Eros' point of view
"What do you mean, you have no choice?" I asked Hammerhead, getting angrier by the second. "You're the principal! Of course you have a choice whether to kick someone out or not."
My principal – or well, I guess he wasn't my principal anymore now – sighed deeply and rubbed his hand over his bald, square head. "Look, you haven't been in school for over a month, Eros. There's only so much I can do as the head of the school. It's not like I'm the king of the world. I've got The United Board to answer to, as well as KTS. When someone says away for this long without a sufficient reason... Rules state I should have kicked you out a long time ago."
We were sitting in an empty hospital room only a few feet away from Demona's room. I gestured in that general direction. "I'd say I have a pretty good reason for not sitting through lectures and taking tests."
Hammerhead sighed again. "I get it, but technically, her being in here doesn't stop you from coming to classes. Even if there wasn't the matter of curfew and all of that, you could at least come in to attend some classes. If you were willing to start doing that first thing tomorrow morning, we could work out a schedule for you to make sure you'll be able to go to college once you complete the transition. Right now, you can't seriously expect me to write you a letter of recommendation." He raised his eyebrows. "I take it you actually do want to have some kind of a future? With or without Demona?"
With or without? How could he even suggest that there was something that was worthy of being called a future without her in it?
"Look, I'm trying here." He was starting to get frustrated with me. "This isn't the first time I'm warning you that there are consequences when you do stupid things, Eros. Before, Cornelia was talking you up at KTS, protecting you from the board. But without your powers..."
"I'm useless." This wasn't the first time he'd told me this. "No place for me at KTS without my mind control, I get it."
Hammerhead shook his head. "Not the place you were promised before, no. Although Cornelia is being very generous to you. With your record, it's gonna be hard enough to find a school that will take you once you finish high school. You need her to get any kind of higher education. She's willing to let you intern in a different department than mind control, show you what else is out there. And if you prove you're worth, KTS will give you an amazing recommendation, making sure you'll be able to get in anywhere you want."
He went on explaining to me how important my education was and what kind of jobs I might be suited for, even without my mind control, but I stopped listening. How the hell was I supposed to make plans for a future that I didn't actually believe in? I was staying with Demona for as long as it took for her to wake up. If she stayed like this forever, I would stay here forever. And if she did wake up, I'd have my powers back, so this whole conversation was pointless.
"You're not coming back to school, are you?" Hammerhead was giving up. Not something he had much experience with, I could tell that much from his dismayed expression. "Well, then I guess this is it. You're almost twenty, I don't think you're gonna want to live with your mother, so I guess you'll just have to get a job to support yourself."
I shrugged. "Or live off my stepdad's money. Guilt goes a long way."
"You're not doing yourself any favors." I could tell there was much more Mr. Han wanted to say to me, but he didn't. Instead, he held out his hand for me to shake.
"Thanks for trying, sir," I told him earnestly. "I do appreciate it."
"If you truly did, you won't be so goddamn stubborn and listen to my advice for once," he replied before turning around and walking out of the room.
I gave him a moment to visit with Dem, something he did about once a week, before heading back into her room. I sat at the edge of her bed, looking at her delicate features. She'd always been so fierce, so full of life, but you wouldn't be able to see that in her now. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment, but I knew that it didn't mean anything. It was the only movement I had seen her make for a month and a half.
"It's my birthday tomorrow," I told her, taking her hand. "I'll be twenty. You don't need to get me a present, though. Just wake up. That would be the best gift in the whole world."
No response, only silence.
"I love you," I told her. "And I'm sorry. So sorry. This is all my fault. I wish I could-"
Before I could go on, the door opened behind me. I could tell from the sound of her footsteps and her soft sigh when she saw me that it was nurse Sara.
"Are you alright, Mr. Slayer?" she asked, making her way over so she could check on Demona.
"Call me Eros." I'd already told her this every single time she'd called me Mr. Slayer, but she kept at it. I wasn't sure if she was trying to be professional or if she just thought it was funny. She was only a year or two older than I was, so it was ridiculous for her to call me mister and sir.
"Are you alright, Eros?" She smiled at me while she took Dem's vitals – no changes, of course – and fluffed her pillow. "You seem upset?"
I shrugged. "I just got kicked out of school."
"Oh, that's horrible!" Sara put a hand on her chest and shook her head ruefully. "You shouldn't be sitting around here all the time, all alone..."
Surprised, I realized she was flirting with me. That hadn't happened to me in a long time and I didn't care for it now. She was cute, but she was standing over my girlfriend at the moment, smiling at me while jotting down some notes in Dem's chart.
"I'll come and see if there are any changes before my shirt ends," Sara told me, her smile definitely flirty now. "If you're still here by then, we could take some more about your troubles. I really need to go see another patient right now."
I didn't respond and took Demona's hand in mine again, stroking it softly. Please come back to me, I begged her silently. I smiled when I imagined how she'd have reacted to Sara trying to get my attention. No one was cuter than my Dem when she was mad. I preferred her happy, but there was no denying her attraction when she was shooting fire out of her eyes.
I had no intention of leaving tonight, but I knew that it would look bad if Sara came back. She'd think I had been waiting for her. Besides, I did need to talk to someone. I took out my phone and wondered if I should call Simon instead of Dylan, but I could feel through the bond that he was asleep already. So I texted Dylan to let him know what had happened.
He didn't respond, but about half an hour later, he walked in the room and took his usual seat next to me. He smoothed Dem's hair and said hello to her before turning to me.
"So," he said with a sigh. "You finally managed to get kicked out, huh?"
I shrugged. "They want me to go back, but I'm not gonna walk the halls where she used to walk, sleep in the bed where she and I..." I shuddered, memories of that night flooding over me. Her moans, her encouraging words when I questioned whether we should go any further. The joy of finally giving into our feelings and then her lifeless body underneath me, her eyes rolling back in her head, her mouth unsmiling.
"She wouldn't want this for you," Dylan told me for the millionth time. "If she knew you're sitting here every day and every night, that you're not taking care of yourself anymore, refusing to think about your future, hardly taking to your mother... She would hate it."
"And I hate this," I told his, gesturing at her. "Tomorrow, I'll turn twenty and she won't even be here to see it. Without her, it's like nothing is even real, like none of this is even truly happening."
"I know," Dylan assured me. He was being way nicer to me than he'd been the past weeks. His anger seemed to be somewhat subdued tonight. "But life does go on, you know. She didn't choose this faith to have you give up your life completely."
"Are you suggestion I need to get back in the game?" I asked, annoyed. "Because it's only been a month, Dylan. You don't seriously expect me to ever want to look at another girl again?"
"I'm not saying you should date," he replied. "But you could go running, shower ever once in a while, go have lunch with your mother, see your friends, read a book, go for a drive, anything."
"I miss her when I'm not with her." It was the truth, in a way, but I also missed her when I was in the same room with her, because she wasn't truly here. Only her body was and it was useless without her vibrant soul in it. "And it's not like you're moving on with your life. You could go to college or get a job, but you're hanging around here just like I am."
Dylan grunted and got up from his seat. "You're right. Maybe I should stop going that. In fact, I think I'm gonna leave now."
Great. I had managed to piss him off again. I sometimes wondered how I had managed to lose so many people in such a short amount of time. It wasn't just Demona. Dylan was almost as mad at me as I was at myself and it seemed he was mostly here for me because he felt it was his duty. Before, he had helped me voluntarily, because he was my best friend. Not anymore.
The door slammed shut behind Dylan and I got up as well, moving to stare out the window. I saw Dylan walk out the hospital and slam his fist again the wall in frustration. Once he had calmed down somewhat, he took out his phone and leaned against his car. He was probably calling Carl. Those two were getting serious real fast.
I stayed with Demona, looking at the clock count down the hours, than the minutes, then the seconds to my the next day.
"Happy birthday to me," I whispered into the silence when the clock struck twelve.
In the distance, I heard Sara's footsteps slowly getting closer to the door. I really wasn't in the mood for her right now. She was a nice girl, but she was no Demona. I opened the window and snuck out into the night. I'd just take a short walk in the forest until I could be sure that she was gone.
"Hey!" I turned around when I heard Dylan's voice cut through the silence. He was still leaning against his car, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. "How about we go and have a drink, huh? Celebrate you becoming yet another year older and none the wiser."
I shook my head. "No alcohol for me, remember?"
"Great!" Dylan tossed me his car keys. "Because I could use a few. You can drive. I'm sure they'll have a glass of water for you."
It wasn't the same as having my friend back, but at least he was talking to me a little like he used to. I grabbed the keys out of the air and opened his car. We remained silent as I drove to the nearest bar. For some reason, Dylan put on an Ellie Golding song and closed his eyes as he listened to it, his fists clenched.
When we slid into a booth and ordered a whiskey for Dylan and a soda for me, we didn't even know what to talk about. It was like we'd forgotten how to just be around each other.
"Did you hear about Sheila and Simon?" Dylan asked, finally speaking up.
I nodded and tapped my index finger against the side of my head.
"Right!" Dylan realized. "The bond! I keep forgetting. So it's true then? Carl told me Sheila has been flirting with him like crazy at school, but Simon seems to be at a loss when it comes to acting on it."
I laughed, remembering the night they'd kissed in her car. "Oh, he acted on it alright. Simon style of course, so it wasn't exactly the most heated night ever, but I would bet good money on them getting together a few more times. Who knows, maybe they'll fall in love."
Dylan shuddered and took a swig of his drink. "Ugh. Can you imagine? Simon is such a sweetheart and Sheila is so... ugh. Demona would have a fit!"
"I think she's good for him," I mused. "She's far more experienced than he is. Maybe one of these days we'll have to go rescue him when they get freaky and she leaves him tied up to his bed without a way to get out on his own."
Dylan grinned. "I would pay good money to see that. It's hard to imagine them together, though. I won't believe it until I see it. He's hardly her type."
"She's not exactly Demona or Amy either," I agreed. "But then again, love sneaks up on you sometimes, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, we can't all have thunder and lighting like you and Demona," Dylan agreed.
That was certainly true. Although I would have preferred a little less passion if that meant she'd still be with me. I finished my drink, whishing I could have something stronger.