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It is true that friends sometimes drift apart. The young Fryman knew this, but what he didn’t realize was how sudden it could be, and how long the event would torture him. They were only kids then. Ronaldo and that wanna be bad boy, Lars. They were inseparable in their youth. The two of them established a club in the lighthouse. They planned to use it to conduct their research on the unusual. In hindsight, Ronaldo trusted Lars too much. When he shared a particular secret with him, they never spoke again. Lars never acknowledged the blonde fry boy again. Ronaldo was crushed, but more so, just confused. Since then, Ronaldo has kept to himself. He found solace on the internet and kept himself busy with pointless things he finds to occupy his time with around town. He worked long days at the family fry shop just to keep himself out of his own head. He would go to the library and read all day on his days off, or go next door to the Pizza’s shop and blog. He surrounded himself with so many things that distracted him from his former friend. He wanted to stop thinking about what he did wrong.
Ronaldo still had to deal with seeing Lars at school. And when he did, he avoided eye contact at all costs. But every now and then, he couldn’t help but look over at the mohawked teen. The thing that bothered him the most is that he didn’t even seem to care. Ronaldo’s heart would fall every time he laid eyes on his old friend. Did their friendship mean anything to him, even before they stopped talking?
Years went by, and nothing had changed. Ronaldo and Lars never spoke another word to each other throughout the rest of their high school life. The only friend that Ronaldo had was Sadie, who was dating Lars at the time. She spoke with Ronaldo often, but rarely in person. Ronaldo didn’t want to risk running into his old friend. He felt suspicious of the blonde girl suddenly taking an interest in him, but he was happy to have a person to talk too who better understood him. They would mostly talk about the nerdy things they were both into, but sometimes, Ronaldo needed to confide in her.
One of the last things he heard from Sadie is that she and Lars broke up not long after graduation. Sadie mentioned that Lars was just never completely invested. Like, he had something else on his mind. Lars’ actions with Sadie just upset him more. Soon after he heard about them, he hid himself away. He rarely left his home, and when he did, it was just to the lighthouse that he and Lars used to hang out in. Not really anywhere else. He didn’t want to talk to Sadie anymore. He didn’t want to hear anything else about his old friend. Somebody who he thought was respectable. Somebody he cared about. He would rather sit in the dark and remember what he was like before that day. The day they spoke for the very last time.
~
“Lars!” The loud pounding of the short girls knocking echoed through the empty apartment. The lanky red-head rolled out of bed, only half dressed, and shuffled his way to the door. On his way over, his eyes rolled towards the clock on the old but functioning microwave. 7:15 the numbers read. Seeing the time provoked an inevitable roll of the eyes from the Mohawk wearing teen. Lars came upon the door, twisting it open swiftly and pulling it back. A scowl painted across his face as he glared at the girl who dared to wake him before noon.
“What is it Sadie? Do you have any idea what time it is?” He sneered. Sadie didn’t seem to care as she pushed her way inside the small apartment. Lars groaned when she flicked on the lights and went for the coffee maker, to brew herself a cup. This clearly wasn’t going to be a quick visit.
“I need to talk to you about something,” she began, taking a seat at Lars’ desk chair. He feet dangled above the ground as she sat all the way back, “or rather, somebody.”
“What are you getting at?” Lars wondered, going over to pour himself a cup of coffee to start his brain.
“Well, you remember Ronaldo right?” She asked gingerly as she sipped at her drink. Lars nearly spilled the hot liquid all over himself.
“Why do you bring him up?” He collected himself and calmly turned to face her, “we haven’t been friends for years.”
“It’s hard to explain, but I’m really worried about him,” Sadie admitted.
“What for? He’s perfectly happy being divulged in all that nerd crap he’s always talking about and reading,” Lars made a pouty face. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his gaze focused on something besides his ex.
“Don’t be rude,” She griped, “He stopped talking to me a while back. But before he did, he said something that really concerned me.” Lars raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.
“He misses you Lars,” Sadie said bluntly. Lars nearly spit out the coffee he just drank, “he’s been bothered by what he did to ever make you stop wanting to be friends…” she trailed off. Sadie could tell that Lars was feeling uneasy. Lars placed his mug back on the counter and hung his head. Shadows covered his face, making it hard to tell how he felt for sure. Sadie swallowed hard, she didn’t know how her ex would respond to the next part.
“He… he also told me t-that,” Sadie took another sip of coffee, “he told me the last thing he said to you, before you two stopped talking,” Sadie wasn’t sure how to say it, but Lars cut her off before she could get the words out.
“Don’t say it, that’s not why I stopped talking to him. That was just coincidental,” He burst, slamming a clenched fist against the cupboard.
“Oh come on Lars!” Sadie yelled back, “no matter what the reason really is, what does it look like you did! You need to tell him the truth, at least to clear this up. Then maybe he won’t feel so bad about himself!” Lars scoffed and gave her another eye roll. The short blonde narrowed her brows.
“Fine, be that way. I didn’t come here to force you,” She began, scooting off the chair until she was standing, “But please, consider talking to him. I think you’re the only one who can get him out of this slump.” Sadie didn’t say any more and abruptly left. Lars just stood there. Now that Sadie was gone, he could think about what to do.
He went to the chair Sadie was in and sat down. Spinning back and forth as he tried to gather his thoughts. Sadie was right. He needed to tell Ronaldo what really made him stop talking. But would Ronaldo even want to listen? Lars couldn’t be sure. If he were in Ronaldo’s shoes, he would never want to speak to somebody that did what he did. Lars knew that he made a mistake, and that he took too long to ever really make up for it all. He just wished that Ronaldo would have overcome this on his own, so he wouldn’t feel so guilty.
The red-haired teen wanted desperately to go back to sleep, but thinking about this prevented him from doing so. Hours flew by, while Lars sat in his lonely apartment being angry at himself. He got up to take a shower, letting the hot water relieve a little bit of tension. He decided that he needed to do this. He needed to set things straight. Even if it meant that Ronaldo would grow to hate him, if he didn’t already.
Pulling on his heavy jacket, Lars went out to where he knew he would find the paranormal obsessed teen. The old lighthouse, where they used to hang out. Ronaldo had been locked away in there for a few days. Lars went by the old fry stand and asked Peedee for more information. The young boy, now in high school, didn’t seem to like that Lars stopped by. Ronaldo presumably told him what he did. Lars expected that much. Ronaldo was indeed locked away, that’s all he needed to know. Lars said goodbye to Peedee and headed for the shore.
As he stood, gaping up at the old lighthouse, it felt weird to be back here after so long. Lars felt he was going crazy when the wind picked up upon his approach. But then again, this place was haunted some years ago. It did try to eat him. Pushing that thought aside, Lars still walked up to the door. He felt his heart pounding up through his throat. He took a few deep breaths as he dragged his feet up the stairs. He felt shaky as he reached up to knock. Lars had no idea how he would be received, and seeing Ronaldo again after so long made him more nervous than anything. He finally managed to knock on the large lighthouse door. He stood back a bit so Ronaldo could see him through the little window if he wanted.
There was no response from the first few knocks, so Lars knocked again. Before he could finish, he heard a voice call from inside.
“I told you Peedee, I’ll come out when I want to, so just leave me alone!”
Lars walked back up and pressed his head against the door, “It’s me Ronnie.”
Ronaldo felt his heart stop.
Lars heard footsteps approach the door. His breathing became shallow and quick, as noted by the thick clouds of fog it formed. The red-headed teen could have sworn it was becoming colder. But his focus was turned to the doorknob, which turned slowly as the door creaked open, revealing part of his old friend’s face.
Ronaldo peered through the door, his eyes landing on Lars’ face. The red-head smiled awkwardly.
“Hey, can I come in?” He asked shyly. Ronaldo narrowed his eyes.
“Why should I let you?” He replied, a hint of anger in his voice.
“Please. I want to talk to you,” Lars pleaded, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “and it’s really cold out here.” Ronaldo reluctantly stood back and let the door open entirely. Lars walked in, having the door pushed shut behind him. The punk teen took a good look around. The lighthouse was a mess. Papers and news clippings lined the walls. The old couch was still in here, made up as a makeshift bed. Books and comics scattered across the floor. Some in stacks, others tossed into piles. The conditions of this place were sad, Lars couldn’t believe Ronaldo had been practically living in here.
He turned his head over to face his former friend. Ronaldo looked messy. His hair, though it was always messy, managed to get worse. His shirt was buttoned unevenly, drooping slightly to one side. It was hard to tell in the dim light, but he seemed a tad paler than usual as well. Lars felt his heart ache for his old friend, but how could he help him. He was the one who caused all this in the first place.
“Why did you come here?” Ronaldo broke the silence with a serious, coarse tone.
Lars felt a nervous lump form in the back of his throat, “I need to apologize…” he said, but trailed off. It was quiet for another moment.
“Well,” Ronaldo ended the silence again, “apologize then.” He crossed his arms.
“I just… feel really bad about everything. And… I don’t know…“ Lars scratched his neck. Ronaldo groaned.
“That wasn’t really an apology,”
“I’m sorry okay! I said it. Geez, I know I’ve been a dick to you, but just give me a second here,” Lars blurted angrily.
“Why should I?” Ronaldo snapped back, “You’ve had years to think about apologizing, and now that you want to, you still can’t!”
“What do you want me to say?” Lars question, his voice rose in volume, “I fucked up?”
“You did fuck up Lars!” Lars couldn’t tell, but tears started to form in the blonde fry boy’s eyes, “do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? How bad you’ve made me feel about myself?”
Lars shut up for a moment. He felt cornered, his heart pounding harder than before. But how could he argue with Ronaldo when he was right. He gripped his upper arms, ready to take whatever he had coming.
“Yeah, you wouldn’t know. You don’t care enough about me, about anything-“
“Don’t say that,” Lars cut him off, “If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be here now.”
“No, but I’m sure this wasn’t your idea to come here was it?” Ronaldo questioned. Lars fell silent again.
“That’s what I thought,” Ronaldo sighed, “it was Sadie, wasn’t it?”
“And if it was?” Lars sneered.
“That’s just it, Sadie cares enough about me. She knew that you were the one who’s been bothering me all these years. But you didn’t. You wouldn’t even give me a reason for why you stopped talking to me in the first place!” Ronaldo shouted, to the point where his face burned red.
“I…I,” Lars stuttered, but Ronaldo wasn’t about to let him give more excuses.
“Because you know what it seemed like to me?” He watched as Lars cringed, “that it was the last thing I ever told you. Then next thing I know, you never speak to me anymore. You wouldn’t even so much as look at me!” Ronaldo had tears rolling down his cheeks now. Lars saw them glisten in the dimly lit room. He wanted so badly to speak, but the lump in his throat was preventing him from doing so.
“I came out to you and then you threw me away!” Ronaldo pulled his glasses away to wipe the tears, “Did our friendship mean so little to you? Did that make you uncomfortable?” He felt as though he was grasping desperately for a response.
“No!” Lars shouted.
“Them what was it?”
“I… I mean yes, sort of,” Lars blushed.
“Just tell me the truth!” Ronaldo angrily pushed Lars on the shoulders, knocking him back. He caught himself, but was overcome with rage. Lars didn’t know what came over him, but he swung his fist at Ronaldo. He struck the blonde teens cheek fairly hard. Ronaldo stopped and placed his hand on the spot Lars hit. After a moment, he lunged at Lars, bringing both of them to the floor.
Lars grunted in pain by having the heavier boy fall on top of him. He reached up his hands, trying to shove Ronaldo off of him. But the blonde had him pinned down.
“Tell me what you really think Lars!” He yelled, moving his hands to Lars wrists so he could hold him down. Lars just grunted as he brought his legs up. Thrusting forward into Ronaldo’s gut, he pushed him back. As Ronaldo tried to fix his glasses, he felt Lars wrap his arm around his neck.
“Why don’t you stop fighting me and maybe I will!” Lars’ grip tightened around Ronaldo’s neck.
“Y-you were the… one who punched… me!” Ronaldo choked out. He grabbed Lars’ arm and twisted. Lars tried to pull away, but Ronaldo’s grip was too tight.
“You started it!” the mohawked teen argued. He abruptly kicked Ronaldo again, in the chest this time. Ronaldo coughed and let go of Lars. They took only a second before they went at it again. They tousled for a while, rolling around on the floor, throwing punches. Arguing over who started the fight, and the real reason that Lars stopped talking to him, Ronaldo finally came out as the winner. Pinning down Lars in every way. They scrawny teen couldn’t move. He flinched waiting for something to come at him. All he could hear was Ronaldo’s breathing, and Lars couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tear’s started to pour from his eyes. Ronaldo was taken back when Lars finally spoke.
“Just hit me or whatever, I deserve it!” he cried. Ronaldo froze.
“I-I don’t want to fight you,” He said, still breathing heavily as he got up. After he brushed himself off, he reached his hand down to the sobbing and confused Lars. He took the offer, standing up and brushing himself off. The red-headed teen fell silent for another moment, but Ronaldo could hear that he was still crying.
“Ronnie,” Lars choked back the tears for a second, “I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I was stupid and ignorant,” he admitted. Ronaldo nearly started crying again. All he ever wanted was to hear an apology from the boy who broke his heart.
“You really hurt me, you know?” Ronaldo said quietly.
“I know I did, and I’m a coward for waiting so long to tell you the truth. Honestly, I had feelings for you. But I didn’t want to believe I did. I cared too much about my reputation to admit that, so I hid it,” Lars sniffled and wiped his eyes, “Then when you told me you were gay, I thought that meant that I would have to tell you the truth. But I was afraid too, so instead of letting my secret go, I thought it would be easier to let you go.”
“Lars…” Ronaldo butted in, but Lars wasn’t done.
“It was torture for me to watch you all by yourself through middle school and high school. I told Sadie to go hang out with you when we were dating because I hated that fact that I was your only friend and I wasn’t there for you. I can’t possibly ask for your forgiveness. All I can say is that I’m sorry.” Lars gave a heavy sigh as he finished his explanation, then he looked up at Ronaldo. He gave him a concerned look, which didn’t help Lars to calm down.
“It’s okay,” he began.
“No it’s not. I treated you so badly, only because I was afraid to let everyone know the truth,” more tears fell down his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy from crying so much.
“Hey,” Ronaldo began, wiping the tears gently from his friend’s face, “you’re not a coward. What matters is that you’re here now. I can forgive you. An explanation was all I ever wanted.”
“You mean it?” Lars looked at him, hopeful. Ronaldo gave him a gentle smile.
“I’ve always been attracted to you, you know,” he admitted. Lars blushed.
“What…?” The mohawked teen was dumbfounded.
“Yeah,” Ronaldo laughed, “I wouldn’t have forced it on you, but since you seem to share my feelings,” He eyed Lars greedily. Lars gulped loudly.
“Oh?” was all Lars could get out. The next thing he knew, the blonde haired teen pressed their lips together. He didn’t pull away, but rather melted into the kiss. Lars felt his heart flutter. It was just like when he was with his ex-girlfriends, but something seemed better. This felt right, somehow. His feelings confirmed, Lars kissed him back passionately before both boys parted for a moment.
Lars’ face was flushed red. Ronaldo saw this and smiled.
“I’m glad you came back,” He said softly.
“I should have sooner, but I…” Lars was stopped by a finger to his lips.
“Don’t worry about it,” Ronaldo said, his eyes gleaming at the lanky teen. Lars was quiet again, but he suddenly laughed awkwardly.
“I don’t deserve you,” he admitted, breaking their eye contact.
“Nonsense!” Ronaldo laughed. Lars looked back at the messy blonde and smiled. The mohawked boy pulled Ronaldo into a tight hug, burying his face into his friend’s shoulder. Ronaldo held him for a while. A few minutes went by before Lars pulled his head up, his eyes met Ronaldo’s.
“Ronnie?” He began.
“Yes?”
“When’s the last time you showered?”
The messy fry boy blushed and pushed away from Lars. He hasn’t left the lighthouse for a few days, he probably reeks.
“I’ll be right back,” he said hastily as he rushed for the door, “don’t go anywhere!” Lars chuckled softly.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”