Vampire Days

Chapter 45: Mossberg and Conrad

Unlike my usual boring weekend where I just pace inside our room like a cage animal or laze in my bed while playing Mobile Legends, I'm currently having an eventful one. Maybe. Just a hunch, because I have so much stuff I gotta do but too much sun outside to actually see real progress on my plans. Like, what happened to learning how to drive? And getting a driver's license?

We were called early to a meeting by the dorm leader. Champion, who just got back from his daily run, looked at me like he was waiting for my reaction but I didn't have any. I was starting to forget about what happened to Depp because of how perfect of a crime it was. There's nothing to worry about. He's as good as erased and there's nothing left of him now. He's here and then he wasn't, end of story.

The meeting talked about our curfew that I didn't know existed because people just come and go at night whenever they please. And then the talk naturally drifted to the missing student and how authorities were still investigating his possible whereabouts. I couldn't help biting my cheek when a laugh threatened to burst out from me and Champion's concerned gaze met mine. He looked like he wanted to snap at me but was too tired to deal with it anymore.

He's helpless and he's painfully aware of it. I just inspected my glittery nails and thought of Austin.

"What are thoooose?!" Raphael asked me when the meeting was done and everyone dispersed outside or into their own rooms. He's staring at my fingernails like the image was too hard for him to comprehend.

"Nail polish, you uncultured swine," I answered sarcastically while wiggling my fingers in front of him.

"Is that like, how you guys bond? Paint each other's nails or something?" he asked, turning to Champion who gave him a wide grin.

"His girlfriend did that," he said before I could say anything, which, surprisingly, was kind of out of his character. Not that he hated Austin but he just doesn't talk about him nowadays either.

"Huh, is that what you get when you finally have a girlfriend?" Raphael asked, looking a little disappointed.

"There are less visible perks, Raph, so don't get your hopes crushed," Champion consoled him.

"You know you love her that much when she decides you need a makeover and you let her," I answered with a laugh, glancing at Champion who looked at his watch for the tenth time since we had the meeting. "Don't overdo it, Champ. You're not going to be an engineer just so you could brag about it in your gravestone."

He gave me his best-seller lopsided grin and shuffled my hair with his huge hand. Sometimes I wish he wasn't so good to the likes of me.

"Just tell me straight if you miss my company, peanut."

"It's pretty boring. You're never home," I admitted but I also wanted to ask if he could teach me how to drive using his husband's car. It's shameless. I'm the worst friend.

"Whoa, dudes. Stop flirting right in front of my nonexistent salad," Raphael said and Champion gave him a friendly chokehold. "Get married already, you hug fiend. So you'd have someone to warn you about the downside of too much skinship!"

I met Champion's eyes before laughing out loud while he exaggerated a booming laugh while clapping Raphael on the shoulder.

"I have an appointment with our dean so I need to go. Please guys, be responsible and don't kill anybody while I'm gone."

"Yessir," I answered, watching him leave. What a thing to say. 

I heard Raphael sigh so I turned to look at him with a curious smile. He still looked like a short welterweight boxer but something about him changed and I couldn't figure it out even if I squinted.