Sweeter Than Fiction | ✓

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

As the world around them started to go dark and cold, and Rudy was regretting rushing out without a jacket as the small but cold wind breezed through him. More than that, he regretted rushing out in such a panic that Miles thought to follow him, also without a jacket. Miles walked beside Rudy, trying to mask his whole-body shiver which made Rudy feel guilty and horrible. He knew it was probably worse for the smaller boy, just because of the heavy, hideous and thick woolen jumpers he was always sporting whereas Rudy usually went about wearing his trusty denim jacket that didn't really keep the cold out in the first place, still, anything was better than the bright red, thin polo shirt they were both walking about in.

Anyway, as the sun set Rudy found his panic attack was all for nothing as his phone started to buzz again in his pocket. He took it out, thinking it was Rosie calling for the umpteenth time that day asking if he had found Legolas, as if he wouldn't call her as soon as he did.

But it wasn't Rosie's ridiculous selfie she demanded she took for her own ID that took up Rudy's screen when he went to answer, it was blank and a number resided at the bottom.

An unknown number.

Rudy could have pierced through his screen with his thumb he answered so fast.

It was an old woman on the other end, her voice soft and throaty. She was laughing about a small dog that had been running about her garden most of the day, trampling her asters and keeping her grandchildren busy. Rudy laughed with her but it was pained and humourless that anything else.Miles even threw him a concerned look as he all but crumbled onto a near park bench and took his hand up to his eyes as he sank down in relief, he could even hear barks in the background as the woman's voice turned just as concern as Miles' touch as he now sat beside him and held his arm. Miles gestured to the phone to let him take it. Rudy obliged and just sighed into himself as he handed it over.

He listened tiredly to Miles speak, at him smiling a little and rocking forward and then back again as he gave a polite laugh and thanking her as he took out a pen from his pocket and yanked Rudy's hand over and wrote something in messy handwriting while he nodded and spoke the words "uh huh" every two seconds with the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear.

"So we'll see you soon, Trudy," he finally said." Thanks again, goodbye."

He handed Rudy's phone back without a word. Rudy couldn't help but think that this boy was amazing as he watched Miles run over to some old guy and ask him something. The man nodded and pointed in a direction they had already walked from and then made a left with his hand and other gestures.

"C'mon, their house is only half an hour away from here." Miles was grinning, a face of complete relief for Rudy." You should really phone Rosie and put her out of her misery."

Rudy did and Rosie just cried even harder, telling him that she'd go back to the apartment and wait for him there.

Going towards the house Miles prattled on about the latest read, and then all the others that he hadn't been able to talk to Rudy about in the past few weeks. He even remembered what Rudy had been reading before everything became a mess. Rudy flushed shamefully as he admitted he hadn't gotten anywhere with it and was still in the same place as he was where Miles and him had left off.

Miles didn't judge him at all. Of course he wouldn't.

Still didn't help the fact that Rudy felt as if he was small, inferior to Miles. Miles looked as if he had it all together, even after he had told Rudy about his mother it still came down to the fact that Miles didn' let it tie him down.

With Rudy he had left school, not being able to deal with it anymore after his parents were gone. He had left school and tried nothing else. He said he wouldn't because he wanted to support Rosie but even then that was a lie. He just didn't feel like he wanted to do anything ever again, or that he shouldn't do anything. Shouldn't continue living a life worth living if his parents weren't here to see it.