Moving on

4pm. School had just ended. I was in the locker room with my best friend, Thom. We'd been buddies since we were in diapers. Actually, since he was in diapers, given that I was 3 years older than him.
I had waited patiently at the door for all the other boys to leave, before I came in, wrinkling my nose as soon as I stepped through the doorway. I will never get used to the smell of the boys' locker room.
I placed my backpack on the bench and sat next to Thom. His lips were pressed together as he looked down at his hands. A crumpled piece of paper was wedged between his fingers.
I didn't say anything, waiting for him to speak first. It took him a while, giving me time to study his expression. The message he sent me only said to meet him after school, so I had no idea what was going on. He looked... hmm, it seemed like he wanted to crush the piece of paper into a teeny-tiny ball and throw it as far as the eye could see, but then changed his mind and wanted to keep it forever like a treasured relic.
By the time he finally opened his hand to give me the note, I had already assumed what was wrong. The clumsy letters on the torn out piece of notebook paper confirmed my suspicions. Lorna had broken up with him.
"Oh, Thom," I said as I hugged him. They had been together for almost a year. He saw the world in her. I tried to warn him that she might not feel the same way, because I could see that she was only using him. But, they had lasted so long that I hoped I was wrong. I should have stuck with my insincts. Anger washed over me and I pulled away. He looked at me with only a tiny bit of curiosity, which quickly melted down and left only emptiness.
"What now?" he asked and turned his head to stare at the empty space in front of him. For now, I put my anger aside and placed my arm over his shoulders. I thought a moment about my reply and finally said "Now, we go home."
Without a word he got up and headed for the door. To anyone watching, it wouldn't look like much, but I knew he made the first step forward. I smiled.