Jude watched Gabriel head off before taking slow steps to follow towards the subways. I don't know what I hate more, the pouts or the false smiles.... The fifteen year old gave a soft sigh as he waited to hop the f-district. Once he did, he striaghtened his distant and longing features and slipped easily behind Holden and Joel, he kept pace with Wyatt as they all walked down the pavement ready to get these collectables shipped off out of the city were they had been collecting and gathering from different sources. This was done by truck, ship, even airplane. Jude honesty had no idea what it all meant and he did not really care, all that mattered was the doe spilt at the end of the deal, besides even if he did care, Holden would never tell. He just flick his cig and condensendingly roughly Jude's hair as if he was eight and say, "Don't bite more than you can chew youngling." The day passed by, new york never slowed there was always something to do. It soon became the time for the two friends to meet up.
But, Gabriel would be waiting on Jude as the fountain changed colors. And as they flicked over and over on his face, Gabriel would be the only person around.
As time went on, if Gab check his phone, a voicemail would be there. The voicemail would ask if he wish to accept from a payphone, if Gabriel agreed the phone would crackle in his ear, and buzz before breath was heard, than a voice, weak the effort of trying to sound normal,
"Hey Gab, its me, um Jude Harper....I....it taking longer than the boss thought, but...we can meet tomorrow? I wanna show you this really cool place." A nervous laugh, "I say that about a lot but...its cool and.....sorry," A voice grew tighter and Gabriel maybe could almost see the tighter grip on the phone in Jude's hands, "See you, Gab-man, play it safe." A serious edge touch the tone before another bye was whispered and the voicemail ended.
The last week of summer, it went by, but how Gabriel felt is not to be known yet, because during that week, Jude was nowhere to be found. There was no school shopping, no changing room goofing or dragging along the streets, no resterant eating. Nothing. It was as Jude was never there.
Soon it was the very first day of school.