Aru's pov

Aru and Brynne made up and now they were back to business with two more members; Hira and Rudy. So now they moved their base to Hira's apartment.

They really wanted to join and they are potatoes so-

The potatoes was a name for all of Aru, Mini and Brynne's friends. They were thinking about it and then Brynne said something about potatoes being strong or whatever so yeah.

Speaking about that-

"Hey is Aiden a Potato yet?" Rudy asked. Everyone went silent. Aru, who was writing something on the chalkboard slowly turned around.

"Wait- he isn't?" Hira asked looking confused.

"Uh, what's a potato? I mean I know what a potato is but-"

"It's our group name. Brynne, get the sword. Mini, get the potato hat" Aru ordered. They saluted and ran off. She turned to Aiden. "Kneel"

"What?" Aiden asked.

"Kneel down" Aru repeated, walking toward him.

"But why?" He asked. Aru grabbed both his shoulders and pushed them down. He kneeled quickly.

Brynne and Mini came back. Brynne tossed the sword.

"Brynne! That's dangerous!" Mini tossed the hat to Aru.

"I hereby declare" Aru touched the fake sword tip to each of his shoulders. "That you are officially a" She placed the hat on him. "Potato"

Aiden smiled. He got up and tossed the hat to Mini. "Did Brynne come up with that?"

"Obviously" Brynne replied.

"Okay. Back to business." Aru said turning back to the chalkboard. She had her hair up in a pony tail and surprise surprise, no sweater. She had a shirt that had a lightning bolt on it and sweatpants (courtesy of Nikita).

"So let's see. Anything else we could add?"

Silence.

"Ughhhh. Why does this keep happening?" Aru groaned. Then, her phone rang.

"Who is it?" Brynne asked.

"It's Boo" Aru replied as she answered and held up the phone to her ear.

Boo: Aru?

Aru: Yeah what's up.

Boo: So-

Aru: Wrong, it's the sky.

Boo: Arundhati-

Aru: Okay, okay. Anyway, what were you saying?

Boo: You can access the apartment.

Aru: No really?!

Boo: Yes you can.

Aru: Am I allowed to live there? Are Brynne and Mini?

Boo: ...

Aru: Boo?

Boo: No you can't.

Aru: Okay. Bye then.

Boo: Bye.

Aru cut the call.

"We can access the apartment!" Aru exclaimed.

"Yes!" Brynne yelled.

"But we can't live there!" Aru exclaimed this time with fake cheeriness.

"Yay!" Brynne yelled with equally fake cheeriness.

Mini looked happy, but she seemed lost in thought.

"Min? What's up?" Aru asked.

"I just...well I mean" Mini mumbled. "Who told you this? Boo?"

"Yeah"

"Well then...I guess we can trust him"

"What's on your mind?"

"Is it obvious?" Mini asked sheepishly.

"Not obvious, just well" Aru paused, caught Aiden's eye for a second and looked back at Mini. "Just me knowing you"

In the corner of her eye, Aru caught Aiden smiling and looking down shyly.

"Okay well..." Mini started. "Don't you think it's a bit, I don't know, suspicious?"

"What do you mean?" Brynne asked.

"Like how Boo was the one who protested not to continue the investigation, and lied to Aru, yet he's also the one who's encouraging us to head inside? And not to mention-"

Boo called again.

Boo: Address.

Aru: umm, okay?

Aru sent it.

"And that too" Mini finished. "Asking for our address."

Aru thought about it.

"Absolutely not!" Brynne said angrily. "Why would Boo seem suspicious? What are you trying to imply?"

"Bee calm down" Aiden murmured.

"Well, I mean I guess" Aru said before Brynne could blurt something out of anger. "If you think about it from an outsider's perspective, It does seem pretty suspicious. But in our perspective, as people who've known Boo for a long time, it doesn't seem that way"

"So what you're saying is...?" Brynne asked.

"I'm saying we can't be way too sure" Aru explained. "But we can be a little cautious. I'll stop sending the addresses to him"

"Okay" Mini agreed. "I'm fine with that." They looked at Brynne.

"Fine"

"Let's just stop our work here for today" Aru said.

They all agreed and split, with Aiden, Rudy and Aru heading off.

As they got in Aiden and Rudy's car, Aru was thinking. Could Boo really know something they didn't? Was he hiding something?

"Shah?" Rudy asked.

"Huh?" Aru startled.

"I was asking if we should do rock paper scissors for the shotgun?"

"Oh yeah okay"

Aiden glanced at her, then at her wrist. Aru looked down. She stopped scratching. Aiden raised her eyebrows as if to ask if she's okay.

Aru ignored him and played rock paper scissors with Rudy.

'Please let me lose, please let me lose' Aru thought. She was not in the mood to talk about her feelings right now.

Aru won.

"Dang it!" Rudy cursed.

"You can have it" Aru offered quickly. Rudy looked at her weirdly.

"I know you. What do you want in return?"

"I uh-" But before Aru could say anything, Aiden spoke.

"Rudy why don't you drive? I'll stay in the back"

Aru was confused. But happy. This way, she didn't have to talk.

They got in the car, and Aru got a message.

Aiden

18:15

Don't think you got off the hook

well shoot

what was the point of u going in the back if u were still gonna interrogate me



I don't think u want Rudy to hear about your thoughts, otherwise you would've spilled it out to me.

r u crediting ur self right now

No

And the only way to avoid that is not talking

But I can't text u while driving, can I?

...

smart Acharya, smart.

Anyway, what's up with u? You seem worried. Was it work?



Ting!

It came from all Aru, Rudy's and Aiden's phones. It was from the Potatoes group chat.

potatoes🥔🔪💅🔫

chef-hangry

guys I'm a little worried

death!

Me too

Lightning-bolt

Same here

Aiden

Why are you all worried? Was it work?

chef-hangry

u sound like a freaking grandma

death!

Or a wife

Aiden

Guys...

Lightning-bolt

Shall we call you wifey?

Aiden

Haha. No.

Lightning-bolt

All in favor of Aiden's nickname being wifey say i

chef-hangry

i

death!

i

Aiden

Don't I get a say in this? I don't want to be called wifey!

Lightning-bolt

i

death!

majority rules, Wifey

chef-hangry

sucks to suck, Wifey



Lightning-bolt changed Aiden's name to Wifeyy<33



Aiden groaned in the backseat and Aru laughed.

"No wait, what's going on?" Rudy asked, making a turn. "Why is the Aiden teasing happening without me? You guys couldn't wait until I'm done driving?"

"Oh nothing. We're calling Aiden wifey from now on" Aru said between laughs.

Rudy wrinkled his nose. "Um no thanks from here. He's kinda my cousin"

"Oh wait. What?" Aru asked, once she stopped laughing.

"Oh. You didn't know that?" Aiden asked. "Shoot. I missed the chance of one person not knowing we were cousins"

"That's um. Weird now" Aru said. "Now it makes me feel like I'm intruding because I'm living with you guys" Rudy pulled into 'The Otherworldly Residency-The Artist Alley's' Parking lot.

"No you're really not. Most of the time Aiden goes into his room being an emo boy. But because you're here, he's actually socializing with someone who's not Brynne. With choice"

"With choice?" Aru asked.

"Guys. You know I'm still back here, right?"

"Yeah with choice" Rudy replied, ignoring Aiden. "Most of the time it's some random chicks flirting with him or forcing themselves on him"

"Well" Aru started. "That's real annoying"

"And Aiden's way too nice to turn them down so he just stands there awkwardly"

Aru shook her head at the ground and tsked. "You and I" She turned to Aiden. "Are going to start exchanging tips. But mostly me teaching you how to turn people down."

"Uh oh. Like being sassy and shit?"

"No not sassy. I'm not sure if you can even manage being sassy"

"Guys, we're here" Rudy said.

They got out and walked toward the entrance.

But as soon as Aiden opened the door everyone stopped in shock.

'No' Aru thought frantically as the same image filled her eyes again. 'No! Not again'

Aiden clutched the doorknob and his stomach.

Rudy took his phone out and called 911. And Aru? Aru just stood there in shock.

"No wait, Rudy" Aru stopped him from calling the police. "I don't think...we should call the police"

"Huh? Why?" He asked.

"Just trust me!" Aru yelled before running over to Aiden. He looked pale and sick.

She pulled him so he was sitting down.

"Do you...do you hear me?" Aru asked. His gaze flitted to her. He nodded.

"Okay. Okay. You're okay"

"Okay" He repeated weakly.

"You...you know what? You stay here. Tell me what to get."

Aiden told her to get some clothes, his laptop and his journal, and she quickly rushed to do that. She came out and looked around.

In blood was written Rundown. Then there was broken things and an envelope.

The envelope was addressed to Aru, but she didn't recall it being there. She grabbed it and went outside.

"Let's go" Rudy said, balancing Aiden.

"Okay yeah" Aru replied. "But where to?"

"Umm. Well." Rudy said.

Aru set her mouth in a grim line. She checked the date. 14 of December. Winter break started in two days.

"Let's call the school and apply for a one day holiday so that we'll just be able to go home. Winter break starts in two"

"Smart" Rudy smiled at her. They left the house and got in the car.

"Let's take your guys' car and drive back" Aru said. "I'll drive, I don't think any of you are fine"

Aru got in the driver's seat and Rudy in the passenger's. They already hoisted Aiden in the back.

She started driving. She tossed her phone to Rudy and he caught it.

"Call Brynne and Mini"

"One of them?"

"Yeah."

They'd be living together anyway.

"They answered!"

"Great, now put it on speaker!"

"How?"

"Oh my god Rudy!"

"Which button?!"

"The sound button!"

He raised the volume.

"Ugh no!"

There was a red light, she stopped and grabbed her phone. Mini and Brynne were laughing so hard. She put it on speaker.

"Oh" Brynne said between laughs. "My. God"

"Rudy's so disconnected from the rest of the world" Mini laughed out.

"Uh oh. What happened? Why are you quiet Aru?" Brynne asked.

"Aiden and Rudy's apartment was rundown today" Aru said, putting her foot on the accelerator. "We're coming over to you guys"

"What!" They said in sync. "Where are you guys gonna stay?"

"Well you know, it's December 14 anyway" Aru said, making a turn. "Might as well just go home, y'know?"

"Oh wait okay. That's smart" Brynne said.

"Are you guys driving together?" Mini asked. "We might just join y'all and stay with you for winter?"

"If you want" Aru said. "But I think you might want to go home though. After our wrecked apartment, they'll probably want you near them. You have contacted them, haven't you?"

"Not...really" Mini sighed. 'Oh. Her parents'

"Oh, but if you wanna come, that's your choice!"

"No. I might as well just face it"

"Well, I'll be driving to New York" Brynne said. "It's pretty close so I mean..."

"Okay. Should we like, meet up for Christmas?" Aru asked.

"Yeah sure. Your house?" Brynne asked.

"My house" Aru confirmed. "Also we're in your guys' parking lot."

"We're coming out" And they cut the call.

Aiden stirred from the backseat.

"Oh. Good morning, Wifey" Aru said, trying to lighten the mood. Rudy snickered, therefore victory to Aru.

"Isn't it like, evening?"

"You didn't even fight the nickname!"

"I didn't bother. If you gave someone the name Boo and it's lasted, it's gotta mean there's no use"

"Okay, Wifey. Anyway get out, we're at Hira's."

They got out and met Brynne, Mini and Hira. Brynne gave Aiden a big bear hug and Mini checked on Rudy. Aru and Hira looked at each other. Hira gestured to the house and they headed in, leaving the couple and the two friends outside.



I really, and I meant really needed to cut this up because it was getting too long.



Anyway, what did you think?



-Loife