In The Pursuit of Success

Disclosures & Departures

Welp, new chapter! Prepare for very emotional sorta stuff, I guess?

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"Dez!" the blonde-haired performer calls out to his best friend. "Dez, wait up!" Austin's athletic abilities prove useful in his efforts to catch up to Dez. He reaches over, grabbing the red-head by the shoulder. "Dez! What's wrong?" The freckled teen comes to a halt, letting out a heavy exhale.

"-Hm?" he turns around, putting on a cheery face for his friend. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong, buddy. I'm good," he answers, shrugging. Although merry words escape his lips, his glazed-over eyes tell an entirely different tale. "I'm fine," he insists.

Austin, knowing his best friend on a level that no other person possibly could, is quick to wrap his arms around the ginger. Dez is hesitant to return the hug, but eventually gives into the embrace.

"It's okay, Dez. You can talk to me, you know that," Austin consoles him. He does not really need to know why Dez is as upset as he is. With a friendship like theirs, Austin already knows. However, he figures that Dez talking about his problems may help him cope. Or, at the very least, be able to release the feelings he's been trying so hard to keep pent-up.

Dez buries his face into Austin's shoulder. He's never been the strong sort when it came down to keeping in his emotions. Heck, he cried over the most trivial things, at times. Try as he might, his resolve dilutes with the aid of his tears. Austin, listening to the now-heavy sobs of his friend crying into his shoulder, rubs his back for comfort. They had attracted a bit of attention from nearby folk, who were thirsty for some entertainment.

Naturally, Austin couldn't stand for this. He breaks away from the hug in order to address the small crowd. "There's nothing to see here, you guys, move along," he says, shooing them away. He then faces his friend, taking him by the arm, leading him over and sitting him down on one of the benches by the mall fountain. "Dez…Talk to me, buddy."

"I want to be happy for her, man. I really do," Dez chokes out, dropping his backpack beside him, and burying his face into his hands. A few tears slip through the tight spaces between his fingers, as he continues, "I need her, Austin. And I know I'm being selfish. I don't want to be, I just…" his voice trails off. Austin rubs his buddy's back, urging him to go on.

"It's okay to be upset about this, Dez. Me and Ally aren't happy about being so far away from one of our best friends, either, y'know. But…Dez, we gotta think about Trish, and what she wants," Austin says, continuing to rub Dez's back. "And…We're not losing her. C'mon, Dez, you're the tech-expert. You could video chat with her every day, if you wanted."

"It's not the same, Austin," Dez answers, lifting his face out from the grasp of his hands. He wipes his reddened eyes with his wrist, then interlaces his fingers in his lap, as he leans forward in his seat. "People say they'll stay in contact, but…When you're so far away from people, it's hard. You forget what it's like to feel their presence…The warmth of their hugs, the crisp sound of their voice…The painful sting you get when they punch you after you make a joke at their expense," he says, sniffling a bit, regaining strength in his voice. "You forget, Austin. I don't want to forget. I can't move on, we just started really connecting and now she's going away and I can't–" his voice cracks, sounding broken once again.

"–Dez–" Austin starts, trying to gather up words of comfort, gripping Dez's shoulder.

"–And you know what happened with her and Jace. Long distance relationships don't work out for everyone, Austin. They don't work for Trish," Dez adds, voice growing all the weaker. Austin stares at his friend, who had now focused his gaze on his interlaced hands, a few more tears trickling down his freckled face. Not sure of what to say, Austin puts a comforting arm around him.