot to my objective and I'm relieved that I finally made it. However, screams erupt from the group of RORs, JOX, OHs, PNKs, and HSSs that are on the ROR's front lawn. Some begin backing up, attempting to find a suitable distance away from the apex of the problem, while others try to catch the limbs of others. Those that are trying to seemingly calm things down are instantly pushed around effortlessly and thrown to the ground. All there bodies act like dominoes, being carried by the weight of others, and making a loud thump as they all hit the freshly cut grass.

I'm finally shown what has been happening, and I can't help but feel distressed. Faust alternates his arms to his face and stomach, blocking relentless punches thrown by Johnny. Faust let's out painful grunts after each fist makes an impact on his thick fur, showing us all that the force behind Johnny's rage is unrivaled.

"GRAB HIM!" Carrie screams as everyone hurries to stand back up.

"JOHNNY STOP!" Chet screeches while waving his claws around.

Everyone attempts to run back into the fray, but is met with the force of Johnny's unmanageable temper. Red is shoved a couple feet away back onto the ground, Javier's face is met with his elbow and gets knocked unconscious, and the few Omega Howl guys have their jerseys torn to shreds before being thrown quite a distance away. Faust jumps onto Johnny's back as if he was giving him a piggyback ride, and strikes the back of his head with as much strength as he can muster, clearly trying to give Johnny a traumatic head injury. Johnny's responds with demonic roars that rumble the ground, flailing his arms and body around violently in hopes that he'll get him off. He eventually does with a powerful jerk, causing Faust to soar into the lawn who lets out an earsplitting roar of his own. He feels the sharp pain of Johnny's claws puncture his skin, digging deep into his muscles along his arms, chest, and face. Johnny persistently swings his claws onto Faust's body as if he were some sort of undead or alien being with the mission of killing whatever is in his sight.

I know that I have to get everyone away from them so that they don't meet the same fate as Faust. I dash into the battlefield, pulling the PNKs and HSSs away by their arms, followed by the remaining JOX, OHs and RORs. Bruiser grabs my hand and pulls me with him over to Javier who's still unresponsive underneath the right side windowsill of the ROR house. Bruiser puts his arms under Javier's arms and has me lift up his feet. We run back out to the street and lay him back down before looking back at the two trouble makers. None of us have ever seen a monster want to kill another like this simply because nobody ever does this in the Monster World. Faust's shrieks of pain are so intense, they drown the street to the point where everybody has become frozen in terror. The clawing turns into punches once more, landing right on Faust's snout. Blood flies into the air once it starts rolling down Faust's nostrils and mouth, painting Johnny's hands a dark red. Faust's exposed teeth are chipped beyond recognition, and even a part of one of his antlers have snapped off which I can only assume was inexplicably painful.

"Red you have to do something!" Carrie begs while wrapping her arm around his out of terror.

"What do you mean, look at that, he'll kill me!" Red responds as the onslaught continues.

"But he's gonna kill Faust! Please Red!" Carrie counters.

"Don't you remember what he did a couple years ago?! I'm not going to end up like that!" Red snarls.

Carrie's right though. At this point Faust will end up succumbing to the brute force of paranormal strength. Johnny is way too quick, so quick that any attempt to block his strikes is foreseen and any attempt to dodge is thwarted by the redirection of his fists. If nobody else can stop him, then I'm going to have to…even if I end up getting injured or die in the process.

"John!" I scream, feeling myself begin to cry out of fear in hopes that the sound of my voice will distract him.

Faust somehow rolls out of the rampage and stumbles towards the street, but unfortunately doesn't cause Johnny to lose his focus. Before Faust can take shelter behind his frat brothers, Johnny lowers himself onto all fours and lunges for his legs. He grasps onto his shins and pulls them, sending his head into the sidewalk, and scraping bits of fur off his skin. Johnny pulls himself forward, grabs Faust's head and lifts him up before dragging him towards the nearest parked car. He roars demonically before thrusting his head onto the hood of it, concussing Faust to the point where he's still conscious but can't effectively vocalize or move his limbs. Johnny then follows it up by throwing Faust's borderline limp body back into the grass. I can't look at this anymore.

"Johnny!" I screech still holding back the tears.

He doesn't listen and lunges back at Faust who's clearly unable to defend himself. Johnny winds up another swipe with his claws, ready to possibly end his life right here right now, but I'm not letting that happen. Involuntarily, and with the pure intention of saving Faust from ruin, I put my body in front of the line of fire just as Johnny's arm swings forward. I'm able to grab onto Johnny's wrist, but his strength is too much for me to handle and his claws slice my scales open along my left shoulder. Even though his claws don't go very deep, I can feel an unbearably sharp pain flare up. A flash of blue light blinds everyone on the street as I let out an agonizingly dreadful yelp that resonates deep within my throat. Everyone puts their hands over their ears and wincing so much that their faces are unrecognizable. Some even lose their balance and fall to the ground, unable to keep themselves sane after being deafened by this noise that I accidently made. As for Johnny, he falls to one knee, roaring in pain after being unable to cover his other ear. I was grabbing onto his wrist hard enough to the point that he couldn't make it in time to protect his ear canal.

And just like that, everything ends with one of my banshee like transformations. People have always told me that violence is something that happens in an instant, and coincidentally, it ended in an instant. Faust lays on the grass, writhing in pain and barely able to keep his eyes open, and everyone else silently stares at Johnny and I. Johnny pants heavily, exhausted by his incessant wrath that never should have been exerted onto anyone for any reason, and finds the strength to stand back up again. His breathing is audibly shaky, and his eyes that were noticeably like an enraged cats' have returned to their original state. His whole body shakes uncontrollably as well, and it makes me think that he might feint soon. The worry in his eyes is nothing like I've ever seen before, and that's when I realize that he's staring at my shoulder that has a couple streaks of blood flowing down to the earth below.

I let go of Johnny's wrists and put my right arm onto my injured shoulder. I'm sure monsters would normally be panicking at a time like this, but cuts have never been a big deal for me. There's three slices in my scales that look as if I've simply cut myself thinly with glass shards. I don't think Johnny understands that though, and he turns the tables by grabbing my wrist and pulling me with him up the steps of the ROR house, and through the door. Once he slams the door shut behind us, I'm sent flying into the kitchen and placed firmly onto a chair that rests next to the island counter. All of that movement sadly made my entire shoulder sting unbearably.

"Ah!" I wince.

Johnny doesn't give any notice to my outburst, and starts rummaging through the many drawers and cabinets of the kitchen. Many items are tossed out onto the floor, and some even come close to smacking me in the head. Every single bit of storage is searched, and it's not until Johnny reaches the last drawer that he finds what he's looking for. Rolls of bandages and disinfectant. He lunges back towards me and begins sloppily unwinding the bandages, panicking to a point where he's hyperventilating. He's become inconceivably clumsy, just completely unable to control his hands as they shiver persistently. When he touches my shoulder with said bandages, it only makes things more painful too.

"OW! Joh-" I whine.

I grab my shoulder again. I try to lean away from him but he won't let me, so I instead grasp onto his hands before saying, "John…It's just a couple of cuts."

His unwavering gaze of concern never leaves my shoulder. There's a few streaks of blood dripping down, and it hurts when it's the wound is touched or gently spread apart. I don't know if he's really paying attention to my pain though. If anything, I think he's more focused on trying to fix what he's inflicted in order to tell himself that nothing bad happened to me. His shaking seems to increase with each passing second, tunnel visioning onto my injury…up until he starts to slump down and lament.

"No…no it's…not," He whimpers as tears begin flowing out of his eyes.

The calm, vain, selfish monster that I've come to know has vanished before me. He used to be composed no matter the situation he's in, but now he's having a full blown meltdown which is something I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams.

"J-John, why are you…what happened? You've changed into a completely different person," I ask out of concern.

No words are able to escape his mouth. An explanation is replaced by a couple of sniffles and suppressed sobs. He's not disappointed in himself, he's full blown traumatized.

"John, please. Why are you trying to kill people?" I ask once again.

He can't look at me in the eyes, but he succumbs to the want of answering my question. "He was…objectifying you."

"What?" I respond.

"He…he said that… your only worthwhile factor…was your looks. That your intellect meant nothing… that your personality meant nothing…that you're nothing but a toy for him to play with. He gave me this whole story… and I couldn't help it," Johnny whines.

He takes his hands away from me, looking at his red-streaks that have painted his fingers and claws. "I never…wanted to do that to him…but hearing him talk about you…like you were meant to serve him…to satisfy his every whim…"

He can barely keep his composure and is one last straw away from collapsing from emotional exhaustion.

"I…I tried so hard…to move on. To come to terms with the fact that…I don't deserve someone like you, that you really would be happier without me. B-But after he verbally degraded you…I knew that I could never move on…especially when someone like him could hurt you. And I knew that after everything everyone has told me…I still wouldn't be happy. You're my best friend, Mel…and I can't ever let someone talk about you like you're nothing," Johnny explains.

I don't know what to say. Apparently the person I grew up with was just some sex hungry creep, that I never meant anything to him. Then there's the fact that I was the whole origin for their gruesome fight that ultimately ruined a party with everyone on campus attending it. I feel guilty for saying the things I did the last time I saw him, and I've never been good at talking about my feelings, but what makes this the absolute worst is that I feel guilty for hurting Johnny so badly…so badly that he thinks he won't be whole again.

"I did what I did for you… and then I hurt you…which I promised myself that I would never do," Johnny adds on top of his sorrows, "And I wish I could go back and make it so that everything was like it was before."

I can't help but hold back the developing tears of my own, so I sigh in hopes that all this emotion will diffuse out of my body. "John…please don't."

After I respond, Johnny finally has the courage to look at me in the eyes. "I understand that I was nothing but a massive dick for doing what I did and saying what I said to Oozma Kappa…but I…I hate them. Why do you get one chance at scaring? Wh-why do I and Javier and Chip and every monster pursuing Scaring only get one chance, while they get to fail their finals and fail twice in the scare games? Why do they get to be an exception to all these rules and traditions while you and I have to abide by them?"

No response is generated within my head.

"The only reason they ever had a chance was because they were given time, while you weren't given any from the very beginning. Those Oozma Kappa guys were given everything they needed to succeed while you and your family were left behind all over again! All these months, Melanie! All these months of hearing you worry about whether or not you'll be able to achieve your dream…it hurt me! A-and I thought that if Oozma Kappa could just disappear... then maybe you could be saved."

I can't help but let out a few tears of my own now. "Johnny, why are you still advocating that sacrificing their dreams for mine was a good th-"

"I'm not! I heard you loud and clear that what I did wasn't the right thing to do," Johnny weeps, "I just…I wasn't going to sit back and watch as I inched closer to my dream while you fell further behind..."

Johnny wipes his eyes and breaks down completely. "It didn't help that my stupid fucking father got involved with us too! He told me back in October to break up with you for the good of our lineage…but I couldn't ever do that to you, nor would I ever do that to myself. I lied to him and told him that we weren't seeing each other anymore, so he decided that it would be a great idea to set me up on a date with Hank Knapp's hideous daughter, and then I tried my best to get her away, and-a-"

"John just stooop, I don't want to talk about this anymore!" I sob.

"Please Mel, I-I love you…I love you so much that whenever you're around, I can breathe again…even when things start to feel hopeless," Johnny interjects.

I stand up from the island counter and try to leave, but Johnny pulls me back so that I can face him. "Mel…I'm so sorry. Just please..don't leave me…you're the only thing I have left."

Seeing those purple eyes drown in misery breaks my heart. Johnny became one of my heroes and seeing him fall so far is nothing but a nightmare for me, but so much has happened to my family and I that it's not worth pulling him back into my life.

"John…I know…I know that it you've been pushed away many times by those you've loved…and I know that it hurts when it happens," I whimper, "But I…I have to be the next one to do so."

Johnny scrunches his face in anguish and squeezes my hands. Taking a deep breath has never been so difficult. Having to add onto Johnny's psychological suffering hurts me more than anyone could ever guess. I wish I could help him live the life he wants to, but I can't possibly drag him into the collapse of my family. There's also another factor that still hasn't left my mind since we broke up, and it's not surprising that I have to talk about it while wiping the tears from my eyes. "John…I-I don't know why you think this is some sort of fairytale where everything will turn out ok."

Johnny moves his swollen eyes off the ground and onto me with a downtrodden expression. I didn't want to sound aggressive, but there's no other way to say it.

"I loved every moment I had with you... but how can you possibly say all of this to me after telling me that I've been ungrateful for you, that I actually don't belong here? How could you say all this after admitting to me that your a vindictive and selfish monster? You said it all yourself…it wasn't meant to be…we're two completely different monsters…and I don't want to be together if it feels like this for however long we would end up being together," I whimper.

Johnny looks back down to the ground and let's go of my hand, letting his swing at his sides for a second before seemingly turning into a statue.

"Seeing you treat people you don't like as enemies that need to be crushed, and seeing you treat monsters who aren't as scary as you like inferior beings that have no meaning and have no place in society…all for my sake...it doesn't just hurt, it makes me seethe," I snivel.

I take the bandages from the table and start wrapping them around my shoulder, but continue speaking my mind. "You've also said that I'm not thinking about myself, that I'm casting myself aside and calling myself unimportant. If anything your in the same situation I am…but at least I know that I'm not perfect. At least I know that I shouldn't be tied down by this 'legacy' and these 'traditions' that you and your family can't let go of. I'm trying my hardest to break out of this cage that I've been locked in while you pretend to have escaped years ago and shift the blame to others when they ask you to change."

"B-but that's no-," Johnny sharply inhales.

"No, that is exactly what's happening! You did it just now, John. You're trapped by all these expectations, traditions, rules… and all you did was blame Oozma Kappa being the reason behind what you did!" I berate emotionally.

Johnny squints his eyes and more tears fall into the floor.

"A real monster would understand that you can't get everything you want, Johnny! You can't expect everyone to play by the same rules when you publicly degrade them, and you can't be an asshole and be my boyfriend at the same time. You should know that you're in the wrong, Johnny" I explain while wishing that this was a happily ever after.

The bandages end up firmly around my shoulder, soaking up a little bit of blood and causing a dark red shade to seep through. Even though the blood is there, the bandage still seems completely unnecessary.

With sadness I say, "I-I can't talk about this anymore…I came to get the rest of my things but I think it would be better for me to do that another time."

"…Please Mel…" Johnny whispers.

"Johnny…Why would I give you a second chance… if Oozma Kappa deserved none?" I cry softly.

There's a somewhat long silence before Johnny says, "…Alright." His breathing becomes shaky again and he hides his face behind his hand that wipes his eyes. With devastation, he stomps past me and heads towards the rear of the house where he opens the back door, and disappears into the backyard. I turn away in devastation myself. I never wanted to have those feelings about him, nor did I ever want to tell him about them, but how would he ever change if I didn't explain what he's done wrong? Vindicating myself for all of this should make me feel better too, but in then end it just made me feel beyond guilty for making Johnny feel like the worst person known to monster-kind.

I reach the front door, and exit it quickly, power walking down the stairs and eventually arriving at the nearest bus stop where I'll take another painstakingly long journey back to the home that I'll soon likely not be able to call my own anymore. Before I leave all of this behind me, I take a quick look over to the small group that's still surrounding Javier. He's regained consciousness from the hefty blow he took to his head, and I couldn't feel more relieved to see him still living. Various members of PNK, HSS, OH, and ROR are comforting him and making sure that he's able to function properly. Knowing Javier, he'll be fine within the next couple of days. His exoskeleton was a thousand percent tough enough for him to only have a mild headache or concussion. Regardless of Javier's health, it's like Johnny said all those days ago, I don't belong here anymore, so it's better that I just leave them to deal with this themselves.

The street has cleared out exponentially at this point. Everyone probably got a little disgusted at the sight of Faust getting quite literally mauled and didn't want to end up in the same boat. I don't blame them either. I've never seen another monster act so primitive before. Was there any other way for him to react though? Faust has been itching for this to happen ever since the Fall Formal, and he ensured it by agitating Johnny when he was plausibly distressed. Now that I think about it, I would undeniably lash out like that if I tried my utmost best only for everybody to think your best means nothing. I said it to Johnny, nobody is perfect, and at the same time nobody should be expecting him to choose the best possible outcome for every situation ever.

I want to forget about all of this as I reach the archway back onto campus, but after looking around and seeing the last few remaining monsters try their best to have fun, more thoughts are drilled into my skull. Everyone here is made to be these unbreakable beings on the outside, but on the inside they're all just kids trying to learn how to survive in the collective consciousness of conformity. Johnny has been trying his best to break free, but he can't do it on his own. And here I am, giving up on him like every other monster that he believed would give him sanctuary. I don't want to give up on him, especially after everything we went through.

But would I want someone to give up on me like that? Imagining a world where my Mom and Dad gave up on me in middle school, purposefully letting me delve deeper into an unsocial limbo where I could never possibly be happy ever again…it sounds horrendous. Yet here I am forcing Johnny to experience something like that. My legs slow until moving towards the campus exit is no longer an option. The arched metal sign at the top of the gate that shows 'Monsters University' is only a few steps away. The vines along the gates and posts rustle in the end of spring wind, reflecting the moons glow into my retinas. The multicolored trees that beautifully enclose the campus are also waving goodbye to me by swaying gently with the gusts.

I don't know what to do again. If my family is to survive the lives their living, I should walk away and continue working until I can safely afford school tuition again. However, if I walk away, in the opposite direction of the winds of change, I'll be heading towards the inevitable darkness that will bring misery everlasting. Choosing my family is objectively the right move…but… choosing Johnny is too. My guts are saying to choose to help Johnny, and it would make my family happy knowing that I wouldn't be leaving anyone behind. It would make me happy too since Johnny is my best friend and hero. Is this what he meant when he would talk about doing things for myself? Was he implying that it was alright to sometimes not think about everyone else for a change, and that it's not always a bad thing to think only about me?

Daydreams bombard my head, showing me all the time I've spent with Johnny. The football game, the times we went out to eat for fun or for dates, the Fall Formal, Winter Break...everything. He really did help me live a more exciting life...a happier life. I turn back to where I came from. The bright lights that vividly luminesce the campus buildings pierce my eyes…and I feel like I've come to a decision.

Johnny needs me more.

It felt embarrassing walking back from where I came, with the original intention of never coming back. I tried my best to stay incognito all the way back to the ROR house, which ended up being pretty successful. Everyone who still lingered was either not paying attention to anything surrounding them or they were so far gone that they wouldn't even know that they were a conscious organism. All of the fraternity and sorority people that I know aren't around either so that made it easier to not be seen. What's important though is getting into the backyard. At least that's where I think I should be going. I did see Johnny go out the back door so I would like to assume that he's still back there.

I find myself at the long wooden fence on the left side of the house, and try my best to stay quiet while scaling it. My digits wrap around the top of the fence after jumping high, and I pull myself up with enough force that I'm able to basically roll over it. A dull thud is emitted from my hollow body when my feet touch the thick grass that lines the side of the house. There aren't any lights over here, so I'm basically an assassin sticking to shadows here, but I sprint out of them without hesitation. I take a quick look around and see nobody back here. In fact, it looks like this place hasn't been touched since the end of last year aside from the pool cover being removed. Everything is in the same spot, and everything looks like it's being flawlessly trimmed and taken care of. The topiary shifts with the slight breeze, and waves within the pool water ripple, and the entire yard is spotless. Nothing is ever as it seems though. I take a few deep breaths and begin paying attention to the smaller details of the yard. The grass has a few noticeable indentations that lead towards the back of the yard. They seem to end behind a bush. The one that I took refuge behind during the end of my first college party.

All it takes is a couple of steps and I'm seeing the other side of it. Johnny's lounging there, legs sticking out and arms dangling onto the soft blades of grass while leaning back onto the foliage. He sniffles while a single tear rolls down his face, which is the exact moment that I decide that I don't want to see that any longer. After putting my arms out, I find myself embracing Johnny like I always have, pushing my head and body into his. He jumps a little but instantly returns the affection, squeezing me gently and pulling me even closer while putting his eyes along my shoulder. The instant sigh of relief that he emits is nothing short of satisfying. It's almost as if a few literal tons have been lifted off the both of us and the dreadful feeling of wanting things to end dissipates. Being away from each other was nothing but actual torture, but we both didn't think there was a way we could ever return to normal.

"John…," I say while holding more tears back, "Promise me that you'll change."

I can feel Johnny shift his body around uncomfortably. It's likely that he doesn't know how he would be able to do that, but there's a part of me that thinks he doesn't understand what I mean. I have to lean back and look at Johnny in the eyes, but it's obvious that Johnny's traumatized psyche is keeping him from looking back at me.

"John, can you look at me?" I ask.

I put my claws underneath his jaw and lift his head up.

From the bottom of my heart, I say, "I don't want you to change who you are, I just want you to be more understanding…Nobody can be like you John. You're amazing in every possible way…even if everyone else makes you feel like you aren't."

Johnny's whole world changes after hearing me say that. He shows me a small, genuine smile that makes me smile in return. I embarrassingly start wagging my tail at seeing him become happy again; It feels like it's been so long since pure happiness has blessed his existence. I can only hope he stays like this for at least a little while longer. He embraces me fully once again, rotating his head slightly and shoving his head into my chest so that he can lay here comfortably without jamming his horn into my face. He closes his eyes and purrs slightly, feeling nothing but ecstasy to be right here in this very moment. It's extraordinary to feel the same thing as well. It's been weeks of nonstop suffering and this is the first time I've felt like that I'm not about to drop from various depressive symptoms.

Time passes us by. The world around us plunges further into darkness as many city lights disappear and the sky above us reveals more of its celestial showcase. Crickets chirp within the end of spring breeze, their songs uninterrupted after neither of us speak a word for what seems like hours. The two of us refused to moved as well. Even with everyone saying that we weren't meant to be, the both of us couldn't help but feel the complete opposite. We were meant to be together, and fate felt the same way.

"Let's go, Mel" Johnny sighs.

I push myself off of Johnny, seeing that he's finally calmed down. "Huh?" I spout.

Johnny pushes himself up from the ground, standing tall and confidant once more.

"I'm taking you home," He mutters while strutting back towards the house.

I have to jump up off the ground and run to catch up to him. I put my arms around his left arm and hold him close before stuttering, "B-bu-"

"No buts," Johnny interrupts, "I don't want your parents worrying about you."

When Johnny opens the back door, he lets me enter first, and when we're finally back inside he grabs his car keys that were coincidentally on the kitchen counter. He takes me into the garage, has me get inside his Clawvette, and takes me on a quiet journey back home. We're silent during the whole hour drive as Johnny steps on the gas and speeds the whole way to Cormeadow. I glance over at him a couple of times and see that he's emotionless each time a street light or some cars' headlights illuminate his face. He must be feeling a variety of emotions right now still, so I decide that it's better to not overstimulate that exhausted brain of his.

After about a half an hour Johnny pulls into my neighborhood. Every house has there lights turned off, including my parents. They're probably asleep, oblivious to the fact that I'm not even home yet. Johnny turns the key to the car, turns off the engine, and exits the car. We walks over to the passenger side and opens the door for me before helping me out. This is the end of our time together, and I don't want it to end, so I say, "You don't have to drive back you know. You can stay with me if you want."

"I know you know that we can't do that. We both have things we have to worry about right now," Johnny replies.

"But...will I be able to see you again soon?" I question.

Johnny gives me a light smile. "Of course. We always find a way to run into each other."