Liesel and Rudy's relationship

As Death had said Rudy and Liesel were destined to become friends. Rudy was the type of guy who enjoyed being around girls. He was the type who actually wasn’t afraid of cooties and embraced the opposite sex fairly well. Liesel was the tough girl. The new girl on the street who was the only goalie that ever managed to deflect his penalty kick. It was like a friendship waiting to happen when the first snowball was thrown in the face.

I find that the friendship between Liesel and Rudy was forged fairly quickly. After a soccer match, some snow, a school walk, and a marathon which ended with them encrusted in dirt they were already friends. However this friendship seemed to be the type where both would only acknowledge it only to themselves. They enjoyed each other’s company and cared for the other but they expressed in the form of verbal abuse. Rather then declare their fondness for each other to the rest of the world; they hide their friendship in a rubble of insults. Every time one would call the other a “saukerl” it was their way of saying “my friend”. Not only do they enjoy insulting each other they also like to tease each other as well. Rudy would always ask Liesel for a kiss and Liesel would reply with either a form of insult or physical injury. If he was lucky, she just ignores him. To me, it is a strange form of friendship but it was their unique own way of expressing to the other how they care. It’s as if they don’t know how to express it in any other way.