The In Between

Chapter six

• James gets stuck in clothes • 

Ricky

 • October 29 •

The morning was good I guess, the bruises on my neck were feeling better and I bet James' were too.

And then I realized that something bad was going to happen today.

And that ruined my morning.

James yawned and woke up. I could see little flickers of light appear around him to make the outline of angel wings, like the first time I met him when we were dead.

"Dammit," he muttered. "I don't want to do this again,"

"Yeah, I don't either, Abbatiello," the light flickered angrily around him.

"Don't call me that, Rick "

"Then don't call me Rick."

"Deal. You didn't even pronounce it right though,"

"Yeah well I don't actually care,"

"I'm offended." He got up and packed his bag.

"Ughhhh, this early?"

"Do you want to get to Tamir?"

"Not really,"

"Let me rephrase that. Do you want to stay here forever?"

"No I do not."

"Yeah, exactly."

We walked for a bit, through the forest until we reached a lake. Or maybe an ocean. On the other side it looked like a jungle, so I guess it was an ocean.

"Are we supposed to swim?"

"No, we're going to walk on the water like Jesus," he told me, taking off his boots and somehow stuffing them into his bag.

"But we're going to get wet. And it's cold."

"I have a few extra clothes in my bag. They'll probably be too big for you, considering you're scrawny and like five two, but they'll work until yours dry."

"I'm actually five eight." I took off my boots too. "I bet your clothes are boring anyways," they were pretty boring. A white button up a size too big tucked into his khaki pants, like, that was extremely boring. I, on the other hand, had a leather jacket. I was cool. I was not boring.

"That is very judgmental of you." He walked into the water.

"I'm not being judgemental if it's true," he splashed me. "Hey!"

"Shut up, it's not like you're going to stay perfectly dry while swimming,"

"Can't we take a boat or something?" He looked like he was trying not to face-palm.

"Do you see a boat anywhere? And anyways this is the route me and my guide took to get to the train," I almost asked about his guide until I found a much better question to ask.

"There's a train!?" I swam up to him. "There's human civilization!?"

"No. Why would there be human civilization here?? What makes you think people would actually want to live here?"

"I--"

"Ricky, you're honestly so dumb, it hurts my brain."

"Ouch."

"But hey, I'm not being judgemental if it's true!" He mimicked, "But honestly, why would anyone in their right mind want to live in a place like this??"