Demon: Book 1

Chapter 32: Failing

Chapter 32

Failing

I grabbed the note and quickly shut the window. Sinking to the floor, I unfolded it.

Sorry, I can't.

I groaned and crumbled up the paper. I wasn't even getting consistent replies lately, and it had been two weeks since I had seen him last. This whole arrangement sucked.

Grabbed a notepad from my desk, I scribbled a message and put it outside. I knew he was trying, but the long spaces between our meeting were annoying.

"Aden!" called my mother from downstairs.

"I'm up!" I replied. "I'll be down in a minute." With a sigh, I grabbed my bookbag and shoved my stuff inside.

"Aden, you're going to be late."

"I'm coming!" I quickly zipped it up and hurried out the door.

My mother met me toast in her hand. "Aden," she shook her head and tried to get some of my waves to lay flat, "can you try to do your hair."

"No point," I breathed.

Muttering to herself, she walked into the garage. I followed her to the car and slipped into the passenger seat.

"Do you have everything you need?"

"I guess." I put on my seatbelt. "If not, oh well."

***

"Shit," I whispered under my breath. "Damn it." I banged my head on my desk. My math homework was sitting on my desk. It was only half done, but that was better than a zero.

"Pass your homework to someone else."

My regular trade partner slipped her paper on my desk and held out her hand.

"I left it at home," I muttered.

She shrugged and turned forward.

The teacher read off the answers. I mark two wrong and handed it back to her. She seemed content with the score and started figuring out the percentage on her calculator. I just laid there, dreading the score call.

Mr. Phillips started down the list of names. I bite my lip as he moved closer to the P's.

"Aden."

I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

Mr. Philips looked up.

"I left it at home," I said lowly.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Aden, I need to talk to you after class."

I sunk into my desk. "'kay."

The teacher continued down the rest of the list. The people around me shot me glances. So I was the stupid senior in a class filled with juniors and sophomores, but I did try. I'd just never be good with numbers.

Once the grades were recorded, Mr. Phillips went to the board and started todays lesson. I rest my chin on my desk and stared. This was worse than yesterday. I didn't even have Chris anymore to talk me through it.

I was just confused at the beginning as the end. My classmates started working on the problems assigned while I slowly wrote down tomorrow assignment. 40 problems, I was doomed. Opening my math book, I skimmed through them. Chewing on the end of my pencil, I read one of the story problems over and over. This had to be a foreign language disguised in English. This didn't make sense. None of them made sense!