Strange Relations

Chapter 46

Dale glanced over at Wyatt's phone with a frown. "It's ringing again."

His finger tapped the screen rejecting the call.

She sat up straighter and dropped her pen. "All right, what's going on? That's the twelfth time your phone has rung in the last five minutes. Is there an ex-girlfriend I should know about?"

He looked up at her startled. "What? No!"

"Then explain to me why your phone keeps ringing and you keep hanging up on the person."

Laurel snorted from across the table. "You honestly thought anyone would date him besides you? Delusional much?"

"You keep out of this." Dale looked back at Wyatt. "Well?"

The phone began ringing again and he tapped the button to reject the call. "It's my mom."

"And why don't you want to talk to your mom?"

"Because he's afraid of what will happen if he tells his parents he has a girlfriend who doesn't need to be inflated or isn't imaginary." Laurel chuckled.

Wyatt's look was scandalized.

Dale threw a notebook at Laurel. "Come on, Wyatt, tell me what's wrong?"

He sighed and dropped forward until his forehead hit the open book in front of him. "I haven't exactly told them about all of this."

"You mean that you're a prophet and you dropped out of college?" she asked, patting his back.

He sat up quickly. "I did not drop out!"

"Fine, we kidnapped you and you were unable to continue," she reasoned.

"I rearranged my classes and shifted them to an online course, like you suggested. Well, all the ones I could switch to online courses. I am not going to let this prophet business interfere with my degree."

"Okay then, what's the problem?"

"They aren't going to be happy that I've changed to online course work or that I'm galavanting about fighting monsters in the dark." He dropped forward again with a moan. "And Laurel's right, I haven't told them about you yet, Dale. My mom will go overboard trying to make you part of the family the second she finds out."

Laurel rolled her eyes. "Overthink things much, geek boy?"

"I am not overthinking things!" he muttered, head still down on the table. "You don't know my parents! Oh lord, and my brothers. It will be a disaster!"

"You have brothers?" Laurel asked. "Wait, are they nerds or are they hot?"

He sat up with a frown. "One is twelve and one is ten, not exactly in your age range."

"That sucks. How am I supposed to find a date when we live in a dungeon."

"You aren't and this is a secret lair not a dungeon," Wyatt told her.

"Whoa, when did we become Batman?" She jumped up. "Be right back." She headed for the kitchen.

"I've got ten bucks that says she's going after Dean's beer," Dale said.

"I'm not stupid enough to take that bet," Wyatt responded. He groaned as his phone began ringing again.

Dale snatched the phone before he could hang up on his mother again. "Hello, Wyatt Mallory's phone, this is Dale his gorgeous and very intelligent girlfriend, how may I help you?"

"Dale noooo!" Wyatt hissed.

"Yes, Wyatt was working on some homework. Here he is. Oh, why thank you, Mrs. Mallory." She held the phone out to him and he stared at it as if it were a vampire aiming to chew his head off. "Wyatt, just talk to her."