angels like you (rini au)

T W E N T Y

~chapter twenty~

Anyone who knows Ricky and EJ as a duo would know that one problem they have when they're together is that they can never shut up. During class, during meetings, during practice. Hence why their coach was hesitant to make them co-captains. It's hard to lead a team when you don't know when to shut the hell up.

Unless they were unconscious, there was never a silent moment between them. They were always either laughing or talking, or doing both simultaneously. Which is why it was so unnatural for them to have such an awkward silence between them. It was such an unusual experience for them that neither of them really knew what to say or do.

Ricky tapping the window of EJ's car, as well as the engine were the only sounds that could be heard, and it was honestly just annoying. But Ricky didn't want to speak first. He felt really bad, and didn't really know how to bring himself to apologise for the things he'd said to EJ.

Obviously Ricky and EJ's losses in the family were both very different circumstances, but regardless they both lost people who were very close to them. EJ's dad was pretty much his hero, and Ricky knew that. Which is why him saying "you have no idea how I'm feeling" was eating him up inside. It was probably the worst thing he'd ever said to him.

Taking his eyes off the road for a brief second, EJ glanced at Ricky who clearly had something on his mind. He tried to read him, but couldn't and that frustrated him. And Lord knows Ricky wasn't going to speak first.

"So ready to go back to school?"

Ricky's eyes widened and he froze as he stopped tapping the window. "Huh?" he hummed anxiously, even though he had clearly heard exactly what his best friend had said. EJ looked at him confusedly, noticing the nervousness in his voice. "You haven't been to school all week. You're going back today..are you ready?"

"Oh! Right, uh..yeah, I think so. Besides even if I'm not, I can't just stay away forever," he answered. "True. Unless you wanted to drop out-"

"I'm really sorry," Ricky blurted out, taking the dark haired boy by surprise. "Apology accepted," EJ nodded, as he pulled his car into the parking lot of East High. "What?" He responded confusedly. That was barely even an apology so he didn't understand how or why EJ was forgiving him.

"Well depends, are you talking about cutting off my sentence or did you say something else to me that I have managed to completely forget about? Cause if I've completely forgotten about it then that's probably a sign that it's not worth apologising for," EJ laughed, as he turned the engine off.

"No, cutting of your sentence. But when you came to see me at home, and we argui- well, more like I was shouting. And then you were trying to help, and I said you didn't understand anything I was going through..." Ricky explained and EJ nodded as he flashed back to that conversation. Truth be told, it did hurt him. But he understood why Ricky had said it, and he wasn't going to hold it over his head.

"Oh right, yeah I remember," he replied. "Yeah, and that was...a really shitty thing to say. Especially since I know how close you were with your Dad and everything, I should never even have thought about saying that. Well, that's kind of the problem. I wasn't thinking. Anyways, I felt like you deserved a proper apology for it, cause I was 100% in the wrong. And-"

"You're apologising an awful lot for something I'm not even mad at you for," EJ interrupted. "You're not?" He asked. "No, obviously I'm not," he laughed, which relieved Ricky of some of his stress. "Well, in the moment I was a little offended and stuff, but like..I'm not mad about it. Why would I be mad?" He asked.