"Damnit!" muttered Bill's best friend Matt. "Watch where you're going."
"Sorry," Bill answered.
The friends stood up, and Bill noticed Matt now held the Grellstone.
"What's this rock?" Matt said, turning it over in his hand.
"It's nothing," Bill lied. "Give it back."
"Screw you," Matt snapped, clearly irked.
"Sorry," Bill said. "It's just..."
"Nahh, man," Matt sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just... well, Gloria dumped me last night, and I guess I'm still in a bad mood about it. We've been dating, what -- like almost a year now? And suddenly, just out of the blue she feeds me this crap about, 'I need space. I think we should explore other options. It's not you, it's me.' Sorry, man, but I'm just really ticked off about it all. I just don't get women."
"Gee, Matt, I'm real sorry," Bill said, still nervous about the Grellstone. "But if I could just have that..."
"I doubt there's anything you could do to help," interrupted Matt. "But thanks anyhow. You're a better friend than Gloria ever was."
Bill hesitantly reached out for the emerald stone, still loosely held in Matt's hand.
"Damnit," Matt said suddenly. "It all just makes me so mad. I wish..."