Marcy Rodriguez gets some bad news about an old friend.

Dan Dipinto used to be Marcy's right-hand boy in grade school, defending him from mockery about having a girls' name and slaying bug armies together. But eventually Dan's quirks evolve from weird packed-lunch sandwiches to the sort of quietly sinister traits that can really piss a kid off.

Stunned after the dust settles, Marcy is left to process his mixed feelings about a friend who thought his own feelings were so much better. And of course, the worst feeling about something like this is wondering whether you were in some way responsible— and sometimes that's easy to wonder about.

Matthew Atkinson offers you a quietly dramatic glimpse into the hellhole of childhood with this SHORT STORY from the Final First collection. Bring your mop and earbuds— this is a messy one that nonetheless deserves some meditation.