At the apartment door, as I reach for my keys, I can't help but feel nervous. Should I really talk to her about it? It's been less than 24 hours since what happened last night...but then again, it would be better to acknowledge it instead of just letting those feelings simmer in either of our heads. 

 

When I put the keys in, Fang's voice stops me. "Anon…are you okay? You're shaking a bit…."

 

I speak as calmly as I can, but my breathing trembles my voice a little. "I'm alright…."

 

The keys jingle as I turn the lock and open the door. The light beaming in from outside is enough to light up the room. RAYmba is bouncing around the makeshift cardboard arena I made him. I place the clothes in the closet and sit on the bed; Fang does the same, sitting next to me. 

 

There's silence; I don't even know where to start…prom? Yeah, let's start with that. "So…about what happened at prom," She turns to me slowly with a look of scorn, and I continue. "What happened after I left the music room?" 

 

"We couldn't find a spare string or guitar, so Trish suggested I just choose the bass instead…." I listen intensely, taking in every word. "I thought we'd be fine, Anon, but…we just went back to how we were at our first concert. Me being angry didn't help my performance much either." She grabs her arm, looking away, trying to fight back tears, but her words are choked back. "I- I didn't expect…that…when they threw shit at us, I knew then and there I wanted them to pay." Her tone shifts from sad to angry, practically hissing through her teeth. "I wanted everyone to die. I wanted them to pay for how they treated us, so I stole my dad's revolver and headed to your place…I wanted to spend my last night free, or alive, with the one person I loved." 

 

I look over at her and see tears streaming down her face; I instinctively move closer and hug her tightly. "... I'm sorry, Fang…."

 

She returns the hug, her hands wrapping around to the claw marks that… don't hurt? Whatever, I'll ask her later. She speaks up after a few moments of silence. "None of this was your fault, Anon. You're not a mind reader." she thinks for a moment before speaking again "...this is all Naomi's fault…." 

 

My eyes widen as she grips my back again; I can feel her claws digging into my back a little more. "Fa-"

 

She interrupts me, "That…bitch! If she would've just left us alone, we'd… we'd…."

 

She's at a loss for words, her mind is clearly racing, and her claws threaten to reopen my wounds. I take the opportunity to speak. "...We wouldn't be together, let alone be friends." I can feel her shift in my arms, considering my words.

 

She continues after a few moments loosening her grip, "You're…right. Huh…”

 

"Naomi's wrong for putting me with you solely because she wanted Naser to focus on her, but I couldn't be more grateful that I am your partner. You are so special to me. It's hard to put into words. If it weren't for you, I don't know what I'd be doing with myself, just being a loser, probably trying to slide by my last year of high school."

 

She looks at me with tears in her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheek. "Then what?"

 

"Then what…what?"

 

"Then what do I blame for all of…this? If not me, if not Naomi, then who?"

 

I take a moment to ponder what to say. Who's fault is all this anyway? Definitely me, but I didn't solely cause all of this, and there's only one other person I can think of to blame… "...Trish."

 

Fang loosens the embrace and looks at me with bewilderment, "What? Why would any of this be her fault? If anything, she's been there for me through everything. She's helped me find out who I am…."

 

I look back at her with a softer tone. "...how do you not see it?"

 

"See what?"

 

"She controls practically everything you do, Fang; she acts like she owns you. Like you're her property."

 

She looks away, her voice matching my tone. "She's just trying to look out for me…."

 

"That doesn't mean she has authority over everything or tries to push you away from the things you love simply because it will affect her or be a 'bad influence' on you. That's not what friends do… I'm sorry, I should've seen whatever she was doing sooner."

 

Fang looks at me with a tired look, I can’t help but return the same look. "...I-I guess you might be right; I need time to think about everything…."

 

My phone buzzes before I can let out my next monologue, probably for the best. I glance at it laying on the bed and see it's from Naser; Fang also seems to notice and points her nose toward it. I pick up the phone and read the text. "How's Fang?"

 

I stare at Fang for a moment before speaking. "...Can I tell Naser?"

 

She looks at me blankly for a couple seconds before simply nodding her head yes as she turns her head away. Fang looks like she's on the verge of a breakdown. 

 

"...I won't tell him." That does nothing to change her expression; it looks like her entire world has just fallen apart for a third time within a couple days. 

 

"She's not good, I just tried to talk to her about how she felt, and now she looks worse."

 

The text bubble appears for a few seconds before a new message is spat out "When do you think she'll be ready to come home?"

 

"Whenever I can calm her down enough to the point she won't feel like hurting herself or others. Fang needs help, Naser, and I don't know if I can do this by myself. It will probably be a while until she's ready to go home. Sorry man." I wait a minute for him to type, but he doesn't; I'm just left on read. "I would appreciate it if you could come to pick up the revolver, though." 

 

His response is almost instant, "What's your address?" 

 

I give it to him without thinking twice. "I'll let you know when Fang's asleep so you can come by and pick it up without any hassle." I'm left on read again…I hope Naser and I are still cool. Before I turn my phone off, I glance at the time, 6 PM. I look back over to Fang, who's been silently crying. I quickly move over to console her, wrapping my arms around her. 

 

I feel her wings wrap around me. "What the hell is wrong with me, Anon?"

 

"Fang…" I feel her melt into my arms as she puts more of her weight on me. I feel her hyperventilating as she cries into my chest. "You're okay… I'm here."

 

I lower her onto the bed, holding her hand, and get an idea. I let go of her, then I slip into the kitchen. I pull out my marked bag of nuggets and pour a hefty amount onto a baking sheet and throw it in the oven, T-minus 20 minutes until happiness. I speed-walk back into the living room and sit next to Fang, who looks up at me with a desperate look, I hold her hand, and she pulls me down next to her. A soft, warm smile graces her face as she pulls me close, the same one from on the rooftop. I wipe the tears from her eyes before another quickly takes its place. I start to doze off, enjoying Fang's embrace. At least I make her happy.

 

“What would I do without you, Anon?”

 

I wake up from my short nap to the oven timer going off, and I see that Fang is fast asleep. I quietly get up and slip back into the kitchen, stacking as many nuggets as possible on a plate and grabbing a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's from the fridge. I walk back into the living room and place the cheap paper plate on the desk and the Sweet Baby Ray's. I turn toward the bed to see Fang sitting upright, staring at the giant plate of dino nuggets. "...I made these for you. To make you feel better."

 

It looks like she's about to cry again as I move the plate from the desk to her lap and hand her the Baby Ray's. I sit next to her and watch in a mix of endearment and horror as she scarfs

 down two pounds of dino nuggets in less than ten minutes. 

 

She pecks me on the cheek after not leaving a single thing left on the plate. "I love you, Anon…."

 

"I love you too, Fang…you feel any better?"

 

She nods and yawns at the same time. I watch as she stretches, she looks so tired, and just as I finish that thought, Fang looks like she gets a lightbulb moment. She gets up, starts rummaging through the closet, and pulls out the salmon-colored pj's from Spencer's. She examines them for a moment, scuttles into the bathroom, and comes out wearing the pj's. Fang looks like she's ready for the greatest sleep ever. 

 

Fang crashes onto the bed next to me, and I move closer to her. She looks me in the eyes, blinking a few times before closing them completely. 

 

I wait until I can hear her snoring a couple minutes later, and I pull out my phone to text Naser, "She's asleep. Text me when you're here, don't knock, please."...and I'm left on read, I can only hope he follows through with this plan. As I lay next to Fang, I take a moment to study her face; in the light of the setting sun, I can see the mascara lines from her crying. The same smile that she had on her face when I put the nuggets in the oven is still on her face.

 

I continue admiring her face until I feel my phone buzz. "Here."

 

I carefully make sure to get out of bed again without waking her up, and I go to the closet and grab the black gripped revolver and the rounds. I slowly approach the door and crack it open to see Naser standing there; he looks worse for wear.

 

I open the door all the way, and the two of us stand there in silence before he glances down at my hand and back up at me. "So…you weren't joking." 

 

I look at him with a sigh and hold the black gripped revolver by the barrel, offering it to Naser. He hesitantly takes it, and I extend my hand again and drop the bullets in his hand too. He nods slowly, accepting the reality he's in.

 

He takes a deep breath and looks me dead in the eyes. "Can I at least see her?"

 

I nod, "Of course, man, come on in." I step out of the way for him to walk in.

 

He takes a moment to prepare himself for what he might see and steps inside; I hear him let out a sigh of relief as he sees Fang on the bed, and I see his shoulders relax a little. 

 

He turns to me with a smile, "Thank you for taking care of her, man…. I'm gonna be completely honest; I had zero faith in you, but she looks," he glances over at Fang again, "...alright."

 

I follow his eyes to see Fang is sprawled out on the bed. You wouldn't guess what she's been through from how she's sleeping. Naser and I stand there for a minute before he pats my shoulder. 

 

I look at him, and he shoots me a smile, "Just...let me know if you need anything, and I'll be over as fast as I can, alright, Anon?"

 

I return the smile, half heartedly, "Yeah. Thank You, man."

 

Naser glances at Fang one last time and sighs a little before walking out the door. I gently close the door behind him and start back towards Fang. I stop at the edge of the bed, admiring her for a moment, the setting sun Illuminating her . I'm able to slip back into bed without waking up Fang. I feel Fang's feathers wrap around me as she adjusts. I quickly fall asleep as her down envelops both of us, her smile still on her face as I doze off…sweet dreams, Fang.