{ Lizzy’s movie / 9th January, 2005 }
Rudy balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear, gesturing wildly with his free hand even though no one could see him, like it helped him get the words out. He leaned forward on his bed, elbow braced on his knee, while with his other hand he played with a litte half eaten pretzel. "No, seriously,“ he said, his voice bubbling over with excitement, grinning as if she could feel it through the line, "These kids are… okay, one of them just - wait.“ He paused, spinning halfway around to look at the frozen image on the tv. Lindsay Lohan, smirking, plotting. " Double Lindsays? They could take over the world. Why did no one warn me this was gonna make me afraid of 11 year old? Anyway, Meredith wants to send Hallie to boarding school.“ He laughed to himself, leaning over his bed to grab another pretzel just to give his hands something to do. He tossed it up and caught it in his mouth like a little victory, then fell back against his pillow, hair ruffling into an even bigger mess.
For a few seconds, he was all in on that easy, buzzing excitement but then, as he flopped to his side and propped his head on his arm, her voice replayed in his head. That sharp, panicked first word when she picked up. He let his arm drape off the side of the bed then, fingertips brushing the cool wooden floor as he rubbed the back of his neck. No, he noticed. He just… didn’t let himself react yet. He wanted to start with the fun part. "By the way,“ his voice dropped, he sounded almost careful. "I’m sorry I’m only calling now.“ His leg bounced absently against the mattress as he stared up at the ceiling where the faint light from the tb flickered shadows. "It’s just been… busy. Messy,“ He didn’t go into the details, he never did, but the weight in his tone was different now, a little more real than his usual easy humor. His thumb traced along the edge of his phone, picking at a tiny dent in the case."Did I call at a wrong time? I just wanted to make sure it’s okay I did?“
He let the pause hang for half a second, then almost instinctively shook his head at himself. Vulnerable wasn’t his default setting and he never stayed in it long so a quiet laugh slipped out. "I just had to share my commentary, even if I don’t have any real thoughts yet. Like… no reviews, zero smart insights but we will get there.“