Nicotine (Eremin)

Chapter 13

(A/N: oh look Bailey's writing another chapter in the same day that shows how much she has to do with her life)

February 

Armin's POV

        I hadn't eaten in two days. I was in Ohio now, but the cost of the bus fare took up the rest of my funds. I was hungry, and I still had a long ass way to go. 

        I had no choice but to take another wallet. 

        It was pretty risky, but I was going to have to do it sooner or later. 

        I walked through the door of a local Ohio diner and scouted the bar. There was one tall guy with curly orange hair wearing a big coat. I sat down next to him and ordered a water. The man was alone, and had a glass of iced tea. I just had to wait to see him pay to find out if I could grab his wallet. 

        Ten minutes had passed, and he asked for his check. 

        I watched out of the corner of my eye as he looked at the bill, and pulled a brown leather wallet out of his back pocket, drop a five on the table, and slip it into the outer pocket of his coat. 

        It was my chance. I stood up off the bar stool, and slid past him, bumping into the man as I went. I slipped my hand into his coat pocket and grabbed his wallet. As I walked past him, I shoved my hand into my sweatpants pocket with the wallet. 

        "Hey, pal." he said.

        "Uh, yeah?" oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. 

        "Did you just take my wallet?" he spun around on the stool and leaned his elbows against the counter.

        "Uh, yeah. I'm sorry, its just... nevermind. Sorry." I handed him his wallet back. I could have run, but I couldn't risk him catching me and calling the police, or anything. 

        "What's your name, kid?" he asked, taking back his wallet.

        "Uh, Tony." I panicked. I didn't want to tell him my real name, in case he knew about me from amber alerts or anything, even though I doubted I would be breaking news two states away from where I disappeared. 

        "No, it's not." he took a sip from his tea.

        "What?"

        "Your name isn't Tony."

        "I.. um... yes it is."

        "It's not. You hesitated."

        "I did not!"

        "Did too."

        "My name is Tony!"

        "No, it's really not. But I doubt you're gonna tell me your real name, so we'll go with Tony." 

        Jeez, this guy was good. 

        "My name's Adam. Nice to meet you, kid. Now, can I ask why you were trying to take my wallet?" Adam asked. I sure as hell didn't know what this guy wanted, but somehow I knew that if I didn't tell the truth, he would know. 

        "I, um, ran away from home." I said sheepishly. 

        "We all do at some point. Where did you run from?" he asked, inviting me to sit down. I was tired, and I really wanted to finish that water, so I accepted. 

        "New York." I told him. His eyes widened a little, but otherwise remained expressionless. 

        "You're pretty far from home. Why'd you run in the first place?" Adam asked, taking another sip from his nearly empty tea.

        "Well, I used to live with my grandfather, and he forbade me from talking to my best friend ever again, and he was the only person I ever cared about, so I'm going to him." I told him. 

        "Hmm. Where does said friend live?" he kept asking me questions, and I answered as if Adam was an old friend. 

        "His name is Eren, and he lives in California." I drank the last of my water. Adam waved down a waitress and ordered two more iced teas and some fries. The waitress returned a minute later with the food. He slid an iced tea across to me and motioned for me to have some fries. I thanked him, and started shoving fries into my mouth. 

        "You looked pretty hungry. When's the last time you ate?" he asked, taking a fry for himself. 

        "Two days ago, I think. Funny, Eren always asks me that same question when I call him." Adam smiled. 

        "So, what's this Eren like?" he asked, drinking from his tea. 

        "He's great! We met online when we were thirteen, and we were planning on going to the same college. I try to call him when I can, and he always asks me how I'm doing. I mean, like if I've eaten, and where I've been sleeping and things like that. He's a really nice guy." I told him.

        "And you said this guy was your friend?"

        "Yes. He's my best friend, and he always will be." I replied.

        "It sounds to me like Eren cares more about you than you'd think. Tell you what, Tony. Here's some cash, and I'll give you a ride to a hotel a few blocks down. I'll pay for the night stay. You remind me of myself when I was in high school. I really hope you find your friend." Adam slid $150 dollars across the table and tossed a twenty on the bill. 

        "I.. .I can't take your money." I slid it back to him. He pushed my hand back.

        "I'm a married man. I have two beautiful daughters, and a roof over my head. You need it more than I do." Adam said. I felt like I was about to cry. No one had been this nice to me since I ran away. 

        "Tell me when you're ready, and we can head over to that hotel I was talking about." he patted my back, and downed the rest of his tea. I nodded and we headed out to Adam's silver pickup truck. 

        "I'm rooting for you, Tony. I really do hope you find your friend." He patted my back again as I was getting out of his car at the hotel. 

        "Armin."

        "What?"

        "Armin. That's my name. Thank you so much, Adam. I really can't thank you enough." I told him. Adam pulled a pen out of his pocket and scribbled something on the back of a receipt and handed it to me. 

        "That's my number. Call me if you ever get into trouble, and make sure you call me when you get to California. I've never been, and I want to hear all about it. Good luck Armin. Armin. Suits you better than Tony, if I say so myself." he waved goodbye and drove away from the hotel.

        I was left at the doorway to an unfamiliar building, but I didn't feel lost anymore. I realized that some people do care, and I wasn't alone in the world. 

        I was never alone to begin with. 

        I had Eren.