Dragon Boy

19: Pebbles

The day of the dance arrived. Kyle decided not to go, which surprised no one but upset everyone. He was still too upset to face anyone.

"It's just a dumb party," he told them. He had never been fond of these get-togethers. He would rather spend time with friends in a more intimate environment.

Much of the school was dead silent. The student body had crammed itself in the ballroom, which was hidden somewhere underground. He was curious to find the room, but not on a day where everyone would be there. He had wanted to spend time learning to fly with the Gargoyles, but all of them were also attending the dance. Instead, he spent much of the night in his room.

Fledermaus paced the room. He did not share Kyle's capacity to sit in one place for a period of time. He kept poking his nose out the window, letting in the cold air. He scratched at the door and pawed at the floor, whining all the while.

"I'm bored, too," Kyle assured the little beast. "There's nothing to do. And I don't -"

There was a knock on the door.

He had a feeling he knew who was on the other side.

He rose from his desk and approached the door. He peered through the peephole and, sure enough, spotted Akora and her companions standing in the hallway. He sighed to himself and then opened the door. "What do you want?"

She took a breath. "I was told I should give you an 'apology'," she said, "so I got you this." She retrieved a rock from her pocket and put it in Kyle's hand. "So here."

Kyle looked at the rock. There was nothing special about it. "An apology? For what?" He had heard about this tactic and wanted to try it for himself.

She shrugged. "The others said your, what were they, 'feelings' were hurt, by my actions." She stood straight and puffed out her chest with authority. "Personally, I don't understand it, but it was something they said you humans do."

He brushed a patch of dirt off the rock with his thumb. "So you don't think you did anything wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, not really." Then, her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, as though struck with a revelation. "But, if you feel I did something wrong, then please, accept my 'apology'."

He examined the rock a bit more. If he was being honest, he did not think Akora did anything wrong. What had she done? She told him the truth. The truth had hurt him. She was not trying to be malicious. While it was difficult to admit, she did not do anything to hurt him, and he was just holding onto anger. It was time to work on letting go.

Kyle set the rock on his desk. "I accept your apology."

Akora's face lit up. "Excellent! We can go back to being allies!" She invited herself into his room in typical Akora fashion, Runt and Sasha at her heels. "So, what will be getting up to tonight?"

He shut his door and set himself back down at his desk. "Well, I don't know about you, but I've been drawing."

She paused, as if waiting. She gave him a look as though she was expecting him to say more. Then, she said, "Drawing...?"

He nodded. "Yes. Drawing."

She loomed over his shoulder and stared at the papers on his desk. She observed as he created lines using the stick he held in his hand. She reached over his shoulder and put her finger to the sheet. "This technique is called 'drawing'?"

He hunched over his desk and covered the page. "Yes, and I don't like it when people look over my shoulder like that."

She set himself on the edge of his bed. "Oh, alright." Runt, Sasha, and Fledermaus all also crowded on Kyle's bed. "Well, is this a two person activity?"