Nicotine (Eremin)

Chapter 8

February 

Eren's POV

        This. 

        Is. 

        Hell. 

        I had no communication with Armin in what seemed like years, but was probably closer to a week. I had become a sad lump of blankets with no friends. There was literally nothing I cared about anymore. 

        "Eren?" I heard Mikasa's soft voice come from outside my door. She tried to turn the knob, but I locked the door. 

        "Eren, please tell me what's wrong. You can talk to me." I rolled onto my side and pulled the blankets over my head. I heard Mikasa's feet stomp back down the hallway, which was unusual. She wasn't someone who gave up so easily. She came back a minute later, and I heard the doorknob fidgiting again. 

        Another few seconds later, she burst in the door and threw a screwdriver and a bobby pin onto my bed. 

        "Talk to me. I can tell something's wrong. I mean, you barely leave your room anymore, and you're starting to smell. When's the last time you took a shower?" she pushed a pillow off of the bed ad sat down in it's place. 

        "Probably about a week ago." I groaned and sat up, my hair greasy, and matted to my forehead. Mikasa's eyebrows arched. 

        "Dude, take a shower. You might feel better afterwards, but if you don't please come talk to me." she stood up and put the pillow back in it's spot. She left my room, shooting me a sympathetic smile. 

        I decided to take her advice, and I started running a shower. Standing in the bathroom, i checked my phone again for any sign of Armin. 

        Still nothing. 

        I wasn't ready to give up on him yet. I pulled my shirt over my head and I started unbuttoning my pants, when I heard a slight humming noise coming from the counter next to me. 

        I was getting a call from an unknown number. I assumed it might have been one of my classmates calling, and I picked up. 

        "Hel-" I was cut off. 

        "Eren!" a familiar voice breathed from the other side of the call. I pushed my phone closer to my face in disbelief.

        "Armin! Oh my god, are you okay? Why haven't you been talking to me? What's wrong?" I shot rapid fire questions at him.

        "Okay, I'll explain in a minute, but I'm using a public phone, and I have limited time, so, I missed you so, so, so much." I felt so relieved to hear his voice again. 

        "I missed you too, man." I must have looked like an excited puppy, nearly brought to tears from hearing my friend's voice. 

        "Okay, so my grandfather found out about you, and he forbade me from making any contact with you. And, last night, he pushed me, and I was tired of his shit. I ran away from home. I'm calling you from an inn about twelve miles from my house." he explained. My happiness quickly turned to anger. I was angry at Armin's grandpa for treating him like that. I was angry that Armin didn't have anywhere to go anymore. I was angry at the world. 

        "Did you take anything? Where did you sleep last night? What have you been eating?" I asked him, worried for his safety. I heard him laugh a little.

        "I grabbed a blanket on my way out, and yesterday I took some guy's wallet. It had a few bucks, so I spent most of it on a meal, and the rest on this phone call. As for sleeping, I slept at a homeless shelter last night. I'm okay, I promise." he answered, calmly.

        "Is there anywhere you can go?" I asked. He uttered three words in response. 

        "Only to you." 

        I didn't know how to respond. I didn't even know how he would do it, but Armin was persistent. He would walk if it was his last option. 

        "How?" I asked him.

        "By any means necessary. I can keep stealing wallets, take trains, buses, whatever. I can beg on the streets, I don't care, but I will get to you somehow. Look, I'm almost out of minutes, so I'll keep this brief. You are the only person that matters to me anymore. Not my grandpa, not anyone. I will figure out how to get to you, Eren. I'll keep calling you when I can, okay?"

        "Okay." I told him. There was more I wanted to tell him, but I didn't think I had the guts to do it.

        "I have to go now. Bye, Eren, I'll see you soon." he said.

        I panicked.

        "Wait, Armin, I-" 

        he hung up on me. 

        "-love you."