A Synonym for Chill [COMPLETE]

33. A white room

I was staring up at the bright white ceiling of the hospital room that I had been brought to. There was someone in the bed next to me, but the curtain between us was closed.

"Hello?" I called, immediately regretting my decision as my voice registered in my ears. It was hoarse, scratchy, and almost a little masculine. I tried to sit up but immediately regretted my decision as a searing pain shot through my head, spine, and legs. "Ow. Ow ow ow ow ow." I hissed. Suddenly, the person next to me spoke.

"Feelth like you're mithing a part of yourthelf, doethn't it?" I recognized that lisp. I reached out and tugged the curtain away slightly.

"Dallas?" I asked. Sure enough, Dallas Dixon was giving me a grin, a noticeable gap in between his two front teeth and a full-body cast covering him.

"Hurth like a motherfucker too. Be honest...what are they thaying about me at school?" He asked. I pursed my lips, not wanting to tell him that everyone thought he was an insane arsonist. His face fell slightly as he took his bottom lip in between his teeth. "Yeesh. That bad?" He murmured.

"S-Sorry..." I managed to stammer. He looked at me with some slight confusion.

"Thorry ? I'm finally free of that thiny happy hive mind! From now on, the ladieth are gonna learn to love the real Dallath Dixon" He said proudly, then seemed to have a thought. "...And the dudeth." His eyes lit up. "Oh my God, I'm thotally bi!" He exclaimed. I laughed slightly.

"Congrats on figuring your sexuality out," I said. "But your Squip's gone? How?" Dallas tilted his head.

"Athk your buddy. Anti-thocial onethie kid? He'th been by like, a ton, by the way. What ith he, your boyfriend? No judgment. Just curiouth. Totally bi now. He thingle? He'th kinda cute." He chuckled. Eli suddenly walked in as he said this, and I saw Dallas' face flush. "Oh, uh...hey, Eli." He said meekly.

"Hi, Dallas," Eli replied, walking over to the side of my bed. "Bye, Dallas." Dallas looked at Eli with awestruck eyes as my best friend turned his attention to me.

"Eli, what...what happened? All I can remember is that screaming, and.." I trailed off. Eli's eyes were sparkling. "Oh man, it was genius! They were communicating with each other – they were linked! Which means... when you consider the kind of high-frequency sonic disturbance needed to wipe a system that powerful..." He started to keep going, but I held up my hand.

"Eli, Eli... Please," I said, tapping my forehead with my pointer finger. "My head still hurts." He blushed slightly.

"Right, ah... Turns out you didn't have to destroy every Squip. Just one. And the rest..." He said, making little explosion gestures with his hands. "Pew, pew, pew." I smiled, but it suddenly faded after I realized what exactly I had said and done in the hours leading up to all that insanity.

"I don't get it. After everything I did... You were still there for me. Why?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Well, when you love somebody..." He started, then trailed off as my dad walked into the room. "...well, he says it better." He giggled.