1. Best friends

"What the hell is your problem?!" Jayden shouted in anger as Clayton punched him in the face. He doesn't even know where he came from, he just suddenly came up behind him and punched him in the face.

"My problem? I won't have a problem if you didn't fck my girlfriend!" Clayton matched — no, he surpassed — Jayden's anger.

Jayden's face dawned in realization. As soon as Clayton saw it, he launched at him like a hunter pouncing on its prey. Clayton couldn't count how many times he had punched the poor guy before a person finally stepped in and pulled him. Although Clayton still wanted to punch the guy, when he saw the 'person' who stepped in to stop the fight, he immediately stopped himself.

Alexander Cadence. He smiled at Clayton and he almost grimaced.

"Mr. Jayden, the school president is expecting to see you in..." Alexander glanced at his wristwatch, "5 minutes. You better hurry." He, then, gave him a genuine smile, too genuine.

Having known how strict the school president is, Jayden hesitated for a moment before he stepped out of the room and ran to the school president's office.

Back in the classroom, Alexander tilted his head to the side a little and made a displeased look when his eyes landed on Clayton's fist, that's covered in blood. It sure isn't his blood. When Clayton noticed Alexander's stare in his fist, he chuckled nervously.

"Follow me." Alexander regained his composure and went out of the room with Clayton.

Clayton snaked his hands in his shoulder when he caught up, "How'd you know?" He asked, referring to what happened back in the classroom.

"We were having a meeting, and they told me a commotion is happening in the classroom next to yours. I figured it was you." he was so sure as he spoke.

"That's mean. My surname's not trouble."  Clayton made a dramatic expression and even clenched his chest with his hands.

Alexander shrugged, "Yeah, but you are. Your whole being screams trouble."

Clayton glared at his friend, "I can't believe I'm friends with you."

"You don't have a choice. I'm the only one who can stand you." Alexander stated the truth without blinking.

Clayton has a large circle of friends. Fake ones. Alexander was the only real one. A person who understood him and a person who never left his side no matter how many stupid things he had done. He supports him before scolding him.

Just like now.

"You don't care that your girl cheated on you. You just wanted to punch someone." It wasn't a question.

"He stole my pen the other day, he said he'd borrow it, but my pen never returned." Clayton's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"That's not a valid reason to punch someone." Alexander shook his head at his friend's childishness.

"That's why I punched him with the reason he slept with my girl!" Clayton exclaimed proudly like he was cunning for it.

"The school president almost caught you causing trouble. You'd be suspended by now if I didn't interfere. Again." Alexander sighed.

"Are you tired protecting me? You can quit anytime, you know." Clayton said honestly. He didn't care, Alexander always helps him get away with everything already.

"I can quit anytime, but I don't want to quit you."  He said sincerely before picking up a flower petal blown by the wind from the garden, meters away from them.

"That's just a petal, let it be and buy a flower. Petals are useless without other petals and the stem." Clayton casually said before picking a petal and tearing it.

Alexander watched him shred the petal without his emotions changing nor blinking. "But how can a petal be with the other petals if you tear one when you see them alone? The stem is its supporting system and the other petals are its shield. What is it alone?" He asked softly.

Clayton made a thinking face and his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out the answer. "Useless?"

"But I'm a petal." Alexander said before dropping the petal. "I don't have a stem and other petals. I only have myself. So are you. Are we useless?"

"No, we're alone." Clayton said with no hint of sadness like he's used to being alone. He is used to being alone.

Alexander chuckled, "How come we're alone when we're always together?" he asked himself.

"Okay, Shakespeare. You should stop being sentimental now because I'm getting chills." Clayton grimaced.

“Go back to your class now. I need to get something so go back first.” Alexander was about to leave when Clayton noticed weird about him.

He looks a mess. Alexander was never a mess. He's the school president's assistant after all.

“Lex, wait!” he pulled Alexander by the collar like he was picking up a kitten.

“What?” Alexander impatiently asked.

Impatiently. Something's really wrong. Clayton thought.

“Where are you really going?” he raised an eyebrow at him.

Alexander pretended to be innocent, “Apartment. I need to get something.”

“You look like you just had sx.” Clayton commented.

“Excuse me? I'm not you.” Alexander said with a frown.

Now, Clayton's more confused. He sure is moody today.

“I'm going drinking tonight so don't stay up late.” Clayton let his friend's weird behavior go.

“I'm not going home tonight.” Alexander said before walking away swiftly from Clayton and onto the hallway where Clayton watched his shadow disappear slowly.

Clayton sighed, having an idea about his friend's sudden weirdness. It might be about his parents again.

3 years ago, Alexander's parents kicked him out because he was friends with him. Of course, Clayton didn't feel guilty and instead let him stay in his apartment.

Alexander's parents thought Clayton was a bad influence even though Clayton couldn't even get him to have a sip of alcohol. For Clayton, Alexander is surrounded by a fence that prevents him to do bad things. A good guy.

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