Jayden tried his best not to stare at William as the dark-haired boy carefully packed away pencils, but it proved to be quite a challenge. His eyes kept being irresistibly drawn back to William, and he couldn't help himself.
 
The only sounds in the room were the quiet thuds of pencils being placed into containers as the two boys worked diligently to sort through the mess.
 
Suddenly, Jayden abruptly stood up and accidentally bumped into one of the desks, causing a large box to drop to the ground, spilling writing utensils everywhere. Jayden immediately dropped to his knees and began picking up the pencils, cursing himself for being clumsy. Without thinking, William started helping Jayden gather the fallen supplies.
 
Jayden let out a sigh, feeling regretful as he looked at William. He wanted to apologize but didn't know how. The tension in the room was palpable.
 
"Will," Jayden called, trying to break the silence.
 
William pretended not to hear, ignoring Jayden.
 
"Will," Jayden huffed, "Can we please talk?"
 
"About what?" William answered, his voice emotionless.
 
"About..." Jayden started, his uncertainty evident.
 
William turned around to face him, leaning against a shelf with his elbows.
 
Although his movements seemed casual, his posture was stiff, revealing his frustration. "About what? About how you were never actually my friend? That you only pretended to care. Let's talk about how you obviously don't like me," William snarked, echoing Jayden's words from earlier.
 
Jayden felt there was something more to William's last statement, something he didn't quite understand but felt he should.
 
"I was always your friend, William," Jayden said, his voice rising toward the end of his sentence. "But Daisy is also my best friend, and you cold-heartedly turned her down and made fun of her feelings."
 
William didn't want to argue with Jayden again, but he could feel his anger rising. "Daisy doesn't know a thing about me," William said, raising his voice above Jayden's.
 
"That's an excuse, William, and you know it. Why couldn't you even give her a chance?" Jayden countered, even though the thought pained him. "Is she not good enough for you?"
 
As they argued, the two boys began to drift closer to each other.
 
Jayden didn't know why he was saying all of this; the words just spilled out of his mouth. He was frustrated, not with what he was saying, but because William had been avoiding him, and he was confused about his own feelings. Part of him screamed at him to shut up; he didn't want William to have feelings for Daisy anyway. Another part questioned why he wouldn't want his best friend to be happy. Where had that thought even come from?
 
While Jayden was conflicted, William's anger boiled over.
 
"Of course, I don't want to be with her!" William yelled.
 
Jayden recoiled at the intensity of William's outburst. His heart raced, and he took a step back, bumping into the desk again. This time, he didn't drop anything, but the physical stumble mirrored his emotional confusion.
 
William, realizing he had just shouted in anger, took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "Look," he said, his voice softer but still edged with frustration, "it's not about whether Daisy is good enough or not. It's more complicated than that."
 
Jayden felt a mixture of relief and curiosity. He had never seen this side of William before, so vulnerable and conflicted. It made him want to understand what was going on.
 
"Then help me understand, Will," Jayden implored. "We've been friends and I've never seen you like this. What's bothering you so much?"
 
William hesitated, his gaze shifting to the floor as he struggled to find the right words. "It's not about Daisy, Jayden. It's about me. I'm not ready for a relationship. I have things going on in my life that I need to figure out first."
 
Jayden's eyebrows furrowed with confusion. "Why didn't you just say that before? We could have avoided all of this drama."
 
William sighed, his shoulders slumping as he finally let his guard down. "I know, Jayden. I messed up, and I'm sorry. I didn't handle this well, and I should have been more honest with you and Daisy from the beginning. I didn't want to hurt either of you."
 
Jayden nodded, feeling a mixture of relief and empathy for his friend. "Well, it's not too late to make things right. Talk to Daisy, explain how you feel. She's more understanding than you might think."
 
As they spoke, the tension that had hung between them like a heavy cloud began to dissipate. Their friendship had weathered this storm, and in its wake, they found a deeper understanding of each other. Jayden realized that his feelings for both Daisy and William had been a mix of concern, frustration, and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Perhaps it was a budding realization of the complexity of their friendship and the emotions they both carried.