To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 70

Rutger wasn’t particularly trying to fight with Trey for Anita’s sake. Thanks to his stepfather, Baylan, he was already in a bad mood, and seeing Anita trembling beside him only annoyed him. Following what he had learned from his father in his early years, Rutger clenched his fist and extended one foot forward.

Fortunately, Trey, being quite big, served as a suitable punching bag.

Realizing that Rutger was about to fight, Trey’s small eyes narrowed. The sight reminded Anita of a mole coming out of the ground, and she absentmindedly fidgeted with her hands. Anita had a plan to strike Trey with a book at an opportune moment if he became a threat to Rutger. Since she couldn’t afford to lose face in front of the Baylan couple, Anita was contemplating the right time to execute her plan.

As Rutger and Trey glared at each other, preparing for a confrontation, Anita found herself caught in trivial thoughts. Considering that Trey was slightly taller than her, hitting him on the head would be challenging. Should she jump to land a more powerful blow? That might indeed deliver a stronger impact.

Finally, whether the analysis had ended or not, Trey threw the first punch. His fist should have landed straight on Rutger’s abdomen, but Rutger easily dodged it, sending it in a completely different direction. At the swift movement of Trey’s arm, his body swayed along. In the midst of his staggering, Rutger kicked Trey.

With a thud, Trey fell to the ground. Anita frowned, considering the numerous bacteria on the dirt floor.

Rutger, not one to show courtesy to his opponent, attempted to kick the fallen Trey. Anita, secretly disliking Trey herself, had planned to turn a blind eye to Rutger’s questionable actions. As Rutger drew his foot back, preparing to strike, a distant scream pierced through the air.

“Trey! My son!”

Whether she was in the middle of dying her hair or not, a woman wearing a bathrobe and slippers with a stained head rushed over, her yellow liquid-dripping hair swaying with each step.

“You! Don’t stay there!”

Anita, with a pale face, gripped the collar of Rutger’s shirt. Rutger, still kicking Trey with annoyance, didn’t flinch even at Mrs. Rayburn’s urging.

“Let’s go, quickly!”

“Why?”

“Do you want to be locked up in the house, Mrs. Rayburn is going to come to our house and ask your parents to ground you.”

Anita poured out words without taking a breath. Driven by her momentum, Rutger unknowingly started running after Anita.

“Oh, my son… Are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”

The woman stood next to her fallen son, rocking her foot as if expressing sympathy. In Anita’s view, Trey didn’t seem to have suffered any injuries. He just fell awkwardly after losing balance from swinging his fist alone.

Turning around to glance behind, Anita and Rutger sprinted down the empty street. Only when Trey’s house was no longer visible did they stop to catch their breath.

“I… I’m really… ha…”

Wiping sweat beads from her forehead, Anita barely continued speaking. Of course, Rutger, who ignored half of the words due to only half hearing them, continued to ignore her.

“Damn neighborhood.”

Rutger muttered irritably, clapping his hands. Hearing that, Anita’s pupils dilated, and she opened her mouth in surprise.

“If you knew the history of this neighborhood, you wouldn’t say that. The statue in the square…”

“Not interested.”

Having already grasped a rough idea of what kind of person Anita was, Rutger responded decisively. He seemed like the type of guy who would prefer kicking a ball around rather than getting bored reading books indoors, or perhaps the kind of person who would rather play the role of an energetic guide, explaining history and monuments to tourists in a tourist spot.

Like most boys his age, Rutger preferred to kick a ball around rather than sit indoors reading a dull book.

“So, where is this place anyway?”

Upon Rutger’s question, Anita’s face brightened after glancing around for a moment.

“Oh, I know. If you go about two minutes into that alley, you’ll find a shopping street.”

Anita guided Rutger, down the street where they lived, just a short distance from the shopping center. It was getting dark, but the lights from the shops and street lamps illuminated the street brightly.

“Sometimes I walk around at night with my parents, and that’s my favorite time. Isn’t it strange? Even though the sun has set, there can still be light.”

“Yeah, it’s cool.”

Anita had a somewhat light but thick book tucked into her side.

“Give it to me.”

“Huh?”

“Give me the book. I’ll carry it.”

“It’s okay…”

Although Anita mumbled an intention to refuse, Rutger extended his hand as if he hadn’t heard. His arm hurt a bit. However, Anita felt sorry for making Rutger carry her burden, so she dug into her pocket and pulled out a few bills.

Handing the book to Rutger, Anita said.

“Wait a moment.”

Anita walked into the store where the pretty light bulbs were hanging. The young man at the register recognized her.

“Look who it is, isn’t it Anita? Last time I saw you, you were wrapped in a scarf and now you’re walking around.”

“It’s not that bad. Oh, do you have lemon pie?”

“There should be. How many slices?”

“Um… give me two slices.”

After beautifully wrapping the box with a ribbon, Anita left the store.

“Rutger, let’s go now.”

Rutger, who was standing with the book tucked into his side, turned around at Anita’s voice. Under the warm light of the shop, Anita, who met Rutger’s green eyes unexpectedly, paused for a moment. His eyes, seen under the gentle illumination of the shop street, resembled a calm emerald lake.

His irises, which changed color depending on the surroundings, always fascinated Anita. When she was staring at his eyes without moving, Rutger, unexpectedly calling her name, looked at her with a puzzled expression, wondering why she was behaving like that.

“Anita Rodel.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. Let’s go now.”

Anita seemed to regain her composure only now and awkwardly responded before approaching him. Rutger paid little attention to the box in Anita’s hand. He never even dreamed that Anita might have bought something to give to him.

As the two walked side by side, there was a commotion near their homes. Now that Anita looked closely, about ten adults had gathered in front of Anita and Rutger’s house, raising their voices. Wondering what was happening, she squinted her eyes and observed the crowd, muttering to herself.

“We’re screwed.”

“What?”

Rutger sighed in annoyance as he turned his gaze in Anita’s direction. A policeman was intervening among the adults. A policeman with a neatly buttoned white shirt, a baton at his waist, and a hat on his head.

Without a doubt, the adults must have reported them missing. Anita looked like she might break into tears at any moment, and Rutger briefly considered running away.

Just as Rutger was about to turn around and execute his plan, Anita grabbed the hem of his shirt.

“Are you out of your mind? Just get scolded for a bit. If you run away now, it will only make things worse.”

Eventually, the two obeyed and headed home. Along the way, someone who had discovered the missing children shouted loudly, and the scolding eyes of the adults gathered. Anita covered her face with a book, perhaps feeling ashamed of causing the accident. Rutger, on the other hand, was unnecessarily proud.