Chiron Academy

Chapter 19: Getting Out of Hand

Wyatt scraped his metal spoon along the bottom of his cereal bowl, trawling the milk for any more wheat flakes that might have remained hidden beneath the surface. His eyes were trained not on the bowl but on his phone lying on the tabletop brightly displaying his current e-book. He shoveled in another spoonful of bran into his mouth, while he reached out his free to scroll down a little on his e-book.

Normally, he could have waited till after breakfast to continue his reading, but he was up to his eyeballs in this book. He had just started to read it last night after his patrol, but it had almost immediately hooked him. He couldn't bring himself to put it down, eventually passing out on his bed with the book open on his chest. This morning, he was already back at it, reading furiously. He thought he had an idea of how it would end, but the characters were so engrossing, and the world seemed so vibrant.

Around Wyatt, he was dully aware of people walking, chatting, laughing, but his attention concentrated fully on his phone screen. The morning sun was streaming in through a skylight, illuminating the cafeteria. It left an annoying glare on Wyatt's screen.

"Anyone ever tell you you're really boring to sit with?" Amy asked from across the table.

"What?" he asked, not looking up from his book.

Amy was radiant this morning, her light brown hair cascading down her back. She wore a light brown leather jacket over a smart, yellow plaid, button-up shirt. Her expression, however, was anything but radiant. She sat with her head resting on the table, an air of defeat permeated hanging over her.

"Oh my gosh," she opined, "I'm so bored. Is reading your book what you're going to do all day? All you ever do is read."

Wyatt just shrugged, scrolling down again in the book.

"Yer killin' me, Wyatt," Amy grumbled.

"I'm... sorry?" Wyatt fumbled, finally tearing himself away from his screen.

"We should talk together, as people do. Go on: ask me how my day has been."

Wyatt cast his eyes side to side in confusion.

"How has... your day been?" he repeated hesitantly.

"Very nice," she said, brightly. "I woke up, took a shower, took way too long straightening my hair, and now I'm eating these extremely dry pancakes. I'm living the dream, my friend.

"See? That's what human contact feels like. Don't you feel better?"

"I ...guess so?" he replied hesitantly. He wasn't sure where to take that. Wyatt had always thought that he'd pretty well mastered sarcasm but Amy's sarcasm game was too advanced for him.

He eyed his phone again. He really wanted to dive back into his book, to immerse himself in the world of it.

Amy grimaced, reading the desire on his face.

"It's fine," she sighed, laying her head back down on the table," go back to your book. I swear, between you and my roommate, it's a wonder I get to talk to anyone. I'm dying. I'm a little plant in need of emotional moisture."

Wyatt chuckled to himself, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He could take a hint.

"I didn't know you had a roommate," he replied.  

"Yeah, I think everyone does. Trying to save space I guess in case they need to add new kids. It seems a bit unnecessary since there are still empty rooms. Especially on the girls' side."

"Yeah, I've noticed there aren't as many girls here as guys," Wyatt agreed. "I guess I figured you guys would just get your own rooms."

"Have you seen any  of the girl's rooms with only one person living in it?"