Chapter Text
Friends start in all ways. From the day of birth or during the years of meeting from schools or other places. But even the greatest friendships are tested, shaken and even severed. It is the choices of those that decide what is worth fighting for, and what is worth connecting. This is the story of two close friends from their birth, one that will lead them to an adventure of testing their connections and their faiths.
************
A pair of young kids played on a playground together laughing and chasing each other around. The first being a young boy is named Neo Sparks. With hair a unique silver color and eyes as blue as the ocean. With him was a young girl named Anne Boonchuy, a Thai-American girl with fluffy brown hair and black button eyes. They have known each other since birth from their mother’s. The two believed their son and daughter would become amazing friends, and maybe even something more in the future. And they were right about the first part, the two of them became inseparable.
When the two stopped for a moment to catch their breaths, Neo turned to Anne and giggled. “You never catch me Anne.”
“I’ll catch you one day Neo.” Anne mused while playfully pushing her friend.
They just laughed, their friendship blossoming with joy and happiness. The young silverette child perk up. “Oh, made you something.” Anne perk up as he dug in his pocket and took it out. Holding it out, it showed a small silver chained necklace with a small tag reading ‘Together 4ever’. “Momma help make it for you.”
“It's amazing.” Anne gushed as she took it. “I have something too.” She took out from her pocket a ring that had the engravings ‘Best Friend’. “Mommy help as well.”
“Minds think alike.” Neo beamed while taking the ring. Both young ones looking at their gifts before Neo spoke again. “Let's stay together Anne, to the very end.”
“To the very end.” The young girl beamed.
**********
As the years passed, Neo and Anne remained close as ever, going to the same schools and playing together. However, things began to change. Anne soon met with two other girls around their age. One was a blonde named Sasha Waybright, pretty brash and bold. The other was a black haired girl named Marcy Wu, clumsy but smart. At first, Neo didn't mind Anne having more friends, especially girls. There was still much about girls he didn't understand as a child. But in the end, he became friends with the pair, and he believed deep in his heart they would be inseparable for life.
But, when they turned 13, Neo started to see Anne in a different light from his teenage hormones growing. He began to see her as a woman, a beautiful woman with a smile and laugh he found charming to her. His crush on her remained secret, unsure how to tell her. Anne herself was unaware of Neo’s feelings and started hanging out more with Sasha and Marcy.
Her time with them started to affect Anne’s lifestyle. She started failing in school, spending more time with them than Neo. The times he did try to chat or hang out with her, she would either make excuses or simply wave him off. He was effectively becoming an afterthought, fading into the background of the girls’ trinity. But, he still strived to be part of her life and desired to have a future with her. After all, they made a promise together back then, one he didn't want to break.
In the present time, Neo was now a 17 year old young man. He wasn't what you call popular or anything like that, even a simple body figure build and glasses. He was what you called an average kid with a good mind. If it wasn’t for his shaggy silver hair he wouldn’t stick out that much.
Neo took out his phone while holding a small box in his hand. The box was Anne’s birthday gift. It was only a few days away, but wanted to give it to her early since he learned from experience she focuses on her gifts from Sasha and Marcy. The gift within was a metal bracelet with a few small gems, something she wanted for a while. He saved up his money, from birthdays and christmas to get this gift just for her.
He texted Anne in hopes she would respond. “Hey Anne, you there? I want to meet up with ya about something.”
He waited a moment before she replied. “Sorry at the mall right now.”
Her message made him sigh a bit. “Mall huh?” he glanced at his gift to her before gaining bit of a determined look. “Well, I should at least give it to her before her there. She's always moving with those girls.”
*********
At the mall, Anne was with Sasha and Marcy, the trio with shopping bags and laughing. Anne truly enjoyed her times with Sasha and Marcy, unknown to her about the future events that will soon shake her life up.
“Okay I can't believe we scored with these dresses at that store. I mean 70% off. Talk about a great day to be out.” Anne beamed.
“I know right?” Marcy spoke while looking at her bag. “I guess lady luck was on our side.”
“I told you girls going out was the best choice.” Sasha grinned, proud of herself choosing this day to shop. She turned to Anne. “So Anne, who was that texting you? The nerd again?”
“Oh, yeah. It was Neo again. Don't worry about him though.” The brunette assured.
“I’ve been noticing he's been trying to hang out with us a lot.” Marcy implied. “I mean I know you guys know each other a lot, but it's getting a bit creepy.”
“What do you even see in him anyway Anne?” The blonde spoke up. “He's a geek. Honestly I would feel sorry for anyone who is friends with him.”
“Come on Sasha, Neo is just…different.” The Thai-American girl defended a bit. “I mean yeah he acts strange, but that's who he is.”
“Still, he acts like a creep a bit.” The blackette shivered a bit.
“Again, What do you even see in him?” Sasha asked again. “He's way too good for you Anne. You should tell him to back away from our girl time. Besides, you two don't act like friends with how much you spend time with us.”
“I mean….” Anne thought about it. “...you kinda have a point. I mean he was a great friend back then. But I guess things aren't clicking as they used to be.” She hummed with a hand on her chin. “He kinda is my friend, but not really at the same time.”
“Is that what you really think of me?” A familiar male voice behind them spoke softly. They froze up as they turned to see the silver haired boy with a hurt look while clenching a small box tightly.
“Neo.” Anne gasped in shock.
“Ooooooo busted.” Sasha whispered.
Anne glanced at her friends and then back to Neo. He waited for an explanation as she stammered. “I…I uh….”
Seeing how she wasn't defending or explaining her words, Neo frowned further. “.....good to know.” He spoke before tossing the box at her feet before turning and walking off. “Guess everything we had was nothing but a lie.”
“Neo Wait.” Anne reached out but he didn’t stop and vanished from the corner he turned. “Neo!” her hand lowered with a small frown of regret. Her eyes fell to the box he tossed at her feet before picking it up. She opened it and saw a small card reading “Happy Birthday to my closest friend”. When she moved the card, she gasped softly seeing the bracelet she had wanted for so many years when she first saw it at the jewelry store when she became 13, something she couldn't afford nor her family. “...Neo…”
“Well that happened.” Marcy finally spoke up.
Sasha set a hand on her friend's shoulder. “Come on Anne, I know what will cheer you up.” She spoke as she led the Thai-American girl through the mall. The eyes of the young woman kept her eye on the bracelet while feeling regret and hurt, unknown what to do about Neo.
***********
Neo arrived back home a while later. His mind replaying what Anne said to Sasha and Marcy about him. It hurt him deeply, more than he realized. While it hurt she blew him off and hung with those two girls more than him, nothing compared to hearing such things from Anne herself, his secret crush. To her, he was nothing but an annoyance ruining her good time. Sure he has his quirks and weirdness but it's how he is.
He opened the door as his mom was reading a book. She looked up and smiled. “Hey Sweetie, did Anne like her gift?” He said nothing, kicked off his shoes and walked upstairs. “Neo?” She watched him go before hearing his bedroom door slam shut. “...Oh dear.”
**********
Days passed since that event. Neo kept his distance from his parents and Anne herself, trying to put together what to do going forward. But the broken bond between them had thrown a monkey wrench into his plans, as he couldn’t think straight.
It was Anne’s birthday today, but He didn't care. He didn't bother to send a text to her like he always did, not that it mattered. She would just give a simple thumbs up response and nothing else. That's how strained their relationship had become.
It was late in the evening as Neo, with his backpack on, was walking on the sidewalk with a frown. “....what did I do wrong that caused this? Was it something I did….or something else?” His normally calm mind was now a chaotic mess of doubts and second guessing. He sighed sadly. “I'm such a mess…” He glanced to the side before stopping. “Huh?” A few blocks away, he saw Sasha and Marcy looking through the window of a Thrift Store, a small shop he visited from time to time. An elderly woman running it. A sweet woman but had a knack of sleeping a lot. Chalk it up to old age.
“What are those two doing?” He wondered before he took out a set of binoculars he had on him. He looked through them before noticing Anne through the glass window looking back and nervous. “Is Anne gonna buy something?” He watched as Anne took a trinket, which looked like a decorated music box from a shelf. But to his shock, Anna stuffed the music box in her backpack and quickly left the shop, joining her friends as they ran. “....Did Anne just….shoplift?!”
It was unreal. Neo couldn’t believe it. Sure she had issues while hanging with those two, but never in his life would he imagine his close friend doing something as committing a crime. Deep down, Neo didn't like it when Anne hung out with them, they were influencing her with their choices and actions, especially Sasha. With Marcy, Anne was mainly on crowd control with her.
The shock Neo felt soon replaced with anger. While he didnt see her much as a friend anymore, he did not tolerate stealing, especially from an elder running a shop. He followed the girls until he saw them at a bench in the park.
“I can't believe I stole this…” Anne spoke, shocked to herself she did something like this while holding the music box in her hands. Neo was able to get a better look at it, the box itself looked like a chest made of what looked like brass with depictions of frogs and a swamp on it with four gemstones on top, three of them were small and were blue, green and magenta and one was three times bigger and a bright yellow.
“Come on Girl, its not bad. Just a useless trinket.” Sasha grinned. “Now come on see what it does.”
Anne looked at the music box for a moment before her hand reached for the top to open it. However, a familiar and angry voice behind them snapped. “Are you serious Anne!?”
“Bah!” The three girls jumped in shock and fear, Anne nearly dropping the music box.
They turned and saw Neo with an angry expression. “N-Neo.” The Thai-American girl stammered, shocked to see her old friend she pushed away.
“Have you seriously fallen that low to shoplift?” Neo questioned harshly. “I mean I tolerated your lack of effort in school but this!”
“I…I…” She tried to defend herself, trying to make an excuse for her reason.
“It's her birthday nerd, you have no reason to but in with her life anymore.” Sasha stated with a small glare.
“Doubt the police would care.” The silverette scoffed. “There are limits to what you can do on your birthday.”
“Then why are you butting in? Anne Banana doesn't want you around as she said.” Marcy clarified which the brunette flinched.
“Maybe not, but this is about doing the right thing.” Neo stated before turning to Anne. “You’re returning that Music Box now.”
Anne glanced between the box, Neo and her friends. Sasha giving her a look telling her not to listen to him and she is free to make her own choice. That look was enough to convince the Thai-American girl as she gave Neo a small glare. “No.”
“Anne seriously, pretty sure your parents don’t want their daughter to be a criminal.” The boy reasoned. He tried one last chance to help her and a tiny slimmer of hope to have the Anne back that he knew.
“I said no!” She stated and stood up. “I’m not returning this. As my friends said, it's my birthday, and it's just an old box no one buys, so just drop it!”
Sasha grinned at Neo smuggly. “You heard her nerd, so go back and bury your face in video games or what not and let the girls have their night out.”
Anger boiled in Neo, his hands clenching. He saw now his attempt to help was useless. “....you leave me no choice!” He suddenly lunged and grasped the music box Anne held.
“Hey!” Anne yelled as they started pulling and wrestling with the music box.
“I'm returning this music box one way or another!” Neo stated as they struggled.
“Let it go Neo!” The Thai-American girl yelled while pulling with her might. Her friends joined and pulled with her while Neo struggled a bit due to the assistance his once friend had.
“This is why Anne hangs with us more! You’re just a nuisance!” Sasha stated with gritted teeth.
“I'm trying to be the one with morales!” Neo growled out. “I never liked you since Anne met you! You are a bad influence on her!”
“Don't talk to my friend like that Neo!” Anne stated, the night sky growing darker with clouds and wind picking up around them.
The silver haired boy glared harshly. “Always protecting her, typical! Well guess what? I don't care what you think! Now let go of this music box! I'm taking it…BACK!” Their hands slipped from the music box as it dropped to the ground. The lid popped open and it suddenly released a glow of magenta, blue, green and yellow. “What the?”
“What is this!?” Marcy shouted in shock. The light from the box exploded, grasping the four in their light. They all yelled before the light faded, all four vanishing along with the music box.
************
“Uuuuuuuugh.” Neo groaned as he woke up from unconsciousness. He sat up from the mucky wet ground and spat out some mud. “Bleh. ugh, feels like the time a beinged video games for 48 hours straight.” A groan near him drew his attention and turned to see Anne near him who was covered in mud, a few leaves in her hair and a stick. She also missing one of her shoes as well.
Neo got up and approached her before helping her up. “You good?”
“Yeah.” Anne mumbled while rubbing her head. They heard loud buzzing and turned to it. Their eyes bulged as they saw a dragonfly, as big as an eagle pass by them. “...You saw that too right?”
“...I'm seeing more than that.” Neo spoke which Anne took notice of the vegetation. The plants were three times bigger than back home, a range of different mushrooms they never saw before, the horizon showing a wide spread of forest and mountain. “...Where are we?”
“I…I don't know.” Anne spoke in worry. “This isn't our home though.”
Neo panicked a bit. “...this is all a bad dream. Yes, a bad dream. We should wake up any second.” he started pinching his arm, wincing a bit. He saw he was still here before slapping himself hard leaving his cheek red. “....It isn’t working!” He looked out on the horizon as it settled in. “...WE’RE IN ANOTHER WORLD!” His voice echoed into the sky as a few birds scattered. “Oh god, Oh god, Oh god, what do we do, what do we do! This is outside my forte!”
“Neo calm down, I'm sure we can get back home.” Anne tried to reason.
He stopped and snapped to her. “....you…” His face turned to rage, suddenly grabbing her shoulders. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!”
“My fault?!” She blanched.
“If you didn’t steal that music box none of this would have happened!” Neo shouted while shaking her.
She managed to break out of his grip and yell back. “How was I supposed to know the music box would do that!?”
“Maybe it was freaking karma, I don’t know!” He yelled. “This is what happens when you hang with people who are a bad influence on you Anne! Those two are nothing but a bunch of stuck up bitches!”
“Don't you DARE talk to my friends like that!” The Thai-American shot in his face with anger.
“Some friends they are, bet they convinced you to steal that music box didn’t they?” Neo remarked. “One is a freaking inconsiderate cheerleader while the other is a walking bad luck magnet!”
*SLAP!*
Anne slapped him across his cheek with fury. “I don't need your damn opinion asshole! You should have left me alone! I don't need you, I never needed you in my life!”
“Well, that's something we both can finally agree on!” Neo shouted. “You don't need me, and I don't need you! I wished I never met you when we were kids!”
“Good!” Anne yelled. “I’ll find my way back home and you can do whatever you like! I don't need you!”
“Just like I don't need you! Do what you’re good at! Being alone!” The boy shot back.
“FINE!” Anne barked.
“FINE!” Neo shouted before both turned and walked off in different directions. “Don’t come crying to me when you're up shit creek without a paddle.”
“Dick.” Anne snarled while they pushed through vegetation. This signifying their friendship is now in pieces.
She found a secluded area to take a breather while looking out to the lake before her. “I don't need him, I can handle myself out here.” She fumed before putting her backpack down and rummaged through it furiously. She had her phone, a few school supplies and snacks. Her hand suddenly felt something familiar. Grabbing it, she pulled it out and saw it was the necklace Neo gave to her when they were kids. “....Guess things really have changed.”
Her lips curled to a small frown as she reflected back on that day.
“Let's stay together Anne, to the very end.”
“To the very end.”
Her hand on the necklace gripped before her face twisted with anger and hurt. Her clenched hand trembled before she threw the necklace with a yell. “RAH!” The necklace flew in the air before it dropped in the water with a small splash. “...Good riddance.”
Meanwhile with Neo, he pushed through the vegetation and fumed. “Damn fucking bitch, I can’t believe I was friends with her.” He stopped at a river before he rummaged through his bag. He found he had some essentials that would help. A small canteen, a pocket knife, a flint and steel, and the survival guide book he borrowed from the library. “Good thing I became a survival buff.” His eyes fell to something out of place. Reaching out, he took it and saw it was the small ring Anne gave him years back. “.....Why do I still have this?…not like what happened meant anything anymore.”
His mind reeled back to the past, where things were better, the days they were together before Sasha and Marcy came into their lives. Things could have been different, if they made different choices things could have gone so well, but they didn’t. Gritting his teeth, he yelled and threw the ring into the river, letting the current take it wherever it goes. “That memory is dead to me now.” He moved on to find a way home and to figure out what to do.
********
A few weeks passed since Anne and Neo appeared in this new world. They remained distant from each other and stuck to their own accordings. Anne on her end struggled on what to do or how to thrive in this world. Neo on the other hand, thanks to his knowledge and skill on roughing it was doing better, though some parts he did struggle such as the giant bugs and other creatures.
With the survival book, Neo was able to make a shelter with the proper materials and forge a few tools that were needed. All in all, he was proud of himself. He was grateful he had what he needed and watched some survival videos online for the past few years. Though it was a coincidence and lucky he needed them for this.
As of now, Neo was cooking a few slices of fish on a hot flat stone plate while examining the berries he collected. With the survival book having a few blank pages on the back, he decided to use them for additional notes on the fruits and wildlife that are safe to eat or dangerous.
He popped a red berry in his mouth and chewed. A sweetness hit his buds followed by a hint of sour at the end. “Hmmm, guess these are safe, that is if I don’t start puking my guts out later.” He jotted the notes down before reaching for a black berry. He bit into it, but immediately went wide eyed. He spit it out and gagged a few times. “Blech! It's like I bit into a skunk's ass dipped in shit!” He quickly rinsed his mouth out with water and jotted down no for the black berries.
As he went through each berry and added info about what was good or not, the fish he cooked was finished as he pulled the pieces off with a wooden fork he carved with his knife. He hummed to himself while eating some of the slices. “Glad the book had instructions on making rope and a fish hook.” He glanced at the little wooden bucket he made filled with worms. “And i'm very happy this place is rich with worms. Never ending bait for the win.”
It wasn’t bad at all for a nerd surviving a few weeks in a different world. As he ate, a ruffling in the bushes nearby drew his attention. Immediately, he set his food down before grabbing a larger piece of wood, dousing it in sap and lighting it on fire. The moment he did, a giant red praying mantis emerged with a screech. “You again huh?” At some point during his time here this mantis had repeatedly appearing to pray on him. Unknown it also hunted Anne.
The mantis screeched and approached him, while Neo waved his torch around. Seeing the fire and feeling the heat, it backed up a bit but it only screeched in defiance. “Guess you’re getting tolerated by fire huh big guy? Well I got something just for you.” Reached to the side, he pulled out a small version of a megaphone made of moss, vines and wood. He took a breath before blowing into it, releasing a piercing screech resembling a large bird. The sound startled the mantis as it quickly retreated back into the woods.
Smirking, Neo laughed and tossed his megaphone in the air and caught it. “Haha, I knew this baby would come through. Glad to see even large bugs are still scared of birds as their common predators.” With the threat gone, he returned to his food.
********
A few hours pass by as Neo was prowling the jungle for more food. In his hand was a makeshift spear with a sharp pointed stone head tied with a strong makeshift string. His bird megaphone at his side in case of running into more large insects that want to eat him and his bag to carry more food.
“Maybe some of the mushrooms should be edible, but just need to be careful which ones.” he hummed. “Maybe avoid the anonymous multicolored and glowing ones or some that have massive spores.” He didn’t want to risk eating one and end up tripping balls, or dying from it being poisonous.
He soon heard commotion nearby, multiple voices which piqued him. Running up one tree he got a birds eye view before seeing something that nearly made him laugh.
Below was Anne. His once childhood friend not looking in good shape especially not having any gear or made tools, only signifying she survived out of luck. What really made him almost fall over was the fact she was trapped and tied up in rope by a bunch of frog people. Yeah that was something he discovered a while back, apparently there are sentient inhabitants in this world but they were frog people.
An elderly frog man laughed near a light red female frog girl about his age. “Haha, you caught the monster! Sprigit im proud of ya!”
“Dude what the heck? You set me up?” Anne blanched in disbelief. “I thought we were connecting?!”
“Nonono, this wasn't my plan!” The now named Sprigit defended quickly.
A loud screech caught the attention of the townsfolk as they turned to the source. Emerging was a green praying mantis, a bit smaller to the red one Neo fought off.
The frog people yelled out as a large frog man, looking like a leading figure ordered out. “Everyone! Mantis Formation!” The frogs gathered and formed a pyramid formation. The last one on top did a poor mimic of a karate master with a few whoops. The mantis took a glance up before chittering in fear and backed up to retreat in the jungle.
“We scared it off!” The elder frog cheered as the others cheered as well over the victory. Only for it to be cut off when the massive red mantis Neo has been dealing with landed behind them with a thud.
“...nope thats what scared it off.” The small female tadpole on the elders head pointed out bluntly.
“Yeah that makes more sense.” The elder smiled sheepishly.
The red mantis screeched out snapping its pincers at the stacked frogs, knocking them away, causing them to panic and run for their lives.
“NO!” Anne yelled in panic believing when the mantis is done with them, it will come for her. But she felt the rope loosen as she saw the young red frog girl undoing the rope. “What is this another trick?”
“I’ll distract that thing, you get out of here!” Sprigit stated before running towards the mantis letting out a battle cry. She pulled out a slingshot before grabbing a nearby pebble and fired it. “Hey!” The rock struck the mantis in the face, making the insect turn to her. “Haha!” She beamed before realizing. “...Oops.”
The mantis screeched, reeling one of its arms for a strike. Sprigit yelled in panic, but as the mantis was going to strike, a loud bird screech echoed in the area. Hearing the screech, the mantis froze up before chittering in fear.
“Huh? What was that?” Sprigit blinked. The sound of rustling in the trees drew everyone's attention as something…or someone came down and landed near her, revealing Neo as he stood with his spear and bird speaker in hand. “Another monster?”
Neo glanced back at Sprigit with a mused smile. “That anyway to say thanks to your savior froggy?” The screech from the mantis drew his attention back to the predatory insect as it charged. Neo blew into the megaphone again as the bird screech rippled. The sound caused the mantis to involuntary freeze up. Taking the opportunity, Neo rushed forward before swinging his spear for a horizontal slice across its eyes. Purple liquid gushed out, making the insect screech in agony. He glanced at the rope nearby and called. “Get the rope!”
“Huh, oh.” Sprigit blinked before realization dawned on her, quickly grabbing the rope she quickly started running around the insects feet, then started jumping around it, avoiding its attacks as she was tying it up. Coming back around, she pulled as the rope tightened around the mantis. It fought back despite being blind. Neo quickly grabbed the other end and pulled hard, forcing the mantis to finally fall back.
He rushed forward before jumping up and spinning his spear down before yelling. “You’re finished!” Landing, he slammed the spear deep into the head of the mantis. It screeched before falling dead, its body twitching lightly with a death rattle. Neo panted a few times before grinning proudly. “Who's the predator now?” He yanked his spear out. “Guess even if it's all big insects will always be insects.”
The townsfolk came out and saw the mantis dead and cheered. neo jumped down from its dead corpse as Sprigit came up to him with a beaming expression. “Dude, that was so cool! You kicked that mantis’s booty!”
“I had some help, up top!” Neo grinned while with his hand for a high five. The frog girl gave it to him..with her tongue as saliva splattered it. “....I should have seen that coming.”
As he wiped the spit off, Sprigit perked up. “Oh oh, you should meet someone. She looks just like you!” She ran to Anne who watched the whole thing before being pulled to the silver haired boy. “Check it out Anne, another you, but with silver hair and is a guy!”
Neo gave her a smug grin. “Hello Anne, how's the scouts life treating ya? Saw you had a run-in with the frogs. Kinda embarrassing, to put it mildly.”
“I don't need your criticism.” She hissed through her teeth.
“Well I for one have been doing pretty well in the woods.” He added.
“Wait, you two know each other?” Sprigit blinked seeing the interaction between both humans.
“We’re acquaintances.” Neo explained simply.
“Well, now that that's settled.” They turned to see the frogs approaching with one being a bit bigger. “What are we gonna do with these things?” he gestured to Neo and Anne. “We best outta run them out of town, just to be safe.” He grinned at the others. “Let it be someone else's problem.”
“Seriously?” Neo blanched as the frog folks ran towards them with pitchforks and torches.
Before they got close enough, Sprigit got between them. “Stop right there! They’re not monsters!” She gestured to them. “They're just lost and need our help. Besides, the white haired guy risked his life to save ours. If it was not for him, we’d be food. I say we at least owe them our hospitality.”
“Are you crazy?” The larger frog questioned.
“Yeah, what if they go nutty tomorrow and starts eating people?” A frog with one eye closed asked.
“Not gonna happen buddy.” Anne spoke bluntly.
“Not a fan of frog meat.” Neo implied.
Then the orange elder frog from earlier. “Don’t worry yourselves silly, I’ll keep an eye on them, all three of them.”
“Say what now?” Neo and Anne blinks in shock.
“Hmmmm have it your way, Hopadiah Plantar, but I don’t like it.” The larger frog implied. “Alright boys, pack it in.” With that the folk headed back home to their town along with carrying the dead mantis for them to eat up.
Sprigit sighed and held her arm in embarrassment. “Guess i'm back to causing trouble for the family again huh?”
“Trouble?” The elder blinked before smiling. “Sprigit, standing up to that angry mob to help these creatures out was some of the bravest and most responsible stuff I've ever seen.”
“That was pretty cool sis.” The tadpole girl on his head smiled before adding blunt. “It was also really dumb.”
“Yes. really really dumb.” The frog elder agreed.
Sprigit gasped in joy. “You think I’m responsible?”
“Well yeah, I mean just this one time.” The elder frog spoke.
“Yes! Woohoo!” The younger frog whooped in joy.
“Well just don't get carried away.” He added.
“Big win!” Sprigit beamed.
“Well.” Anne got their attention. “This has been great, but just give me a map. I gotta find my way out of this kookie place.”
“Oh map won’t be enough.” The elder spoke as he pulled out a map and unfurled it showing the location surrounded by jagged mountains. “This here valley is surrounded by mountains that are impenetrable this time of year.”
“It should clear up in a couple of months.” Sprigit added optimistically.
“Until then, if you two try to cross those mountains.” The elder rolled up the map.
“You will die.” The tadpole girl finished.
“You're telling me I'm stuck in this crazy place for a few months?” Anne questioned. “Where am I gonna stay?”
“Oh oh, you can stay with us.” Sprigit beamed before turning to Neo. “You as well white hair.”
“It's Neo.” The boy clarified before glancing at Anne with a wince. “And us…it's nice to offer but im okay with where I live.”
“And where do you live exactly?” The elder frog asked.
“At the edge of the forest near a lake back there.” he pointed where his home was.
“Well, I hate to break it to you, son, but that place is a death trap, especially when the giant tiger piranhas come during migration to hunt near the shallows. They snag anything that is close to shore.” He implied.
Neo paled a bit before thinking. “....that would explain why the fish have been getting scared lately.” He sighed while rubbing his head. “Okay fine, you twisted my arm.”
*********
After packing his things, Neo joined the frogs and Anne as they came to town. They brought the humans to their home, which was a farm with a few veggies growing. The elder frog who he called Hop Pop, took them to the basement and turned the light on. “Okay, the kitchen is upstairs. Breakfast at sunrise. Sharp.” he spoke and climbed up the ladder.
“Okay, thanks dude.” Anne spoke.
When the two were alone, Neo glared at her. “I cannot believe I have to bunk with YOU of all people.”
“Its no cakewalk for me either.” The Thai-American grumbled. She walked to a corner of the basement and set her futon down. “I'm only tolerating you because of the frogs giving us a roof to sleep under.”
“Oh, the caves are not good enough for you?” Neo mocked while setting his own futon on the other end. “I happen to be sleeping in my own little hut I made and had no bug infestations whatsoever.”
“...How?” She questioned.
“By watching those survival videos your ‘Friends’ are always dismissed as stupid and a waste of time.” He answered with a grin. “Who's the stupid one now?”
“If you’re so well at living in the wild, why don't you go back out there? You seem to fit in as the wild boy.” Anne retorted while unpacking.
“Oh I’d be more than happy to, once I find a spot that isn’t some beast’s hunting grounds.” He remarked. He started unpacking as well. “The sooner I do, the sooner I don't have to see your sorry ass of existence.”
Anne glared at him. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
“Hey, who’s fault is that for treating me like trash?” He questioned.
Before she retorted, a voice came from the entrance of the basement as they turned to see Sprigit. “Hey you two. Getting comfy?”
The two humans look at each other and force smiles to avoid anything weird. “Oh, we're just fine, Sprigit.” Neo spoke.
“Totally. Just two humans getting acquainted.” Anne added with a fake chirpy voice.
“Well, I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad you two are living with us.” She smiled. Their hearts melted a bit, the force smiles growing a bit genuine to her words. “Well, sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite.” She walked off…only to come back and add. “Seriously, they can drain a body in seconds.”
“Eh.” Anne winced at that.
“That's gonna give me nightmares.” Neo grimaced a bit. He glanced at Anne and blinked seeing her pull something out covered in cloth. When she pulled it off, it revealed the music box from before. “You still had it this whole time?”
“Yeah, I managed to find it not that long ago.” Anne replied. She looked at it before taking the top and breathed. “Come on, please do the light show…” She opened it…nothing happened.
She opened and closed it a few times as Neo spoke bluntly. “Of course it doesn't work, just an empty box of nothing but empty promises..like you.”
“I am very close to chucking this at your head.” Anne threatened with a growl.
“Not like that can get us home.” He muttered. He plopped on his futon and sighed softly. “I hate this.”
“Hmph, something we can agree on.” Anne brushed off while laying on her own futon. Both humans closed their eyes and let sleep take over.
(Dreamscape)
Neo’s eyes opened and found himself in a void of colors mixed with magenta, blue, green and yellow with numerous voices echoing around him. “Ooookay, what am I looking at here?” He questioned out loud. Light shined before him before he saw the four gemstones from before on the music box. The three smaller ones slowly spin around the larger yellow stone. “I guess these stones are special somehow?” he reached out and gently touched the yellow crystal.
When he did, he felt waves of energy hit his head, causing him to clutch it. He yelled in pain while being thrown through the void while hearing numerous voices growing louder.
“Nothing you do will ever change between us!”
“You think Anne will be with you? Please, you’re just a nerd out of her league when she has us!”
“I trusted you, and what happened between me and Neo is ruined!”
“You might not care, but she cares about you…maybe more.”
“I might not be able to kill you personally, but I will make your champion share my pain, my dear.”
“NEOOOOOOOOO!”
“...I love you Anne.”
(Dream end)
Neo gasped and shot up from his sleep panting heavily while sweating. He then held his head, feeling his mind having a dull throb from the dream. ‘Shit….what the hell kind of dream was that?’ He doesn't know what to think. It was just a dream, yet…the voices of him, Anne, and others, it sounded way too real. ‘First time I had such a weird dream since coming here.’ The door opened as he turned to see the frog family come down. “Oh morning.”
“Hey Neo.” Sprigit beams before noticing my shirt is a bit damp. “Huh, you can release mucus like we do.”
“No, this is sweat.” He corrected her. “It helps cool my body when I'm overheating or acts when something triggers panic, fear and nerves.”
Anne woke up next with a yell as she snapped upwards from her futon. She calmed a bit and chuckled. “Guys guys guys, I had this crazy dream that I was trapped in this crazy world full of frog peo-” She froze up seeing the frog family. “...oh, right.”
“Hey Anne, sleep good?” Sprigit asked happily.
“Careful girl, they could be hungry.” Hop Pop clarified warily.
“For your guts!” The tadpole girl who was hopping in a bucket stated while wielding a rolling pin.
“We just established yesterday we don't want to eat you guys.” Neo spoke bluntly.
“Also, we won’t eat something that clearly doesn’t bathe.” Anne clarified pointing at Hop Pop who was dirty and smelly with flying buzzing around him.
He snagged a fly with his tongue. “Fair point.”
“See? They’re harmless.” Sprigit beamed.
“Hm, for now.” The elder frog mentioned while going upstairs.
The tadpole came back down and glared at the two humans. “Just give me a reason to use old Doris here.” She patted the rolling pin in her hands threateningly before hopping back up the stairs.
“...I think the little one wants to kill us.” Anne mentioned.
“Yup.” Sprigit answered as if it's not obvious. “So you two must be so excited to be trapped in another world. Very jealous.”
“I didn't ask to come here Sprigit.” Neo stated with a hint of annoyance. “In fact, the whole reason I'm here is because a certain backstabber wouldn't stay out of trouble.”
“Oh yeah, put the whole blame on me time and time again.” Anne retorted with her glare on him. “How about you try a different hobby then play the blame game?”
“Oh great idea.” The silver haired boy stated with sarcasm. “How about I write a book and call it ‘The Adventures of how Anne screwed my life over’?”
“Ugh you’re such a bastard!” The Thai-American girl snapped as she was in front of him.
“And you’re a fucking bitch!” The young American boy shot back, getting in her face.
Both once friends gave heated glares before turning away with their arms crossed. “Hmph!”
“....Wow, Okay.” Sprigit commented. She looked between the pair and rubbed her head. “I'm guessing you two have a bit of beef with each other.”
“Oh it's more than a bit Sprigit.” Neo grumbled. He walked to his bag and grabbed it before going up the ladder.
“Where are you going?” The red frog girl asked.
“I'm going out to explore the town. I would rather be somewhere than anywhere near her.” He gave a sharp glare at Anne before walking out.
“Like I care.” Anne muttered.
When Neo was gone, Sprigit turned to her. “Why do you two hate each other so much?”
“Don’t want to talk about it.” The human girl stated. She walked back to her futon. “We’re just on edge a lot. I just miss my home, my parents…” Her eyes fell to a picture of her, Sasha and Marcy as she took it. “And I miss my friends.” She handed the picture to Sprigit who took it. “Without them, I feel kind of lost, you know?”
Looking at the picture a few times, Sprigit perked up. “Well, in the meantime, why don't I be your friend?”
“You?” Anne blinked.
“Me!” The frog girl beamed while pointing to herself.
“You?” Anne repeated while pointing at Sprigit.
“Come on, it'll be fun. What do you guys do together?” Sprigit asked.
“Everything, marathon on TV shows, drink Boba till we vomited, hung out at the beach.” The human girl listed off.
“Oh!” The frog perked up while snapping her fingers. “We got a lake! Will going there make you feel less homesick?” Anne looked at her picture and back at Sprigit who was whooping and tempting her. “Yeah yeah yeah.” She looked back at the picture then at the frog who was making a silly pose. “It's gonna be greeeeat.”
Giggling, Anne grinned. “I like your moxie frog girl. Lets do it!”
********
Meanwhile, Neo explored the town while the frogs were doing their own thing. Some who saw him were still wary and kept their distance from him. Neo couldn’t really blame them, he’s something that doesn’t exist in this world. Still, in a way, he felt a bit lonely. After weeks in the wild with no one to really talk to, especially after his broken friendship with Anne, it was gnawing at him. He at least didn’t develop a habit of talking to someone who isn’t there…at least he doesn’t think so.
While walking to a section of the town, the sound of a ball was heard before someone yelled. “Heads up!”
“Huh?” He turned before something flew to him and struck him in the face. “Gah!” he fell back with a thud while groaning. “Owwwww…”
“Oops, sorry about that.” The same voice spoke up as Neo heard someone come up to him. He rubbed his face where he was struck before looking up. Before him was a cute frog girl, looking to be around his age with dazzling yellow eyes. Her skin was green with large yellow round cheeks. Her arms are covered in darker green colored spots. She also surprisingly had long brown hair that reached her hips. She wore a set of an orange shirt and black shorts. In one hand she held what looked like a tennis racket made of wood and small strands of vines. “You okay?”
She held her hand out to him in an offer to help. Neo gazed at her for a moment, feeling a small blush form his cheeks before taking said hand as she helped him up. “Yeah, I'm okay.” He answered while rubbing the spot he was struck. He checked his glasses which luckily didn’t break on impact. “Yup, everything is good.”
“Oh good.” She smiled a bit before picking up what looked like a ball covered in armor. “Sorry about that. I guess I forget my own strength when I practice.”
“...You have tennis here?” He asked curiously, seeing the ball and racket.
“Well yeah, we have plenty of sports around these parts.” She spoke with an arched brow. “What, you thought we just sat on rocks all day croaking?”
“Uuuuuuuh.” He drawled out, in his world that was exactly what frogs do.
A small laugh from the frog girl drew him back as she gave a mused grin. “I'm just joking. Smile, it’ll be good for you.” She patted his side before walking back to the court. Neo followed her as she glanced at him. “So you got a name?”
“Oh uh Neo.” the boy quickly replied a bit awkwardly.
“Neo…strange name.” She hummed. “But I like it. Names Evelyn.”
“...Pretty name.” Neo commented without thinking. Evelyn turned to him with surprise. Seeing that, he realized what he said and slapped a hand over his mouth with his cheeks burning. “...I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Kinda did bud.” Evelyn nodded. “You’re quite a strange….whatever you are.”
“I'm human.” Neo corrected. “Probably got word about two strange creatures who're living here now?”
“A little.” The frog girl replied while hitting the ball with her racket a few times. She grew an idea and turned to him. “Hey, you know how to play Tennis?”
“Yeah I have my knowledge and played it back in school.” He nodded. This was mainly the fact Anne played it as well back in their homeworld.
Evelyn grinned and tossed the ball to him which he caught. “You up for a game? I'm interested in how a human can play.”
“Really?” He blinked while looking the armored ball over. “What kind of ball is this?” As soon as he said that, it opened up which revealed to be a large Rolly Polly. “WHOA!” he dropped said millipede as he scurried off, but Evelyn snagged it with her tongue and pulled it back. “...I probably should have figured you used those bugs as balls.”
“Hahaha, you should have seen your face. It was priceless.” She laughed softly.
“Yeah yeah, laugh at the guy who’s from a place where the bugs are normally tiny.” He rolled his eyes.
Calming down, the frog girl came up to him and elbowed him playfully. “I like you Neo. You look like a cool guy to hang out with.”
“Haha, thanks.” He chuckled out bashfully.
Smiling, Evelyn snagged an extra tennis racket nearby with her tongue and pulled it back. She held said racket to him. “So, you up for a game?”
“...I guess it’ll help get my mind off things.” He admitted while taking the racket.
“Sweet.” She beamed as the two went to a field to play.
********
While Neo was bonding with a new friend, Anne and Sprigit, both in bathing suits, managed to sneak out of the house. Hop Pop tried to keep them contained due to the townsfolk not trusting her and Neo yet, but he did fail to tell him that since he left early. Luckily thanks to Hop Pop sleeping with his eyes open, they snagged the key to the door and left for the pond Sprigit talked about.
“This is great, two pals beating the odds to have some fun. Here.” Anne beamed before pulling Sprigit close and pulling out her phone. “Smile!” She snapped a pic and looked at it as Sprigit blinked from the flash. “Whoa, hey that turned out great.”
She showed the screen to the frog which had their picture, a few hearts around them and a message saying “BFFS”. “..I dont know what's crazier, you just stole my soul into a tiny box…or that we look so incredible.” Sprigit beamed before handing the phone back. “I gotta say, this friendship business is amazing.”
“Didn’t you have friends before I showed up?” Anne asked curiously.
“Uuuuh.” The red frog girl drawled out, recalling one time she played a horrible prank on some other frogs involving a snake’s skeleton, traumatizing them. “Kids around here don’t really get me.”
Anne gave a small smile and playfully punched her shoulder. “Well hey, they are missing out. Come on.” She walked ahead.
“So is punching part of friendship?” Sprigit asked while quickly following her.
“Absolutely.” She replied until they passed by the vegetation. They came across a clearing that had a beautiful pond with some lily pads. “Whoa….its beautiful.” She marveled. She then grinned widely. “You ready dude?”
Both cheered out running toward the water, only to be stopped by a sign with the words “Don’t Swim” Hestially written on it.
“...this wasn't here last week.” Sprigit pointed out confused.
“Huh.” Anne hummed, glancing at the pond as a rainbow formed over it as if it was perfect. “Hmmm, I know exactly what's going on here, some jerk just wants this beautiful lake like all to themselves. Well forget that.” She jogged towards the water.
“I don’t know Anne.” Sprigit added while getting close to the sign. “Whoever wrote this, wrote it in a hurry, like they’re scared to be here.”
“Or maybe they just had bad handwriting.” She mused while dropping her bag. “Come on don't be a buzzkill.” She got to the water and dipped her foot in the water which was pleasantly warm. “Ooo that's nice.” Suddenly a yellow tongue snagged her arm. “Hey!” She looked back to see Sprigit’s tongue out. “What are you doing?”
“Something is not right here, let's just go back.” Sprigit suggested in worry.
The Thai-American girl groaned. “I thought you were trying to be my friend.”
“I am.” The frog girl defended.
“Well this is what friends do remember? They help each other get what they want.” Anne stated while untying the frog’s tongue from her arm.
The tongue reeled back smacking Sprigit in the face. “Huh?”
“Look, if a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them. If your friends like your new shoes, you give them to her.” Anne listed. “And if your friend wants you to steal a-” She stopped from that last part before remembering the confrontation between her, her friends and Neo before they were brought to this new world. She shook her head. “Okay forget that last part. Look, the point is, if you don't do things for your friends, they won't want to be your friend anymore.”
Sprigit glanced at the sign. “Fine.” She spoke before walking off.
Seeing her leave, Anne sighed. “Fine.”
But after a few seconds, Sprigit rushed back without her jacket on. “WOOOHOOO!” She jumped and fell into the water with a splash.
Seeing this Anne grinned. “Aaaaaw Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!!” Sprigit emerged as Anne jumped in. “Cannon ball!” With a splash, they laughed and enjoyed their time in the water.
*********
“Whew, I need to get into shape.” Neo breathed while walking with Evelyn in the forest Anne and Sprigit took to get to the pond.
“Guess you’re not much of an athlete huh?” Evelyn mused.
“Not really, more like into books, video games and writing.” He admitted. “I was called a nerd back home.”
She came closer to him and poked his arm as her finger sunk into his flesh a bit. “Hehe, kinda squishy.”
“Hey, you calling me fat?” He questioned.
“Maaaaaaaybe.” She teased with a cheeky grin. Both looked each other in the eyes before laughing. “Hahaha, man Neo, you're a hoot.”
“Why thank you very much.” He chuckled while adjusting his backpack. “I gotta say, it's nice to finally have a friend to talk with.”
“Didn’t you have friends back where you’re from?” Evelyn asked.
The smile on his face fell, reflecting his past with Anne before it went downhill. His lips curled a bit while looking down. “....not anymore.”
“....Bad fallout?” The green frog girl guessed.
“You have no idea.” He sighed. “And hate to admit it, I’m not what you say, popular with people, so my friend circle was basically in the single digits.”
A hand set on his shoulder as Neo looked back to Evelyn who gave him a soft smile. “Well for what it's worth, you got me now.” She beamed with an eye closed smile.
“...Yeah, Thanks Evelyn.” He smiled back at the brunette frog.
She was about to reply before a pair of screams ripped the air. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” It followed with a screech that wasn't an insect that Neo was familiar with.
“Someones in trouble!” Evelyn yelled out.
Hearing those screams, Neo grumbled. “Of course it's those two…come on.” They ran for the source of the screams before they got to the clearing of the pond. They saw Anne and Sprigit swimming for their lives from a large water snake chasing them. “....that's the biggest snake I ever saw.”
Anne lagged behind a bit. “Ugh, stupid non webbing human hands!” She turned as the snake was closing in on her.
“Anne!” Sprigit shouted in panic. The snake lunged to grab her but the red frog girl tackled her and swam into the water, the snake following them.
“We gotta help them.” Evelyn spoke as she took off her shirt which held a black sports bra.
Neo ignored the blush forming from the sight and sighed. “..Yeah, we do.” Evelyn dove into the water as he grabbed a nearby rock, waiting for the moment to hit the serpent to emerge.
A few seconds later, Evelyn emerged with Anne and Sprigit and jumped on a lilypad. The three panted a bit before Sprigit spoke. “That explains the sign.” She turned to the green frog girl. “Evelyn, don't know why you’re here, but you have our thanks.”
“Didn’t want you two to become snake chow.” The brunette frog commented.
“You guys need to get out of here, I’ll just slow you both down.” Anne spoke as she frowned at Sprigit. “This is my fault from the start. I should have listened to you.”
Sprigit suddenly punched her in the cheek. “Friend punch!”
“Ow, hey!” The human girl yelped while holding said cheek.
“Never, i'm not gonna let my first real friend get eaten. We’re in this together.” She stated firmly.
The water snake emerged and coiled around the three as it screeched, ready to feast on them. But a rock flew in the air and struck its head. “Hey overgrown worm! Over here!” The serpent snapped to the voice with Neo tossing a rock in his hand. “Frog and human ain't on the menu today!”
“Neo?” Anne blinked in shock. The serpent screeched and dove back into the water as it made its way to the silver haired boy.
“That's it! Come on!” He yelled before tossing another stone into the water. The snake emerged and lunged, making him jump back as he ran. “Now while it's distracted! Go!” The snake followed him with threatening hisses. “Your mama was a snake skin belt!”
The trio managed to get to shore and climbed out of the water. They panted a bit before Sprigit spoke. “....he’s pretty hardcore.” She mentioned about Neo.
“Mad respect for him.” Evelyn agreed before hearing him yell in shock. They turned to see the boy in the snake's grasp, its tail coiled around his body while he struggled. “Oh no!”
“Put me down!” He yelled as the snake raised him up above with its mouth open wide. “Oh man this isn’t the way I wanted to go out!”
Sprigit panicked a bit before she gasped. “I got an idea!” She turned to her fellow amphibian. “Evelyn, can you throw me?”
“Huh?” The two blanched at this.
“Trust me on this!” She spoke quickly while the snake was ready to lunge.
“Okay, whatever you say.” The green frog spoke before picking Sprigit up before chucking her at the snake.
When the snake lunged, Sprigit was in front of Neo as she dug her hands in her pockets when the serpent swallowed her. “SPRIGIT!” Anne yelled in horror.
“NO!” Evelyn yelled in shock and panic at what she did.
Neo was shocked as well that she risked her life for him. “....whoa.” The snake turned back to him with hunger. “...oh shit.” But before it could eat him, it gagged, cheeks puffing out letting out small puff of fire, its face soon twisted into pain before screeching in agony bellowing out fire as its grip on Neo loosened.
Sprigit was launched out and hit against Neo as the pair dropped to the ground. “Ow…” Neo groaned as they watched the snake blow fire out in pain. He turned to the frog girl. “What the hell did you do to it?”
Sprigit grinned as she pulled out a pepper from her pocket. “So hot, you wish you were dead.”
Neo couldn't help but chuckle. “You are one crazy frog girl.” the snake retreated back into the water, no longer wanting to come back. “Welp, he isn’t gonna be eating anything for a while.”
“Sprigit!” They turned to see Anne and Evelyn approaching fast. The human girl passed Neo and came to Sprigit. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah I'm good.” The red frog girl assured her.
Evelyn smiled a bit and ruffled her head. “That was an insane stunt you pulled Sprigit. Stupid and suicidal…but hardcore. I like it.”
“Hehe.” Sprigit chuckled bashfully.
The green frog girl turned to Neo. “Nice work keeping the snake busy Neo.”
“No problem.” The silverette shrugged.
“Pttt, all he did was lead it off and get caught. That wasn't much.” Anne retired with a sputter of her lips.
“And who’s idea was it to go into a snake infested lake?” Neo remarked.
“How was I supposed to know?” She glared.
“Oh I don't know, maybe that sign says it.” He pointed to said sign nearby. “But nope, you just love breaking the rules and getting into trouble…like you always do.”
Anne grasped him by the collar of his shirt. “Maybe I should give you some trouble with my fist in your face.” She growled.
“Go ahead and do it, I dare you. I double dare you.” Neo challenged with the pair glaring heatedly into each other.
Before the fight would break out, Evelyn pulled them both back. “Enough you two. Break it up.”
“He/she started it!” The two clarified.
The frog girl turned to Sprigit as the red one shrugged a bit. “No idea why they go off on each other like this.”
Sighing, Evelyn turned to Anne. “Look, we're all just a bit tense after what happened. Let's start over.” She held her hand out. “I'm Evelyn.”
Calming down from the frog girls smile and tone, Anne took her hand. “Anne.”
“Nice to meet you.” Evelyn smiled.
Sprigit spoke up to the human girl. “Evelyn is one of the locals of our town. She's also quite the athletic one.”
“I know my way around a sport or two.” The green frog mused proudly.
“For real!? That's awesome!” Anne beamed before taking said girl's hand. “We should totally play some sports together. Not to brag but I have some awesome skills in my own right.”
“Is that so? I look forward to a challenge.” Evelyn grinned at the prospect of a rival.
“So Evelyn, I see you already met Neo. How did you two get all buddy buddy?” Sprigit asked in wonder.
“Well, I kinda accidentally hit him in the face when I was doing some tennis practice.” The green frog answers sheepishly.
This made Anne snort in her hand before turning to Neo with a smug smirk. “Oh did the nerd get hit in the head by a ball? That's gotta be embarrassing.”
“Technically it was a Roly Poly.” Neo grumbled. “And may I remind you that you had more than many balls hit your face when you first started doing sports, like the clumsy one you were. In fact you were worse clumsy than Marcy.”
The Thai-American girl glared. “Asshole.”
“Bitch.” Neo shot back before both turned away with huffs.
“...Anyway, after some introductions the two of us started playing some games.” Evelyn continued. “Gotta say, Neo got some game.”
“Ptt, like he can give anyone a challenge.” Anne retorted.
“Say what helps you sleep better at night princess.” Neo spoke bluntly before walking off. “I'm outta here.”
Evelyn looked to him before turning to the pair and waved. “Nice meeting you Anne.” She turned and ran after Neo. “Wait up Neo!”
When they were gone, Anne huffed in annoyance. “Come on Sprigit, let's get home before Hop Pop wakes up.”
“...Okay.” The red frog nodded as the two headed back toward the farm.
Meanwhile, Neo kept walking before Evelyn caught up with him. They were quiet a few seconds before she spoke. “...what was that back there Neo?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He implied trying to avoid the subject.
“Don’t give me that.” The green frog stated. “You two were at each other’s throats.”
His fists clenched before breathing out. “......remember that friend I talked about earlier?”
Evelyn blinked. “Yeah, what does it…” She put two and two together. “Oh!.....Oh…” She frowned at him. “It was her wasn't it?”
“.....it was.” he admitted bitterly. “Things happen that make us see things differently, and…you can see why we don't like each other.”
“Ouch.” She grimaced a bit. “...have you two tried talking this out?”
“Without the threat of tearing each other to pieces? No.” He shook his head. “She's like a brick wall that can't be reasoned with. I gave her many chances to talk, but she brushed me off before we came here. But you know what? I don't care what she does. She’s not my problem.”
Evelyn was silent as Neo vented. She didn't fully understand why Neo and Anne hated each other, but from the fight they had, it was a very deep and painful subject to the two of them. She wanted to know what happened, the full story, but she couldn't let herself pry into others affairs. Besides, the two of them barely know each other.
“...well, if it helps, if you ever want to talk. You can come to me.” The brunette frog girl offered kindly.
“...Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” Neo replied simply. They soon reached the farm before he turned to her. “Thanks for today Evelyn. And it's nice to have met you and be your friend.”
“Same here.” She beamed. “Well, you take care.” She waved before heading off back home.
“See ya.” He waved back before entering the house. “Nice girl.” He walked to the basement and entered. At the corner Anne and Sprigit were playing a board game. When the two humans met eye to eye, they just glared at each other for a moment before he scoffed and went to his spot. He plopped on his futon and scrolled through his phone to see what he had. Today was very eventful for the two humans, and their adventure was only beginning.