I didn't work on another chapter… I just went to sleep. So again, I am trying to write as much as I can now. The next two days might be hard to update cause it's my Grandpa's birthday, and then I might be having a sleepover with a few friends. So I dunno I'll try my best.
(Most of this takes place about a month into Peter being missing, then it will fast forward to present time.
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It's been a rough two months for Albert, to say the least. The first day that the kid didn't meet up with him he assumed he just got caught up with something and forgot about him. The second day Albert was worried, but still just sat quietly in the now waiting for the kid to show up. Then the third day and fourth day passed and still no sign of the kid. That's when he had gathered enough money to make a poster.
He had gone to the police, but they said that it was unlikely they find him in a city this big. And that if they did they would bring him straight to CPS.
So he printed what he could with the little amount of money he could collect. And put Peters face everywhere. The problem was Albert didn't have a phone for people to call. He put a phone booths phone number on the paper and slept near it every night. Staying near it during the day. But there was no call.
He was about to give up but promised himself he would stay for another week. And on the Saturday of that week, the phone rang.
He scrambled up to pick up the phone, and a girls voice was on the other end, "Hey, is this Albert?" She asked.
"Yes, who are you?" He responded.
"My name is Michelle, I'm with my, uh, friend Ned. We are good friends of Peter and we would like to help you find him."
He heard who he assumed was Ned mumble something behind the girl.
"I got it- ya. We are going to be at the Star Coffee shop near Midtown High School around 6 tonight. If you want to talk meet us there."
"Alright bye," Albert said. Hanging up the phone. He suddenly was very nervous.
He smelled his only jacket and knew it reeked of alcohol. He had been able to stay away from most drugs, but he had turned to the bottle.
He picked up some snow rubbing it on his jacket trying to wipe off the smell… Of Course, it didn't work. Midtown was a bit of a walk and he would need to start moving now if he was going to take a few breaks.
He started walking, suddenly very nervous to meet the people that Peter was friends with. He had never heard him talk about them, so many they had a bad break or something.
He had to take breaks often and slipped once or twice having to get back up without the help of the countless people walking by, preventing they don't see the old man struggling.
By the time he reached the dinner the sun was already starting to go down.
He walked inside peeling off his jacket, hoping that taking it off would decrease the smell of alcohol.
Inside he scanned for high schoolers and saw two sitting in a corner booth, a boy, and a girl.
He stumbled over to the table and said, "Michelle? Ned?"
They both looked up at the old man. The girl's eyes looked the man up and down then said, "Albert."
Ned got up and moved to the side of the booth Michelle was sitting at, letting the older man sitting in his own seat.
"So you're looking for Peter too?" Albert asked the two.
"Yeah, we lost contact with Peter a month or so ago. We thought he would come back. Stay at one of our places but he didn't." Ned said.
"He was livin' like me for a while. He would talk to me every night. Make sure we were both good before we went to sleep. Then one day he just kinda left. He had gotten a bag full of good food the day before. Split it with me. Shouldn't have taken any, kid was a twig, but he insisted. We spoke for a bit then he said he had something' to do. And just left! I haven't heard from him since."
The girl pulled out something from her backpack and set it down on the table. It was a small flip phone.
"Do you know how to work this?" She asked. He picked up the phone.
"Yeah-"
"Great keep that so we can call you. The number is already on these posters. Ned and I will be out putting them up tomorrow.
She reached into her backpack and pulled out a stack of paper. The same signs but had three numbers on it instead of the one pay phone number.
A waitress came over setting a large quantity of breakfast food, the boy moving the plates mostly towards him, while the girl just sipping on a drink.
Ned passed a plate to the older man. And they ate quietly. The two high schooler thinking over where Peter could be. They had no idea that he was in a lab being tortured as they ate.
Another few weeks pass and Michelle and Albert meet once a week, Ned a different day. He has a feeling they feel bad for him. Or are trying to take care of him like Peter did. But he didn't' mind not having to worry about eating two days out of the week. He understood why Peter liked the two.
One day Ned called him and said was being called to Stark tower about Peter and so he would have to meet both of them the next day. Stark Tower? People that high up care about Pete?
The next day he went to the diner and Michelle ordered him something big and they waited for Ned. He showed up, and the look on his face made Alberts' heart drop. Oh god is the kid dead?
Ned sat down. "He's alive. Apparently, they've had him for about a week. T-they didn't tell me much. But I did get to see him. He wasn't doing too great. They said I could come back soon." He trailed off getting lost in thought.
"Great so let's go see him," Michelle said grabbing her backpack.
"No! I mean no, you aren't allowed to yet. I will try and get a picture of him next time I go in there but, you aren't allowed to see him yet. Mr. Starks orders."
"Mr. Stark?!" Albert said.
Ned's phone buzzed he glanced at it, "I have to go. See you at school tomorrow." He said basically running away from the conversations.
"I'll get it out of him." She said, "He's not good at keeping secrets."
But she never did get back to him about it. The next week she seemed mad at Ned, apparently, he could keep a secret.
Then another few days passed when we were walking through part of the city, and saw a lot of the posters had been torn off. He stapled a few more on when he saw a crying boy in the middle of the ally.
"Kid, is that you?"
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Sorry for being a bad author and not posting on a schedule. But I don't think it will stop just yet.