"Chaos?" Inquired a choked voice on the other end of the receiver. A broken voice. A sobbing voice. Chaos knew that voice…

"Rhubella?" He asked quietly, the cracked voice sniffling over the line leaving him staring at the cream colored phone held tightly in his paws. He hadn't expected a call from her that wasn't riddled with demands for homework being completed. This was something different. This was something wrong. He waited for a long few moments, listening to silenced sniffled and restrained sobs on the other end of the phone before the voice picked up again.
"Roderick's on vacation…can…can you come and get me? I need to get out of here for a little while. " Was all that she needed to say, before Chaos had dropped the receiver onto the phone and headed for the door.

The camera shivered with a bright flash and the photo booth lit up with bright memories. Chaos giggled in harmony with Rhubella as the photos slowly spit out into the slot.

"Heeeey, you gave me bunny ears!" Rhubella grinned, elbowing the coyote in the ribs with a playful snarl. Choas grinned and shrugged his shoulders, hooking his arm through Rhubella's as the two of them wandered into the heart of the mall.

"I think you look good with rabbit ears…Cute." Chaos muttered quietly, mostly to himself, but he caught the warm tint of pink that sprouted from Rhubella's cheeks. She'd heard him.

"Thanks." She muttered quietly, stopping at the second floor of the Acme Mall and staring at the mindless shopping drones that meandered back and forth. Chaos stopped too, and they leaned over the railing, watching the people here and there.

"…Thanks for…getting me out of there. Usually Roderick is around to drive me but since he's with his folks in Bermuda, you're a pretty good substitute." Rhubella explained. Chaos looked away quietly, nodding his head, but the rat felt a sudden twinge of regret nibble at her soul. She hadn't meant to say that.

"I mean…Thank you for hanging out with me today, Chaos. You're really sweet to do all my homework AND spend your allowance on me at the mall." The rat girl whispered quietly. The coyote blushed with a warm grin and gestured towards the multiple animals exploring the shops and markets.

"Is it pity?" She asked suddenly, staring into the distance, no longer looking at the people but staring quietly into the future. Her future. Chaos frowned quietly, and shifted his position, leaning back against the railing of the second floor's balcony.

"I mean my mom was screaming pretty loud when you showed up…I'm sorry she…" Rhubella muttered while the coyote reached a set of fingers up to graze the lump on his head where the empty wine bottle had struck him.

"No." He finally said softly, not looking towards Rhubella while he let his elbows dangle over the railing.
"I don't pity you, Rhubella. At least, that's not why I'm hanging out with you. I like you. You're…sassy and clever and cute and not nearly as mean as you'd like everyone to believe. Sides…you've got some extraordinary qualities. You put up with Roderick and I can't for the life of me figure that out. Could learn a lot from studying you." The boy explained, forcing Rhubella to burst into giggles.

"Is this life, Chaos? Is this what life is supposed to be? I'm not a genius, but I don't think it's supposed to be this. It CAN'T be this…" She whispered sadly. Chaos turned and looked at her for a long time before he reached a paw over to stroke hers, and grabbed at the stack of pictures she was holding from the photo booth.

"This. This is life." He explained, holding up one of the photos- the one they had given each other bunny ears.

"This?" Asked Rhubella, her voice choked with confusion and tears. Chaos smiled brightly and nodded his head.

"This genuine smile? This is the real thing…I can see it. Dad taught me. Life is measured in moments and memories…Try to have as many moments as possible…the little ones. The single tiny itty bitty moments that stand out in your faded memories as color. These seconds in time that jump out at you. And make them good ones…I don't get it…but that's what dad says. I think this is what he meant. All that other stuff doesn't matter. It isn't important…This tiny second of life…it'll last for infinity. Just hang on to it." He whispered, handing the photo to Rhubella, who wrapped her arms around him quietly and squeezed tightly. He blushed. She smiled. He hooked his arm into her's and the two of them headed off into the crowd of people parading about in the mall, and Chaos smiled inwardly.
Thanks dad.
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