To Be the Perfect Childhood Friend - Chapter 72
Anita continued speaking with an excited tone, but Rutger abruptly interrupted.
“Who’s Andy?”
“He’s the protagonist of a book I read yesterday. He rejected being enslaved by civilized society and lived his whole life in the trees.”
“Why am I naturally involved in that foolish plan?”
Twelve-year-old Rutger Baylan had a lot to complain about. When Anita first met him, his sharp words caused a lot of hurt, but after a few years, but now, years later, she’d gotten used to it. She had the presence of mind to ignore his complaints and move on.
“Even got a nameplate, still undecided about the wording. Want to go up?”
Rutger didn’t even bother to say no, just plopped down on the ground. Anita reluctantly grabbed the rope ladder. Instead of making the steps wide like a regular ladder, she opted for thin, round cylindrical wooden steps to achieve a more natural look. Climbing up to the treehouse on steps less than half the length of a person’s foot was not an easy task.
Making her way up halfway, Anita’s foot slipped, causing her to wobble. One leg was on a step, and the other hung in the air.
“Calm down! I’ll catch you.”
Saying that, Rutger, who had suddenly stood up, didn’t seem calm at all. With one leg in the air, the center of gravity collapsed. The rope of the ladder, without any support, swayed. For a moment, useless thoughts crossed Anita’s mind – like breaking a leg while climbing a rope ladder in their own backyard. How pathetic it would sound.
Rutger hurriedly tried to catch the swinging ladder without any support. Although he grasped the rope ladder, his effort didn’t make much of a difference. In an attempt to abruptly stop the ladder, which was swaying back and forth like a pendulum, the situation became even more chaotic.
In the moment Anita lost her grip on the rope, instinctively, she extended one leg, like a tackling move, around the wooden platform.
“Wait…!”
As if performing an acrobatic stunt, Anita hung upside down with one leg on the platform, swaying back and forth. Seeing Anita wobbling like a pendulum, Rutger pitied her and approached to help. Unfortunately, before Rutger could extend a rescuing hand, Anita’s leg slipped from the ladder, and she fell onto Rutger.
In the next moment, all Anita could remember was a flashing light. Her skull ached. Anita, who had been holding her head and groaning for a while, somehow felt that the ground was unusually soft. Even if it was grass, it shouldn’t be this soft. Her vision, which had become blurry due to spinning, gradually returned after a while. Slowly regaining focus and realizing what she was sitting on, Anita took a gasp of breath.
“Uh, sorry. Are you okay? There’s a bump on your forehead…”
In contrast to Anita’s light skin and dark hair, a slightly red mark appeared. Without thinking, Anita extended her hand towards Rutger’s forehead. Right before Anita’s hand made contact, he narrowed his eyes. The usually bright color, resembling a mix of peridot and sapphire, appeared dark green today. This change was caused by Anita’s shadow.
“Move.”
“Huh?”
He found Anita’s hair tickling his ears and neck annoying, so he tucked it behind her ear. Perhaps due to gravity, the hair flowed down like a waterfall again. At the same time, Rutger swiftly pushed Anita aside.
“Ah!”
Thrown aside, Anita tumbled on the grass. Even though she could have stood up with frustration after being pushed so forcefully, Anita stayed motionless. Seeing Anita lying on the grass, staring absentmindedly at the sky, Rutger, maybe sensing guilt, said something.
“Are you okay?”
“…….”
“Hey.”
Anita didn’t respond. No, she couldn’t respond.
Even though she was clearly looking up at the sky filled with clouds, the vivid green eyes in front of her seemed to grow larger. Black hair scattered on the grass and trembling corners of the mouth, looking flustered.
Anita silently pressed her hand against her eye. It felt like illusions kept appearing.
“Your knee is bleeding.”
Rutger’s words brought back her lost senses.
“Get up.”
When Anita continued to wriggle on the floor and refused to get up, Rutger forcefully lifted her to her feet. Anita briefly held out one arm for Rutger’s support, but as soon as she sat up, she covered her eyes with her hand again. Rutger clicked his tongue at her absurd behavior.
“What are you doing?”
Anita’s strange actions didn’t faze Rutger as he plucked the grass stuck to Anita’s knee.
“It hurts…”
A slight dissatisfaction slipped through Anita’s hands, but Rutger ignored it.
“Who told you to climb a ladder anyway, you just pick the stupidest things to do.”
“…….”
“What did you say earlier? That you’ll live up there? Don’t say stupid things. What about heating? Where will you wash? What about security? Is there a guarantee that it’s safe up there? Are you the only one who knows how to climb a ladder in this world?”
“…….”
“Just stay in your room. Are you homeless or something?”
Being confused and making a funny mistake a few minutes ago, Anita couldn’t offer any rebuttal.
“Give me your hand.”
A little while back, Rutger was speaking smoothly, but now he suddenly fell silent. During this period, he took Anita’s hand as if she were a lost child and led her to the front gate. The distance wasn’t even ten steps. Mrs. Rodel observed Anita being pulled along by Rutger with a serious expression, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Twelve-year-old Rutger Baylan asked seriously.
“Can’t we knock that treehouse down again?”
Anita stomped on Rutger’s foot.
***
“Sorry. I’m busy today.”
Rutger had begun to draw a line in the sand with Anita. Anita also understood. Boys their age usually played with each other, and the same went for girls.
Of course, Anita had no friends.
“Are you okay?”
Today, Rutger returned home with a bruised face again. His face looked calm, but the momentum was quite fierce.
Anita, who was reading a book on the garden swing, rushed over in amazement.
“Trey, that bastard. Cowardly… “
Rutger, who was venting his anger, suddenly seemed to notice that he was getting too excited and quickly calmed down.