They'd argue endlessly about whose character would win, whose backstory was more original, who had the better power scaling. Sometimes voices were raised too loud almost as loud as a desert eagle pistol ….deafening but nice to hear , and I'd find myself stuck in the middle like the last sane man in a fantasy war. To be honest, I was supposed to be paid for being an unbiased mediator. It was more tiring than a double period of elective maths
When Michael won an argument, Amos would get quiet , his eyes would glaze over, and he'd mumble something under his breath as he retreated to his bunk. When Amos had the upper hand, Michael would smirk like it didn't bother him… but his next character would always come back stronger. Like he took it personally. Bruh…Michael ragebaited the hell out of Amos . Hold up ,coming to think of it Amos took it more personally based off his reactions.
At first, I tried to play neutral, support whoever was right and keep the peace.
But slowly… I started leaning toward Michael.
Hear me out ….not because I stopped liking Amos but because Michael got me. His characters were raw, flawed and messy to the cool side like mine and like me. Even though he used hours to create characters it usually topped Amos' and sometimes he had to verify from Glenn if his idea is original or already written by someone he doesn't know about
And his circle; Glenn and Jeffrey made things easy. There was no pressure and no silent expectations. Just jokes, inside slang, stupid games, one to five anime character arguments ( had no idea because i wasn't watching anime then ) Brotherhood, with and without the intensity based on the conversation steering
I still laughed with Amos. We still had our quiet moments , late-night story discussions, memories of the song we made but it wasn't the same anymore.
He noticed it too.
He didn't say anything, but I saw it in the way his eyes followed me when I sat with Michael instead of him. The way he didn't ask me for help finishing his stories like he used to.
It wasn't beef and there was no fallout.
Just… distance I didn't plan
I didn't even feel it fully until one night, when I realized I hadn't spoken to Amos all day.
And somehow that hurt more than any fight could.
Six months to go.
And I didn't know it yet… but the choices I was making, the friends I leaned toward, the ones I left hanging would shape more than just my final semester.They'd shape who I became after the story ended
By mid-semester, it was clear because I had officially crossed over. Michael's crew had become my everyday. Glenn, Jeffrey… and Michael at the center like some magnetic force pulling us into chaos, creativity, and the kind of dumb arguments that somehow made the hours pass faster.
Glenn was the vibe guy. Not loud, just perfectly balanced in the middle. His laugh? So chill and I bet he barely wasted more than a calorie on it
He was artsy too…. always sketching in the back of his notebooks, drawing anime characters, original figures, weird creatures with oversized hands and twisted expressions. His style was sharp with clean lines, vivid expressions. I never told him, but sometimes I flipped through his sketchpad just to admire the work.
He had that smooth confidence. Didn't talk much, but when he did, it hit. You just liked Glenn. That's how he was built.
Then there was Jeffrey…