The hallway buzzed like always—lockers slamming, people shouting, that constant background noise that never really stopped.

Edd leaned against a locker, sketchbook open. Matt fixed his hair in the reflection of the metal door. Tord stood nearby, arms crossed, looking relaxed.

Too relaxed.

“…I’m telling you,” Tord said, smirking faintly, “this guy completely lost it last weekend.”

Edd glanced up. “What’d he do?”

Tord huffed a short laugh. “Kissed two different girls. Twice. Same night.”

Matt blinked. “While he has a girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Tord shrugged. “Thought it was funny.”

Edd frowned. “That’s messed up.”

Matt shook his head. “That’s just trash behavior.”

Tord gave another careless shrug. “Not my problem.”

Right then—Tom walked up, no insult, no comment, Just—quiet.

Edd noticed first. “…You good?”

Tom leaned back against the lockers, jaw tight “…They broke up.”

Matt looked up. “Who?”

“My sibling,” Tom said. “Their boyfriend.” The mood shifted instantly.

Edd straightened. “Oh… damn.”

Matt winced. “That sucks.”

Tom nodded once. “They’re not doing great.”

Edd softened. “What happened?”

Tom hesitated, then muttered, “Guy was a jerk.”

Matt tilted his head. “What’s his name?”

A beat, Tom said it and Tord—froze, the smirk dropped instantly. His arms uncrossed, posture stiffening.

“What?” he blurted, stepping forward. “Him? Dating your sibling? As your sibling? That sibling?”

Tom frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

Tord ran a hand through his hair, disbelief turning sharp.“Because he’s a dumbass,” he said, more tense now. “He was bragging all weekend—”

He stopped. Edd blinked. “Wait… that’s the same guy you just—”

“Yeah,” Tord cut in, jaw tight.

Matt muttered, “Oh… that’s bad.”

Tom’s expression darkened. “He was bragging?”

Tord exhaled sharply, annoyed. “Didn’t know it was your sibling.”

Tom pushed off the locker, anger creeping in. “Of course you didn’t.”

“He’s an idiot,” Tord added, more blunt now. “Always has been.”

Edd nodded slowly. “That’s really messed up…”

Matt added, “Yeah…”

Tom shook his head. “They didn’t deserve that.”

Tord looked away for a second, because now—it wasn’t just some story.

It was you.

“…Yeah,” he said quieter. “They didn’t.”

The bell rang, the hallway shifted again—people moving, conversations breaking apart.

Edd and Matt started heading off, still talking, Tom lingered a second longer, then followed.

Tord didn’t, he stayed where he was for a moment, jaw tight, hands in his pockets, then he pushed off the wall and walked.

Through the hallway, past people and eyes scanning.

Until he found you, by your locker. Quiet. A little distant from everything else.

He slowed as he approached, for once—no smirk, no sarcasm, just something more focused.

He stopped in front of you, shifting his weight slightly.

Then, low—“I heard you broke up with that idiot...”

A small pause, his eyes stayed on you, sharper now, more attentive than usual.

“…Figures,” he muttered under his breath.

His jaw tightened again for a second, like the thought annoyed him all over again, then he exhaled, shoulders easing just a bit.

Tord tilted his head slightly, studying you.

“So…” he went on, tone quieter, but edged with something more deliberate, “…you need a shoulder to cry on?”

It almost sounded like a joke, almost but the way he stood there—the way he didn’t look away, said otherwise.