It's funny how things don't always go the way that you expect them to or want them to. There's always some kind of variable that shifts things around and makes people wonder just how they could have occurred. Naturally, everything can always lean in a new direction, one that couldn't be foreseen or predicted.
That's what Rudy went through when he and Penny agreed to meet up and work on an experiment together.
The class had been assigned to pick some sort of experiment to show the class. The topic related to chemicals and interactions between them. Due to this nature, of course there were limitations. It made Rudy wonder if Mr. Wilter even realized what he was assigning. Maybe the man just had a little too much confidence in his students to not screw up. Maybe he thought they all had some kind of junior set at home. Or maybe he was just overthinking things.
It was still a surprise to Rudy that Mr. Wilter still wound up being his teacher even years later. He was now fifteen and he first had Mr. Wilter as a teacher at age eight. It made him wonder if the man was following him around, constantly trying to make sure that he wasn't 'wasting his time drawing cartoons' or something.
Mr. Wilter claimed that's just how the cookie crumbled. Translated, Rudy took it as Mr. Wilter miraculously changing grade teacher positions each time he and Penny went up the ladder. Every year, Rudy hoped that he would get away from the stern teacher in favor of someone that would be more appreciative of his art. Bt each time, he would be dashed and shocked to see that, just like last year, it was Mr. Wilter. He tried to come up with an explanation for this that didn't pertain to the man doing this on purpose. But really, there wasn't much else he could think of that would explain it.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder if the man really was trying to guide him in the 'right direction', as he believed. He wondered if Mr. Wilter was attempting to mold his future for him. If that's the case, that was a rather low blow. It was almost amusing at first how often this man showed up in his life, but now it was just getting...ugh...
Rudy did manage to shake the thoughts out of his head for now and he focused on Penny's demonstration. She had gone for something really simple that wouldn't involve explosions or potential damage. And it involved chalk as well, Rudy's favorite form of art medium. He hadn't quite remembered what she had in mind, but he was more than ready to get the experimented started on.
...that is, until it actually began.
"You see this here, Rudy?" Penny pulled forward a strong smelling liqud known as vinegar. Rudy had to scrunch up his nose a little, the foul stench invading his nostrils. "With the composition of this vinegar and this piece of chalk.." Penny held it up. It wasn't white but rather blue in color. "...we should get a very colorful reaction. As the two..."
"Is it going to be like those volcanoes we did back in..." Rudy started to say.
Penny paused for a second before nodding her head. "Yeah... You could say it's kind of like that. But slower and less... boomy." Rudy frowned slightly in disappointment. Penny took notice of this and quickly added, "But I think you'd still like this anyway."
Rudy had little reason to disagree. He always did enjoy those volcanoes. Messy, but they were a sight to behold. He could appreciate the interactions of color and of material. Even if making them wouldn't have led him far into life, they were still a good time waster and a nice way to let out some emotion. School hadn't always been the best for him. That was a rare moment that he felt truly...united with everyone else.
Rudy thought that, because there'd be a similar though slower reaction with the blue chalk and vinegar, that he would end up liking it just as much. He thought that he would be dazzled by the flowing of color and fluid as he was with the fake volcanoes that he made five years ago.
But he realized very quickly that he had been wrong. As soon as the blue chalk pieces Penny had prepared fell into the cup of vinegar, Rudy could immediately feel his heart freezing up at the sight of what he saw.
It had started off slowly at first, a sizzling look spreading along the chalk like it was being boiled. It only got progressively worse from there. Bits of chalk were breaking off into smaller pieces. There were sharp and uneven changes to the coloration in the wat...er, vinegar. Some were pale and others sharply turning darker, with some gradiation in a few places. They almost looked like oil like from one of those dreadful oil spills. Then more bubbles slowly rose up. With his eyes wide and body frozen, Rudy could see how the bubbly fizz, somewhat reminiscent of the school's toy volcanoes, rose up. A few times, there was a sudden churn, with melted blue chalk shooting upwards a little, twisting and churning on its own as though it were possessed.
But that was not the only thing that had him frozen in horror and shock. The particular chalk Penny had chosen, blue, made it all the more worse for him. Rudy's eyes constantly scanned the vinegar and chalk mixture, and as it continued to distort beyond what it was before, he couldn't help but see Snap in there. The blue coloring was almost enough to pass off for his friend.
"Rudy...?" Penny's whispering voice moved through the air. "A-Are you.. all right..?"
Rudy couldn't answer. His eyes were still glued to what was happening, his mouth dropping open slowly. He no longer saw just the chalk or just the vinegar. He could see his friend dying before him. He could hear Snap calling out to him, wanting him to save him. And as the chalk lost its shape and only liquid remained...
Suddenly, Rudy found himself shouting and moving back. "S-Stop it! Please stop it!" This sudden shouting caused Penny to jolt back. Rudy grabbed onto the sides of his head, his green eyes bulging in shock. "Please... no more..."
Penny reacted immediately. She grabbed the cup of vinegar and blue chalk mix and poured it down the sink. It didn't seem that long that she was gone. Rudy's mind was still reeling from what happeend. To him, it all happened in a blink of an eye, and that wasn't enough for him to fully snap out of his trance. Everything was rock solid and a blur and he hardly noticed Penny shaking him.
"Rudy! It's all right now!"
Rudy could feel himself being moved back and forth with some level of force. But only just slightly. It was like he was in a whole other world. One that just didn't line up with what he was sensing. He could feel someone grabbing him but he could see no one. Only a distant puddle of liquid blue that was making him tear up.
And this is how it remained for him for a time frame that he could not keep track of. It may very well have been just a few seconds, each tic dragging out like someone slowing down their walking. Ultimately it took several hard shakes from Penny before Rudy started to realize just where he was. He blinked a few times and he looked around a little. He gasped heavily a few times as though he just came out of swimming under water. He then looked at Penny, whom he just now could make the blurry face of.
It still took what felt like another minute before Rudy finally snapped out of his mental lock. Once he realized what he had been doing, he could feel a wave of shame coming over him. He looked at Penny with wide, horrified eyes and he could feel himself misting up again. "Penny... I'm sorry, I..." He choked, stumbling over his words. "I didn't mean to..."
"No, no it's all right. I should have realized this would have happened." Penny turned her head away for a few seconds, biting her lip. Her face contorted slightly with guilt. "Perhaps I should have picked a different experiment."
This didn't exactly help Rudy feel any better. Oh why did he have to react so stupidly? "Penny..."
They remained silent for a few moments. The silence rapidly grew heavy and eerie, making them all shudder with cold. It swirled around them, wrapping them up, but it was not the comforting kind that one would get with their mother. No, there was something almost sinister about this one, like it was trying to remind both of them of what they had done. They glanced at one another, slowly blinking, before they could get themselves to turn away.
Rudy still couldn't believe what he had just done. He had never meant for things to go like that. He didn't think that he would react to such a simple experiment in that kind of way. He alsot understood that Penny couldn't have possibly known that something like that would happen with him. She didn't do this with malicious intent and he couldn't imagine just how guilty she must be feeling right now. This did little to help Rudy calm down.
After a few moments, Penny finally broke the silence. With some hesitation and nervousness, she said, "L-Let's just skip this for now." She gave a weak chuckle as she offered a small smile to Rudy. "We can hold off on this for a while longer. There is something else on the agenda that I think we should focus on, anyway."
Though Rudy still felt guilty, he was glad for the subject change. "What can we work on now instead of..."
"Rudy, I'm surprised at you." Penny held her hand up in gesture. "I thought you would have already guessed what we'll be working on next."
Rudy shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm not following." Rudy took a moment to struggle to think of what Penny could be referring to. But he just continuously drew a blank. He felt a small burn in his stomach as he realized that he couldn't figure it out. All he could think of was that darn experiment. What else could be Penny talking about? "Could you feel me in?"
Penny released a small sigh. Rudy flinched at how that sounded. He was really going to regret this, wasn't he? "It's Snap's seventh birthday."
Sure enough, he did.
Rudy could feel his hands immediately his hand slapping his forehead with his hand, the slapping sound nearly echoing off everywhere. He took in a sharp breath as he struggled to breathe normally. He tried to speak, but he was unable to. His voice was caught in his throat. He instead just stared at Penny long and hard as he let this all sink in.
Oh shit... That was right... It was Snap's birthday today. Or rather, his creation day as zoners call it. Snap was turning seven, a realization that seemed almost daunting to Rudy. Had it truly been that long since he had first created Snap on that chalkboard in school?
Rudy felt a strong urge to want to kick himself for what he had done. It would have been one thing if he forgot a new friend's birthday, but this was Snap. He's known him for so long. He should know his birthday by now. And yet somehow, he had allowed it to slip his mind. Rudy put his hand to his face and rubbed it slowly, feeling his stomach stinging in his chest and stomach. What kind of friend as he? What kind of friend would forget an important day such as today?
Penny noticed how he was reacting and she came in closer to him. She reached out and she placed her hand gently on his shoulder. Rudy could feel himself jolting a little, not expecting such a touch. He turned his head to start at his friend. The two locked eyes with one another, breathing softly. Rudy remained silent for several long moments before he finally managed to get himself to talk.
"I didn't... I'm sorry I forgot." Rudy flinched slightly at how he sounded. He didn't mean to squeak like that. He swallowed nervously and he tried to move in. "S-So what did he have in mind?"
"That's what we're helping him with today." Penny said. She gave him a slight glare, showing her disappointment in him not remembering. But her expression rapidly softened up. "Snap has some ideas, but he wants our help with picking out what would be the best."
Rudy chuckled softly. "We used so many ideas already. And you know how Snap can be." Rudy rubbed the back of his head slowly. "He always wants something bigger and better for his next party." He had to freeze for a second as he remembered Snap's fifth party. That was an area that he would not want to visit again. "What were the ideas that... Oh right, didn't he say something about a costume party?"
His friend nodded her head a few times at this. She reached up with a finger to quickly adjust her glasses. "He's always wanted to try it but it kinda keeps falling onto the wayside. He wants to go through with it this time." Penny leaned herself back a little. "But this is competing with his other ideas, like having the entire party on a series of air balloons."
Rudy shuddered at that idea. He could not see that going too well.
"And then there was his idea about doing a Pinnochio-style party inside a whale's mouth..."
"Ohh... I can't see that going well." Rudy brough this hands up as he shook once. "I don't think any of the whale zoners here would appreciate having a Snap party in their mouth. You know how big, crowded, and long those tend to lest."
"Exactly." Penny agreed. "I think the costume party is the safest bet."
Rudy couldn't disagree with that. How could he? If these were the ideas Snap was considering, then the costume party was the best one. It was the easiest to impliment and the easiest to keep safe. He didn't know why his friend was going for such extreme ideas. He guessed that Snap was just really confident in his creator friend that he felt fine with suggesting more ludicrous ideas. Snap probably thought Rudy would always be able to keep him safe. Rudy was happy to help however he could, but he did wish that Snap would stop acting as though he'd be there for every single situation.
Rudy raised his arms upward, stretching out his muscles. He let out a small, quick yawn, a reflex of such an action. "So now that we've figured this out..." He exhaled quickly as he lowered his hands back down at his sides. He looked intently over at Penny. "...what else should we consider?"
Penny tapped her finger against her chin. "Well, we do need to take into consideration how many zoners are to be invited, where this will take place, what kind of costume party will it be, the food that will be prepared..."
Rudy felt his eyes widen as he listened to Penny list this stuff off. Looked like there was still more work to do. Oh well, at least it was this and not that rotten experiment. He had that much to look forward to.
As he listened to Penny continue to talk about this, he started to wonder just what he himself was going to do at this party. What was he going to dress up as? He struggled to think of a good costume. Something that Snap wouldn't be embarrassed about. It was his special day, after all. He didn't want anything to happen that would ruin it. There were all sorts of options. But he realized that it would ultimately depend on what theme they chose for it. He wouldn't want to show up as, say, a prince if the theme was a horror movie. That would be a little strange, to say the least.
"And I think that about wraps it up." Penny said, finishing up what she was telling Rudy. "Did you get all of that?"
Rudy quickly nodded his head. "Yeah I believe so." He frowned slightly as he looked downward. "Man, we have quite a bit to think about still." He put his hand on his chin, letting his head lean up against it. "We don't even have a theme yet..."
"Don't worry. We'll figure out something." Penny smiled at him gently. "And whatever the case may be, I'm sure Snap will appreciate what we do for him."
"Yeah, you're right. He's our friend. Whatever we all decide on, he'll love it." Rudy smiled the best that he could. He really did hope that Penny was right about this. But he didn't have much reason to doubt her.
sss
Mr. Wilter could hear the sound of the school bell ringing, stretching throughout the inside of his ear. He hadn't heard it finish ringing once before he said, "Class dismissed!"
It wasn't like his words were really needed, though. In a matter of moments, the students were already up and about, nearly knocking down their chairs in order to get out as quickly as possible. He watched as they left. He couldn't help but shake his head slowly as they scrambled about. It was a shame that they really felt this excited about leaving school. It kind of made him wonder about the future of education.
But oh well. It wasn't something he tried to worry about too much. He had other things on his mind right now. There were other things more deserving of his attention than a small fear that he couldn't imagine coming into one hundred percent fruition. Instead, he shifted his attention in another direction, frowning soflty at the paperwork laying on the desk.
Ugh... Why did he agree to cover for this night class, anyway? He already was swamped with work. But this teacher got sick and he agreed to fill in and... He shook his head slowly. He probably should have just said no and went home to get some rest. Most of the students in this night class were not... Well he wasn't going to go much further than that. At least he didn't have to deal with them any further. He just needed to grade their papers and that was it.
As much as he would have preferred to go home right now, perhaps now was a good time to start grading. He might as well get it done quickly so that he could move on to students he was more familiar with. Like Rudy Tabootie.
Speaking of that teenager, he wondered how he was doing. Was he still doodling cartoons during class? As frustrated as he was with Rudy acting as though he thought he could get away with a mediocre score in everything but art, he did still prefer his company over these night class students. At least Rudy made an effort to pay attention in class, even if it did not always seem like it.
Releasing a small sigh, the man headed over to the pile of papers and pulled up the chair. He adjusted himself in the large seat before he reached out and grabbed the pile. It felt heavier than he thought it would. He gritted his teeth at this. Well that wasn't good. But oh well. He might as well get started on this anyway.
As he pressed the pen against the paper, he could feel his cellphone in his pocket starting to vibrate. He released a small growl and he pushed the pen into the table. Now who could be interrupting him at this hour? He swore if it was his cousin trying to wriggle some money from him again... Didn't that guy know that he didn't earn that much money on a teacher's salary to start with? It wasn't his fault if he couldn't...
Mr. Wilter pressed a button and he put the phone to his ear. It felt a little awkward. He'd never get used to these new fancy phones the youth were always raving about. Regardless of his discomfort, he spoke into it. "Hello? Who is this?" He tried to sound as polite as possible.
"Hello there."
Mr. Wilter froze for a split second, his eyes widening. "Y-You? What are you..." He swallowed once. "What are you calling me up for?"
"What? Is it wrong of me to dial this number?"
Mr. Wilter shook his head quickly. "No, that's not it. I am just..surprised you'd call me of all people.. It's.. It's been a while."
"Oh yes, it has. I fully agree. But I didn't call to just chitchat and catch up with the times. I am wanting to ask you a particular question. I'll understand if you decline."
The man tried to keep himself calm. It was hard to keep his emotional reaction under control. It was hard to get his blood to stop pumping through his body so quickly. He struggled to keep his breathing under control as his mind spun in circles. He couldn't believe that this guy, out of all people, was contacting him. He felt a little bit of tingling in the tips of his fingers. He hadn't seen this guy in so long and... for him to contact him like this...
He shook his head quickly as he snapped himself back to reality. He was so distracted that he hadn't realized this person was trying to speak with him. He could hear him calling out to him and he nearly dropped his phone as he tried to answer.
"Hello? Are you there?"
"Yes I am. I'm sorry about that." Mr. Wilter said. Despite his uncertainty, he still tried to sound as polite as possible. After all, this was not the kind of person that he really wanted to upset. And he had a really good reason for avoiding that.
After clearing his throat one more time, Mr. Wilter continued to speak, his voice slightly hushed.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Mr. Cosmo...?"
