A young lady walked into the internet cafe. It was a large room with the lights set dim, computers set up in rows and rows. There was a faint glow around from all the RGB, which, coupled with the wide, curved monitors, gave her enough light to maneuver between the units. The sound of pressing keys rang out from all around the room, quickly getting on her nerves.

The girl stopped at unit #27 where sat a young man playing a shooter game. He was focused, and even someone who wasn't well-versed in games like her could tell he was good. He moved the mouse so quickly, she thought it was going to fly out of his hands.

"Ah, hey-!" Chase exclaimed, confused, as his headphones were pulled off. Turning away from the screen, much to the dismay of his teammates, he looked at the girl behind him. She had a stern glare, her eyes bore into his so intently, it was as if she was disgusted.

"You weren't at school today either." Elaine said, putting the headphones down on the desktop and crossing her arms. He sighed and turned the chair to face her, ignoring the now losing game behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, moron. Shouldn't you be studying instead of wasting away in here?"

"Shouldn't you be bothering someone who actually cares?" He said, turning back to the game, but she stopped him and turned the chair back to face her.

"Funny, but you're not getting rid of me." She leaned closer, the expression in her face softening. Concern, but he knew that. "The teachers called your mom about your grades. She asked me to find you."

He tried to play it cool, but Elaine could see his expression falter at the mention of his mom. Seeing this moment of weakness, she made her move, pressing the power button swiftly. The unit shut down, and as the screen dimmed, he lost all resistance.

"Come on, I'll walk you home." She said, picking up his bag from the under the desk and handing it to him. With a sigh, Chase got up and took it, slinging it over his back and taking her waiting hand. With her mission complete, she pulled him to the exit, neither of them paying any mind to the other gamers in the cafe, wide-eyed at one of their best players getting chewed out like a kid.

Her hand still holding his, the two left the internet cafe. Elaine's pace slowed to a walk now that they were out of there, and she breathed easier with Chase back. The atmosphere of the cafe, the cramped units, the sterile lights, the game callouts, it slowly faded away behind them.

Soon, as they walked, they settled into the familiar route home; the loose bricks on the pavement, the massive dog that always asked for pets when they passed by, the street sign with a little too many stickers from passing students. Elaine could still see the ones she and Chase put there from when they were kids, and she smiled. They managed to reach the highest part of the sign to slap it on with the help of Chase's dad, who offered to let them stand on his shoulders to get up there.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out to check. Texts about another event for her to organize. The debate team was waiting on her to finalize the topic list for their next competition. She'd left in a hurry when she heard what had happened with Chase, and they were scratching their heads.

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The sky was slowly dimming as the sun started to set, coating the whole street in warm orange. A flock of birds passed by, probably heading home for the day, like they were. Chase glanced at her, feeling a knot form in his stomach as something dawned on him.

"What time did you get out?" He asked as she tapped away at her response. "Around three, right after class." She replied, putting the phone away. "Your friends didn't know where you were, so I had to look around the local internet cafes. That was the fourth." He winced.

"But," she said, squeezing his hand, "you're worth a few hours. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks." He mumbled, squeezing her back. She nodded, smiling.

They continued to walk home in silence, but it wasn't anything new to them. He'd always been a little quiet since he was a kid, and she'd gotten used to it all the years they've been with each other. As they turned the corner though, and they saw his house just down the street, he slowed down.

"She's just worried about you, you know. We both are." Elaine sighed, sensing his apprehension.

"You worry too much." He replied quickly.

"You give us a lot to worry about." She shot back, meeting his eyes with hers narrowed. Chase muttered something. She didn't mind it.

"I'm staying over, so good something good for us, okay?" She said, pulling him from his worries. He nodded wordlessly, and she felt his hand tighten.

Elaine texted her dad, telling him that she'd be spending the night at his place. He'd understand, and it was long overdue for her to have come by. Pulling him along, she took him inside.

"Mom baked ziti." Chase noted, looking through the fridge. "Are you fine with microwave?" Elaine nodded, heading upstairs to put her bag down and change. She'd been here so much since she was a kid, she had already had a stock of clothes here.

"Aren't you going to change first?" She asked, coming back down the stairs.

"I was going to, but I'm starving." He said, popping the casserole in the microwave. "Go get changed, I'll watch over it." She said, shooing him away. Giving her a jokingly long sigh, he walked away the kitchen. As the microwave hummed, she checked her messages. Chase's mom had told her beforehand that she was going to be home really late from work and to just fix up a meal from the fridge. Not that this wasn't already home to her anyway.

The microwave dinged, and she took the ziti out, placing it on the coffee table in the living room. Chase was taking a bit longer, she thought as she turned the game console on. Settling back on the couch, she sighed and got her pasta, glancing around as she ate. Everything was the same as when she'd last been here a year ago.

"Hey."

She paused, turning to look as he plopped down beside her. Elaine recognized the shirt he wore, a faded Spider-Man graphic shirt that his dad used to wear all the time. It even still smelled like his Old Spice that she always got a whiff of when she hugged him when she visited. He was quiet again, and she put her bowl back down on the table and put her hand in his. She tried to find the words, to say something to reassure him that it'd be alright, but her throat went dry. Sitting here now where there was such a massive hole, after all this time, what could she say?

"Thanks for always looking out for me." He managed to say, his words straining. Elaine sighed and smiled at him. Shifting over to face him, she pulled him into a hug.

"Of course I'd look out for you, you idiot. I'm stuck with you." He choked back a sob and she held him closer. "I'm here for you."

He buried his face in her shoulder, the fabric of her shirt muffling his tears. Her arms tightened around him, and it felt like all the everything would be alright as long as she held him. They stayed like that for a while, holding each other by the doorway. He didn't let go. Neither did she.