Supernatural Boarding School #3 - A Brush of Death ✅

Chapter 30 - Dylan

Dylan's point of view

For the first time, I had a million problems and Demona actually wasn't one of them. She had caused most of them unwillingly, but that was hardly her fault, right? I should probably stop hating her. It was hard to hate a girl in a coma, but now that she was doing better I was slowly feeling the way I had always felt about her: like a protective older brother that both loved an hated her.

My most urgent problem was the fact that I was out of playing cards. Demona had scribbled on so many that I'd never expected that the box would ever be empty, but I only had one more left. Today, Eros would ask me for it and I would have to tell him.

Or did I?

I glanced at her handwriting and wondered how difficult it would be to fake it. Could I manage to cram enough practice time into the one day so that tomorrow, I might hand a fake one to Eros and have him believe it?

Normally, I would ask Simon to help me out, but I tried not to involve him in things that meant he had to lie to Eros. He had managed to conceal things from their bond before, but they were both so happy that I didn't feel like I had a right to make their relationship strained once more.

Of course, there was Carl, but our break-up was still so fresh. Would he even pick up the phone if I called him? My fingers were already tapping his name into my phone, staring at his picture and the number underneath it. It would only take one time move of my thumb to call him. A second. Less, even. Maybe he would pick up.

"No, no, no!" I started cursing. Accidentally, I had touched the screen and now I could hear the ring that meant I was calling him. I hadn't planned on doing it, not really. Not when he was probably still mad and hurt and-

"Dylan?" Carl's voice was full of concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I-" Christ, I was pathetic. The poor guy needed to heal from our break-up just as much as I did and even now, he managed to be kind to me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call you. I was just..."

"Oh. Okay."

Neither of us hung up. That was a good sign, I decided. At least he wasn't keen to get rid of me, of my voice, my stupid call.

"I was staring at your photo, wishing I could call you," I admitted. He'd always preferred it when I was honest. Hell, my dishonesty had been part of the reason we'd broken up. That, and the fact that I never had time for him anymore. "Demona is moving, close to waking up," I blurted out.

"That's great," Carl told me, a smile in his voice. "Simon told me, actually. I wanted to reach our to you, but I didn't know-"

"You can always reach out to me." I wanted to say so much more, but I knew it was too much, too soon. "I was actually hoping... Could we get some coffee soon? Just to talk. I miss you."

Carl cleared his throat. "I erm... sure. Okay. Coffee."

"Or tea, or those awful raspberry milkshakes you like to dunk your fries into."

He laughed. "Deal. When?"

He was setting a date with me! I had half-expected him to just agree to be nice and tell me that he'd call me later without ever intending to do it. "Whenever. I am free now. Or tomorrow. Or any other time this week."

"What about Eros?" Of course he was surprised that I could suddenly drop everything at a moment's notice after all the grief I'd given him. "And Demona? And Simon? And everything else?"

"Carl, I..." No, apologies could wait until we met up. Not over the phone. "Just tell me when you want to see me and I'll be there."

"Now is good. Text me when you're at the school."