Rosie was more open to ideas than Arbel thought.
She remembered why she was her best friend now. When Arbel wanted to do something, she came with her. And when Arbel wanted to track down her little brother who hadn't been seen for more than two days, she was the one who showed up at her house armed with Chinese food and a bottle of Coke.
"You know that's a bad idea, right?" Arbel asked as she took the food and went back into her house.
If she's dragging her friend into this, it's best to make sure she's aware.
Rosie smiled at her, her freckled face creasing. "Chinese food or trying to track someone down like we're private detectives despite the fact that neither of us even has a driver's license."
Arbel stuck out her tongue, not happy about the reminder of her failure at anything related to driving.
"The first option of course, you know how bad my stomach reacts to eating Chinese," she replied, and despite her words, she had already started digging into the plastic box.
Fuck it, a little Chinese food wouldn't kill her.
Rosie laughed and sat down next to her. "So where do you want to start?"
Arbel sighed, stirring the food with her fork. "Ben knows something, I'm sure of it. I don't know what he knows, but I know he does."
Rosie frowned.
"Who's Ben?" she asked.
Arbel shoved more food into her mouth. "Leo's best friend," she said in a muffled voice with her mouth full.
Rosie looked at her in disgust but ignored it. "I thought Leo didn't have a best friend," she teased.
Arbel tried not to roll her eyes. It was true that her brother had always claimed he didn't have a best friend. According to him, he loved all of my friends, even though he had many, equally.
Sometimes she wondered how she was related by blood to such a sociable person, while she herself preferred to spend most of her time at home.
"Okay-" she grumbled. "-Ben is his best friend apparently. I forgot that Leo doesn't discriminate," she said in a nasty voice.
Rosie didn't bother to respond to her. "Why do you think he knows something?" She asked.
Arbel shrugged her shoulders "Call it a gut feeling"
Rosie frowned again and Arbel stopped herself from telling her that if she kept going like this she would have wrinkles at a young age.
"With all due respect to your gut feeling, shouldn't we first check to see if Leo left anything behind?"
Arbel froze, forcibly placing the lunch box on the table "Don't say you think he disappeared on purpose like those cops. Leo didn't run away from home!"
"Of course not-" Rosie tried to calm her down "-but maybe there's a reason he disappeared. Someone he talked to or something he found out or got involved with"
Arbel wasn't convinced but she figured they had nothing better to do. Sighing she stood up and motioned for Rosie to follow her.
It was one of those situations where she didn't know if she wanted to be right or wrong.
On the one hand, finding a clue to where Leo was. On the other hand, she's starting to get tired of people telling her how to find her brother.
And why the hell does everyone think the answer is in his room? What do they think they'll find? a map with an X marking his location there?
But she didn't have a better idea, so Arbel opened the door and motioned for Rosie to come in, Slamming the door behind them.