Cover Artist: @ Stickiemax on insta.

It was a typical school day, much like any other mundane day. Balloon donned a white shirt paired with a red sweater, beige pants, and red converse shoes. His fluffy red hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon, giving him a cute appearance. Many students labelled him a nerd, not because of his academic skills in maths or science, but due to his attire, demeanour, and passion for writing and poetry. Balloon had few friends, but he cherished his three amazing best friends... and Nickel. Despite their constant disagreements and inability to see eye to eye, Balloon and Nickel kept the peace for the sake of their mutual friends Baseball, Suitcase, and Bot.

Nickel was quite distinctive, noticeably shorter and thinner than Balloon, with short grey fluffy hair. He always sported a light grey beanie along with a large, patched-up dark grey chequered hoodie jacket, rugged pants, and gloves with finger holes. Nickel was angsty, sarcastic, and difficult to talk to—an overall rude individual who seldom listened. Balloon found him unbearable and couldn't comprehend why their friends tolerated him. However, out of fear of losing his other friends, Balloon remained silent and endured the presence of his unpleasant companion.

Nickel constantly finds fault with Balloon, teasing him and calling him names, and even trying to persuade others to abandon him. Balloon and Nickel have a history—they were friends in middle school, and perhaps Balloon wasn't very kind to Nickel back then. But Balloon has changed since then. People change over time, yet Nickel still holds onto grudges, insisting that Balloon hasn't changed and will always be the same person he once was, despite it being years ago. This feels unfair to Balloon.

Balloon has made every effort to make amends with Nickel, but Nickel doesn't seem willing to listen or give him a chance. Instead, Nickel continues to make Balloon's life difficult and tries to take everything away from him. Fortunately, Balloon's friends care enough about him not to abandon him at Nickel's urging. In Balloon's opinion, Nickel is fortunate that his friends haven't deserted him for being so unpleasant all the time.

All Balloon wants is for Nickel to see him as the new person he has become– a kind individual who is eager to show it. If only Nickel would allow him that opportunity, maybe they could be good friends. But Nickel refuses to believe in Balloon's change. No matter what Balloon does, Nickel convinces himself that Balloon is a backstabber and will betray everyone, even though that hasn't been the case for years. Balloon is a good person who just wants to move forward and not feel stuck in the past because of Nickel.

What options did Balloon have left? He was exhausted from trying to prove to Nickel that he had changed. Instead, Balloon focused on being good to his friends and tried to ignore Nickel whenever they hung out together. However, it was challenging. Despite Nickel's intense dislike for Balloon, he refused to leave him alone, constantly tormenting and irritating him, purposefully trying to get under his skin. Balloon couldn't understand why this brought Nickel so much joy.

Balloon feared that one day he would reach his breaking point. There was only so much he could endure before he couldn't take it anymore... and perhaps that breaking point had arrived today.

It was morning, and class hadn't started yet. Nickel, Balloon, Baseball, Suitcase, and Bot were all hanging out behind the school. Nickel and Baseball were passing a vape to each other. Balloon, Suitcase, and Bot didn't approve or like it, but they stayed with their friends regardless. Baseball was a tall, muscular guy with white hair streaked with red, always clad in a red and white jersey over a black shirt—a typical jock. Suitcase, on the other hand, was a kind girl with short brown hair highlighted blonde, dressed in a white shirt and a brown sweater reminiscent of Balloon's style, paired with knee-high socks. These two had been friends with Nickel and Balloon for quite some time, being in the same grade.

As for Bot, they were in a younger grade, notably short with fluffy light green pigtails held by cute ball hair ties. Bot wore a green top and light green overalls. Each member of the group vowed to protect Bot from any trouble.

Nickel sat beside Balloon, leaning against a brick wall. Baseball was next to Nickel, and Suitcase was next to Balloon, forming a circle. Bot stood nearby, keeping watch for any approaching teachers to protect their older friends from getting into trouble. Bot felt proud to be friends with a group of older kids.

Balloon crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Nickel and Baseball. He couldn't believe their actions! Were they really making Bot keep lookout while they vaped behind the school? What if they were caught? Maybe Baseball and Nickel weren't concerned since they often received detention, but what about Bot? If Bot's parents found out they were hanging out with older kids who vaped, it would lead to serious trouble. Balloon found the situation unfair. He couldn't stand by and watch Bot be put at risk, especially knowing that Suitcase was too anxious to say anything for fear of upsetting the others. Therefore, Balloon felt compelled to speak up.

"Do you guys even care if Bot gets in trouble? You shouldn't use them as a lookout." Balloon suddenly snapped.

Nickel, who was currently holding the vape in his hand, turned to look at Balloon.

"Nobody asked you, besides, Bot said they were fine to do this, you don't have to make a big deal out of nothing Balloon, y'know, like you usually do." Nickel scoffed, bringing the vape to his lips, taking a hit. He passed the vape over to baseball then blew the smoke into Balloon's face with a wide smirk, his sharp teeth showing as he laughed.

Balloon squeaked, he swatted away the vape and coughed.

"You're an asshole." He pointed out before standing up. "Come on Bot... you don't have to do this if you are scared of getting in trouble, and if you are just doing this to impress us? We already like you... so please, don't do things that could risk you getting in trouble." Balloon sighed, putting a hand on Bot's shoulder.

Bot let out a loud sigh and nodded.

"Yeah... I don't really want to do this, sorry guys, I think I'm going to head to class, the bell will go off soon" Bot smiled faintly and waved goodbye before leaving.

Nickel shot Nickel a 'are you kidding' glare, he looked frustrated at Balloon, he rolled his tongue and clicked it, standing up he pushed his hands into his pocket.

"Are you serious right now? How much of a wuss are you? Bot was completely fine being lookout! You manipulated them so they would change their mind! Ha– guess things don't change, still the manipulator I know." Nickel scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Baseball and Suitcase remained quiet, exchanging knowing looks. They were accustomed to these pointless arguments between Balloon and Nickel and chose to steer clear of the conflict. Past attempts to intervene had only led to more trouble. Both were growing weary of the constant fighting between their friends. They had even contemplated distancing themselves from both Balloon and Nickel, but their care for them prevented them from taking that drastic step. However, if Balloon and Nickel couldn't learn to coexist peacefully, it might become necessary for everyone's growth. At 18 years old, they felt it was absurd that their friends were still behaving like children.

"Are you serious right now? You're calling me a manipulator? Bot is a kid! You are the manipulator, making them be here while you vape. You could have had the courtesy to tell them it was okay, that they could leave, you are supposed to be responsible Nickel! What if her older sister found out? What would she say?" Balloon snapped, crossing his arms.

Bot's older sister is Test Tube, a tall nerdy girl in their grade who always wears big circle glasses and a lab coat. She's dating a short nerdy kid named Fan, who has bright red hair with yellow highlights, small glasses, and is often seen in hoodies and jeans. Fan is nice, and Balloon sometimes gets along with him in their literature class. He's a sweet guy but extremely obsessive about little things, and he's very protective of people he loves. Since Test Tube and Bot's parents are often busy working, Fan and Test Tube take care of Bot like a mother and father figure. If either of them found out about this situation, they would likely be very upset and want Nickel dealt with.

"You're overreacting dipshit! Bot isn't going to tell them! Jesus, you need to relax, Balloon, you don't have to be such a stickler y'know?" Nickel scoffed.

"It isn't about if Bot tells them or not! Are you serious right now? You are such an inconsiderate jerk! You only ever think of yourself! You can't even put your friends first before your own needs–" Balloon continued before he was cut off.

"Just like how you didn't prioritise me back in middle school? Hm? You claimed we were friends, Balloon, that you always had my back. But the moment you had a chance to look cool, you took it without considering how I felt. You didn't care about the consequences for me, all that mattered was putting yourself first. Thanks, by the way, for spreading rumours about how poor my family was. I endured years of teasing because of that, and you couldn't have cared less. You just wanted to be popular, but that didn't last, did it, buddy?" Nickel spat angrily.

"Nickel, I've changed! We've both changed. I've apologised countless times. How many times do we have to go through this? What more can I do to make it right? I know I messed up! It was my only shot at being cool, and I abandoned my only true friend because I thought popularity was everything. I've said sorry so many times. What else can I do? I know what I did was wrong. It's been years, Nickel, years," Balloon said, crossing his arms uncomfortably and staring at the ground.

"Yeah, and you made my life a living hell. You hurt me. It doesn't matter how many times you say sorry. How am I supposed to trust that you won't betray me again? Now you act like the nice guy, making it seem like I've been the bad guy all along." Nickel shook his head.

"We were practically kids... I... I made a mistake, and I've learned from it. I'm not trying to pretend to be the nice guy; I'm genuinely trying to better myself as a person. I'm determined not to repeat the same mistake. I don't want history to repeat itself. I'm trying to show you that people change! That I've changed! That there's still a chance for you to trust me!" Balloon cried out emotionally.

"You know what? You're right about one thing. People do change. I've changed. I've learned to watch my back and not trust assholes like you," Nickel spat back bitterly.

Baseball and Suitcase stood by, hesitant to intervene or say anything. They had heard this story of betrayal so many times, and they understood both sides. They could see that Balloon had changed, but it didn't excuse what he did to Nickel all those years ago. They also recognized that Nickel was hurting, but they believed he couldn't hold onto this grudge forever. There would come a time when he would need to forgive Balloon. They just didn't want to be the ones to decide when that time would be.

"Why can't you just accept my apology?! It's been six years! I understand needing time, but this is beyond ridiculous. Fine, if you don't want to forgive me or be my friend, I can accept that. But why is it your mission to make my life miserable, Nickel? All you do is try to upset me, annoy me, push me down, call me names, and tell me I'm worthless! For six whole years, you've been doing this. But no, of course, one small thing that happened in middle school makes me the worst person in the world, not you, not the person who has been bullying me my entire high school life! Yeah, okay, I'm the bad guy! Sure," Balloon shouted in frustration. "You are an inconsiderate, little jerk! Honestly, I am so sick of you! I'm sick of being harassed when all I've tried to do is make things better," he continued.

The shouting attracted a crowd. Students from different grades gathered around—some who didn't know the two and some who knew them from way back when this all started. It was clear that this was escalating towards a real fight.

"Fuck you!" Nickel snapped, shoving Balloon backwards.

Baseball and Suitcase, standing side by side, watched in alarm as the situation escalated. Suitcase realised she needed to intervene.

"Guys, come on—please don't fight—" she pleaded, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Without hesitation, Balloon charged at Nickel, knocking him to the ground and launching into a flurry of punches. Nickel retaliated by kicking at Balloon's chest, and soon they were entangled in a chaotic brawl, rolling on the ground, biting, kicking, and grappling fiercely.Their bodies became bruised, their clothes dirtied, and their hair dishevelled as the fight continued unabated. The crowd around them chanted and cheered, hoping to escalate the fight further.

"You're such a stupid baby!" Nickel shouted, sinking his teeth into Balloon's arm. Balloon forcefully pushed him away and kicked his chest.

"I'm the baby?! You're the one who can't get over something that happened six years ago!" Balloon snapped back.

Their heated exchange of insults continued as they grappled with each other until a teacher intervened. Ms. Tea Kettle, their food economics teacher, hurried over and pulled them apart.

"Boys, enough!" she shouted, keeping them at arm's length. "I don't know what started this, but what I do know is that Principal Mephone will be hearing about it. Come on now."

She grabbed each of them by the arm and began to lead them away from the gathering crowd, just as the bell rang.

"Everyone! You know what that means! To class! Now," she called out to the dispersing students, herding the boys along.

Baseball and Suitcase stood there, completely speechless. They had witnessed Nickel and Balloon argue before, but never a full-on fist fight. They couldn't understand what had triggered this sudden escalation. They had discussed their childhood stories countless times, and it had never led to violence. Perhaps it was the stress of nearing the end of high school? They couldn't be sure.

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Balloon and Nickel were brought to the main office, seated in the hallway while Ms. Tea Kettle recounted what she had witnessed to the principal. The two boys slumped in their chairs, avoiding eye contact with each other. They both looked dishevelled, with messy hair, wrinkled clothes, and covered in dirt.

Balloon was visibly nervous, his leg bouncing up and down anxiously as he waited. He rarely got in trouble, so he was worried about what this could mean for him.

Nickel, on the other hand, seemed indifferent as usual. Accustomed to being sent to the office, the grey-haired boy simply relaxed, waiting to see what would happen next.

"This is all your fault..." Balloon muttered under his breath.

Nickel whipped his head around and scoffed. "My fault? You're the one who started it!" Nickel retorted at Balloon, his voice tinged with frustration.

"I wouldn't have started anything if you didn't act like a jerk to me all the time!" Balloon shot back.

Would this endless arguing between them ever cease? Balloon was becoming weary of it. He didn't want today's incident to occur, but he had reached his limit. He couldn't continue letting Nickel treat him this way over something from their childhood.

Before the argument could escalate further, Principal Mephone opened his office door. Ms. Tea Kettle exited, passing by Balloon and Nickel. Mephone turned towards the boys with a disappointed expression.

"In my office," he directed, gesturing for them to step inside.

Nickel groaned and slid off his chair, pushing past Balloon as he entered the office. Balloon sighed and followed suit. They both took seats in front of the principal's desk. Mephone settled behind his desk and fixed his gaze on them.

"I've been informed that the two of you had an argument and ended up fighting in the yard behind the school. Care to explain what led to this escalation?" Mephone inquired.

Balloon and Nickel remained silent, hesitant to out their friend Bot. They couldn't disclose that the fight stemmed from Bot's lookout while Nickel vaped, as it would get Bot in trouble. While they could fabricate a story, Balloon disliked lying, and Nickel hated Mephone, refusing to share anything with him—it was none of his business anyway.

"Why should we tell you? It's none of your business," Nickel snapped.

Mephone raised an eyebrow. He leaned back in his chair, then reached into a drawer and pulled out a pamphlet, sliding it across the desk with a smirk.

"Because if you don't tell me what happened, I'll send you to a behavioural camp," Mephone stated matter-of-factly. He was the type of principal who preferred to avoid dealing directly with students by resorting to measures like camps for discipline.

"It's your choice, really. Either you tell me what happened, or you both will be packing your bags tonight and heading to this behavioural camp first thing tomorrow morning," Mephone insisted sharply.

Balloon was distressed at the thought of going to a camp. He prided himself on being a good student and doing the right thing. It didn't seem fair, but he refused to betray Bot by speaking up. Balloon remained silent, as did Nickel, both reluctant to implicate their friend. They were acting selflessly for once, thinking of Bot's innocence.

"Send us to the camp," Nickel scoffed. "Lazy slob can't even handle his job, so he sends us away..." Nickel continued, speaking as if Mephone wasn't sitting right there.

Balloon nervously covered his eyes, embarrassed by Nickel's attitude. Why was Nickel trying to provoke Mephone? Did he actually want to go to this camp?

"Fine by me. Looks like you boys will be packing your bags," Mephone replied with a shrug.

Balloon shot Nickel a resentful glare. This situation was unbelievable and entirely Nickel's fault. Balloon had never been in trouble before, and now he was being sent to a camp? It was ridiculous! He could try to argue with his parents, but they were always working and likely to see it as "beneficial." As for Nickel's parents... well, he didn't have any. It was a long story, but they weren't around anymore. So it seemed inevitable that they would both be heading to camp tomorrow, along with a group of other "misbehaved kids." Just great.

After Mephone coerced them into signing some paperwork, he suspended them both from school for the day to "prepare" for their two-week stay at 'Inanimate Insanity.' It sounded bizarre. Whatever.

Upon leaving, Balloon refused to even look at Nickel; he was seething with anger. He couldn't believe he was being sent to some behaviour camp when he had never done anything wrong before. It was just this one time, because Nickel had pushed him over the edge. This was unfair and wrong!

"This pamphlet says we're supposed to meet at our school at 6 a.m., and the bus will come pick us up," Nickel mentioned, trying to show Balloon the pamphlet.

"Oh, now you want to talk civilly to me? Because you know you won't have anyone else to talk to for 2 weeks except me? Get lost, don't be a user," Balloon retorted sharply as he pushed past Nickel and walked away.

"Jesus... it's not that bad..." Nickel rolled his eyes and looked back down at the pamphlet. Part of what Balloon said was right... he wouldn't have Baseball, Suitcase, or even Bot with him. It would just be him and Balloon from their friendship group... Who else was he supposed to talk to?

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The next day arrived sooner than either boy wanted. It was early, around 5:45 a.m., with the sun just beginning to rise as Balloon and Nickel lugged their suitcases into school to meet the teachers selected for the trip. They were none other than Mr. Silver Spoon, the literature teacher, and Ms. Candle, the school counsellor. Both teachers looked far from pleased.

Mr. Silver Spoon was a complete stickler, always speaking with utmost propriety and elegance. He dressed like he belonged in the 1800s, with neatly tied back white hair and a distinguished frilled shirt topped with a blue ribbon bowtie. He exuded a sense of arrogance, always convinced he was right about everything. Then there was Ms. Candle. She was short, a bit chubby, and had a fondness for the colour purple. Her dark purple hair fell to her shoulders, and she wore a purple sweater with black tights. Unlike Mr. Silver Spoon, she was kind, calm, collected, and sweet—understanding towards everyone and everything. Supposedly, Principal Mephone chose these two opposites to balance each other out during the camp.

Nickel despised this pairing, convinced he had once caught the two teachers flirting at school. It seemed like everyone knew about their mutual attraction except Mephone!

As for Balloon and Nickel's attire, Balloon opted for a red hoodie and black leggings, not particularly concerned with dressing his best. Nickel wore his usual raggedy jacket, likely with the same clothes he wore yesterday; he didn't have much money to buy new outfits.

They weren't the only kids there; a few others from their school were lined up, ready to board the bus to the behaviour camp. Among them were Paintbrush, a tall student with scruffy blonde hair, dressed in a black top and a yellow jacket. Accompanying Paintbrush was Lightbulb, their girlfriend, slightly shorter with big, fluffy blonde pigtails, wearing tiny blue shorts and a yellow shirt.

Then there was Yin Yang, or simply referred to as Yin and Yang. They were a fusion of two individuals and had been together for a long time. Sometimes when they argued, they could separate, but they mostly remained whole. They were short with scruffy hair, half black and half white. Yin Yang wore a black top over a white and black striped shirt, paired with black ripped jeans and converse shoes. One of their eyes was dark black, while the other glowed white. It had been a while since anyone had seen them split—it was likely Yang's fault that they were sent to this camp, as he was the more rebellious side of the duo.

Then there was Knife, a tall guy with a grey mullet, always difficult to approach, exuding a jerkish and abrasive attitude. He often wore a black leather jacket and green cargo pants. Accompanying him was Trophy, also tall and slightly muscular with short blonde hair. They were somewhat friends, more like frenemies, and Knife had two of his friends with him—part of their notorious squad.

One of Knife's companions was Taco, a short British girl who had moved here just last year. She had a blonde wolfcut hairstyle and wore a white shirt with a black bowtie, along with a small beige skirt and knee-high socks, topped off with black polished shoes. Lastly, there was Microphone, a tall girl with black hair styled in a fluffy ponytail. She always had headphones on her head and wore a purple rock-themed torn tank top paired with small black shorts. Completing her look was a black spiked choker and black Doc Martens boots. She had a punk rock vibe but seemed to have a sweet side.

This was the crew attending the camp that Mephone had imposed on them, and everyone seemed quite frustrated, especially given the 5 a.m. start. Groups of friends chatted among themselves as they waited for the bus to arrive. Microphone, Taco, Knife, and Trophy stuck together, while Lightbulb and Paintbrush naturally paired off and engaged in conversation. Yin Yang bombarded Candle with questions about the camp, while Silver attempted to flirt with her... unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, Balloon and Nickel stood silently beside each other, saying nothing.

Everyone assumed that the group was complete, that no more students from that troublesome school would be joining the camp... until two familiar figures appeared. A short guy with red hair tied in a small ponytail with yellow highlights, sporting a red bomber jacket and blue shorts, and a tall girl with big round glasses, light green hair tied back in a ponytail, and wearing a lab coat. Yes, it was Fan and Test Tube. But how? Why? What trouble could these two cause? You might wonder what's so bad about their presence. Well, the reason Balloon and Nickel were at the camp stemmed from their failure to disclose the full story of their fight, which started because of their opinion on Bot keeping a lookout as Nickel vaped. Bot was Test Tube's younger sibling whom she would protect at any cost. If she ever learned the truth, she would want them dead.

Nickel nudged Balloon and gestured toward the approaching figures, his face draining of colour as he turned to meet Nickel's anxious gaze. They both glanced over at the couple greeting their other close friends, Lightbulb and Paintbrush.

Nickel and Balloon strolled over casually, maintaining their distance and trying to appear nonchalant as they listened in to find out what had happened and why they were sent to this camp.

They overheard Test Tube saying, "Yeah, we broke into the science lab... we were conducting an experiment. My mom told me I couldn't do experiments at home anymore."

"I recorded it!" Fan giggled, pulling out his phone and showing Lightbulb and Paintbrush.

Nickel let out a deep breath, telling himself it was fine. Test Tube wouldn't discover the reason they were here; he was just being paranoid. Yeah. He looked up, about to talk to Balloon about the need to keep why they are here between themselves, but Balloon was already walking away. What was his deal? Balloon usually communicated with him fine. Sure, they weren't always on the best of terms, but they still interacted—bantering, arguing, and all that. Now, it seemed like Balloon was completely ignoring him. Strangely, it made Nickel feel a bit sad, which was ridiculous! He didn't even like Balloon! But he didn't want to be left alone. Nickel quickly raced over to Balloon, not wanting to be left out while everyone else had someone to talk to.

"Balloon, hey! Wait up!" he called out, chuckling nervously.

Balloon rolled his eyes, arms crossed, and turned to face Nickel with a frustrated look. He let out a long sigh before speaking.

"What, so now you want to act like I'm your friend because you have nobody else?" He scoffed.

"We both know we're not close with anyone else at this camp. I doubt any of them even like us. So if you want to make it through these two weeks, you're going to need to talk to someone to keep yourself entertained—"

"I think I'll manage just fine on my own. Isn't that what you wanted? For me to be alone? Because I'm untrustworthy? Hmm? Yeah."

The bus approached the group. Balloon pushed past Nickel and headed towards the bus. He didn't want to speak to Nickel. He wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Nickel. This was all his fault, all because he couldn't just accept an apology for something that happened years ago. Balloon was done. Done trying with Nickel. He couldn't take this anymore. He wasn't going to get hurt again.

Nickel stood there, stunned. For a moment, he began to realise that their recent argument might have pushed Balloon over the edge, maybe permanently this time. Normally, after their fights, they would exchange words and then make up, getting back on talking terms—it had always been that way. But this time, Balloon wanted nothing to do with him. It made Nickel feel oddly nervous, though he couldn't understand why. He disliked Balloon, but strangely... he missed him? Weird. Shaking off these confusing feelings, Nickel decided to be his usual smart-mouthed self. He scoffed and chuckled before speaking.

"Whatever, Balloon. You'll get bored eventually and then have to talk to me," he smirked as he walked up behind him. "It's like an 8 hour drive y'know!"

He added, but got no response.