Chapter Text
Ren was just trying to survive middle school.
He had great friends, he had the perfect family, and he had a partner who he had a lot of fun being around.
…Then he saw her.
He'd always known of False's existence. It was sort of hard not to since their middle school was pretty small, but she still stood out to him amongst the crowd. She always sat in the same spot during their breaks, reading a new book every day. He wanted to go up to her, but he just… didn't know how to.
Even if she was soft-spoken, didn't have many friends, and didn't talk much in class, he still found himself enamored with her. -It's not like it was a crush or anything, because he had a partner already, but he just… noticed her, that's all. He thought it might be cool to be her friend.
Problem was, she was pretty reserved. She always sat alone, usually reading a book or doodling in her notes, and he didn't know if she'd like him interrupting her peace and quiet. Even when they were occasionally paired up for group work in one of their shared classes, she always seemed so closed off and unwilling to work with anyone. She'd just do her part, then go back to her own devices while others floundered to figure out the instructions.
He didn't know a lot about her, but that was sort of what made her all the more intriguing.
It didn't matter, though—he had Cleo, who he cared for a lot, and who made him laugh a ton. They'd been together for nearly a year now, and he was excited to go into high school with them eventually.
He didn't realize he'd been staring off into the distance until someone came up behind him and broke him out of his thoughts. "There you are! I thought you headed home already," Cleo greeted him. They sat down next to him on the bench, and nudged their knee against his.
He smiled when he realized it was them, and went to put his arm around them, before he stopped himself. It wasn't that they hated physical touch, but they were certainly… slow to liking it. He hoped they would initiate more because he happened to love it, but he was content with waiting.
"Nah, I thought I'd wait until you got out. What did Mr. Minecraft want to talk to you about?" he asked, a little interested as to why she was asked to stay after class.
Cleo rolled her eyes, and groaned as she replied, "He was just concerned if I had anything going on at home because of that short story I wrote. God forbid someone like horror."
He chuckled, before he somewhat agreed with their teacher, "That was a pretty scary story. The dead body descriptions were super detailed. I worried for a moment you had some experience with them." He wouldn't be too surprised if they did, if he was honest. They could be pretty scary when they wanted to be.
Cleo shrugged, and responded genuinely, "I mean, I've been watching live autopsies late at night. I think I want to go into the mortician practice when I'm older. It seems really interesting."
Ren just blinked back at them, unsure of what to say to that. "…That actually makes a lot of sense for you," he finally agreed after a moment. They had always been enamored with the strange and unusual—it really wasn't so far-fetched that they'd want a profession like that too.
He perked up and felt his attention stolen away from Cleo when False finally checked her watch, and got up from the bench, quietly cursing at herself as she passed them by.
"Hey, False!" Cleo called to her as she rushed to the entrance of the school.
"Oh- hey, Cleo!" False replied with a smile, but didn't stop to chat. Ren tried to not take it to heart when she only said Cleo's name, and practically ignored his existence. "Sorry, I'm late to pick up my sibling. I'll talk to you tomorrow, though!" she politely excused herself.
Ren tried to wave at her, but she had already turned back to look where she was walking, and then she was gone. Cleo snickered, and cattily mentioned, "She's not into you, dude."
He was taken aback at that, and whipped around to see them still quietly laughing at him. "I don't- I'm not-" he stuttered back, and finally mustered out, "I don't want her to be! I was just being friendly! Besides, I have you."
Cleo fondly rolled their eyes, though a little pit of anxiety brewed in their mind at how quickly he felt he needed to defend himself. "I'm messing with you!" they revealed, and ruffled his hair. Their anxiety only worsened when he let out a sigh of relief, but they just tried to not think about that too hard. "Now c'mon, walk me home. I can't wait to see the look on my parents' face when I give them this teacher's note," they switched the subject, and waved the folded note enticingly.
He chuckled, and reached for her hand once they were both standing. She offered a small smile as she took it, and he grinned as he walked her home. Who needed False? He was perfectly content with Cleo at his side, and he didn't want a single thing to change.
…
Ren followed his usual route home after he dropped Cleo off, humming contently to himself as he walked. He stopped in his tracks when he approached his street, and realized something important was missing from their driveway: his dad's car. He knew his mom wouldn't be home because she always worked late, but his dad was usually home by now. He used his key to get in, and immediately went to call his dad. He was sure he was just picking up groceries, or maybe he was out with a friend, but he just wanted to check, just to be safe.
His heart sank in his chest when his mom picked up, and she sounded a little… upset.
He furrowed his brows in confusion, and felt his hand get sweaty as dread slowly filled his mind. "Mama? Why are you with Dad right now? Shouldn't you be at work?" he questioned, unsure of what was happening.
She sniffled, then cleared her throat. "Um… we're gonna be home a little late, Ren. Just find whatever you can to eat, and we'll explain everything when we're home, okay?" He thought he could hear chatter in the background of the room, some high-pitched beeping as well. He didn't know where they could be.
He anxiously chewed his cheek, not liking the tone of her voice. "…Okay, Mom. Is everything okay? Where's Dad?"
He winced when he heard her let out a little sob, before she did her best to compose herself. "He's here with me. …I'll tell you more when we're home, okay? I love you so much, sweetheart."
Ren nodded to himself, and tried to push down the anxiety brewing in his brain when he noticed how she avoided his question. "…Okay, I love you too, Mama. Tell Dad I love him too."
He didn't get a response, as she hung up just as he finished. He felt numb as he set the phone down on the receiver, a million assumptions flooding his mind about what could've happened.
He tried his best to just do his homework and eat what he could, but his mind always went back to what could've possibly happened to them. Did his mom get fired? Were they getting a divorce? Was someone hurt?
He didn't realize he wasted hours just sitting on the couch and staring at the door, waiting for them to come home, until they finally did. He glanced over both of them, frantically checking for injuries or a lack of wedding rings, but all he saw were tear stains on their cheeks and anxious faces.
"Hey, buddy, come here," his dad warmly greeted him, already noticing how nervous he was as well. Ren jumped up from the couch and hugged his dad, and leaned into his mom's touch as she brushed through his hair. He tried to listen into their little whispers, but he couldn't make out anything important. Stupidly, he already felt tears coming to his eyes, just because he was so nervous. They never came home late. They never hid things from him. Something was wrong.
"Benji, we gotta tell him," his mom softly whispered. His dad nodded, before he let out a deep sigh, and knelt down to Ren's height.
His gaze softened when he saw Ren had tears in his eyes, and gently brushed one away as it fell. Ren just focused in on his dad's face as he sniffled, ready to finally know what had happened.
"So… we were at the hospital, and…" Ren's heart clenched with anxiety, his eyes widened as he felt his breathing get heavy.
Please don't- Please stop talking- Don't say it-
"They had some bad news for me…"
Cleo was just trying to survive middle school.
She had great friends and a loving boyfriend, she was doing well in her classes, and she was looking forward to going into high school soon. Everything was perfect, until it wasn't.
It started slow, almost unnoticeable. She caught Ren staring off into the distance sometimes, but it didn't take long for her to realize that a certain blonde was often in the center of his gaze.
She couldn't even be mad, really—False was a sweet girl. She was smart, and they worked together well in their art and science classes. Cleo would even consider her a friend, though they weren't close like she was with Ren, Lizzie, and Big B.
…She thought that might change after what happened during their lunch break.
Cleo held their spot at their usual table, like always, while Ren came out to join them soon after. He smiled as he leaned down to peck their cheek, then sat down next to them. Big B came next, grinning at the pair while he sat on the bench across from them. "How do you guys think you did on Mr. Minecraft's test?" he asked.
Ren went a little stiff at Cleo's side, a tell-tale sign that he was nervous. She nudged her knee against his and offered a little grin, before she answered for them, "I'm sure we all did fine. The study guide was super helpful, right?"
Ren sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and awkwardly revealed, "I… kinda lost mine."
Cleo raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and playfully smacked his shoulder. "Ren, that was kinda important for the test, you know," she teased.
He sighed with a little laugh, and ashamedly replied, "I know. It just slipped my mind, I have no clue where it went…"
He went quiet when he saw Lizzie finally turning the corner to join them, and they all took notice of the bags under her eyes and how sluggish she looked. She barely even spared them a glance as she sat down with her lunch, and rested her head in her arms. Big B looked over to Ren and Cleo with concern, but they both just shrugged their shoulders, not knowing what was wrong. Big B softly hummed in concern as he looked at Lizzie, and gently rubbed her arm while he checked on her.
"Are you alright, Liz?" he asked. Ren perked up in interest as well, while Cleo tried to watch her face for signs of what she was feeling.
Lizzie sighed as she sat back up, and rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "Sorry, my mom was giving me a hard time last night. I didn't sleep well." Cleo could tell she was being honest by how she slumped into the table, and had a hard time focusing on anyone when they were speaking.
"What'd she say?" Cleo asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
Lizzie groaned in frustration and tugged at her hair a little. "She said I should stop dyeing my hair because it's clearly damaging my brain if I'm doing so shitty in my classes," she rambled out, and hid her face in her hands as tears brimmed her eyes. "It's just- I don't ask for a lot! This is like my one thing that I like doing for myself, and she's getting her nails and hair done like every week! I'm trying my best in Mr. Minecraft's class—it's not my fault he grades so harshly."
Cleo nodded as she listened, and reached out for her hand. "I'm sorry, Lizzie," she tried to sympathize.
Lizzie sighed, and wiped the few tears away that dripped down her cheeks. "It's fine, I'll get over it. I just wish she tried to understand me-"
"Crybaby!"
They all turned in shock, and found Joel holding his fists near his face as he walked by their table, mimicking someone crying. Jimmy and Grian were walking behind him, snickering behind their hands as they pointed and whispered about Lizzie.
Cleo had never seen her so pissed off before. Her eyes widened with shock when Lizzie stood up from their table and approached Joel. She sniffled and tried to hold back her tears as she threatened him, "Don't call me that."
He just had a shit-eating grin as he shot back, "Or what, crybaby? Gonna cry some more-"
He was cut off when Lizzie punched him in the face, and he stumbled back from her. She stared at him, but where Cleo expected her to look horrified at what she'd done, she only looked like she wanted to go further. Big B shot up from the bench and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to talk her down as she inched closer to Joel with a fury in her eyes. "He started it, B-"
"I know, I know, but we're gonna get in trouble-"
Jimmy did the same for Joel, who was spluttering and cursing her name. Grian was the only one like Cleo, who actually looked shocked and appalled at what had happened. Ren went still at her side, ready to jump in and pull them apart if he had to.
Cleo grew a little worried for her friend when other kids started whispering and pointing at them, and she felt a pit grow in her stomach when someone rushed off to get a staff member.
Joel lunged for Lizzie, trying to swing back at her, and Jimmy's lanky figure could only do so much to hold him back. Ren jumped up from his seat and shoved him back, getting in between the two and breaking their stare-off. "What the hell, Joel?! Get out of here, man—she didn't do anything to you before you started mocking her!"
"Wha- she literally punched me!" he shouted back, his voice high and pitchy.
"Cause you were mocking her!" Ren emphatically repeated. "Now get out of here," he ordered again, just wanting to stop them from fighting anymore. Cleo couldn't ignore the pang of discomfort that ran through her when Ren shoved him back, just to get his point across.
Joel scoffed, and shook Jimmy off, who was still just awkwardly holding his shoulders. "Whatever," he grumbled, and glared at Lizzie once more, before he finally walked away. She just flipped him off with a huff, and sat back down, Ren and Big B joining her a moment later.
Things were… awkward, as they all glanced nervously at each other, unsure of what to say. Cleo finally broke the silence, and reached for Lizzie's hand as she asked, "Are you okay, Lizzie?"
Lizzie wiped away the last of her tears, still glaring in the direction that Joel went, and muttered, "'m fine."
Ren, like Lizzie, also seemed like he wasn't ready to let that conflict go. "He's such a dick sometimes. Pisses me off," he grumbled.
Cleo hadn't ever seen him so worked up before, but she figured wanting to defend their friend was a good enough reason. She just didn't think that physically fighting was the way to go about it.
"Lizzie Shadow! Joel Beans!" a staff member called their names, not seeming very happy with whatever they were told about the fight.
Lizzie winced, and forced back her tears as she collected up her stuff, getting ready to be lectured. "My mom's gonna kill me," she anxiously whispered, finally seeming a little regretful of what she'd done. Cleo just watched as she walked off, and offered a sympathetic wave when Lizzie glanced back at them anxiously. Joel grumbled as he was forced forward by some other students telling him to go, and covertly flipped Lizzie off as they followed behind the staff member.
"Can't believe she hit him," Cleo spoke, mostly to themself. They knew Lizzie could be a little hot-headed sometimes, but she'd never been violent about it before.
"He kinda deserved it," Big B said in her defense. "He's always picking on her, it's really annoying."
"All three of them have been getting on my nerves," Ren added in, and crossed his arms.
Cleo just shrugged, and tried her best to talk them down, "I mean, they're annoying, I guess—but I don't think we should be hitting each other about it."
"It might make them leave us alone, though," Big B continued, and Cleo only felt worse when that look of determination filled his eyes. Ren seemed to be on the same page, and she felt sick when they glared at Jimmy and Grian, who were likely whispering to each other about what happened to Joel. They glared back at them, and Cleo knew in her heart, things had changed for all of them. Sure, they had all picked on each other here and there, but she always thought it was done in good fun. This… This was just stupid. Someone was going to get hurt. She didn't want to be a part of it.
She glanced over to False, who was sitting alone at her own little table, reading a book as she picked at her food.
…Maybe it could be good for a change in companionship.
Ren was just trying to survive middle school.
Then his family had to fall apart, along with life as he knew it.
He knew they reached a turning point in his dad's diagnosis when his voice was too grainy and hoarse to sing in the car with him anymore. Ren waited for his hair to fall out too, but it never did. Apparently, the hair loss Ren expected came from the treatments, which… they weren't doing for his dad. Whatever sickness his dad had, the doctors caught it too late.
He was going to die. It was just a fact now.
His dad looked worse with every day that passed—he was tired, he was losing his voice, he was coughing up blood—and Ren didn't know how to cope with the fact that he was watching one of the people he loved most die right in front of his eyes.
It didn't help that things were just getting worse at school too. It felt like all of his problems were just feeding into each other, and he had no clue how to fix any of it. He was worried about his dad, so he couldn't focus in school, and when they were on break, he was so anxious and frustrated that every little thing set him off, and Joel and his friends were still picking on them, so he wanted to protect his friends, and Cleo was getting distant from him, and he couldn't stop thinking about False-
"Ren Dog, please come to the office."
Ren perked up when one of the staff members poked their head in the door called his name, and he shrunk back in his seat when everyone turned to look at him. Cleo reached out for his hand under the desk, and he managed a glance at her as worry filled his mind. He squeezed their hand back, before he collected up his stuff and followed the staff member.
His heart hurt as it skipped a beat when he noticed his mom standing behind the counter, signing the release form and whispering to the secretary with a shaky voice.
"Okay, Laika, you take as long as you need. We'll have his teachers send home his work for this week," he managed to catch.
…What is going on?
Ren was quiet as he watched his mom sign the last form, and he nervously chewed on his cheek when she finally looked his way. Her eyes instantly glossed over with tears, and she sniffled as she waved him over. "C'mon, Ren," she softly said, and put her arm around his shoulder as she guided him outside.
They both remained quiet as they got in the car and she started it up. The aching in his chest only got worse when they missed their street, and Ren knew she wasn't taking him home.
"…Where are we going?" he finally asked, his voice soft and hesitant, like he could take it back if he didn't like her answer. Like he could just undo it all—the months of pain and heartache they'd been through, because he just knew in his gut that's what this had to be about, and he didn't know if he could handle that-
Laika sniffled, and harshly nibbled on her lip as she tried to come up with a response. She just told it to him straight. She was too worn down to soften the pain. "We're going to the hospital," she simply replied, and didn't dare to let her eyes drift from the road to her son. Her son who looked so much like her husband.
"…Is he…"
"He still has time…" Laika answered his question before he could fully get it out. "…I hope, at least. I couldn't wait until you were out from school, I couldn't-" She sobbed, and Ren was thankful that the streets were relatively clear as she pinched at the bridge of her nose and tried to wipe away her tears.
She swallowed, and took in a long, deep breath. When they finally came to a stoplight, she reached for his hand, and gently brushed her thumb against his skin. "We have to say goodbye, honey," she softly answered all of his questions.
Ren couldn't do anything other than blink at her as tears slowly fell from his eyes. He didn't care enough to wipe them away as she continued driving, but he held onto her hand like they were the only two things keeping each other on earth.
…
Ren had come to hate hospitals.
He thought they felt lifeless, despite that being the opposite of their purpose.
Blank white walls. Overhead lights that gave him a headache. Plain tile floors that stretched through what felt like endless hallways. Doctors and nurses and secretaries who always looked tired out of their minds.
That didn't even touch on the part he hated most. He'd been coming here for months ever since his dad's diagnosis, just to keep him company for his check-ins. Neighboring his dad's usual room, there was a kid younger than him who had cancer as well, and an old man who had some chronic illness Ren couldn't pronounce. They were both gone after a few visits. Ren never knew if they left because they got better, or…
Ren just didn't like hospitals.
Neither he nor his mom had spoken another word since she told him what they were here to do, and it remained that way even as they held each others hands and walked down those long white hallways with the blinding overhead lights.
He only felt worse when he saw a doctor coming out of his dad's usual room, and even they had a morose look on their face. They patted Laika on the shoulder as they stared at each other for a moment, and then went about their day. Ren didn't think he could ever be a doctor. He didn't know how Cleo could stomach being a mortician—it was too sad, he couldn't handle any of this-
Ren froze when they opened the door, and didn't take another step further once it shut behind them. His dad was there in bed, softly smiling at the two of them. Laika didn't have the same reservations, though, as she let out a sigh of relief and rushed forward to hug Benji, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as she sobbed and peppered his face in kisses.
"I wo-worried we wouldn't make it in- in time," she sobbed out, and sniffled as she pulled back.
"You did, sweetheart, you did," he reassured her, gently cupping her face and bringing her closer until she rested her forehead against his. "I've still got a bit of time left in me. Let's just enjoy it while we can, okay?"
She sniffled again, and ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "It's not fair, though. I need you- Ren needs you- you have a whole life, and it's just-" her ranting was cut off as she choked on a sob, and just wept into his shoulder while he rubbed her back.
"I know, baby," he whispered, and kissed her temple. "But you're gonna have a good life, even without me in it," he softly continued, even when Laika froze and gently shook her head. "You're gonna keep going with your program, and you're gonna be the best engineer they've ever seen."
She shook her head as she swallowed. "I'd give it all up if I got more time with you," she vowed. Benji just smiled, and wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"That's not how it works, my love," he softly reminded her. "And they're gonna need you, and your big, beautiful brain." He leaned in to kiss her forehead again, and whispered to her, "You're gonna get us to the moon, baby."
She sobbed, and messily kissed him. He hummed against her lips, and held her closely as she leaned into his body. Tears were falling down his cheeks when she pulled away. He didn't know if they were his own or hers, but then she was brushing them away, and none of it mattered anymore. He caught her hands, and kissed her knuckles.
She let one of her hands remain cupping his cheek while the other rubbed at her eyes, and she turned, noticing that Ren never came closer. He was still just standing in the doorway with tears silently running down his cheeks.
Laika turned back to Benji, and tilted her head towards Ren. His dad softly smiled, and waved for him to come over. Ren sniffled, and sat on the edge of the bed next to his mom. He let out a noise of surprise when his dad sat up and dragged him into a hug, but then he was hugging him back just as tightly, messily crying into his shoulder.
"You too cool to hug your dad now?" Benji teased him, but knew he should lay off the jokes when Ren only sobbed harder. "Aw, buddy…" he cooed as Ren leaned back from the embrace, wiping away at his tear-stricken face.
"N-No," Ren hiccupped out, and buried his face in his shoulder as he hugged him again. Benji's expression softened as he embraced him tightly, and he smiled at Laika over his shoulder. She gently rubbed Ren's back, trying to help soothe him, even if it felt impossible for any of them to calm down right now.
Ren sniffled and tried to catch his breath when his dad suddenly sat up more, groaning a little at the soreness it caused his weakened body. Ren's eyes went wide when he slipped off his jacket, and set it in Ren's lap.
It was his favorite one. Ren always knew how to pick him out from a crowd just by looking for that familiar black leather, and now…
"It's all yours, Ren," his dad said earnestly. "I want you to have it."
Ren sniffled, and stared back at his dad as his lip wobbled. He clutched the jacket in one hand while his other arm wrapped around Benji's neck, hugging him tightly once more.
"Please don't- Please don't go-" Ren begged, and hiccupped out a sob. He was practically shaking as trembles wracked through his body.
Benji sniffled as he cried as well. He gently ran his fingers through Ren's hair, and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "I'm always gonna be with you, Ren," he softly managed out. "When you're listening to music in the car, or you watch a play, or you smell cigarettes-" He tried not to laugh when Laika gently smacked his side, not wanting him to accidentally encourage Ren to smoke. "Or when you wear my jacket," he added on, making Laika smile once more as tears dripped down her cheeks, "you can think of me, and it's like I'm still there with you."
Ren was a teary mess by the time his dad was done, but he managed a nod, and stared down at the jacket in his lap. He slipped one arm into the sleeve, and let his dad help him with the other one. With it fully on, they all noticed how it was a little too big for him, but Benji reassured him, "You'll grow into it," with a gentle smile.
Ren just let out another soft sob as he smiled back, and leaned in to hug him again. Laika crowded up behind him, wrapping her arms around both of them, and Benji did the same, hugging them both as tightly as he could so they would remember the feeling.
…
They stayed at the hospital past night fall. They shared stories, they laughed, they cried.
Benji smiled as he stared at his two favorite people, sitting across from him in chairs. Laika had already fallen asleep, her head gently resting against Ren's. He knew she was tired from putting in so much time to her engineering program, and stressed out about her husband dying. That guy was so lame for doing that, right?
…She probably would've laughed at that if it weren't unfortunately true.
He knew she was strong though. He hoped she'd stay on her feet and keep going with her career, so she could live out her dream. He was just sad he wouldn't be able to see it for himself. That woman was going to change the world—hell, multiple worlds—he just knew it.
Then there was Ren. His boy was fighting so hard to keep his eyes open, like if he stayed awake, he wouldn't have to go. He hated that he had to leave him and Laika, to leave them to live their lives without him, but… these were just the cards that he was dealt. There was nothing that anyone could do about that.
Weakly, he managed out a few words to Ren, hoping to put his mind at ease.
"You can go to sleep, buddy. I love you, Ren," he softly reminded him.
Ren's eyelids were heavy as he blinked back at him, and slowly nodded. "L've you too," he whispered back, and finally fell asleep against his mom's shoulder.
Benji smiled contently as he looked at his sleeping family, and knew he could now rest easy too. They'd be okay. That was all he cared about.
He let his eyes drift shut, and slowed his breathing as he fell asleep.
…
Ren shifted as he heard a high-pitched noise.
He thought it might've been an alarm clock, or a siren going down the street, but then he opened his eyes, and remembered where he was. His mom shifted against him too, and gasped when she realized what the sound was. Tears immediately came to her eyes, and she rushed to the bed where the cause of the noise resided.
"Benji- Benji- no-" she messily sobbed out, and pressed her ear to his chest, checking for his heart beat. She whimpered when she heard nothing, and shakily took hold of his hand. It was growing cold already.
She startled when a doctor and nurse burst through the door, but their expressions fell when they realized who the patient was, and simply recorded the time of death as they went about their procedures.
Ren was silent as he approached his mother's side, and felt horror slowly creep into his chest when he took in his dad's lax expression. He always had a little smile on his face, even when he slept. The lack of it was what made Ren realize that he was really gone.
He hiccupped out a sob as he curled up by his parents, and hugged his mom desperately, while she held him back just as tightly. He would've given anything to feel his dad wrap his arms around them again.
Cleo was just trying to survive middle school.
She thought relationship troubles would be her biggest worry, until her whole friend group changed, almost overnight.
Lizzie and Joel were going at each other all the time now, with Big B and Jimmy backing up their respective friend. Even Grian joined in eventually, and he played dirty, sending them home with scratches, and even a bite mark once. Somehow, Ren was the worst of them all, though. Where he used to just jump in and break people apart, now he was instigating, picking on the other kids until it ended up getting physical and a staff member had to be called to break them apart.
Cleo made it clear that she didn't support it when she just stood back and let them go at each other, and she was sure it didn't surprise them much when she distanced herself, hanging out with False more often than them.
The blonde was a little confused by it all, but she just seemed grateful to have someone to talk to. Cleo had come to really enjoy spending time with her, and False's house was pretty perfect for sleepovers since her parents usually weren't home, she had the best snacks, and her little sibling was pretty funny and easy to include in their activities.
"I'm picking the movie next weekend!" Cleo jokingly shouted as False laughed.
"Why?! I thought you enjoyed Grease?" False argued back, still grinning widely.
"I do! But you were ogling John Travolta so much I thought I should leave the room and give two you a moment alone!" Cleo teased, and cackled when False blushed bright red.
"I was not!" she shouted back, and covered her face out of embarrassment.
"Righttt," Cleo continued to tease, and nudged her with her elbow. "You totally have a type, Falsie."
"I do not-"
"It was the same with Westley when we watched Princess Bride, and JD in Heathers-"
"Stop!" False squeaked out. Her face was red as a tomato, but her nervous giggles reassured Cleo she was still having fun.
False took a moment to sober up, and fanned her face as she looked out away from Cleo and amongst the other lunch tables. She froze when she noticed Ren, and… the new black jacket he was wearing.
Cleo noticed it as well, and quietly scoffed as they rolled their eyes. "My point still stands," Cleo mentioned, and nudged False again with their elbow.
False blushed even more, and rushed to reassure her, "N-No, hes- he's so not my type. I- I was just zoning out-"
"False- I'm messing with you!" Cleo teased back with a big smile. The blonde let out a sigh of relief, and smiled back at them before she went back to picking at her lunch tray.
Cleo looked at it, a little concerned with how little False had eaten. "You should hurry up. The bell's gonna ring in a few minutes," Cleo mentioned.
False just grimaced, and settled her hands in her lap. "My stomach's feeling weird, I don't think I can eat anymore," she brushed it off. Cleo noticed how False guiltily looked away as she said it, and heard as her tapping foot sped up. She figured it was best not to push.
It wasn't long until the bell rang, signalling the end of their lunch break. False looked away as she tossed her food into the trash and collected up her bag, then waited for Cleo to walk with her to class, only…
Cleo's gaze was locked in on Ren, and she glared in his direction when she noticed Jimmy purposely bump him, then run off to one of the quieter parts of the school. Ren quickly got up to chase after him, and Cleo didn't need much more evidence than that to know they were about to start some trouble.
"I'll catch up with you in a bit, False," they reassured the girl, then took off after the two boys.
They weren't surprised to find Ren and Jimmy in one of the classroom alleys, where Ren was on top of Jimmy and seconds away from bashing his head into the concrete. They didn't like Jimmy all that much, and they knew he started it, but this still wasn't right.
Cleo ran and shoved him off, shouting at him, "Ren! The hell's wrong with you?!"
Ren toppled off of him, and a dazed Jimmy with a bloody nose just barely managed to sit up and scamper off before Ren could reorient himself.
Ren growled in frustration as he got up and dusted himself off, but then went still when he realized it was Cleo who interrupted his fight. He just crossed his arms and avoided their gaze. He knew where this was going, and he just wanted it over with.
"Ren! What the hell is going on?" Cleo shouted at him, and lightly hit him in the chest to get their point across. "You've been acting weird lately. Just tell me what's wrong."
Ren… said nothing. He still just kept his gaze low, like he didn't want to even see her. Cleo couldn't believe him. If there was one person he would open up to, she thought it would be her, but it seemed like she was mistaken.
Still, she tried voicing her concerns, "You're doing shit in class, you're beating people up, you were gone for a week and you didn't say anything, you're not talking to me—what's going on?"
He just grimaced, and refused to meet their eyes. Cleo had never seen him so… quiet, and almost… empty inside. "It's nothing, Cleo," he quietly replied, and harshly chewed on his cheek when he felt tears come to his eyes.
Cleo glared at him. After months of distancing and barely speaking to each other, they were just tired of it. This wasn't the same boy they saw themself going into high school with like they always talked about doing. Before they knew it, more words were spilling past their lips. "Well, if you can't tell me things like a good partner should, then maybe we shouldn't be together!"
Ren went still at that, and finally met their eyes. He hated it when a tear finally spilled down his cheek, and he knew that he was going to lose Cleo if it didn't do something to fix this, but he… he just wanted to be alone right now.
"Maybe we shouldn't, then," he quietly agreed, and looked back down at the ground.
Cleo stared at him in disbelief. The boy she fell in love with over a year ago was nowhere to be seen in the one before her. He would've dropped to his knees and pleaded for her to stay, to try and make this right. The one in front of her looked like he couldn't care whether she lived or died.
"Fine," they growled out, and turned their back to him. Under their breath, they cursed out, "Mutt," getting in one final dig at him before they walked away.
Ren just stood there for a while. He replayed their last curse at him over and over in his head. Just a dumb mutt. A dog meant for fighting, to fend for itself. No one wants an imperfect pet.
He quietly sobbed when more tears fell from his eyes, and pressed his back up against the wall. He slid down it, and hugged his knees tightly to his chest as he buried his face in his arms and cried.
He just wanted the pain to stop. He wanted the other kids to stop picking on him and his friends. He wanted Cleo to understand that he wasn't ready to talk about any of it yet. He wanted to work up the guts to talk to False. He wanted his dad to come back and tell him how to fix all of this mess he made, but he couldn't.
He just wanted his dad back.
False was just trying to survive middle school.
She didn't have a lot of friends, her parents had started to ditch her and her sibling for weeks at a time, and she'd been having a hard time getting herself to eat lately. To put it plainly, she just wanted to get to high school already. Maybe things would be better there.
In lighter news, Cleo had started hanging out with her more often. She'd always thought they were cool, but they were a part of a pretty tight group that she wasn't sure if she would be welcomed into. She had a hard time just keeping one friend, Xisuma, and he was usually too busy to be with her anyway—she didn't know how she'd ever manage in a friend group with four other people, especially as a newcomer. It didn't matter though—Cleo said she wanted to be with her instead of them, so she was just going to enjoy it while it lasted.
They'd even recently broken up with Ren, which False honestly thought was for the best. He seemed fine enough, but she just found him annoying. The break up seemed to have… taken a toll on him, though.
As the weeks went on, he was more disruptive in class, refusing to do his work, and she wasn't sure when the last time she'd seen him or his friends—and enemies, now, she supposed?—without bruises on them. Him, Lizzie, and Big B were always picking on Grian, Jimmy, and Joel, but it wasn't like they were backing down from the fights or trying to keep the peace either.
She just thought it was all stupid.
If that was what he wanted to do, she was just glad Cleo removed themself before they got hurt. It was dumb to just hurt each other rather than talk things out, it was dumb to interrupt teachers and not do schoolwork, and it was dumb to wear a leather jacket that was like three sizes too big for him.
…It still looked good on him, but that was just because it was leather! Everyone looked good in leather, in False's opinion at least.
Still, for as much as she didn't like him, she couldn't ignore it when she was walking towards the school gates after her watch alarm went off, and found him sitting in one of the little alleys between two classrooms, quietly crying to himself. From what Cleo told her about the break up, she guessed this was his little hiding spot whenever he needed to be alone now.
She chewed on her cheek, unsure of what to do. Her subconscious made that choice for her as she walked towards him. She stopped just in front of him, and slowly sat down, still not knowing if she should say anything. He didn't even look up to see that she had approached him. She guessed she would just try what felt right.
"…Are you okay?" she softly asked.
He raised his head up from where it was buried in his arms as he looked the other way, and she grew more worried when she noticed his face was red and blotchy, and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He messily wiped away at his face, not even bothering to really look at her, and grumbled, "I'm fine. Just go away."
False let out a soft scoff at that. He was clearly lying, but she wasn't going to force him to talk if he didn't want to. He wasn't worth the effort anyways. She mumbled, "Fine. Sorry I asked," before she stood up and walked back the way she came, not sparing him another glance.
Ren's eyes darted to her when he finally realized who was talking to him. Damn it. I blew it, he cursed at himself. He didn't even properly see who was next to him before he told them to go. He might not have if he realized it was her.
It was too late, though. He messed up his one chance. He messed everything up.
He really was just a mutt.