chocolate milkshakes | rodrick heffley

chapter seven: insomniacs love french fries

i wake up in the pitch black, my cat meowing from beside me.

"sonic, be quiet" i groan, rolling onto my side. my head pounds. what time is it?

the clock reads 1:53 am. great. im up in the middle of the night! im going to be so refreshed for school tomorrow. well, today. i reach for my water, finishing it in one chug. i sigh and lay down on my back, staring at the ceiling. maybe i should make some tea and just get up? i can't bring myself to even get out of bed. i feel like shit. mentally and physically. my chest still has that empty aching feeling. normally when i wake up at this time, i text kat. she pulls too many all nighters. is she doing that tonight? i rub my face. i need to stop thinking about her.

but does she even think about me? my eyes well up with tears. she probably doesn't. she's probably completely fine. why can't i be fine about it? why can't i thrive without her? why do i feel so fucking empty without her?

i reach for my phone, noticing there's multiple messages from rodrick.

rodrick: hey are you up? and do you happen to be able to unlock your window?

sent three minutes ago? what the fuck is he doing? i force myself to sit up, i use the little amount of energy i have left to walk over to the window and unlock it. sure enough, there's rodrick standing in my yard with a huge hoodie, sweats, and a beanie on. i smile slightly. he opens the window slowly, being cautious of the neighbors and my dad.

"what are you doing here?" i half whisper.

"guess i just couldn't stay away from you." he snickers. "i have food, here, take it. im gonna climb in."

oh my god.

i take the bag of mcdonalds out of his hand, waving him in.

i grit my teeth as he climbs in noisily.

"sorry" he smiles sheepishly.

i plop back down on my bed, looking up at him. "tell me the real reason you came."

he stares down at me. "why do you think? you just lost your best friend. i can't leave you alone."

i smile, rolling my eyes at his cheesiness.

"so do you want to eat or not?" he questions me.

"yeah, im starving" i laugh quietly. "but my dad will hear us. we can't stay in here."

"then where are we going?" his eyebrows furrow.

"outside? i don't know. anywhere but here." i get up, heading over to my closet to change. i remind him to be quiet then close the door behind me. i toss on some jeans and a hoodie, then slide on my worn in pair of vans. i open the squeaky closet door and reveal my outfit to him. "how do i look?" i ask, sarcastically.

"adorable" rodrick grins at me. my cheeks flush.

i sit back down on the bed, trying to think about where we can go.

"hey, are you going to school today?" i ask him.

he raises his eyebrows. "it depends, do you want to go?"

"not really. but do you think i can get away with two days in a row?"

"how about you go to school today and we can hang out again after? how long did you sleep?"

"stop trying to coax me into going to school" i huff.

"i just don't want you to get into trouble" he says innocently. i know it's because he feels like he has to take care of me, but i don't push it any further.