[Picture brought to you is- well it's essentially Dustin Kropp in a Kropp-Top]

[TW]

The first thing Dustin did when he got home was flop right down onto his bed, locking himself in his bedroom and letting himself just stair up at the ceiling for however long.

Dustin didn't really know why but he felt this burden in his heard. Well, that wasn't exactly true. He knew exactly what it was. This was a more obvious sign to one of his anxiety attacks coming up. Usually he would try and help himself at an early stage like this, the most effective method for him was to count back from one-hundred and just let every single weighed down thought fly from his mind.

Rather than doing this, Dustin decided to lay on his side and let the pain hit him, clutching onto his red and white jacket as tightly as he could and sending chills up and down his spine as he felt his nails begin to dig through the fabric and into his skin. He even let out a small chuckle- he felt as if he just needed to feel pain right now- counting up to one-hundred and picking out every single flaw and mistake that he'd ever made throughout his entire life.

It was absolute hell.

But Dustin did it anyway.

Unpopular.
Unwanted.
Faggot.
Useless little pric.
Friendless nobody.

Dustin knew he could hurt himself more, he could quote more than just the little jeers like that, poking into deeper wounds that had yet to be healed, but he could only stand so much before he couldn't take any longer, and he honestly didn't want to go there. He just wanted to hurt himself enough to feel his heart, to feel it twisting and churning and being tossed and torn around. To know he was still alive and that he was still human. And to just feel something, to essentially blind himself.

Dustin was now trembling and he choked back multiple whimpers as he continued to make fun of himself internally.

And as if knowing what was going down, Dustin's phone rang with the ding of a text.

The boy shakily uncurled himself from his ball of agony and dragged his phone out of his pocket, squinting at the right light that pierced his gaze in the darkness. Dustin let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Nicole was texting him.

Dustin and Nicole had been friends since their seventh grade year. They'd found much in common with each other, including the fact that neither of them could call anyone else their friend. So they'd decided to become friends with each other. It was now senior year and the two were still as close as ever. Which is why Dustin couldn't help but let a small portion of light fill his heart when he saw the text from her.

Nicole: DUDE I JUST GOT BACK FROM VACATION AND THERE ARE SOME WICKED MESSAGES ON MY PHONE ABOUT A FIRE AND YOU AND W T F HAPPENED!?

Dustin chucked at his friend's frantic texts, drumming his thumbs along his phone's keyboard as he began to respond back.

Dustin: Chillax, I'm fine

Nicole: LIKE HELL YOU ARE

Nicole: THIS ALL GOT SPRUNG ON ME RN HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO 'CHILLAX'!?

Dustin: Simple, just chill, and relax ;3

Nicole: Great so the trauma didn't take away your smart-ass vibe I see?

Dustin: Man you can switch moods like a swing.

Nicole: Wtf does that even mean???

Dustin: Ya' know...cos' swings swing each way really fast???

Nicole: ...Like your sexuality?

Nicole: ...

Nicole: Sorry I had to.

Dustin: Well you could have done worse.

Nicole: True...but I'm too kind for that <3

Dustin: As kind as a honey badger, love <3

Nicole: Hey, you're a Hufflepuff so jokes on you

Dustin: I never claimed I was kind.

Nicole: I'm as kind as a snake- because Slytherin is obviously superior.

Dustin: Yeah, yeah. I've heard this argument way too many times.

Nicole: What can I say? I'm a Harry Potter geek <3

Dustin: Yeah I just like the movies. The books were too long for my taste.

Nicole: ...You just killed part of my, Dustin...

Dustin: Cri. The funeral is on Monday, I'll invite some muggles to bury you.

Nicole: NOOOOOOO

Dustin: Hehe, you're the best

Nicole: Aw, you too fam <3

Dustin: Ye fam dats right <3

Nicole: But seriously, what the hell happened when I was gone?

Dustin: Funny story...I have a neato scar on my right hand now

Nicole: DUSTIN WHAT THE ACTUAL DUCK

Nicole: ...Parental autocorrect...

Dustin: hehehehe

Nicole: Is it at least a cool scar?

Dustin: It's meh

Nicole: Fine, I'll allow it.

Dustin: Thanks???

Nicole: No problem honey <3

Dustin: #1 Mom <3

Dustin: Alright I better get back to what I was doing.

Nicole: Kay but don't break your left hand again.

Nicole: ;)

Dustin: SHUUUTTT UPPP- YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT

Nicole: Mhm~

Dustin sighed and shut off his phone, letting out a small chuckle, "Dweeb." He smiled.

Nicole was sure to always cheer Dustin up- even if she didn't mean to, she did. It was like her superpower, she always could, and that was A-Okay with Dustin.

The boy got up and reached his hands up to stretch, looking over to his right one. It was still covered in bandages- and the doctors recommended keeping those there for awhile, applying Cream twice a day, before and after school, before wrapping it up once again.

Dustin then proceeded to unlock his door and head towards the kitchen, where his mom was preparing supper and his dad was watching TV in the dining room a few feet away. He smiled at his family, he honestly did love them. He loved his home life. He even felt a bit privileged to have parents as accepting and loving as his were. But that wasn't the problem.

Dustin frowned.

It was always her.

//Nicole is also a canon Be More Chill Character, but she was one of the characters included in the book that wasn't written into the musical. She doesn't really have a character in the book- she has as much of a character in the book as Dustin has in the musical. So we get to mold her personality and traits as well ^^

-Jay