The face-down photo frame taunted him.

Tyler hadn't left his room at all, too scared to go down and face his parents for a second time since his release. A second time would mean that he would really have to talk to them. What could he even say to them? Nothing could make his situation any better. The picture laying on his desk was proof.

Tyler was a monster. But, he didn't feel like one, which frustrated him endlessly because what kind of person knows they're a monster but doesn't feel it? As far as he was concerned, he was normal. He felt happiness, disbelief, wonder, excitement, sadness, anger, love, but he couldn't feel guilty, which he knew made him a monster.

Heartless.

Cold.

His fingers tapped against the surface of his desk, vacant blue eyes staring at the wall above his bed. Tilting his head, he studied the empty space. So random. Why was it even there? Tyler loved to fill up his shelves and walls with posters and photos and trinkets and collectibles so why was it that there was this one space left empty?

Some things could never be explained.

Like how his parents had left everything just the way Tyler had left it. They must have gone in and out dozens of times, just looking at his abandoned laundry, unmade bed, unfinished homework, his filled trash can that held empty bottles and more candy wrappers than he cared to count.

His mother loved when things were clean. Granted, she was lenient when it came to how Tyler kept things in his room, since it was his private space, but to just let everything stay the way it was, pretty much rotting right there in their home; there was nothing left to be said between them. It was clear how they felt about Tyler, he didn't need to risk making things worse.

Slumping further into his chair, his gaze flutters to his phone, still charging at his desk.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Fingertips thrummed against the old wood of his desk that had been in his room for as long as he could remember. There were chips and cracks all along the main surface of it, including its long, thin legs. Stains of marker tattooed the edges, having seen far too many art projects than he could think of off the top of her head. Even splashes of finger paint from when he was a rambunctious toddler.

The fluttering of wings startled him, his head swerving towards the window where a bird had perched itself on the small window sill. It moved erratically, as birds often do, it's head turning around in different directions and pecking at the small ledge outside the window. It cooed as it settled on the left side of it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Could he have prevented this from happening? Tyler wonders to himself as he once again draws his attention to the face-down frame. Sure, of course he could have. If he was normal and hadn't taken advantage of his best friend who just needed someone. For the first time since Tyler had known Evan, he finally just needed someone.

He had needed Tyler. As a friend.

Instead, Tyler had just hurt him more.

Maybe that's why it had taken until Evan finally gave up on everyone for people to find out about what happened that night. When he really needed someone, they just used him over and over. No one would believe him. Not after so many people had used him, blamed him, ignored him.

Tyler had just helped Evan come to this conclusion; he didn't need anyone.

Not even himself.

Tyler killed him. It was all your fault, Tyler thought to himself as he reached his hand out to lift the frame up. Again, the smiling faces of two young boys looked up at him. He wondered that if he looked close enough, if he would see all the pain that Evan had kept inside him?

"You killed him, Tyler." He told the reflection of himself on the glass of the frame. His eyes fluttered down to the smiling boy standing next to the younger version of him. Running his rough finger tips over it, a sad smile crosses his face. "After all he did for you, you still killed him."

———

"Evan!" The thirteen year-old called out to his best friend as he saw him walking towards the front doors of the school at the end of the day. "Evan!" Tyler shouted once again, this time catching Evan's attention. He shot him a smile as he spotted him. No doubt the rest of their friends were waiting outside for their parents already.

"What's up, Ty?"

"I'm walking home today and I don't want to be alone." Tyler confessed as he caught up to him. "I know it's like the complete opposite direction from your house, but-"

Evan smiles once again. "Of course I'll walk home with you, Tyler. You just had to say you're walking home."

——

"Evan, I'm such a dumbass." Tyler leaned on the locker bank as Evan rummaged through his locker. They were freshman, meaning that the use of a locker was basically obsolete, but it was going to take Evan a few months to fall out of the habit of using one.

"What'd you do this time?" Even though he didn't spare him a glance, Tyler could tell that he was listening.

"I forgot my paper at home."

"Wow, that's a whole new level for you, huh? Usually you don't even do it."

"Ev," Tyler whined, not in the mood for how Evan teased him about how he handled his schoolwork. "Seriously. I don't know what to do. I have to turn it in after lunch. Advice?"

Evan finally turned to Tyler, momentarily looking over his friend's shoulder before sighing. "It's in your room, right?" He knew that he needed to be getting to class right about now, shutting his locker and giving Tyler a serious look.

He nodded desperately.

Evan bit his lip, looking over Tyler's shoulder once more before running a nervous hand through his hair. "Evan, what's wrong?" Tyler had asked, but Evan just shook his head.

"I can get your paper for you." Was all he replied, and immediately Tyler lit up.

"Really? How?" He ignored the slightly nervous look on Evan's face, interested in how his friend would fix the mess he had made.

"Don't worry about it. Just go to class." He patted Tyler's head with another smile as he pushed past him and instead walked up to a senior. Tyler had seen Evan talk to him before- his name was Ace or something like that. The exchange between the two this time looked a bit awkward, unlike the friendly exchanges Tyler had seen before, but he didn't have time to investigate further as Craig appeared besides him, leading him towards their next class, which they happened to share.

After the lunch bell rang and the students had filed out of the class- Craig and Tyler had managed to get themselves separated in the surging crowd of students.

A hand pulled him out of the way, bringing him face-to-face with Evan in a somewhat empty hallway. His friend looked nervous still, but his smile made Tyler brush it off. He held up something that Tyler recognizes immediately. "Look what I got!" Evan announced proudly.

Tyler grabbed the paper out of Evan's hands before pulling him into a tight hug. "Evan! You're literally the best! I don't even know how you did it, but it doesn't matter because you did it!" He squeezed him so tightly that Evan had to lightly tap him to let go. "Sorry," Tyler mumbled as he looked over his paper. "This is seriously incredible Evan, thank you so much." He looked up to see Evan messing with his shirtsleeve, his face looking worried and nervous and anxious all at once. His eyes were looking at the locker banks behind Tyler, but it seemed as if he was lost in thought. "Ev? Are you okay?" That caught Evan's attention, and he looked at Tyler, his brows furrowed.

"Tyler, I- there's something I should tell you-"

"What are you guys doing over here? You realize the bell rang, right?" Craig and a few others appeared out of nowhere, interrupting whatever Evan had been about to tell Tyler. His smile was back in an instant as he turned to face Craig.

"I had to give Tyler his paper because his dumb ass left it at home and once again I had to save him."

From there, the group of boys had walked to the cafeteria to have lunch.

Tyler never asked Evan about what had been bothering him ever again.

———

Evan had been trying to tell him something that day, and Tyler had just barely remembered it right this instance. He had seemed so upset and uncomfortable and Tyler just let it drop, never returning to it again.

Evan had needed to tell him, but he hadn't. He couldn't. Whatever it was.

Now he's dead, Tyler. And it's all your fault.

His fingers fell from the frame, dread filling him almost instantly. What would have happened if Evan had told him whatever it was that he wanted to tell him? Would Tyler have done what he did to him that night, after he ruined the only relationship Evan had ever been in? Would he had used him just like everyone else had used him?

Would he still be alive? Would we still be friends? Tyler questioned himself, his fingers thrumming steadily against his desk.

Tap. Tap. Ta-

His door opened behind him, a sharp breath following soon after. He stopped tapping on the desk, eyes fixed on the frame that was still face-down, the frame that held a picture of him and a dead boy.

The boy that he killed.

"Tyler, I think it's time us three talk about what you did."