Life in Allspark Wells

Part 24; Nightshade's Sleepover

Sitting impatiently in her desk, Double Shuffle darted her eyes quickly between the aging clock on the wall and her English teacher, who was droning on and on over something that he'd already mentioned earlier that period. Groaning as she allowed her head to slump onto her desk, the young hoofer whispered, "I'd give a month's worth of allowance for today to be over already."

It was a warm and sunny Friday afternoon, and for Double Shuffle, the day of her first sleepover with her friends Featherweight and Nightshade. 'This is gonna be so much fun!' the blue hoofer thought to herself. 'At least I think it will. I've never had a sleepover like this before.'

Indeed, this brief little adventure would be the first time she'd ever been to a sleepover on her own. While she had been on a few sleepovers beforehand, they'd all been company sleepovers at her previous dance studio, and her brother had been there with her each time. Sighing to herself, Double Shuffle thought, 'But not this time. This time, it's just gonna be me.'

At that moment, the school bell rang out, signaling that it was the end the school day. Turning to his pupils, the teacher called out, "Alright everyone. I hope you have a good weekend, and I'll see you all Monday." As everyone began to collect their belongings, Double Shuffle scooped her schoolbooks up and rested them in her backpack before shuffling her way out of the classroom.

Entering the hallways, Double Shuffle began to make her way to her locker as she said to herself, "Ok, you need to remember to get your change of clothes for tonight and meet up with Featherweight and or Nightshade in front of the school." Opening her locker, the blue dancer pulled out her duffel bag and opened it as she began to take inventory. "Shirts, check. Pajama pants, check. Socks, check. Underwear, check." Once she was sure she had everything she needed, Double Shuffle closed her duffel bag as she steeled herself, "Alright. Let's do this."

Before Double Shuffle could resume her trek, she was caught off guard by the sound of someone mockingly remarking, "What's going on here skinny boy? You going out on some little playdate?" Turning to see what was going on, the blue girl found a group of older boys circled around someone she couldn't see, as one of them, a vaguely familiar boy with purple skin and red hair, held a backpack above his victim. Sneering at his pray, the purple boy quipped, "What are you gonna do about it noodle arm?"

From inside the circle, Double Shuffle could hear Featherweight's voice call out, "Give that back you bastard!" Realizing that her friend was being bullied again, the blue girl began to dart her eyes around the hallway, desperately looking for an open door to a classroom. Once she spotted one, Double Shuffle ran towards the door and ran inside, where she found an old woman with green skin and gray/white hair beginning to grade the day's assignment.

Taking a deep breath, Double Shuffle called out, "Ma'am, a gang of boys are picking on my friend!" Deep down, the blue girl was worried that this teacher wouldn't do their job, simply scoffing before returning to grading the assignments in front of her. After all, it had been a common reaction to bullying back at her old school in Canterlot City, and she'd heard about how high school was a "dog eat dog" world.

Thankfully, the teacher immediately got up from her desk and asked, "What's going on? Show me!" Double Shuffle lit up as she pointed back to the door as she answered, "Right outside! Follow me!" She then led the teacher through the door and pointed to the group of bullies as she explained, "Over there! Look!"

Walking up to the gang, the green teacher called out, "What's going on over here?" As the group of boys found themselves frozen in fear, Featherweight wiggled his way out of the circle, clutching his backpack as he angrily growled, "These as…. Jerks stole my backpack!" Taking this information in, the teacher folded her arms as she sternly ordered, "In that case, you boys are coming with me to see Principal Van Diesel!" When the purple boy grumbled something to himself, the teacher stamped her foot against the ground as she sternly continued, "Now!"

As the gang of bullies were escorted away by the teacher, Double Shuffle ran up to Featherweight as she asked, "You alright Featherweight? They didn't take anything, did they?" The cream boy opened his backpack and began to inspect the contents as he replied, "Doesn't look like it. I swear, those jerks either seem to like me or just can't find another target." Turning his attention to his friend, Featherweight remarked, "Thanks for the save. At this rate, you'll come charging in wearing shining armor." The young dancer couldn't help but giggle, "I dunno. I prefer a good suit over plate armor."

Taking her friend's hand, Double Shuffle began, "Come on. Let's get out of here and find Nightshade." With that, the two young teens made their way down the hallway, hopeful they could find their friend and begin their weekend.

A Few Minutes Later

Stepping out of the cramped school building and into the sunshine, Double Shuffle began to scan the horizon as she asked, "Where's Nightshade? They said they'd be waiting for us!" Featherweight straightened his backpack as he replied, "I don't know. You think they got held up with something?" The blue girl continued to look as she muttered, "Well, they're not sitting on that little brick wall thing in front of the school, and I don't think they'd just run off and leave us high and dry, right?"

From behind the two young teens, a familiar voice called out, "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" Turning around, Double Shuffle found Nightshade running up to her, the gray teen dressed in a gray button shirt, black pants with suspenders, brown boots, and a pair of circular glasses. Catching their breath, the gray teen explained, "Sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I had to help clean up the computer lab. Some slob spilled water all over five keyboards." They then rested their arms around their friends' shoulders as they asked, "You two ready for some fun?"

Pumping her fist, Double Shuffle exclaimed, "You bet! I've got everything right here!" She then presented her duffle bag as she continued, "I've got a change of clothes, some fun stuff, my tap shoes, everything!" Taking this in, Nightshade let out a gentle chuckle as they asked, "Really? You ever go anywhere without your tap shoes?" The blue girl replied with a faux offended, "What? I wouldn't go anywhere without my tap shoes. How else would I show you some of my sick moves?"

Featherweight then spoke up with a gentle, "Uh guys? There's a car here and the person in it is trying to get your attention." Giving their friend a confused, "Huh," Nightshade turned to see a dark gray sedan, leading them to say, "Oh! My mom's here! Come on!" The gray teen then grabbed their friends by their hands and gently dragged them up to the van.

As the three teens opened the doors to the gray sedan and began to sit down, Nightshade warmly said, "Hey mom. Sorry for keeping you waiting." Their mother, a pale white woman with yellow hair and blue lipstick, reassured them, "No sweat dear. I noticed you were chatting with your new friends." Turning to her guests, she introduced herself, "Hello there, I'm Strongarm."

"Nice to meet you ma'am. I'm Double Shuffle." The blue hoofer introduced herself while giving a polite nod. She then continued with, "Nightshade and I have homeroom and math class together."

Featherweight followed with a nervous, "Uh…. Hi there. I'm Featherweight. I met Nightshade when they joined my history and tech class." Nightshade then added, "Yup. They both invited me to that dance class earlier this week."

As she began to drive her car away, Strongarm replied, "Well, it's wonderful to meet you two. Nightshade told me all about you two and how awesome you are." While Double Shuffle and Featherweight gave each other mischievous smirks to each other, Nightshade could only whine, "Mom. You're embarrassing me." The blue girl extended her hand to her friend as she reassured them, "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

Focusing on the road ahead of her, Strongarm remarked, "Well I'm just happy you made some friends. I wonder how your siblings will react." Hearing this, Double Shuffle asked, "Siblings? You have siblings?" Scratching the back of their neck, Nightshade replied, "Yeah. Two brothers and two sisters actually."

Taking this information in, Double Shuffle asked, "So, does that mean we're gonna be having company?" Nightshade replied, "Don't worry. They'll give us plenty of privacy." They then let out a snort as they added, "Especially Hashtag."

Double Shuffle found herself thinking, 'Four siblings? That's a handful.' The most she'd ever had to deal with was her own brother Tender Taps and her newfound big sister in Apple Bloom. 'But having four siblings? That sounds like a recipe for a stress induced breakdown.' Still, the fact that Nightshade hadn't ever complained about them made the young dancer think, 'Hopefully, they're all pretty nice. How bad could it be?'

Nightshade's House

As the gray care pulled up to its destination, Nightshade pointed to something on the other side of the window as they declared, "Well, here we are. Mi casa es tu casa." An intrigued Double Shuffle glanced at what her friend was pointing at, only to be pleasantly surprised by what she found.

There, in front of them, stood a two-story house with dark green paint. The front had an enclosed foyer, the yard was decorated with several plastic flamingos, and if the young hoofer's eyes weren't deceiving her, she could make out a satellite dish poking out from the far wall. All in all, it was a perfectly normal and welcoming house.

Stepping out of the car, Double Shuffle took the homely sight in as she asked, "So this is where you live?" Nodding, Nightshade replied, "Yup. It gets a bit chaotic at times, but it's home. Besides, this place isn't as cramped as our last home." Grabbing his backpack while getting out of the gray sedan, Featherweight replied, "Nice place."

As the three young teens approached the front door, Strongarm quickly explained, "Now, I'll order some pizza in a few hours. Nightshade, you can show your friends around, and I'll make sure your siblings behave themselves." Nightshade asked, "Especially Hashtag?" Nodding, the pale woman replied, "Especially Hashtag." Turning to their friends, the green haired teen instinctively reached forward and opened the door as they said, "Behold, home sweet home."

The Terran Home

Stepping into the living room, Double Shuffle was surprised by how chaotic yet orderly everything was. The walls were lined with large boxes, both plastic and cardboard, the sofa was covered in small crumbs, and the television was covered in wires that could only be connected to an undetermined number of other devices. 'Seems pretty lived in.' The blue hoofer thought to herself.

Walking past their friends, Nightshade remarked, "Sorry if this place is a bit messy. We only got here a few weeks ago, and with seven of us…." Featherweight rested his hand on his friend's shoulder as he reassured him, "Don't worry. I've seen worse messes of some scout outings." Hearing this, Double Shuffle asked, "Whoa whoa whoa. You're in scouting?"

Before Featherweight could reply, a girl's voice called out, "Nightshade? You home with your new friends yet?" From around the corner, two teenagers, both of whom seemed to be a few years older than Double Shuffle and her friends. One of them, a girl, had gray-green skin, red hair, orange eyes, and a red tee shirt and shorts with dark green sneakers. The other, a boy, had dark blue skin, gray hair, a pair of goggles, a white jacket over a white shirt and pants, black boots, and a white helmet in his hand.

Turning to their friends, Nightshade explained, "These are my older siblings." Pointing to the girl, they continued, "My older sister, Twitch." As the red-haired girl gave a polite bow, Nightshade gestured to their brother as they added, "And this is my brother, Thrash." The blue boy, Thrash if Double Shuffle heard correctly, gave an inviting head nod as he greeted, "Nice to meet you two. You must be Featherweight and Double Shuffle."

Nodding, the blue hoofer replied, "Yeah. It's nice to meet you Thrash." She then extended her hand as Featherweight replied, "Nice to meet you as well. I didn't know Nightshade had any siblings, let alone four." As the gray teen let out a nervous gulp, Twitch explained, "Don't blame 'em. Probably took a hell of a lot of courage to talk with you two, let alone tell you about us."

The playful moment was interrupted by Strongarm joining the group as she asked, "Would you two mind giving me a hand? Let Nightshade show their friends to their room." Hearing this, Twitch groaned as she complained, "Ugh, mom! Do we have to?" Thrash gave his sister a playful nudge as he reassured her, "Come on. Let's give them a little privacy."

As Strongarm and her two eldest children departed, Nightshade turned to their guests as they asked, "So, would you two like to see your sleeping arrangements for the night?"

Nightshade's Room

Entering their bedroom, Nightshade asked, "So, what do you two think?" Double Shuffle was impressed by just how organized everything was. There was a bed that had been placed against the corner, a large desk with odd mechanical devices lying on top of it, blueprints hanging on all four walls, a small television with some sort of gaming console plugged into it, an open closet with several shirts and coats hanging inside, and to her surprise, three air mattresses laying on the floor in a circle.

Taking everything in, Double Shuffle remarked, "I like it. Looks kinda like a mad scientist's room." Smiling, Nightshade replied, "Thanks. That's what I was sort of going for." They then dramatically held their arms out as they invited, "Set your stuff down and unwind. It's time to kick back, relax, and unwind!"

Sitting down as she allowed her backpack to slide off of her shoulders, Double Shuffle asked, "So, if those two are your older siblings, then where are your younger siblings?" As they loosened their tie, Nightshade explained, "Hashtag is probably editing a video of theirs, and Jawbreaker is probably just relaxing in his and Thrash's room." They then let out a relieved sigh as they elaborated, "Yeah, both my brothers and sisters share rooms with each other." A curious Featherweight asked, "Really? Then, why do you have your own room?"

Shrugging, Nightshade simply answered, "Guess mom thought that, since I'm not really a boy or a girl, it would be a bit awkward being stuck with two of either." They then paused for a moment before adding, "Actually that came out a bit weird. I meant to say that, since I'm nonbinary, it would just be better to give me some privacy, you know?"

Nodding, Double Shuffle replied, "I guess that makes sense." Nightshade smiled as they asked, "On the plus side, it means we've got this room to ourselves. What do you guys wanna do first?"

Featherweight raised his hand as he asked, "Well, since we've all only really known each other, how about we reveal a little bit about each other? Kinda like a truth or dare, just without the dare part." Double Shuffle lit up with an enthusiastic, "That sounds like a great idea!" Seeing their friend squeal with excitement, Nightshade remarked, "Well then, how about you go first?"

As the three young teens sat in a small circle, Double Shuffle took a deep breath as she began, "Well, my name is Double Shuffle, and as I've probably made a bit obvious, I love tap dancing." Nightshade raised their hand as they asked, "I noticed your brother in that tap class. Anyone else in your family dance?"

Lighting up brighter than a light bulb, Double Shuffle enthusiastically explained, "Where do I start? My mom and dad are dancers, my grandparents were dancers, my aunts were dancers, my great grandparents…." Feeling herself runout of breath, the blue girl inhaled before finishing, "It runs in the family." Featherweight interrupted with a proud, "I can tell. You've gotta be one of the best tap dancers I've ever seen!" Double Shuffle couldn't help but blush as she replied with a gentle, "Thanks."

Nightshade then asked, "So, do you have any other hobbies?" Double Shuffle began to answer before pausing, eventually relenting and admitting, "Well…. I guess I don't really have other hobbies. Tap dancing has always just kinda been…. My thing." The green haired teen rested a hand on their friend's shoulder as they reassured her, "Don't worry. I know the feeling."

Turning to Featherweight, Nightshade asked, "What about you?" Scratching the back of his neck, the cream boy began, "Well, you two already know my name, and, I guess the two things about me is that I like taking pictures and I…." Pausing as he took a deep gulp, Nightshade continued, "And as I said earlier, I'm in scouting."

Intrigued, Nightshade replied, "Ooh. That's so cool!" To Double Shuffle's surprise, Featherweight let out a dejected scoff before remarking, "It can be." Confused, the young hoofer asked, "What's so bad about scouting?

Raising his hands, the cream boy reiterated, "Oh, it's not bad!" Featherweight then reached for his backpack and pulled out a large, thick book as he explained, "I've gotten to do a lot of really cool things because of it, but look here!" Opening the book, Double Shuffle was amazed and impressed by what she found.

There, in the pages, were photographs of Featherweight and several other boys doing a variety of physical activities. One picture showed the group posing next to a waterfall, another showed the group on bicycles on some sort of trail, and yet another showed everyone standing at attention wearing light brown tunics over dark green pants. Taking this in, Double Shuffle asked, "These are really good pictures!" Hearing this, Featherweight began to blush as he replied, "Well, wait till you see these!"

Turning the pages, Featherweight stopped on one page as he asked, "What do you think of this?" He then pointed at a picture of a forest at dawn, the light dripping through the canopy made Double Shuffle think, 'Whoa. This looks like something from an animated movie!' Taking a moment to compose herself, the blue hoofer remarked, "That's amazing! You took that picture?"

Nodding, Featherweight replied, "Yup. I took that on an outing to Yellow-Steel National Park." He then sighed as he lamented, "It was the only good part of that trip, actually." Noticing their friend's mood change, Nightshade asked, "What happened? Bad weather? Animal trouble?"

Shaking his head, Featherweight answered, "Nope. It was the other boys." As Nightshade and Double Shuffle took this in, the cream boy elaborated, "I don't know what it is about my troop, but everyone there are a bunch of…." Pausing as he contemplated just what to say, he finished with a blunt, "Assholes. They're like a bunch of assholes and…." Taking a moment to collect himself, Featherweight continued, "Guess I'm not as much of a "manly man" as the rest of them. It's like I'm something of an outsider, and I have to admit, everyone does a good job of making it clear they don't like me being there."

Hearing this, Double Shuffle instinctively pulled Featherweight into a bone crushing hug as she apologized, "I'm so sorry about that." Though caught off guard, the cream boy hugged his friend back as he reassured her, "Thanks. And don't worry about me. I've gotten used to the kind of crap those dicks always pull."

To his surprise, Nightshade stood up as they declared, "That doesn't make it right!" When Featherweight and Double Shuffle scooted back in fear, the green haired teen elaborated, "What I meant to say is that you shouldn't have to put up with people treating you like crap. You're a really cool dude, and you don't deserve that kind of hazing."

All Featherweight could do was let out a sniffle whilst a tear escaped his eye as he replied, "Thanks."

Once they sat back down, Nightshade began, "I guess it's my turn. I'm Nightshade, and on top of having a massive family, I love experimenting and tinkering with things. It just…" Letting out a wistful sigh, the green haired teen elaborated, "It's something where I feel like I'm in control." Double Shuffle raised her hand as she asked, "Does that have to do with you being Nonbinary?"

Nodding, Nightshade answered, "It does." They then asked, "So, since we're friends, can I trust you two to keep this between us?" When Double Shuffle and Featherweight gave reassuring nods, the green haired teen elaborated, "Well, I never really felt like a boy, but when I tried experimenting with being a girl, it didn't feel right either. Then, one day, I met someone named Amethyst, and they taught me about the term nonbinary, and I just…" Letting out a relieved sigh, they finished, "It was a wonderful word for a wonderful experience."

Hearing this, Double Shuffle complimented, "That's a pretty cool way to put it. You ever thought of taking up poetry or writing?" Nightshade began to faintly blush as they replied, "Huh. Never thought about it before. I guess it'd be worth a shot." Hearing this, the blue girl exclaimed, "Yeah! I'm sure you'd be as good a poet as you are a tinkerer."

Nightshade lit up and allowed a large smile to form on their lips as they began, "Let me show you what I've been working on!" Rising up to their feet, the green haired tinkerer walked over to their closet, picked up a cardboard box, and set it down in front of their friends as they continued, "I call this little girl here Arachnid."

Reaching into the box, Nightshade pulled out a rectangular box made of crudely welded metal with three red eyes on the front side and four spider-like legs folded against its side. As the green haired teen pulled out a remote control from the box, Featherweight asked, "Wait, is this thing like some sort of remote-controlled car?" Nodding, Nightshade replied, "Yup. Though it's a lot cooler. Watch!"

As Nightshade pressed a button on their controller, the boxy machine's eyes lit up as it unfurled its legs before standing up before a synthesized voice called out, "Arachnid online." Double Shuffle felt her jaw drop as she said, "Whoa. That's awesome! What else can it do?" The green haired tinker shook their head as they added, "Not much else at the moment, just walk around." They then pressed another button on their controller, making the small machine walk forward.

At that moment, the muffled sound of a young boy's voice called out, "Nightshade? Nightshade's friends?" As Double Shuffle turned to see who said that, the bedroom door opened, revealing a younger boy with light green skin, orange hair, purple eyes, and an orange shirt with brown pants. The new boy took a deep breath before saying, "Mom says she wants to know what kind of pizza you guys want tonight."

Without hesitation, all three young teens replied, "Cheese." They then began to look to each other in confusion, before each one nodded in confirmation to each other.

Taking this information in, the young green boy replied, "Ok. I'll tell mom." Smiling, Nightshade replied, "Thanks Jawbreaker." As Jawbreaker began to walk away, Featherweight asked, "Hey, you wanna join us?" Turning around, the younger boy replied, "No thanks. I've got some model fossils I want to put together tonight." Hearing this, Double Shuffle remarked, "Ooh, that sounds like something one of my brother's friends would like." Jawbreaker shrugged as he bade farewell with, "Ooh. Sounds like someone with great tastes."

As Jawbreaker departed, Nightshade asked, "So, either of you want to take Arachnid here for a spin?"

Later That Night

"That's it Featherweight! Get 'em!" Double Shuffle exclaimed as she watched her friends playing some sort of old fighting game. After they'd eaten dinner (with an empty pizza box leaning against the wall and plastic cups of soda next to each of their inflatable beds), they'd decided to pass the time with an old game that had been a hand me down from Nightshade's brother Thrash. As Nightshade controlled a knight with a giant clawed hand, Featherweight played as an undead pirate with two swords.

Needless to say, tensions were high as her friends found themselves in an intense battle transcending history.

Focusing on the match, Featherweight pressed a few buttons on his controller, leading his ghost pirate to impale Nightshade's knight, lift him up with his swords, and slam him onto the ground as the game's announcer declared, "K.O!" As the green haired teen groaned in "resignation," Featherweight's pirate clanged his blade's together as he declared, "Your soul now belongs to me!"

Dropping his controller on the ground, Featherweight pumped his fists as he declared, "Yes! Yes! I am the champion!" As his friends gave him amused looks, the cream boy meekly apologized, "Heh. Sorry about that." Double Shuffle smiled as she took his hand and reassured him, "Relax. You're a pretty good undead pirate." Feeling his heart race as he blushed, Featherweight adopted a pirate accent as he playfully replied, "Aye, thank you me hearty!"

Nightshade, on the other hand, began to slowly reach for their pillow as they said, "Well, far be it from me to be a sore loser, I must congratulate you for besting me fair and square." They then extended their hand to Featherweight as they continued, "I tip my hat to you." Featherweight, not noticing the pillow, accepted his friend's handshake as he replied, "Thanks. You did a good job."

Before Double Shuffle could react, Nightshade slapped Featherweight with the pillow in their hand.

As Featherweight recoiled from the "blow," Double Shuffle incredulously asked, "What was that for?" Almost immediately, Nightshade gulped and began to apologize, "I'm sorry, I just get super competitive and get carried away and…" Before they could finish, Featherweight raised his right hand and interrupted, "It's ok. I get it." However, Double Shuffle noticed he had managed to scoop up his own pillow in his left hand, leading her to think, 'Oh no. I think I know where this is going.'

Sure enough, Featherweight smacked his pillow against Nightshade's face. Not even flinching, the green haired teen lamented, "Yeah, I deserve that." When the cream boy smacked him again, they continued, "Maybe that one too." But when Featherweight slapped him with a pillow for the third time, Nightshade rolled their eyes as they mischievously warned, "Ok, that's it."

As the two teens began to engage in an intense pillow fight, Double Shuffle threw herself in between her friends as she called out, "Alright! Stop that right now!" Sadly, both Featherweight and Nightshade were winding up a strong swing, and the blue hoofer found herself on the receiving end of two pillows, one to the front of her head, and one to the back.

While Double Shuffle recoiled in confusion, both of her friends tried to catch her as Featherweight apologized, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" Nightshade rested their hands on her shoulders as they added, "That was an accident! I had no idea you were gonna do that!"

Taking a deep breath, Double Shuffle reassured her friends, "Don't worry. I'm not one to hold a grudge." However, neither Featherweight nor Nightshade noticed her scooting her pillow up to her with her foot. Before either could react, Double Shuffle thought, 'Time to give them a taste of their own medicine.' With that, she scooped up her pillow and slapped both of her friends in the face.

Playfully holding her hands behind her back, Double Shuffle smugly added, "There. Nothing left to hold a grudge over." Both Nightshade and Featherweight looked to each other, nodded, and before the blue hoofer could react, both decided to slap their pillows in Double Shuffle's face, this time deliberately.

Feeling herself scowl before giving in to a fit of laughter, Double Shuffle chuckled, "Oh, it is on!" With that, all three teens began to engage in a massive three-way pillow fight.

Later That Night

Lying on her inflatable bed, Double Shuffle was able to make out the sight of her friends sleeping on theirs. While Nightshade laid motionless on theirs, Featherweight slept under two blankets, a purple-pink teddy bear clutched firmly in his arms. Smiling, the blue hoofer remarked, "That was one hell of a pillow fight. I don't think I've ever had this much fun off the dance floor or stage before."

Feeling her heart soar, the blue hoofer thought to herself, 'I don't think I've ever had friends like this before.' After all, she'd had a good relationship with her brother and Apple Bloom, but they were here older brother and big sister figure. But now, having these two people who she just enjoyed being around, Double Shuffle could only think, 'I love this.'

The young girl would have continued, but her eyes began to grow heavy, leading Double Shuffle to let out a yawn before thinking, 'I better get some sleep.' With that, the young hoofer tucked herself in under her blanket and began to drift off into the land of slumber.

All while Strongarm watched from an open sliver from her child's bedroom door, thinking to herself, 'I've never seen them so happy before. I'm glad Nightshade was finally able to make some friends.'