Struggling to turn her alarm off, Y/n rolled over a bit closer, nearly falling off her bed. She groaned in annoyance, continuously hitting the clock till it finally turned off. Her eyes barely wanted to open after being up all of the last night. Both her parents had been arguing making it difficult for her to fall asleep.

Eventually she forced herself out of bed, stretching and rubbing her droopy eyes. After she got ready for school, she went downstairs, grabbing her lunch before leaving.

Usually school was the one place everyone dreaded. Having to sit in class for hours, listening to boring teachers, teach you boring things. There was no doubt that school sucked but it was also great. It was her only escape from home. Somewhere to hide away and be around all her friends. They were her escape, they meant everything to her and she wouldn't have been able to last without them. 

——

"Ugh, maths is so boring!" Y/n complained, slumping down on the seat beside her friends.

"Tell me about it." Ava agreed, before turning back to Sarah her other friend. Jess then walked over to them, taking a seat across from them. All three of them continued to chat as Y/n ate her food. Most of the time they were giggling about things but she had no idea why.

"What's so funny?" She asked curiously, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

"Oh nothing, just something we saw at the arcade last week."

"Oh cool." Y/n still didn't understand what they were talking about. She didn't even know that they had all gone to the arcade in the first place. Sarah said she was busy on the weekend and couldn't have a sleepover. But now Y/n knew why.

This wasn't the first time they had done things without her. Usually she would just brush it away since she was always busy when they did. So even if they invited her she couldn't go anyways. But sometimes the invite was enough, it made her feel included and wanted. 

Maybe she wasn't.

A few minutes later all three of them sprung up from their seats. Grabbing their bags, they walked off and out of the cafeteria. She didn't know where they were going. Plus she wanted to finish her food, so she remained seated alone. Food was the only friend she needed right?

For the rest of the day she was miserable, staring out the window, watching the rain fall. It matched her mood, how amazing. Once the bell went for the end of the day she got out of her seat heading to the spot where they all met after school. When she got there, they were already walking off. 

"Where you guys going?"

"To the shops." Jess answered turning around to face Y/n. "Oh shit we forgot to invite you."

"You can come if you want?" Ava offered, shrugging her shoulders.

"No it's fine, I'm busy anyways." She lied, putting on a fake smile so they wouldn't notice. Not like they would've cared anyways.

"Alright then. See you tomorrow." The three of them then spun back around, putting their umbrellas up. Sadly Y/n hadn't packed hers so she would just have to walk in the rain.

——

Sticking her earphones in, she turned her music player on, stepping out into the rain. She'd rather be at the shops but not with people who obviously didn't want her to be there. It broke her heart. The fact that the people she would do anything for and cared the most about could treat her like trash. Like she wasn't important, like she meant nothing. But she wasn't going to say anything because they were all she had. The thought of being alone terrified her.

Her music was turned up pretty high so she wasn't aware of her surroundings. One minute it was raining, then suddenly it stopped. It caused her to look up from the ground. Above her was an umbrella and walking beside her was someone.

"Eddie!"

"Hey sweetheart, why are you walking all alone in the rain?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She joked, hoping he wouldn't suspect anything. 

"Well I'm not am I? I'm walking with you." He replied with a grin, looking at her as they kept walking. That's when he saw her puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks. Even though he had no idea what had happened, he was furious. It pained him to see Y/n upset about something. "Have you been crying?"

"No, it's just the rain, don't worry." She lied, awkwardly laughing to play it off, but he saw right through it. 

"I've known you for a long time Y/n, I know when you're upset." They ended up walking by a bench with shelter so Eddie pulled her underneath there so they could properly talk. He put the umbrella down, gently holding her one hand while placing his free one on her chin. Lifting her head, he made her look at him. "Tell me what's wrong."

She tried to find the words to explain but it brought back the tears just thinking about it. Although she always felt like she could trust Eddie. He was always there to listen to her when she needed it. Even though they never really hung out at school, she considered him as one of her closest friends. 

After taking a few deep breaths in, she began to tell him everything. Starting from the very first time it felt like they were excluding her, all up to them not inviting her to the shops. It made him even more furious and confused. Y/n was the most amazing person he knew. How could anyone exclude her or treat her that way.

"They don't deserve you." He said, engulfing her in a much needed hug, rubbing her back. She then rested her head in the crook of his neck, closing her eyes. "We can do something if you'd like?"

"I'd love that Eddie." She answered, letting go of him so they could keep walking before the rain  came down harder. Putting the umbrella up, he grabbed her hand again, interlocking their fingers. It was a miracle how he could easily make her feel much better in such a short time. And he was right, she deserved better. She was done investing time in one sided friendships and people who didn't appreciate her. 

"You know you can always sit with me and Gareth, if you're still not too cool for us." Eddie offered.

"I could never be too cool."

"Well I can guarantee you'll never be excluded."

Wrote this cause it pretty much happened to me. (Not the part where Eddie saves the day 😩, I wish). But yeah the feeling when you're excluded sucks, especially when it's your best friends doing it. If you're in a similar situation, know that they're not worth it and don't waste time on them. Be around people who appreciate you 🥰.