The Scaly Boy (G #3)

Apologies and Cats

    "Hey." I started, finding Dylan in the small library in Gifted, where he had rolled up to the nearest table and continued reading the book I had previously interrupted him from.

    He glanced at me with a frown and replied with a stiff. "Hi."

    "I know I've kind of been a jerk to you and I'm sorry." I apologized.

    He shrugged. "I'm fine, you didn't need to go through all this trouble."

    I blinked wondering if that was it and really all it took to apologize to Dylan. I tilted my head at him, because he still seemed vaguely uncomfortable.

    "You sure?" I continued, I don't know if you've noticed yet but reading other people's emotions is not my forte.

    He nodded, his jaw seemed stiff though, like he was gritting his teeth.

    "Was it something I said?" I inquired. "I mean it was obviously something I said but I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

    Dylan shrugged. "It's fine, you didn't know, we can just forget about it."

    That nearly made me scream because now he was mentioning knowledge that I didn't now. If there's one thing I despise it's being out of the loop, but I couldn't just ask him because then it would just start this whole mess over again. I can't just sit here forever I would have to say something eventually.

    "Is it anything I can help with?" I said slowly, trying to climb out of the deep and dark hole of awkward silences.

    Dylan snapped his book closed. "My mom is dead, okay? Is that what you want so badly?"

    It was like another cold knife had decided to sink slowly into my gut like one of those click bait YouTube trends. I felt kind of sick to be honest as I realized the extent of a jerk I had been.

    "Oh, I'm sorry." I replied, practically squeaking.

    Dylan rubbed his arms unconsciously. "Everyone's always sorry, sorry that my mom's dead, sorry that I hate myself, sorry I'm in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."

    "Would you prefer I wasn't sorry?" I blurted out, getting all defensive, I was not expecting to be verbally attacked by Dylan of all people.

    His face relaxed for a moment. "I don't know. Sure."

    "Well fine then I'm not sorry." I leaned back and crossed my arms.

    He stared at me for a long moment as if he was unsure which emotions were the right kind to be feeling after hearing that. I was right in the same boat with him to be honest and was entirely surprised I let myself do that.

    "Do you mean that?" He asked, sounding less angry and more confused, or maybe I was just describing my own emotions who knows.

    "I don't know. Sure." I replied, using his same answer.

    "Oh." Was all he said.

    I blinked, as another long few moments of silence stretched out. Abby suddenly appeared and plopped down in a chair on the other side of Dylan. I was surprised because now she didn't look like the zombie from yesterday, she actually looked awake.

    "What's going on? You both looked extremely confused? Is there any drama I need to sort out? She asked, raising an eyebrow.

    I glanced at Dylan, who's face yielded no answer. "I don't...think...so?"

    He shrugged. "I don't think so either, we're good."

    Heck I though apologizing to Dylan would be easy but now I was questioning everything. How did that make us good? Were we friends now? I guess it made sense if this whole time he didn't want a sensitivity filter around him. I still kind of felt bad though, because technically I hadn't apologized but I did?

    "Hey anything that's cool with you is cool with me." Abby shrugged. "Look what I found!"

    She held up a packet of cards, and shook em. "My old packet of Braille cards, I mean none of you probably read Braille but it's still fun!"

"I know sign language." Dylan announced softly.

Abby suddenly gasped. "Oh I nearly forgot!"

I wasn't sure if I was officially part of this little clique or not but like I wanted to see what Abby was pulling out of her backpack. It was big and bulgy and she looked like she was struggling to lift whatever if was out. Until, in front of my very eyes, she pulled out a cat.

It was a very large cat, it was a gray color with dark stripes running all the way down it's body. I'm not sure if I was an animal person or it but it was pretty cute.

"I haven't exactly talked to Richard yet." She put her hands up in defense. "But I picked her up from the pound yesterday and figured she needed a home."

The cat blinked her eyes and looked around, walking towards me and sniffed my hands. Apparently my hands weren't exciting at all because she didn't explore further. She pranced over to Dylan and sniffed his nose, then sneezed. Dylan laughed, which was a sound I thought I would never hear.

"Does she have a name?" Dylan asked, as the cat stepped off the table and onto his lap, sniffing everywhere excited.

Abby shook her head. "No, she wasn't given a name because her original owners found out she was deaf and gave her up without named her. She's just passed from one shelter to the next. Isn't that just terrible?"

"Yeah." I replied, slightly salty over the fact I had just been rejected by a cat.

"Wait, she's deaf?" Dylan asked, as the cat turned in a few circles before laying down on his lap, he petted her gently, probably proud to have earned the appreciation of the cat.

"Yep." Abby confirmed. "Trust me, with the construction that I had to drive by just to get here, oh man."

"Can we name her Regina?" He asked.

"Sure thing kiddo." Abby ruffled his hair again.

"That's a cool name." I said offhandedly, not sure if anyone was still aware of my existence.

Dylan looked up at me. "Thanks."

Regina nodded at me. I felt some sort of mutual bond between me and this animal that had so easily won Dylan's affection. How? I have no idea.

    "You boys sit tight, I'm going to go get some chocolate from Richard and then we'll play a good old fashioned round of Spit." Abby slapped her pack of cards on the table and got up, leaving the two of us alone again.

    "So are we really good?" I asked. "Like, friends?"

    Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Mutual friends, sure. You're gonna have to work if you want to join my clique."

    I snorted. "You have a clique?"

    He nodded, completely serious. "Special access only I'm afraid."

    I shrugged. "Whatever."

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