Eventually

Chapter Six

A.N. In case you haven't figured it out yet my darlings, I'm switching POV! I do it every five chapters, so for the next five, we get to see through the eyes of cute little Freddie Pepper. This chapter's a cute-ish one, I guess, like they all have been mostly. I hope you guys like how this one is going. Love ya, xoxo, Clay.

Chapter Six

June 9th 1999 - Frederick Pepper 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, looking back over at him.

"Looking at you like what?" Arthur suddenly squealed, shifting his position awkwardly. He seemed a little more anxious than usual. I mean, if anything, Arthur was always the one who kept his cool in our group. Yeah, he got mad a few times, especially when people were being mean, but most of the time, he kept to himself. I think that was what made us perfect friends. I was his complete opposite. I loved talking to people, I loved interacting with people. It was nice to say things.

Arthur wasn't at all like me. I'd known that the first time I laid eyes on him, sitting on his own in the corner of the classroom. I could tell he liked to be by himself, he preferred the solitude, I suppose. That was what urged me to sit beside him. I almost felt like he needed someone like me to talk to, someone more sociable to help him get along, and considering I loved helping people, I took him in like a stray kitten and tried to fix him.

After that, I realised that Arthur didn't talk to people because he didn't like what a lot of them had to say. He didn't start conversations because they always ended up in him insulting someone, or getting angry at them and punching them in the face. Even I'd been punched by him a few times, I got used to it. I liked it when he got angry, he didn't react to things like normal people. He was irritable and agitated 99% of the time, so that even the smallest and most pointless things set him off. I loved that about him. He just didn't like people, and I loved knowing that I was an exception, I was that 1%.

Our friendship has worked for so long because I think opposites do more than attract, they make each-other stay, they make each-other better. We'd been together - purely as friends - for so long because we were the perfect mix. We'd became the perfect blend of opposites, so that we'd bonded and moulded together in a way that couldn't be broken easily.

"Like that," I replied, pointing at his face. He was looking at me differently. I couldn't pin-point exactly what it was, but all I knew was that it wasn't a look I'd ever seen on his face before. More often than not, his face was crumpled up and looking sour. This look, it was something else. Like he was dreaming, or floating. Like he'd gotten lost, staring out into space, except he wasn't staring out into space, he was staring right at me.

"I'm not looking at you like anything. Just make some breakfast and shut up," he bit at me, forcing himself to look away. He was acting peculiarly that day, like he was almost unsure of himself. And Arthur was almost always sure of himself. I wanted to help him, but I didn't want him turning on me. He was unpredictable like that. He had awful social anxiety, meanwhile I was a social butterfly.

"Sorry," I told him quickly. I didn't want him angry with me. I didn't like it when he was angry with me.

"I'm gonna go shower," he said stiffly, not even looking at me as he stood up and walked it. I couldn't help but feel like he was ignoring me on purpose, pretending that I didn't even exist.

But he was definitely giving me a weird look. That same look stuck in my mind for the rest of the morning, not entirely sure of what it meant. It confused me. He looked like he'd realised something, and maybe he was scared of it. From what I could see, it definitely upset him.

He didn't say much else for the rest of the morning, or for the rest of the day, really. Arthur was usually quiet, but this time was different. He'd always snap at people randomly, or quip witty and rude commentary every now and again. For the rest of that day, he didn't say a single thing, like he was forcing himself to shut up, afraid of what he might say next.