Elon had just sent me the news that Nola went by herself, and I couldn't be more happy. But then he told me it was because of Rudy. That's what Elon reported to me, that Nola befriended him, but he has his doubts about him, and so do I.

Technically, he isn't a bully, at least there's no proof of it, but that guy has a screw lose. I wish I knew where Nola hides herself so I can help her. Ever since Elon decided to go to the bathroom with her after all, I haven't spoken to her. But now that she doesn't need Elon, I may never will.

I guess she really doesn't want me to be her friend. This was all to help her though, so I guess it's fine now that she can go by herself.

Class ended today and I was heading towards my car when I spot someone leaning against it.

"Nola?" I said loud enough for her to hear. I head on over to her, "Nola, long time no see, I guess."

"Heather, can I talk to you, in private?"

I agree and she gets in my car. As I drove, I ask her, "Elon tells me you can go by yourself now."

"Yeah, but the reason why I can go, that's what I"m worried about."

"What do you think the reason is?"

"Listen... Rudy and I... we've become friends. But even more so, he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"What? He wants to be your boyfriend?" This is s a surprise. Elon didn't mention that.

"But I rejected him because I didn't thought... I was appropriate. But it's no coincidence that I went after he told me... right then and there.

"Nola, don't you think it's a bad idea to make friends with Rudy? I mean, what he did to you earlier."

"You're wrong. He's not a bully, just misunderstood. Everyone thinks he's a bad person, but only because he's hanging out with the wrong people. He has a thing about getting turned on by bathroom stuff, but he doesn't want to, but he's too afraid to talk about it. That's why he confided in me. That's why he acted crazy."

"I don't know. That guy is bad news. I really think you should reconsider."

"He's telling me the truth. I even saw him crying about it."

"He was crying?"

"He was crying because nobody understood him. We both talked and we made each other feel better. That's how we became precious friends."

"I'm still not convinced. I'm just saying to be careful around him."

"Why don't you trust him? I mean, I am trying to be your friend, even though I don't want to."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Actually, another reason why I came to you is because of what Rudy said. He wants to be my precious boyfriend but he said he didn't find me attractive because I lack social skills. I was wondering if you can help me... like... make friends and stuff."

"You want to be social? Hey, that's great."

"But I don't know anything about that."

"Neither do I, but I'm sure I can help you, or at least I'll try. I'll introduce you to my friends even."

"I guess that would be fine, but the thing is, Rudy helped me out and he's the reason why I can go to the toilet by myself. I want to repay him by becoming a better person."

"Have you been seeing the doctor, by the way?"

"No, should I?"

"Yeah. She can help you a lot more, but I'll try my best. How about we practice some soccer, I got the ball on me."

"Okay... sure."

To think, I thought I was never going to see Nola ever again, but now she wants to not only hang out with me, but to better herself. But what triggered all this was Rudy, of all people. Can I really trust him? I better find him and talk to him.

== Elon POV ==

"She can finally go by herself," I tell the doctor.

"That's great. We finally made progress."

"Yeah.. but apparently, it's because she made friends with Rudy."

"Bashaface? He's the last person I expect to make friends with a person like Nola, and vice versa."

"But she swears up and down that he was the reason because... uhh... well, the point is, they're friends now. I don't know what to think of this."

"In either case, I got to talk to both of them. I'll find out the matter when I do, but for now, I'm just thankful that Nola can go by herself. I really thought it was going to take months, but this is amazing progress. You no longer need to follow her, Elon."

"Yeah, great."

My somber tone did not escape her as she asks, "I see where this is going. Elon, I keep telling you that you don't have actual romantic feelings for her."

"So what is this feeling that I'm having?"

"It's from years of doing this. You got too attached to this. Now it's time to finally let go."

"What should I do, then? I can't get this foreboding feeling out of my system. I mean, Rudy, of all people. Why him? That guy's a jerk."

"I've been thinking about this for a while. Consider the situation that she's never been able to go without you, but now she can due to the intervention of someone else. She's probably trying to replace you as she was angry that you ignored her."

"Ever since she became friends with Rudy, in fact. She snapped at me when it happened. She's never done that before. But it's also my fault for kissing her. That just confused her and myself. Everything feels so backwards."

"In that case, I have a remedy that may align everything to normalcy. You'll soon settle your difference with Nola, become good friends again, and be prepared to finally graduate and move on with your life."

"What is it? What do I have to do?"

"Be patient."

"You want me to just wait it out?"

"Nola is not going to replace you, Elon, and she'll soon realize that Rudy isn't a replacement either. I have my theories but I got to speak to him to confirm them, but it appears that Nola is finally figuring things out on her own. She now realizes the error of her ways, she now realizes that she can depend on herself, and she will soon realize that she needs to grow up. The only thing she needs to prioritize is her relationships. She's confused about who her parents are, she's confused about what you mean to her and what she means to you, she may even be confused about this Rudy person as well. Everything is aligning, she just needs to get her relationships in order, and so do you. Think about who Nola is to you. Now that you are no longer tethered by the bathroom, it's time to look back and try to understand who she is and what does she mean to you. This will definitely give your emotions a satisfactory answer, and finally, you'll be able to move on with your life, just in time to finally get out into the real world."

"That all sounds complicated. You really think this will work?"

"It's worth a shot, but I believe so."

"But... what if I actually do have romantic feelings for her?"

"You won't know until you reflect on yourself. Really think about this, Elon. Well, I think I'm going to cut our session short. Be sure to tell her and Rudy to come visit me as well so I can give them an evaluation."

"Okay." I get up from my seat and shake her hand, "Thank you for everything."

"My pleasure, Elon, and be sure to think about this. Remember, you're about to be on your own for the first time in your life. Things won't be the same afterwards. Figure out who Nola is to you, and you'll finally be set free."