People certainly had a habit of walking out of Liam’s life.

His father, for one, had never even seen Liam. Not once. He’d disappeared the moment he heard Liam’s mother had been pregnant. The fact that she was pregnant with twins obviously wasn’t enough to tie him down.

His mother had no problem leaving him either. Sure, he saw her once every few days, where she’d slap some money for the week’s food down on the counter, and left to wherever she went every day. Even if he tried, Liam had a hard time remembering what she looked like.

And his sister, god, his sister was worse.

One would assume that twin siblings would be inseparable, and the best of friends. When they were 5, Liam and Brianna were just that. They did everything together, from playing school, to baking their favorite cupcakes. Liam still missed the sound of Bri’s laughter, bouncing from wall to wall of their small kitchen, and the smell of the baking batter, with so many sprinkles that it dyed their tongues every color of the rainbow, the feeling of joy, love, family.

Liam only noticed things were changing when it was much too late. Bri was lovable, chatty, cute. Liam was shy. He was quiet. Everyone wanted to be friends with Bri, yet nobody wanted to speak to the quiet freak that sat in the corner who rarely spoke, reading books with hardly any pictures.

Now, they never spoke, never kindly anyway. It felt like they were strangers, even enemies, and Liam hated the distance, but knew he could do nothing to change it.

Any friends Liam had felt temporary, any relationships seemed like charity work. Liam had been burned by trust, so he no longer gave it.

After Andrew, Liam had been learning. He was trusting again, finally opening himself up to someone. All the walls he’d built and hidden behind were ripped apart, and Liam was okay with it. Liam was ready to learn, and ready to be proved wrong.

He believed, he really believed that he was different. That he was the one that wouldn’t desert him. That Andrew would always be there.

And he was, until he wasn’t.

It was strange when it happened. Liam knew that he saw him. Andrew was right there. He was speaking to someone, or something, because Liam definitely did not see anyone else. Liam was absolutely positive that he had seen him

But what does that mean exactly? To see someone?

Liam saw Andrew. But then he disappeared. Literally. Into thin air.

So what did Liam know anyway?

Who could say if seeing people had anything to do with whether or not they truly existed? Now all Liam could do was doubt his memory. Had Andrew been there at all?

Liam could swear he had been. How could he have imagined it?

The first day of senior year, Liam was expecting another awful experience, full of insults, people eyeing him with distaste as he walked from class to class, as if he was a criminal who was without any hope of exoneration.

He wasn’t too far off, yet the more unexpected moments that day could not have been predicted.

As much as a new student in school is more or less a given at each new school year, Liam was expecting for any new kids to be swept up by the more popular groups, and become an honorary member of that clique, as they always were. He couldn’t have foreseen the sheer unpredictability of one new student in particular.

Liam entered his first class, some programming elective, angry. An unpleasant encounter with his sister had him practically stomping to his desk, and from others throughout the room, whispers sounded, circling the cement walls and only intensifying his frustration.

Of course, they all saw the fight.

Siblings fought, but with Liam and Brianna, it was more than that. Their fights were more like screaming matches, and Liam more often than not has something thrown at him. Like today, Bri passed Liam in the hall, and some clever junior pushed her into Liam.

Somehow, she felt that it was Liam who had somehow controlled someone, and made them push Bri into him. She sure knew how to make a scene.

“I wish you weren’t my brother.”

It’s funny how she still thinks that will hurt him.

Liam threw his backpack on the ground next to the desk furthest back in the room, not really caring about his laptop inside. Someone gasped from a row over, and Liam fought the urge to blow up on them. He tried to sit down calmly, but he knew it wasn’t convincing anyone.

Liam crossed his arms, leaning back into his chair. The bell rang, and Liam tried to take deep breaths. The tile floors under his seats seemed to echo every noise in the room, each small sound and every murmur seemed amplified, pushing Liam closer to the edge.

The teacher began the rudimentary welcome speech, very obviously attempting to avoid meeting Liam’s eyes. Liam’s hands were shaking, and his anger was just about to boil over. He was going to storm out of the room. He was going to-

The door opened.

Liam’s fiery, outright frightening gaze shot to the door. How dare they compromise his escape route. It was the principal, but there was someone else next to her. He was… wow. He was definitely a new student. Liam definitely would have remembered that face.

Somehow annoyed by the stranger, or his face, he wasn’t sure, Liam clenched his jaw, his eyes probably glaring without his permission. As if shocked, the new kid jolted to meet Liam’s eyes. His eyes were piercing, and suddenly Liam found himself unable to look away.

Liam tried not to look angry. The stranger held his gaze for a moment, then another. Without Liam’s consent, tension started leaking from his muscles. His jaw relaxed, as did the rest of him. The stranger’s mouth quirked up, and he broke the eye contact.

As soon as it was broken, Liam almost missed the gaze.

What the hell?

The principal spoke, interrupting Liam’s confusion, “Hello everyone. Mr. Adams,” The teacher nodded in greeting. “We have a new student this year, in the Junior class. Please welcome Andrew, everyone!” She smiled, motioning for the new kid, Andrew, to step forward. He did so, a very forced smile on his face.

“Hi, Andrew. Please take a seat,” Mr. Adams scanned the room, landing on the empty desk to Liam’s left. The teacher tensed as his eyes met Liam’s, his smile dissolving. “Next to… Next to Liam Alcoe, over there.” He pointed, and Liam rolled his eyes at the slight tremor of his hand.

The new kid nodded with another flash of a smile, walking over to the empty desk. Liam watched his movements with confusion. This kid didn’t seem to have very good control of his body. He did make it to the desk without tripping, but his movements were oddly choppy and ungraceful, and Liam had a strange urge to stand up and help him.

Seriously, what?

As he sat, he seemed extremely uncomfortable, his posture too stiff as he set his backpack gently on the ground. He looked over, meeting Liam’s eyes. Liam did nothing but stare, not knowing how he should react.

The new kid seemed to realize this, and a tiny smile that seemed much more genuine appeared on his face. Liam was confused, but understood quickly. He was new, so he didn’t hear the things people said about Liam. That’s why he was acting so… kind.

Well, it was only a matter of time.

So, Liam returned the smile tentatively.

The class passed breezily. Liam knew enough programming that he knew the class would be an easy A.

Once he finished the baseline program they needed to run, he found himself watching the new kid in the corner of his eye. The expression on that kid’s face could only be described as amazed as he clicked through the program on the school-issued laptop. Liam didn’t know which the kid came from, but maybe they didn’t give every kid a computer or something.

“Liam, what is this?” The new kid whispered. “The screen just blacked out and went to this.”

Liam took out the earbud in his ear, leaning over to see his screen. Liam looked back at the new kid, confused. “The login screen?” He still looked confused. Liam tilted his head. “Did the school give you a code to sign in?” Andrew sat for another moment, before pulling a paper from his back pocket, with much difficulty. Liam half smiled as he wiggled to try to get the paper out. Liam slid out of his desk, tilting the computer towards himself.

Liam looked at the code when Andrew handed it to him, and signed Andrew in to the computer. Liam turned the computer back towards him. As the home screen appeared, Andrew shook his head. “Woah. Thanks, man.” Maybe he hadn’t seen the model before. Liam nodded, moving back to his desk.

When the bell rang signalling the end of the period, Liam hiked his bag up onto his shoulder, having already packed up his things. His eyes fell to the new kid, who was now frantically shoving things into his bag. Liam gave a short laugh, squatting down to pick up a few fallen sheets of paper. Andrew met his eyes as Liam held out the paper, and suddenly, the room around them seemed to fade. “Thanks, Liam.” He smiled.

“Of course.” Liam smiled back. He shook himself a moment later. “Uh, okay. Good luck on your first day.” Liam backed away slowly. Andrew’s grin widened, and he nodded. Liam turned and left the room before he said anything more, or embarrassed himself further.

In his next two classes, Liam found himself disappointed

At lunch, new kid approaches Liam. “Liam, hey! I need your help.” Liam was already sitting at his table, so he turned, craning his neck pretty uncomfortably to look at who called for him.

“Hi, Andrew right?” He stared down at Liam for a moment, utter confusion written on his face. After a second, he shook himself.

“Yes. Yeah.” He seemed out of breath. “Hi.”

“Alright,” Liam said, confused at his strange behavior. “What’s up?”

“I had my last class with this girl, she seemed really nice, and she invited me to sit with her at lunch.”

“Okay?” Liam was very confused as to why Andrew was telling him this.

“The thing is, I don’t really know if she’s nice! Usually I can tell, but I couldn’t with her. Do you know her?” He was rushing through his words.

“What’s her name?”

“Brianna, I think?” The moment Andrew spoke the name, Liam looked back at the tray in front of him, glaring at the misshapen chicken nuggets. Of course. “What is it? Do you know her?”

Liam nods tightly, really trying his best not to be rude to Andrew.

“Hey.” Andrew sits in the seat to Liam’s right, so he is in Liam’s field of vision. “What’s wrong?” Liam took a deep breath. He was new. He didn’t know.

“She’s my sister. We’re not… on good terms.” Liam said, his jaw tense.

“Wait, she’s your sister, but you’re fighting? This is just temporary though, right? Don’t siblings fight and make up all the time?” Andrew sounded confused.

“Not really. She’s made my life hell for as long as I can remember. I think we are a bit past making up.”

“Huh. Sorry you two aren’t close.” Andrew said, his voice so sincere that it was starting to make Liam feel worse. Noticing this quickly, Andrew changed the subject. “So, what class do you have after-” He was cut of by an all too familiar voice.

“Andrew!” Liam felt a chill run through him. “Sorry we lost you in the hallway,” Brianna spoke sweetly, and Liam’s glare hardened. He felt sick. He knew what was coming. Like a downpour, once the sky darkened there was no way around it.

“Hey, Brianna.” Andrew greeted, his eyes shooting to Liam.

Her tone quickly shifted from kind to disgusted as she continued. “What are you doing, sitting here?” Liam clenched his fist at the evident insult. “This really isn’t the kind of place you should be sitting. Why don’t you come with us to our table? I can introduce you to everyone!” She pulled Andrew out of the seat, and Liam pretended he didn’t notice.

Andrew began to protest, but was quickly interrupted.

“Oh no, trust me. I know people you actually should associate yourself with,” Her words had a bite that was quite obviously being directed at Liam’s back.

“I-” Andrew was guided away before he could say anything else. Liam hated that it upset him so much.

Liam shut his eyes, trying to breathe.

Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry anymore.

As lunch ended, Liam was looking to get to his last class of the day as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to run into Brianna. His day was already bad enough.  

He had to hurry anyway, because his class was on the other side of the school. As he hurried on, he pretended not to hear the nearing footsteps behind him.

“Liam!” Andrew shouted, and Liam jumped. Even though he didn’t want to, Liam turned to look at him. Andrew jogged for a moment to catch up.

“What’s up?” Liam tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Andrew frowned next to him.

“Sorry about… that. I wouldn’t have minded sitting next to you.” Andrew said quietly. If Liam hadn’t been so tuned in, he might have missed it over the roaring noise of passing students. The statement definitely took Liam by surprise. “Liam?” Liam took a breath.

“Listen, Andrew. I know you may think that I’d be a good friend, but trust me, you’d be better off just being friends with Brianna instead of me.” Liam stared at his feet, hating how true that statement was.

“But…  you’re nice,” Andrew said, sounding upset.

“Listen,” Liam said, hearing the growing harshness in his voice. “I know you may think that, but you should accept that you can be popular and actually liked. You won’t get any of that with me.”

Andrew seemed like he was going to protest, but Liam wasn’t about to let him. “Sorry Andrew. I’ve got to get to class.” Without more of a warning, Liam quickened his pace, leaving Andrew behind him.

He thankfully made it to the class on time, but after talking with Andrew, it didn’t seem very much of a success. Liam was thankful that there was no seating chart in the accounting class, and he could sit in the seat furthest towards the back of the room.

The rest of that day was monotone, and things were as grey as they usually were in Liam’s eyes. He did manage to avoid his sister for the rest of that night, however, which did brighten his mood slightly.

Liam still couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt for being as rude as he was to Andrew in the hall after lunch. He didn’t do anything wrong, and yet Liam just had to make a scene like he always did.

You had an actual chance of having a friend, and you blew it, just like you always do.

For the week that followed, Liam felt awful. He had been avoiding Andrew without really trying to. The thing was, whenever Liam saw Bri talking to Andrew in the hallway, he felt sick to his stomach, and would really rather not feel that way any longer than necessary. He didn’t need to get close to anyone else, only to have them be ripped away from him.

In the programming class, Liam really tried ignoring him completely, he always had headphones in, and if Andrew ever tried to get his attention, he pretended he didn’t notice. He knew that he was being unreasonable.

As he entered school on the following Wednesday, he was feeling the best he had since he started to avoid Andrew. He finally was feeling like he could do this. It wouldn’t be that hard. Maybe he could go to administration, and ask to drop programming. Yeah. Then he’d be able to-

He tensed. Moving his eyes to his right, he saw that Andrew had begun to walk beside him. His face was determined. Shocked more than anything, Liam looked forward again, beginning to notice the faces lining the hallway. Too many people were staring or whispering. His sister would probably know within minutes.

“What are you doing?” Liam stage-whispered to Andrew.

“What on Earth do you mean?” Andrew responded, his tone light, and the smile on his face was nothing less than infuriating.

“Andrew, seriously-”

“Jesus, Liam. Can you just let me be friends with you? You can’t make yourself hate me just because of your sister.” Liam sighed.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Liam stared at the dusty tile floor as it passed under his feet.

Andrew bumped his shoulder to Liam’s as a way of forgiveness that Liam knew he didn’t deserve. But, he let himself have it.

That programming class was refreshing, to say the least. Liam really missed his easy conversations with Andrew and his natural fascination with computers. Liam still found it odd, but now that oddness was just who Andrew was.

His oddness was once again shown at lunch a few days later. They were just discussing how Brianna had invited Andrew to a party.

“Yeah. She was totally rude about it.” Andrew said, rolling his eyes. “She was all ‘yeah. Since you’ve been hanging out with Liam recently, you really need a popularity boost.” Both choked out laughs. “I know. Then her friend said ‘Liam? More like lame.’” They burst into laughter once again.

“Bri’s friends have always been geniuses,” Liam said through his grin. Andrews smile faded slightly.

“Bri? Isn’t her name Brianna?” His look of confusion made Liam laugh again. That was when Liam realized he was serious.”

“Haven’t you heard of a nickname before? To like shorten a name so you don’t have to say the full thing every time you say someone’s name?” Andrew still looked bewildered. “Okay then. Like with your name, Andrew, you could shorten it to… Drew, or Andy.” Andrew tilted his head.

“N-D?” He said with question, saying each letter individually rather than the actual name ‘Andy.’ Liam laughed again.

“Sure. N.D. Short for Andrew.”

Andrew, N.D., smiled widely.

The oddness that N.D. constantly displayed seemed to be a more temporary side effect of his arrival at the school. Liam suspected that it would take him a while to assimilate to the new surroundings, then he would be more… normal.

As the weeks progressed, that seemed to be the case. N.D. was as normal as anyone in the school, the only thing now that made him strange was the fact that he was friends with Liam. The funny thing was, after so long of being friends with someone like N.D., the second semester was almost over, Liam had almost forgotten how disliked he was by people in school.

Of course, the world decided it was time to remind him.

The day was going by normally as any of the year, where Liam saw N.D in a class, that quarter it was a film class second hour. Liam loved it. On a random Thursday, Liam was looking forward to being able to catch a nap after his gym assessment first hour. He was hoping for an uneventful weight training hour.

The teacher would monitor their training, and grade them on the way they were able to train for strength and endurance specifically. Liam despised that class, but he needed the credit to graduate, and once the semester was over, the class would be too. Liam could not wait.

Upon arriving at the class, the teacher quickly paired up groups for spotting. Of course, Liam’s awful luck paired him up with one of his sisters best friend, who also happened to have a deep burning hatred for Liam. Of course he did.

Liam could feel an awful tension growing when they entered the weight room, but didn’t really believe it would work out if he asked to change partners. So, he decided to go first, get any possible injuries or humiliation out of the way, so he could spend the rest of the class trying to forget.

As he set up for a bench press, he saw the look of disdain on the guy’s face, but really was just praying it was temporary. The dimness of the weight room wasn’t calming, but rather made the tension feel that much more sharp and piercing.

As the bar was in his hands, with the weight set close to the highest Liam could manage. His hands shook with the anticipation of the weight he would soon be forced to hold. This would be all he had to do though, these reps, and he’d have the grade, and could change earlier, and get to the film class.

As Liam readied himself, gripping the rough steel bar with determination, nodding to the guy to help him ready the bar, and before Liam could react, and get himself up from the seat, he, and another girl who Liam had seen with Bri before both hiked up another weight each, Liam saw a flash of the number 20, shoving both onto the bar as they raised it over Liam’s body. They dropped their support before Liam could do anything like yell for help, or climb out from under the bar.

The weight was too much. Liam probably held it for all of a millisecond before his arms gave out, the bar instantly dropped onto Liam’s chest, and all the air was swept from his lungs. He gasped for air that he couldn’t take in, trying with all his might to push the bar away, so he could breathe, but it was too much.

Was this it?

Would some idiot’s funny idea of a prank be the actual cause of his death?

In a final burst of strength, Liam leaned to the side, and somehow the universe decided to cut him a break, because, in their haste, the two had forgotten to secure the extra weight, so as he leaned to his left side, the extra weight their toppled to the ground with a loud clang, the imbalance allowed Liam to push the bar to the other side, and off of his body as he sat up.

Liam gasped to get air in his lungs again, stars behind his eyes flashed, making him feel even more nauseous. He opened his eyes, instantly looking to the guy who was supposed to be spotting him. He had his arms crossed, the shadow of grin on his face. Liam stood, still panting, grabbing the front of his shirt, and slamming him back into the wall. As soon as he lifted his arm to hit him, he was yanked away, and thrown to the ground.

Right as Liam’s back made sharp contact with the ground, the guy was on him, punching his nose, then his eye. He felt a kick to his side, then nothing as a bellowing yell sounded from nearby.

“Back up! Now.” It was the gym teacher, who obviously found it necessary to intervene only at this point. The teacher’s eyes burned as she shouted, “Office. The three of you.”

She pulled the same guy and girl towards the door, reaching down to help Liam to his feet. He swayed. His nose was bleeding heavily, his eye was swollen almost shut, and he could feel a nasty bruise forming on his side already. She helped him to the office, yelling at the two who were walking in front of them on the way.

As soon as they arrived at the office, the teacher told Liam to sit, dragging the other two directly into the principal's office, slamming the door behind her. Liam heard loud shouting soon after.

As Liam was waiting, the door to the office opened, and someone was by his side a moment later.

“Liam! Oh my god, are you alright? Jesus- who did this?”  N.D.

Liam sighed in relief, pushing N.D.’s hand away when he reached for Liam’s face. “I’m okay.” N.D. glared at him in a completely unconvinced way. To further illustrate his point, he stood, grabbing handful of tissues from the front desk, returning to his seat, and holding them to Liam’s nose. Liam could see the blood soak a layer in the corner of his eye, he felt himself blush slightly. “Fine. Maybe not.” He took the tissues, sitting back in his awfully uncomfortable chair.

“Do you want to talk about it?” N.D. said gently. Liam shrugged.

“Just some of Bri’s friends trying to play a joke in gym, I almost got crushed by too much weight. I’m sure they thought it was funny.” Liam shook his head. “I shoved the guy after I got the weight off, and he and another girl attacked me. So that was fun.”  N.D. looked horrified.

He once again reached for Liam’s face, and Liam allowed it. He gently touched Liam’s swollen eye. He winced, and N.D. did as well as if it hurt him too. He moved his hand to Liam’s, holding it in a reassuring way. “I’m so sorry.”

Liam gave a small smile, and the door to the principal’s office opened. The girl came out first, tears streaming down her face, and the guy followed her, and he was fuming. He fixed a harsh glare on Liam. Instantly, N.D. jumped from his seat, the look on his face looking murderous. Before either of them did anything stupid, the principal stepped out of the office. “Alright Andrew.” N.D. stepped back, still holding his glare. “Please get back to class, Mr. Lastor, Ms. Stepe.” The two quickly left the office, followed by a still-seething gum teacher.

“Mr. Alcoe, please,” She stepped aside and motioned for him to enter. As she closed the door behind him, both sat in the chairs on either side of the desk.

“It wasn’t my fault- I swear-”

“Oh please, Liam. I know. Those two have always been trouble. I’m so sorry their awful behavior came to this. Are you alright?” Liam rubbed his side at the mention, shrugging.

“Fine. Just a little bruised I guess.” She winced.

“I’m sure. No offense, but that eye looks terrible. We can send you home for the day if you’d like.” She smiled at him.

“That would be great.” Liam gave his best attempt at a smile.

She nodded. “Alright. And just so you are aware, we have put a suspension in place, at least a week. We will definitely ask your class further questions, so we can begin an investigation, and that might extend it further.”

“Thank you,” Liam quickly stood, ready to go home for the day.

“Liam,” The principal said, stopping him. He turned to face her. “Feel free to take Andrew with you.”

Liam smiled, nodding in thanks, and left the office.

N.D. instantly was firing questions. “Are you pressing charges? They got expelled right? They are on their way to prison right now? You’re going to-”

“Relax, N.D., breathe.” Liam smiled, putting a hand on N.D.’s shoulder. “They got suspended,” He looked ready to storm into the office and demand a harsher punishment. “Hey, relax. It’s going on their record and they are going to have an investigation. N.D. relaxed slightly.

“Fine. Let’s go,” N.D. said, picking up both of their bags. Liam was so confused.

“Dude, how did you know that we were both leaving?” N.D tensed slightly as Liam asked this. “And I didn’t see that you brought your bag.” N.D. laughed tightly.

“I knew they would, man. Come on,” N.D. rushed out, practically pushing Liam to the exit of the school. Once they were outside, N.D handed Liam an ice pack that he got from the nurse, and Liam held it to his eye. N.D. began, “Alright. So what are our big plans for today? Shopping? Movies? Ice cream?” Liam laughed silently, letting his suspicion dissipate.

“Whatever you’re feeling,” Liam smiled. As Liam led the way to his car, his smile faded as another thought came to him. “Hold on, why were you in the office?”

N.D. turned sheepish. “Well, I heard some kids talking about what someone was planning to do to you, and I asked the teacher if I could go down to the office, he said no, and I… took matters into my own hands.” Liam gave him a stern look. “Okay, fine. I may have set a small fire in the chemistry room.”

Liam let out a laugh before he could stop himself, holding up a hand to his mouth. “Oh my god.” N.D. slowly smiled. “How… Wait, why didn’t she call you inside of her office?” Liam said, once again, incredulous. N.D. stood still for a second.

“Huh. Yeah.” He stared straight ahead. “That’s super weird, isn’t it?” Liam didn’t look away, still unconvinced. N.D rushed to continue. “Mhm, so, how about we get ice cream, then see a movie? I heard there was a good one out,”

Liam shook his head, deciding just to let him be. “Sure,” He sighed out, knowing that N.D. would hear his slight exasperation.

They got to the car, throwing their bags into the backseat. When Liam sat in the driver’s seat, he placed the ice pack between his bruised side and the seat. As they left the parking lot, Liam was tempted to turn on the radio, so the two could sit without such an awkward silence. N.D. was the first to break it. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them.” He murmured.

Liam almost pulled the car over. “Hey, don’t even go there. There was nothing you could have done.” N.D frowned.

“Maybe I could have, though. I knew something was wrong even before I heard them talk about it. I should have gone sooner. I could have stopped them.” N.D. looked at his lap.

“N.D., I swear to god,” Andrew said firmly, shaking his head. “I promise it’s okay. The only people to blame are those two… It’s funny, because I actually don’t even know their names.”

N.D. joked, without his heart behind it, “I guess that means you more popular than them.” Liam laughed softly.

Soon enough, they pulled into the nearest ice cream place. Liam paid for their cones, and the two sat at a booth in the back of the restaurant. The first bite N.D. took, he gasped. Liam stared, concerned.

“This is amazing!” He exclaimed in a hushed tone, as to not draw any extra attention to them. Liam laughed. “I mean it. This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my whole entire life.”

“It is pretty good.” Liam smiled.

The movie they decided to see wasn’t all that it seemed to be in the trailers, and Liam was a bit disinterested. He found himself looking over at N.D., who was completely entranced by the film. Liam had no clue why- the plot was pretty overdone, and the acting was subpar at best. But either way, Liam found himself smiling at his friend, who didn’t look away from the film.

Once the credits rolled, and the two left the theatre, N.D. was ecstatic.

“That was beautiful.” He grinned as they got back into Liam’s car. “Just the way he was fighting, it really was elegant, in a violent and bloody sort of way, but it was so cool!” Liam shook his head, smiling, at his strangeness. It was an action movie, after all. Liam nodded along with his friends enthusiasm.

Liam knew that N.D. wouldn’t want Liam to drop him off at his house. Liam was never really sure why, but N.D. never wanted Liam to see where he lived. Even if it confused, and even concerned Liam, he respected his friend’s boundaries.

As they pulled back into the high school, N.D.’s mood dampened slightly. When Liam stopped his car by the path N.D. always walked through, N.D. leaned over the car’s console, hugging Liam as tightly as he could without it being painful.

It did slightly pull at his bruised side to hug him back, but Liam hugged N.D. back anyway. N.D. sighed into Liam’s shoulder, whispering, “Feel better, okay?” Liam nodded as N.D. got out of the car, and got his bag from the back. “See you tomorrow. I’ll text you when I’m home.”

“See you,” Liam responded, nodding, and the door closed. Liam watched N.D. walk through the path, frowning to himself.

The next day, Liam didn’t see N.D. walking out of the path, which was strange. Every day, Liam would meet up with him there. He was forced to head to his class when the warning bell rang, and N.D. still hadn’t shown up.

When he approached the spot that the weight training class met up every day to take attendance, he was shocked to see N.D. there, leaning against the wall like he belonged there. “Hey, Liam,” He greeted, a smug smile on his face.

Liam stood in front of him. “What are you doing here? You have chemistry right now. You’re going to be late.”

N.D. forced a false expression of confusion on his face. “Hmm, what do you mean? I’ve been in this class all of this quarter.” N.D. tilted his head, an infuriating hint of a smirk on his face.

“N.D. This is a senior gym. How could you be in this class?” Liam questioned.

“Liam, are you feeling alright? I am a senior.” N.D. wasn’t even trying to hide his smile any more. Liam shook his head, exasperated. He couldn’t conduct any further questioning, because the bell rang at that moment, and the teacher began taking attendance soon after.

Sure enough, the teacher said and passed Andrew’s name as if there was nothing there out of the ordinary.

As the class moved into the weight room to continue their assessments, the teacher gave permission to Liam to just sit in the library for the class. She also listed off those that didn’t need to do assessments, because they did them the day before, and of course, N.D was one of them.

After entering the library, and chose a table father away from everyone else, Liam instantly hissing, “Seriously, man. What is going on?” N.D. winced.

“Listen, Liam. Can we just talk about this later? Please?” N.D. whispered back, looking like he felt sick. Liam sighed, passive aggressively not responding.

He worked on school work after that, not making any effort whatsoever to talk with N.D.

Liam was thankful when they went to film, because watching a movie and taking notes on characterization left no time for conversation.

As the day progressed, oddly enough, N.D. was in his next class after lunch, which was engineering, and had the art class that partnered with Liam’s class the hour after that. Liam was beyond confusion at that point. He was pretty much convinced that he was losing his mind.

Nobody seemed to notice that N.D. was a new addition, and nobody seemed at all concerned that he was taking senior classes, even though Liam was positive that he had been a junior.

After their last class, the two left the art wing, both stealing looks at the other, but neither was brave enough to say anything.

Suddenly, N.D. lurched to the side, his hand coming up to support him against the wall. Liam was instantly at his side.

“Woah, woah. Are you okay?” Liam worried, and N.D. swallowed loudly, giving a short nod. His face was awfully pale. “N.D.”

“I’ll be fine. I-I’ll see you… tomorrow.” N.D. seemed to give a great deal of effort to push himself off of the wall, and hurry into the direction they just came from, to the opposite side of the school from the path.

“N.D., wait!” Liam quickly moved after him, but the hallway was instantly backed up by other students, and he had no way of getting through. He watched, fruitlessly trying to push past the blank faces of the students, as N.D. went through another hallway, and out of sight.

Liam finally got through the crowd, practically running the way that he saw N.D. go. As he turned into a hallway, he saw N.D. just as he stumbled around a different corner. Liam hurried in that direction, but a firm grip on his backpack stopped him in his place. He turned to see who it was, and was instantly shocked.

It was Bri.

“Listen, Liam,” She began, and all he could do was stare, his jaw probably near the floor. For a moment, he forgot about his need to find N.D. “I wanted to apologize. I had no clue Stacy or Tyler would ever do that. It’s horrible that it happened, and I wished I could have stopped them-”

Liam cut her off, fuming. She looked back up at him, surprised. “No. Don’t even try. I wonder why they may have hated me enough to do something like that? Someone, I have no idea who, must have been pretty awful to me first for them to think it was something they could do. Listen… I have to go.” Liam’s returning worry of N.D. cut back into his mind, and he turned to hurry down the way he saw him go.

“Liam, please!” He heard Bri shout, but it fell on deaf ears.

Liam felt his pounding heart through his entire body. He had to find him. There was no one in that hallway. Liam tried to quiet his breathing as he slowed his pace, listening for any sign of him. He soon was at the end of the hall, and was ready to give up. As he was preparing to turn around and leave, he heard it.

It was quiet, so quiet that Liam almost missed it. However, the voice was so undeniably N.D.’s that he couldn’t ignore it. He froze, focusing all of his energy on listening.

“I know. I’m sorry… I wasn’t going to let it happen.” It was definitely N.D. Liam crept closer to the room it came from. “I swear that I’ll stop. He won’t find out. Nobody will. Well, maybe it’s time… Don’t say that. I need to.” Liam pushed the door open, looking in to see who he was speaking to. Nobody was there, and N.D. seemed to be talking to air from where he sat on top of a desk.

The door chose that moment to creak loudly, and N.D.’s form instantly froze. Stiffly, his head turned. The moment his eyes met Liam’s, he was gone.

Actually gone.

As in, he completely vanished from the spot he had just occupied on the desk.

Liam stared and stared at the spot where he had just seen his friend. There was no trace of him anywhere. As far as anyone else could know, Liam was, and had been, alone in the classroom.

Liam couldn’t breathe.

He collapsed against the doorframe, feeling as though his lungs had collapsed. He tried his best to stay on his feet, the weight of what he had seen was crushing him, and had him stumbling on his feet.

That could not have been real.

Liam was just going insane. He had to be.

Liam’s vision was dotted with black spots as he tried to right himself, desperately trying to catch his breath. He stared at the now empty desk, his eyes wide and unblinking.

He couldn’t breathe.

Liam needed to get out.

He counted to ten, taking the deepest, steadiest breaths he could manage. Once he felt at least physically calmer, he secured his bag on his back, eyes still wide, and turned, leaving the room, making his way to his car. He had to get out.

He tried to keep himself upright as he hurried to his car.

His shaking hands struggled to unlock the car, and once he was inside, he laid his head against the steering wheel.

There was nothing good about this situation. Either Liam was crazy, or N.D. had vanished, and would just be another person that left Liam alone.

He was about to put the key into the ignition when his phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw a text from none other than N.D.. Before looking, Liam hit his head on the steering wheel once, twice. So he was insane.

After inhaling, then shakily exhaling, he read the message.

Please don’t drive until you’re calm. I promise I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Stay safe. - N.D.

Liam sat still.

Everything around him felt fragile. The fabric of the seat felt too hot, the seatbelt felt too tight, and he felt like he was being strangled.

What did it mean?

If it was true, if N.D. really did just vanish, what did that make him?

An illusionist? Magician, or escapist? Or just a really in-depth mime?

Liam hit his head against the wheel another time.

Tomorrow.

Liam pulled into the parking lot, feeling tired. A cloud of it surrounded him. He hadn’t slept the previous night, so there was no part of him that thought it could have been a dream. He wished that was the truth.

Without sparing a glance at the path, Liam entered the school. He felt strangely calm as he went to gym. He didn all he could not to let his mind wander.

N.D. didn’t show up until moments before the bell rang.

The first thing Liam realized was how awful he looked. He looked as sick as he did the day before, if not worse. The only other thing that Liam could see was the determined look on his face. After attendance and the teacher’s explanation of the plan for the day, N.D. stared at the teacher for a moment, and she quickly added, “Oh yes. Andrew and Liam, feel free to just remain in the library for the period.” None of the other students even bat an eye at this.

Liam gave N.D. a tired look. His breakdown of the night before made him pretty much numb to the insanity that was this situation. Without meeting Liam’s eyes, N.D. headed towards the library, Liam following, keeping the distance between them.

When they reached the library, N.D. sat at the same table they had the other class. Liam sat across from where he did. The two were silent for a moment. Then N.D. straightened his posture.

“Okay, so  I haven’t told you something.” N.D. started, and Liam almost snorted at the ridiculous opening. “Yeah. Uh, basically, I was sent here… from somewhere…”

“Like an exchange student?” Liam said, sort of joking.

“Not really. More like, I came from… not here.”

“Like, a foreign exchange student?” Both almost laughed.

“How about, extra terrestrial?” N.D. looked like it pained him to say this.

Liam stared at him, unconvinced. “Mhm. For sure. And this gives you abilities, right? Like… flying? Glowing?” Liam couldn’t believe that N.D. thought he was so stupid. He sighed.

“I swear, Liam.” N.D. gave Liam a leveling look, and call him crazy, but Liam almost believed him. Liam rolled his eyes. “Come on man, how would you explain the emotional manipulation if I was like you?” Liam crossed his arms, frowning at the table.

Why did he almost believe him?

No. He didn’t believe him.

Liam met N.D.’s eyes, the truth there was almost sickening.

No way. It was just a prank. That’s what this all was. Liam shook his head.

He heard N.D.’s voice again, only his mouth didn’t move.

“That’s right Liam, I’m an alien.” N.D. fought a smile at these words, seeing Liam convulse in his chair in shock. “Sorry, but this proves it right?” Liam stared at him, his jaw to the dirty, carpeted floor.

Liam shook himself. “Hold on, emotional manipulation?!” Liam exclaimed, lowering his voice into a whisper when he realized that he was shouting, and saw a few heads turn towards them. “Are you serious? How can you…” Liam shook his head in a sort of amazed exasperation. “Moving up a grade, that was- you did that. That’s why nobody remembered.” Liam let out an incredulous laugh. “That time on the first day of school, when I was angry, you calmed me down.” Andrew looked away, his face reddening.

Liam shook his head again. “S-so why now? What happened yesterday?”

N.D. winced before responding. “Well, let’s just say… the ‘mothership’ wasn’t too happy with my over-use of powers, they think it’s time for me to depart.” Liam’s amazement faded to an amazed disappointment.

“Wait, so you have to leave?” Liam said, completely astounded that this was actually happening, and now that he said it, it was probably all a total dream.

“Pretty soon. You can see I’m sick right? That’s them cutting off the energy to this body.”

“How much time do you have? When are you leaving?” Liam asked.

N.D. frowned. “Sooner than I would have liked. They said the day after tomorrow.”

Liam shook his head once more, his mind racing. This was probably the way that N.D.’s mind worked, right? This was probably his way of explaining that his real, perfectly human parents, were moving, and wouldn’t be coming back. For sure.

(Liam was perfectly aware of the questions this scenario left unanswered, but for the sake of his mental health, he was going with this.)

The day came too soon, and even though Liam was sure he was really losing it, Liam was preparing himself for a grand departure, with the largest and most straight-from-a-movie UFO in existence hovering down from nothing, and Liam would be beamed up, and that would be that.

N.D. walked through the path, Liam walking beside him for the first time all year. “Are you happy to be leaving?” N.D. shrugged in response to Liam’s question.

“Kind of. Humans are kind of terrible, but some of them were cool. Like you, I guess.” N.D. grinned at Liam, who rolled his eyes. At one point, N.D. stepped off of the path, entering the forest, Liam stepping around sticks and bushes to keep up. They shortly reached a clearing. N.D. sighs deeply. “Thank you for being my friend, Liam.” He said, staring up at some trees, as a sort of farewell.

Liam frowned. “Please. I would have been alone all this year if it wasn’t for you.” He pushed N.D.’s shoulder gently, who laughed quietly in response.

He gives Liam a hug.

“Hey, by the way, I thought of a nickname for you.” Liam tilted his head in question, not trusting that his voice would be steady enough. This was too much of a goodbye for him to really handle or comprehend. A grin broke out on ND’s face. “Yeah. E.M., short for Liam.” Liam let out a laugh, which may have been a sob, hugging ND tighter.

“I’ll miss you.” Liam whispered, hearing a rumbling of impatience begin around them. Were those aliens? Or just an impatient soccer mom annoyed with her lingering son? N.D. pulled back, giving Liam a wide smile.

“I’ll keep in touch. I promise. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to get service in space.” N.D. gave Liam a final, tight embrace, then separated, walking towards the tree that looked strange, almost foggy. He walked backwards for a moment, giving a short wave. Liam returned it, trying to keep his eyes dry. “Promise.”

With that final word, he vanished from sight, and to anyone else’s knowledge, from existence. Liam shook his head in a disbelieving acceptance.

And for the first time in his life, Liam knew he’d be back.