“Charlie this. Charlie that. Do you ever stop talking about him?”

I swear I’ll punch Louis if he doesn’t shut up right now. And I wasn’t even talking to him. With a heavy sigh, I return my attention to Jay. “So? Did you do it yet?”

He nods. “Relax. I’ve posted a cover shot of your comic on almost every social media platform. But fame and recognition won’t come overnight. And besides, there are only two episodes up right now. It will take some time.”

“Can’t you do that algorithm thing that you mentioned to speed things up?” I ask, trying my best to sound genuine. I know Jay helping us is already a big thing and he does a really good job, but I can’t help but persist. Charlie doesn’t outright say it, but I know that it bothers him that our views are rather low, and it would crush him if they continue to remain low. 

“Dude.” Jay groans, his eyes narrowing. “That’s not how it works. You make it sound like a simple tool I can just use.”

Louis snorts, jamming his elbow up my ribs. “Exactly. Just hold your horses and leave Jay-Jay alone. He already offered to help, so just be thankful!”

Fine. For once, Louis is right and I shut my mouth as we head to the food court on our campus. We make our way to one of the empty tables. I’m about to take a seat when I spot a familiar black-haired guy looking in our direction. Charlie’s wearing a black hoodie today, a rather stark contrast to his usual outfits. I smile and wave at him, expecting the same gesture. But to my utter surprise, Charlie doesn’t even bat an eye at me. As a matter of fact, I don’t think he’s looking at us or at anything at all. Looking closer, my smile falters. He’s frowning. It isn’t noticeable at first, but I can tell by the way his lips are slightly curled downwards even more than ever. And his eyes are not the usual droopy. It’s a sad kind of droopy. A pang of concern hits my chest and I’m a few steps in, wanting to walk over to him, when I feel someone grabbing my arm.
“Where are you going?” Louis asks with that dumb face of his.
I free my arm and sigh. “I’m going to Charlie.”
“Charlie?” he hums. “Where is he?”
“Right over there…” my words die down as I look around, searching for Charlie. I don’t see him. He has probably already left the food court. Unease gnaws at me, and I’m about to go search for him when I’m stopped by Louis yet again.
“Just sit down, dude. Charlie ain’t here. Let’s eat.”

I huff, but reluctantly take a seat next to Louis. My appetite is long gone now. I can’t even get three bites down of this chicken sandwich. 

Screw it. I toss the sandwich onto Jay’s plate, get up and say a hasty goodbye to my friends. 

I rush to the halls, noting a few students loitering around. But no Charlie in sight. I actually don’t even know if he still has any lectures right now, and I probably look like a madman, just walking around and passing every door. But I just need to find Charlie.

After a solid five minutes of aimlessly walking around, I finally grab my phone and dial his number. But after a few rings, I get sent to voicemail. Then again. And again. This is very unlike him. My next lecture is about to start and I should get going, but I can’t shake off the grief-stricken expression on Charlie’s face in my head. Damn it.  

I’m about to turn away and head to my lecture hall when I spot a little Dragon Ball keychain around the corner. It was quick, but it was definitely Charlie’s bag that I saw. I quicken my steps, grabbing his arm and turning him to me.

“Charlie?” I call out in a quiet tone.
He flinches, clearly not expecting me. “Blake? I uhm…”

My heart aches at the way he stutters. It’s clear something’s going on, and I want to help him and know what I can do to soothe his pain. “Charlie, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”

I reach out for him, but he quickly steps past me. “I’m okay.”

Then he rushes off, leaving me dumbfounded for a moment. I snap out of it and follow after him, but to my surprise, he was already long gone. 

“Damn it…” 

Charlie hasn’t left my mind, even by the end of the day. I just need to know if he needs help. Anything. But he won’t even answer my texts. Usually, he’d respond right away, but now it’s just radio silence. It’s killing me, and I’m seriously debating if I should just visit him. But it’s almost midnight and way past my bedtime. It’d be stupid of me to go out now. 

I guess I am stupid. Because here I am, standing in front of Charlie’s apartment.