Line of Time

Going Out

As the months went on Gunnar started to skip school again, not much at first but it was enough to say that he wasn't in class anymore. He had maintained a B average in all his classes and made sure to stay for all his tests. But on the days that they learned new things he was nowhere to be found. Tino and Mathias noticed his absence the most since they were the ones that hung around him the most at lunch break. But when they went home at the end of the day they would find him along the way on the sidewalks. He would read up on the new chapters every night before bed and disappear again in the morning. 

The thing was that for once Miss Cooper didn't suspect her son in his actives this time around. He brought home good grades and she saw him do what she thought was homework. He never seemed like he was up to his old games, he had learned since last time. He learned to keep his secret hidden better and make it look like he was actually going to school and not doing what he had been doing for as long as he could remember since before Miss Cooper took him in. 

But one day when the family was out. Miss Cooper had taken Erin, Lukas, Mathias, Peter and Sky out to the community center to help out. Tino got to stay home because he couldn't really do much there because of his chair and Gunnar had offered to watch him for the night and keep him company. Tino was looking forward to spending the night with him but no even an hour after they had left Gunnar was getting ready to leave on his own as well. 

Tino had heard him in their room and wheeled himself into the doorway as he watched Gunnar putting on his worn old leather jacket. He couldn't remember how he had gotten it but he had always remembered Gunnar having something like that with him. It suited him but he always wore it when he went out for long periods of time.

"Where are you going?..." Tino asked his voice small and hesitant to ask. Gunnar jumped, knocking himself into the end table by his bed and then turning swiftly to face him. Tino backed up his chair a bit out of the room as he met his gaze. 

"Sorry... You just scared me, that's all. You're fine." Gunnar told him as he saw Tino relax a bit at his reassuring tone of voice. Tino still looked at him for an answer, his brown eyes made Gunnar hold his tongue for a moment. He couldn't tell Tino the truth about where he was going, Tino would never let him leave or worst he would tell Miss Cooper or someone else who would eventually tell her. He thought of a lie he could tell him, after years of practice a good one came to him in a flash. 

"I'm going out to get some stuff from a friend." He said as he went back to his bed and stuffed things into his pockets, his back making it so Tino couldn't see what they were. But Tino eye's widened at that. 

"You're coming back, right?..." Tino asked as Gunnar finally picked up on the tone that he had used, it had struck a heart string. Tino spoke with such fear and sadness. He turned around and found tears threatening to form in his eyes. Tino was fourteen but looked as if he was still the child that Gunnar had first met at the dinner table at Christmas dinner.

"When do I not come back? You really need to stop worrying about people and stop crying about it. You need to grow up, it's not like I'm going to die and so what if I did. There are thousands of people dying all around the world right now. You know why, because that's what life is, a war that you fight and it ends with everyone dying no matter what side you fight for." Gunnar snarled at him as he walked past him and through the doorway. He paused as he reached the kitchen area, he realized what he had said, he turned to go fix his mistake but before he could reach the door. Tino had slammed it shut and the sound of the door being locked from the inside was heard. Gunnar stood in front of the door for a moment as he heard Tino's quiet sobs. He put his hand up to the door but Tino yelled from inside, seeing his shadow from under the doorway. 

"Just go away! That's what you want so just leave. Leave me alone!" Tino shouted as Gunnar heard the amount of hurt in his voice but he was already going to be running late if he didn't go now. So in a huff of anger he stormed off and ran down the city streets, making his way to his destination as he left Tino all alone.