I spent a whole week searching for this loser. I don’t know why I was so desperate. Maybe since I knew my buddy had beef with him and I would stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it. Maybe I am just nosy. 

One day I told Tyler I needed to speak to my teacher after class and I’d pick him up from his place later. In reality I was doing a steak out. I waited with my binoculars from a tree just out of the way from the doors of our school. 

15 minutes in I was still hopeful I would find him. Then it turned into 30 minutes and my butt was hurting. I was just shimmying down when I looked up and saw a black hoodie walking out the back of our school. That sneaky Cretin! 

I bolted to catch up to him. When I was a few feet away I slowed down and tried to act casual. 

“Hey Sulker, happy to see you out here again” I said finally catching up to him. 

“Why the hell are you following me” This dude was still as rude as ever and not looking at me! The audacity!

“There’s that warm fuzzy spirit I have missed so much since our last meeting.” I said showing off a sickly-sweet smile. Trying to step around him to get to look at him. This man though his shoes were the most interesting thing in the world, I guess. “What do you only look up for Tyler?” He flinched and whipped his head over my way scanning the area. 

“Where’s Tyler? Are you not attached to your boyfriend anymore?” Hook line and sinker that got him to at least look at me. Unlike last time his eyes seemed less bright and optimistic.

They were hard and dark. I could see he was suffering and keeping up a hard act.

“Oh, we aren’t dating. Not that it’s your business anyway. We are basically siblings he even calls my mom his mom sometimes” I said giggling the last part out. I could have sworn I saw his lip move when I mentioned that. We kept walking a short way. 

“What’s the deal between you two anyway. I couldn’t tell if you were gonna punch him or hug him” Sulker stopped walking when I said that. Struck another nerve I bet. 

“Is it. is it that obvious?” He looked almost panicked and spoke in a more hushed tone.

Completely unnecessary since there were absolutely no people left in this area but go off I guess.

Better then him seething venom in my direction. 

“Well duh you stared at him for like ten minutes Sulker.”

“My names not Sulker its Dave”

“That’s an old person name”

“Shut up. Did Tyler really not say anything about me” He asked almost pleading for me to tell him something about Tyler. 

“No. Is there something to tell between you two?” Oh there so is something here.

“I thought there was, and I fucked up….. I was a jerk” He started to storm off again. 

“Were you one of the people who made fun of him?” I asked in a quiet tone, knuckles begging to curl and beat this guy to jam and spread him on some toast. I was ready to protect

Tyler of course, but something about his voice made me feel sorry for Dave. 

“It didn’t start out that way! I really did like him. We were….. friends I guess in class. I really wanted to get to know him more but when the kids in class saw us talking more regularly, they began to spread rumor” he paused  “I got scared and started to make fun of him with everyone else to save my own skin.” He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “I’m an awful person. I knew he was suffering and added to it instead of helping.” His lip quivered “all because

I didn’t want to be called a….” He didn’t finish but I could take a few guesses to see what it was about.

 I didn’t know if I should be mad or comfort him. I have seen how terrible Tyler feels all the time from guys like him. The nights he cried till he fell asleep. The horrid thoughts that now swirled perpetually in his mind. I hated all the people that did that to him. At the same time this guy wasn’t doing it out of malice. He was just a scared worm with no backbone. 

“That’s messed up dude.” I decided that was the best way to seem nice but still on Tyler’s side. “do you even know what that did to him?”

“I know… eventually I had enough of if and tried to tell the other guys off. Instead, they just started ignoring me all the time. I figured I deserved it since Tyler hates me now.” The defeat in his voice was palpable. Maybe I should stick to calling him sulker with this mood. At least he finally did stand up to those walnut brain jerks. I guess I gotta be nicer than anticipated. 

“Well maybe he doesn’t have to hate you entirely. Does he know you said something to them?” I thought maybe I could get Tyler to have a friend in class to help protect him when I wasn’t there. Plus, we needed more friends period, or we would start looking a bit suspicious always hanging with one another and I needed to keep my options open. 

“No. when I talked to them, he had already left for the day. He got sent to the office for punching someone.” He smirked with that last line with pride for Tyler.

“Well then how about you say something in class and apologize to him for real. He could use more friends, so people don’t think we are dating anymore right?” I said half punching him in the shoulder. 

“Sorry about that I didn’t really mean it earlier. Do you think he would forgive me?” he asked. Was this sulky rough guy blushing? Fantastic I could work with this.

“Tyler is a huge softy. It may take a bit to break the wall down between you. If you smiled more at him and maybe gave him some snacks that could help your case.” I raise my fist

up to him as we continue walking.

“O-okay I’ll try.” He bumped my hand.