𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 |-/ rarl

IV

"is she gone?" carl asks without taking his eyes off the book in his hands as he hears ron entering the room.

they loved that abandoned building since they discovered it last year. ron showed it to enid and she nominated it their secret hideout, although carl didn't like it at all. since then they have been hiding things like food, comic books and pillows all over the place. in case of emergency, carl used to say.

"yeah, she... she needed to go home." the blonde reaches the other boy and sits down on the mattress on the floor. "do you think i'm a bad friend?"

"well, you suck at many things, but i don't think being a friend is one of them. relax."

ron takes a look at him. he's still reading.

"maybe enid disagrees."

"of course she disagrees" carl explains. "she likes you. nothing you ever do will ever be enough. i know it doesn't make sense, but that's how it is."

"what? she doesn't likes me, she's my friend. the closest, besides you."

"right" carl closes the book to laugh at him. "let's pretend she hates me without any reason then."

"first of all, she does not hate you" the anderson clarifies. "second, she does have a reason. i almost got kicked out from school because of you."

"ah, greatest week!" they remembered. "but whatever, you're too blind to notice."

"there's nothing to notice! and why would she hate you if she ever liked me?"

"because" carl turns at him with an obvious expression. "you use the time you could spend falling in love with her and being happily ever after, with me. she thinks i'm stealing you from her."

"nah, you don't know what you're talking about!"

carl sighs.

"alright then, ronald. alright then..."

ron looks down at the book in his hands.

"what's this?" he points.

"a book" carl jokes. ron gives him a look as they both laugh. "kiddin'. it's the aeneid from virgil. the best i've ever read."

he hands ron the book so he can admire the cover. the blonde opens it and skips the pages 'til he finds something marked.

ter conatus ibi collo dare bracchia circum;
ter frustra comprensa manus effugit imago.
(three times he tries to throw his arms round his neck;
clap their hands three times in vain, fled.)

"nice" he says trying to return him the book.

"keep it" carl says calmly. "read it to enid sometime. she'll enjoy."

"oh" ron gasps. "thank you... i mean-"

"yeah it's fine. anyway, did you know judith is the best of her class?"

"really?"

"she's a badass. just like her brother."

ron laughs.

"is she doing well?"

"the teachers are amazed she can already read. i taught her. she reads her own sleeping stories now."

"that's cool, man. sam still makes me read for him. he can't fall asleep if he's alone."

"he's lucky to have you." carl confesses.

"i don't know what he would be without me. i mean, that house is such a nightmare, y'know? it's a freak show."

"look at who's saying it!" carl jokes.

"the freakiest one, i know" he laughs. "but honestly, it's good we have each other. and also... it's good i have you. i think i'd go crazy without you here."

"maybe. i'd lose my mind if you weren't around too."

carl reaches his hands above his knees and touchs it softly before they look at each other and a malicious plan pops in their head.

"i know where we can go."