ME AND HIM ✔️

Pt.36

Nadine's POV

EVERYONE STARTS TALKING at the same time, making things even more confusing.

"What the hell do you mean 'you just saw your parents'!" Aniyah yells, using her fingers to make quotation marks.

"I mean, I just saw my fucking parents." I yell back. I'm not imagining things, I saw them, I saw my parents.

"Well where did you see them?" Rue asks softly.

"Over there,"I point to the forest that was along the road. We were currently on an abandon bridge, and the forest was 'right next door'.

"I don't see anyone, Nadine."

"Well no shit! They ran into the woods." I yell. They think I'm stupid, huh? Like I'm just making all this up or something,"If you don't believe me, that's fine, it's not like I give a fuck." I get out of the car and slam the door shut. A few seconds later, the car door opens, and Rue steps out.

"Are you going after them?" She asks, smoothing down her dress.

"Yea," I look at her. The tip of her nose is red and her cheeks are a soft rosy color.

"I'll go with you," she insists, already grabbing her coat.

"No, it's fine, I don't want you to get sick-"

"I'll go with you" She states.

I look at her, confusion and shock taking over my words.

I scuff, "Fine," I start walking ahead of her, causing her to stumble behind me, desperately trying to keep up with my long strides.

We come to a stopping point as we get near the opening of the woods, "You really wanna go... in there?" Rue asks In a shaky voice.

"I need to know what happened." I simply say,"So are you down, or not?" I look at her, waiting for an answer.

Her lips part a bit, and I hear her breathing become a bit uneven, "Let's do this, I guess?" She whispers.

Rue's POV

Nadine's hand holds on to mine tightly as we run through the woods. I'm not exactly sure where he saw his parents, but I'm just gonna roll with it.

"Nadine, Nadine- can we just- can we just take a break for a second?" I say out of breath.

He lets out a groan and releases my hand, "This is why I didn't want you to come with me, I knew you would just slow me down." He says harshly.

He's right. I shouldn't have gone out here with him. I'm tired, cold, and I feel like I'm about to die from starvation.

That reminds me.

I didn't eat anything today.

"Are you sure you saw them? I mean, come on.Maybe you just saw someone who looked like them"

"I know what I fucking saw, Rue. I'm not crazy, I'm not like you, or Alex-" He suddenly stops talking.

probably replaying his choice of words in his mind.

I look at him, speechless. I'm not crazy. And neither is my brother. We just have problems. Nothing wrong with that.

"I'm the crazy one?" I ask. "We're in the middle of the woods, looking for your parents, and you don't even know where you saw them go. I am in high heels and a fucking dress, helping you look for someone who probably isn't out here. I am trying so hard to forgive you, but you just keep giving me more reasons, not to. And I'm the crazy one? Yea, okay," I finish.

"You shouldn't forgive me," he says harshly.

"I can't not do that, Nadine. You dragged me all the way out here, and for what? I'm no use to you, I can't do anything to help. So why the fuck did you bring me out here! So I could be your fuckbuddy?" I yell, a little louder than I mean to.

I start waking away from him, heading back from where we came. My feet hurt from these fucking high heels, and I feel like I'm about to turn into a block of ice.

"Rue, you know that's not what I meant," His hands finds my wrist, he yanks me back, sending me flying into his chest. My back is pressed against his front, allowing me to get a good look of all the trees that surround us.

Ah, nature.

I try to push off him, but he keeps a strong grip, "Prudence." He says, leaning down, so that he can whisper, clearly into my ear.'

I stop moving, I stop struggling, I stop. If I wasn't so mad at him right now, I would be swooning over how softly my name rolled off his tongue. And how nice his accent made my name sound ten times better.

It's too bad, I'm mad at him.

"Rue, you know I didn't mean that, I'm just... I don't know, I don't want you to think I'm imagining all of this."

"And what if you are." I turn around, so that I'm now facing him, "What if you haven't had enough sleep, and now you're going crazy." His eyes fall on me, and now, we're making direct eye contact.

"You know, just because me and my brother are medicated, it doesn't make us crazy. We have real problems, real issues"

"Rue." He calls.

I'm not answering him.

I continue to walk back from the way we came.
My high heels slightly sink into the ground as I walk, but it's better than being barefoot. Even though this is practically the same.

I can't even think right while I'm this cold.

"Rue." He calls again.

Fuck. I need a hot shower.

"Rue." And again.

I'm really hungry, I should have ate while we were at the ball.

"Answer me, Rue," he demands.

no.

"Please."

I stop walking. I feel my breath get caught in my throat. I slowly turn around to see him walking up, a few feet still between us.

Did he just say... Please? To me? Of all people?

- Brooke ♥️

10/4/2021