"He-Hey guys...I'm glad you all came."

The sun shined brightly over Beacon Academy on a warm Wednesday afternoon, yet that did nothing to lift the solemn mood Jaune Jane Arc was in. In his team's room with the door locked sat his 7 closest friends (yes, even Weiss and Blake...oddly enough). They all looked at him expectantly, watching the rays of the sunbeam through the window and shine on half his body, creating a shadow that minorly darkened one side of his face while illuminating the other.

"Is something wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked, concerned as she watched the taller boy wring the bottom of his hoodie nervously.

"Yeah. I haven't see you this upset since that time Nora made us sit in a moving airship for 5 hours." Yang reminisced, cause Nora to squawk in protest.

"We-Well...its something I've wanted to say for a long time now. At first, I wasn't going to tell you guys but...after Cardin and everything we've been through and..." Jaune's words started to sound choked and he looked away. Gods, he really was going to tell them wasn't he? He looked back at those confused and concerned faces, eagerly waiting for him to finish. Oh, how they would soon wish he just shut up about the whole thing. He could practically see those kind faces shift into looks of pure disgust and hatred. He looked at Pyrrha, who, sharp as ever, seemed to already know what he wanted to say. She gave him a look, wanting him to stop. Indirectly telling him it was okay to her if he kept it a secret from their friends. But...it was his call. She knew that. "I just...I want to say it but-"

"Jaune." Ruby interrupted, causing the blond to look at her with widened eyes. "We're your friends. Whatever you have to tell us, we'll be there for you. I promise." Hums of approval sounded through the room, causing Jaune to chuckle. Even Weiss and Blake agreed. They really did care for him...didn't they?

'We'll see how long that lasts' He thought bitterly. He sighed and scratched his head. "Well...here goes nothing." His heart was hammering, the sweat on his forehead practically pouring down the bridge of his nose. He tightened his fist.

He closed his eyes.

Say it!

And he breathed in sharply through his nose.

SAY IT DAMN IT!

"IFORGEDMYTRANSCRIPTS!" Jaune quickly yelled. Everyone leaned back, eyes wide in shock at his loud tone. "I cheated! Lied! I'm a fraud! I found some guy in Vale, got my transcripts forged, and got accepted! That's why I suck at fighting! That's why I didn't know who Pyrrha was! That's why I'm struggling through my classes! I forged my transcripts!" He repeated...and then silence. He was left panting like a lunatic, watching his friends process the information. Whelp. He said it. Here it comes. The harsh words. The immediate disapproval. The...

...snickering?

Jaune turned to Yang. She was biting her bottom trembling lip, snorts and chortles coming out as her cheeks grew red from holding everything in. And after a few moments, the dam broke, and finally, Yang burst out laughing. And she wasn't the only one. Contagious laughter infected his entire friend group, and he could only watch as they were holding their sides. Ren was even on the floor, crying from the out of character cackling he was doing.

"Th-That's it?!" Yang said, somehow able to fit words in between her guffaw. "That's the big news?! Are you fuckin' kidding me?"

"No-No..." Jaune, still as confused as ever, repeated. "I-I'm not...you guys...aren't mad?"

"PFFFT! No! What'd you think we were gonna do?" Nora said, catching her breath, but still looking as if she was about burst.

"I-I don't know! Yell, Scream, Cry," Jaune listed. "Get me expelled out of Beacon, forcing me to become some kinda atlas soldier commander with a hidden semblance or an elite guild master with a flaming katana or something."

Silence...and then laughter once again.

"Ja-Jaune," Ruby began five minutes later, wiping tears from her eye. "Do we look like the people who'd have any right to get on you for cheating your way into Beacon?"

"U-Uuuh..." Jaune went.

"Jaune, come on." Blake said, pointing at herself. "I'm literally an ex-member of a terrorist group who was in a relationship with a homicidal maniac bent on human genocide."

"I've broken into clubs several times and drunk alcohol even though I'm 17. Not to mention the property damage I cause both inside and outside of Beacon." Yang said next.

"Me and Ren were orphans, so not only did we not go to combat school either, but we stole many many many things before we turned, like, 14." Nora said, causing Ren to nod.

"I'm technically not even supposed to be here. I ran away from my corporate dad and I'm using his money almost daily." Weiss said.

"I got in two years before you, so I didn't even finish combat school. And did you think that Roman fight was legal? I broke an old mans' shop window and basically assaulted three non-aura goons with a huntress grade weapon. Sure, the charges were dropped due to the circumstances, but still." Ruby reasoned. Slowly, Jaune turned to Pyrrha, who shyly looked away with a blush.

"You'd be surprised how many teachers let bad grades slide when you're a famous tournament fighter." Pyrrha said sheepishly. Jaune couldn't believe it. Here he was, feeling like the biggest jerk ever, and yet he was just a drop of recklessness in the sea of insanity made by his friends.

"So...what you're saying is..." Jaune tried to word, causing Ruby to huff. She quickly jumped off one of the beds and walked up to Jaune, rubbing his arm.

"Yup. We're all terrible." Ruby confirmed. And then, right out of the blue, Jaune was the crazy one laughing. He laughed and laughed and laughed. And even while he slowly fell to knees on the floor and started crying, he was still laughing. He...He had never felt so relieved. He felt like the luckiest guy on Remnant.

"Yo-You're all psychos...this is great." He chuckled, his body feeling so free now that the large weight had been lifted. He felt Ruby hug his right arm. Then Nora coming in on his left. And then Pyrrha from behind his back. Pretty soon, everyone was giving him one big huge. "You're all crazy...and I'm crazy too."

"Yeah..." Pyrrha said, squeezing Jaune closer. "But we're all crazy together."

No one knew why Ozpin would accept such troublesome students. And while they questioned his sanity, they gave him their gratitude. For he had all shown them they were no longer alone, both in friendship and in mental states.