"Remind me of why we're walking again when we could've of tooked the car?" Rick sighs

"We're just going on a walk, we're not going anywhere important, the car is not needed."

Rick walked silently beside Celine, his hands buried in the pockets of his sweats. His face was emotionless and his gaze was distant. It was clear that this leisurely walk was not his preferred activity and that he would rather be anywhere but here. The boredom etched on his face was impossible to miss, and it was clear that he was counting down the minutes until this outing was over.

Celine broke the silence by drawing out the word "soo" as she eyed Rick, who was staring straight ahead. Despite her attempt to engage in conversation, Rick's gaze remained fixed forward, his expression still neutral and uninterested.

"What?" he replied

"What are your favorite activities to do?" 

"you serious?" his expression made it clear that he didn't want to be quizzed right now.

Celine picked up on Rick's annoyance and didn't bothered to respond verbally, her facial expression speaking volumes about her feelings.

Rick let out a tired sigh before answering Celine's question. "Video games." he muttered nonchalantly, his tone lacking any enthusiasm or interest.

"ooh, What type of video games?"

Rick grunted, his gaze fixated on Celine.

"Tell me."

"Call of duty, I guess."

"Are you good at it?"

Rick scoffed, "Don't ask me dumb questions, Kinsley."

Celine chuckled and held her hands up to surrender. "Okay okay." She laughed.

Rick glances at Celine's face as she laughs, his expression softening slightly.

"Do you play Fortnite?" Celine asked

"Fortnite is for the little boys whose balls ain't dropped yet," he stated

Celine chuckled softly,
"Still didn't answered my question."

Rick rolled his eyes and snuggled his hands back into his sweat pockets.

"No, I don't, not anymore."

"Oh okay, So Your saying that you're boring??— honestly I would've of kicked your ass in a 1v1."

Rick quit walking and glared. "Are you challenging me, Kinsley?"

"I think I am." a smirk slightly tugged on the inner corner of my lips.

he shook his head in disbelief at what I just said, "Bet." he responded.

"Rick." 

"Yeah?"

"Sometimes I don't see you as the bully or the boy who's angry all the time, you showed me sides of you when you were showing empathy towards me."

"You were a happy boy when we were younger when we played in the backyard of your house every day"

"You were always so nice and the first to welcomed me."

"Your behavior is not the same now."

"It's called growing up Celine." he sighed

"Growing up to become what?— mean??" Celine questions

"No Rick, you're hurting."

"I don't have time for this." he strolled ahead of me.

Celine moved closer to Rick, matching his pace as they continued walking. "Damnit Rick!! Stop avoiding it." she pleaded, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"I just want to be there for you and befriend you again!"

Rick suddenly came to a halt, standing frozen in his tracks. He was taken aback by Celine's sudden outburst and felt a mix of surprise and irritation. He couldn't meet her gaze, instead looking around in every direction but directly at her. His hands fidgeting and clenched into tight fists, a sign of his irritation and frustration.

"I didn't have the choice to walk away from it!"

"It's just going to hurt you over and over again, stop bottling and hiding away your emotions."

"It's okay to let it out and just cry!"

"You're not doing nothing but hurting others and yourself Rick!"

"Please.." Celine voice softens

"I care about you, Rick!"

"And I'm worried.."

Rick's eyes widened slightly as he turned around a few steps away from Celine, facing her from a distance. His expression was a mix of surprise and disbelief, as he wasn't expecting such a strong reaction from her.

Rick's hands were still clenched tightly, a sure sign of his inner turmoil and emotions. He wasn't feeling outright anger, but he wasn't happy either. His eyes darted around nervously, unable to focus on one thing, mirroring the turmoil in his mind. His trembling hands betrayed the tension he was holding onto.

Celine's commanding voice cut through the tension, and she spoke firmly, "Look at me." Her eyes locked onto Rick's, demanding his attention.

Rick slowly raised his head, his eyes meeting Celine's. He tried to conceal his vulnerability, but the effort was obvious.

"You know, don't you?"
he glared.

Celine gulped nervously and nodded.

"it was Rina wasn't it?— who told you?"

I shook my head in a 'no' motion.

Rick's gaze slowly dropped downwards, and it was evident that he felt defeated.

Celine stepped closer to Rick, her hand gently moving his chin, lifting his head up so that he had no choice but to look at her. The concern in her eyes was evident as she made him face her directly.

"I understand that you're hurt but you avoiding it and running away is just going to hurt yourself,"

"Again and again."

"You have to let go even when you don't want to." 

"It's okay to cry."

"Boys don't fucking cry Kinsley!"

"But Men do! and that's okay."

"You have to understand that I'm here for you so stop pushing me away, please." Celine voice softens.

Rick's eyes were still watery, and his lips trembled slightly as he tried to hold back the tears. He tried to maintain composure by staring up at the sky, but it was clear that he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

As Rick looked at Celine, his eyes were watery,  he was holding it back trying to keep his emotions in check.

The tension in his fists and the slight tremble in his hands were indicative of the internal struggle he was going through.

"You haven't moved on yet, and I haven't either— it's okay." Celine gently stroked his shoulders.

"I'm not going to fucking cry." Rick's voice trembled.

"You already did." Celine's eyes welled up with a tear, and a small smile appeared on her face.

The tears flowing down his face betrayed his words. The attempt to hold back his emotions was in vain as he struggled to keep a straight face.

Celine goes in for a hug, her body against his, the breeze of the wind and leaves gusting right past us. 

"I'll always look after you even on the days that you are mean to me."

"Because I fucking understand."

✩✩✩

As Rick entered the house, he pushed the door open forcefully, and the sound of it smacking against the wall echoed through the room. Without pausing, he dashed upstairs, tears streaming down his face. As he ran up the stairs, he hastily wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, trying to hide any evidence of his emotions from Rina and Reagan who were in the kitchen cooking.

Regan accidentally dropped the fork as she attempted to quickly go after Rick, the sound of it clanging against the countertop filled everyone ears.

However, Rick was quicker and had already shut the door to his room before his mother could reach him.

"Is he crying?" Rina looked over to her mother who was staring at the front door.

Celine entered the house, wiping away a tear from her eye. She locked eyes with Regan, their shared glance conveying a silent communication: Celine signaling that she helped him and talked to him. Regan responded with a subtle nod and a warm yet sad smile, silently expressing understanding and support.

As Celine stood there with teary eyes, Regan approached her and pulled her into a warm embrace, offering comfort. Rina soon joined them in the hug. Celine said softly, "We just need to give him some time."

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