BASED OFF OF A TRUE EXPERIENCE (Name and some situations changed to make this into a story)

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The last week was rough for my friends and me. Eren was having issues with his family, Mikasa was away out of the country, Armin was going insane due to finals coming soon, Sasha was having major mental issues and admitted herself to a psych ward, Connie was depressed because he was the one who took Sasha there and now they were having more issues with each other. That was only the beginning of it all, and I had to take care of each and every one of those problems in any way that I could. For me, that meant skipping classes in order to keep my friends at a decent balance. I still "went to school" to keep my parents happy, but they didn't know that I was skipping classes in order to help my friends.

You see, I take time out of my time that's designated for myself to help my friends because I am the "mom" of the group. I was always there when someone needed it, and if that meant taking away from time for myself, so be it. I was selfless and always put other before myself. In fact, I cared about myself so little compared to how much I care about each and every one of my friends. I would do anything just to make them happy.

Day after day, I skipped classes. I was mostly involved with the Sasha and Connie problem since it was the one with the most urgency. (Sorry Armin.)

Some back story on their situation: Sasha was feeling down, so she went to a psychologist and spilled about all of her problems. He recommended that she admit herself to Trost Healthcare Center for psychological help that he couldn't provide. Connie, being the supportive boyfriend that he was, drove her there, walked her in, and helped her until it was time for him to go. Connie would try and call Sasha every day, but she'd talk to him for a minute then she'd say that she'd have to go and talk to some other random friend of hers. This upset Connie. He thought that Sasha was mad at him, she was but she didn't mean it. She was only projecting her anger onto him. Connie was starting to get more depressed than usual and began to think that he needed to go to a psychologist and admit himself to THC also. I was by his side during it all, supporting him. I told him if that's what he thought was best, I'd help him with it. I'd go to the psych evaluation if he wanted me to. I was there for him throughout the time he needed. After Sasha's seven days at THC were up, their relationship was back to normal. We talked things out. I acted as their psychologist. It was what they needed and I was there for them.

I also had to deal with Eren's problems at home since we had every class together. He'd rant about them to me and I'd listen because that was what he wanted. We'd skip classes together so that we could talk in quiet. Neither of us had much time outside of class to talk. We were both busy working or doing things with family, so naturally, school was the only time to talk.

Needless to say, this all stressed me out. I had no one to vent to about my problems that I was having and I didn't want to one of my friends that were in need because I felt like I'd be making it just about me. I hated feeling selfish, it wasn't who I am. It was the opposite.

Finally, Eren and I went back to our classes. Our writing teacher had called us to her desk to ask where we had been. To her, Eren's story checked out, but mine didn't. I told her that my friends and I have been going through a rough patch. Her response? "And that's a reason to skip class? Have you emailed any of your instructors?"

I started to seethe with anger. Taking care of my loved ones wasn't enough of a reason to skip class? I laughed rather manically. "No, I haven't. It's just been really stressful," is what I said instead of what I wanted to say. I wanted to say, "Excuse me for putting my friends before myself. I'm not a selfish, petty ass bitch who only thinks of themselves. Their sanity is more important to mine. I would throw myself over a bridge if that made them saner. Screw off."

Instead, I walked back to my chair, tears building up and threatening to spill over. She angered me to the point of tears. Eren paid no attention as I sat there with tears streaming down my face. Oh, how I wanted to punch that teacher in the face. I even messaged our group chat about it and that was what Connie had told me to do. Connie knew me and my personality too well.

After class, I stomped to the cafeteria, skipping the next class and leaving Eren to go to it all alone. It was math anyway. I could skip it.

I sat at a tall, round table all by myself furiously typing away on my computer when I heard a chair next to me screech on the tile flooring. I looked up and say Eren.

"Decided to skip too?" I growled through my teeth, still visibly angry.

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I think you need some food in you. It always calms you down."

He was right. Food always did help me calm down.

Later in the day, I posted a cute picture of my on Snapchat. From it, I got a response from an old friend. We got to talking. It turned out that we were both going for the same major, Law Enforcement. Although we lived in different states, we clicked like we first did oh-so-many years ago. We talked all day and all night. He was my shoulder to lean on. He was there for me. He listened to my problems, and in return, I listened to his. Because that's just what good friends do. Common friend knowledge 101.

I was tired of texting him in the middle of the night, so I called him instead. It had been years since I last heard his voice. The last time it was over Xbox with a shitty mic, and he was also a pre-pubescent boy. I knew that he had physically grown, but I wanted to see maturity wise too.

"Reiner? Is that really you?" I said hardly above a whisper. I didn't want to wake anyone in the house.

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah, (F/N). It's really me. I'm so glad to hear your voice right now."

My heart melted. Not only did he look perfect, but his voice was perfect too, It was sweet and smooth, but it was also rough at the same time. His voice perfectly matched how he looked. I was left speechless.

"(F/N)? You still there? Hello?"

"Sorry," I apologized, "it's just been so long since I've heard your voice. I've missed talking to you."

He chuckled. "I know, it's crazy. I thought I'd never get to hear your voice again if I'm being honest... We were such good friends, then nothing. I still think about those days," another chuckle, "when Bertl and Annie thought we'd get married because of how well we bonded with each other."

Hearing him admit that made me blush madly. "I still think about those days too. Ymir and I were going to come and meet you guys. We had a trip planned for when we were old enough and everything."

"Nostalgia..." he sighed.

Flashback of conversations and video chats we shared filed through my brain. Nothing was awkward between us and there was never a dull moment. We also made the perfect pair when partnering up in video games. But I remembered that he was never afraid to open up to me. He told me every little thought he had. I remembered how strong he was, not just physically, but mentally.

"How do you do it?" I asked out of the blue.

He took a few moments before he responded. "Do what?"

"Back then you were so strong mentally although you were going through the shittiest shit. How do you do it?"

He sighed sadly. "It was all an act. I was never mentally strong. Remember how I use to call myself sexy and Annie would say I'm overconfident? I was never confident about it in the first place,"

"I remember. You taught me that trick but it ended up working to the point where I actually learned to love me." I interrupted him.

A grunt came from his end of the line. "I just wanted you to think that I was mentally strong. I didn't want you to know that I was actually weak. I've overcome that by now. I hate who I'm surrounded by, but I don't let any of that get to me. I don't let what people say get to me. I have thick skin now compared to then. What I do now is just think positive. It'll all be over soon. Something bad has to happen so something good can happen. It'll eventually balance out. Especially when it seems only bad thing are coming your way, there will also be a string of good."

I was silent, I was taking all of his information in. He had a few good points that I was going to take into consideration.

"Thank you, Reiner. You've been such a big help," I managed to yawn out, "you have class tomorrow, so you better get to sleep."

"Whatever. Even if I'm tired in the morning because of this, it was worth it because I got to talk to you." He made a kissing sound then ended the call.

Everything about him made me smile.

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Alrighty folks. That one was kind of all over the place. Hence the reason why I'm stopping it where it is. This was kind of a rant in story form but then I tried to make it cute and philosophical, which didn't work too well in my favor. I had too many ideas in my head bouncing around. UHG