the Secret Life of Damien Carmichael

8. Lonely Days (part II)

For a long while, Damien merely sat against the cold, hard earth, staring out at the lake, not quite daydreaming; not thinking about anything at all. He felt as if he had been transfixed by the lake.

A small part of him supposed if he stayed there long enough perhaps his problems would find a way to fix themselves. Shaking his head, Damien pulled himself to his feet and gave one last longing look out at the lake, brushing off the back of his trousers and turned around, making his way back towards the school, and up to the library.

His favorite spot was empty, part of him, a larger part than he wanted to admit couldn't help but be somewhat remiss about that fact. It was strange to think that someone he hadn't even wanted to be friends with not a month ago had become so important to his life as of late. He wondered whether or not that meant he was just starved for friendship or if Carrie really wasn't a better friend than he gave her credit for. It wasn't as though he actually missed his former friendship with Tyler, even his friendship with Gavin hadn't left him feeling particularly bereft. This was something uniquely Carrie that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She was pushy, like her brother, but unlike her brother, she always seemed to push him in the right direction, he noted.

Damien snorted at the thought, he wasn't sure he even knew what the right direction was anymore. It was obvious that wherever he had been going up until this moment wasn't it.

Scrubbing his face with his hands, Damien looked around the library, hoping that perhaps Carrie might appear around some corner. She didn't. It was then that he realized that he had completely forgotten his bag with his laptop in it and it was likely still upstairs. Bugger! Damien groaned, he didn't exactly want to go back into the dorm room. Being Sunday it was likely to still be full of his fellow seniors most of whom he had no desire to see, but he often felt naked without his laptop beside him, and if he had any hope of getting any writing done he would need it, so he would have to suck it up and grab it.

He wondered what time it was, it had felt all at once as though several hours had passed since he got up and several days. His phone read just past eight. Damien groaned. It was going to be a particularly long day, he thought. Getting to his feet, Damien crossed the bridge from the library back to the Castle and took the stairs back up to the dormitory two at a time.

The dorm was still quiet when he returned. Everyone was still asleep, he noted happily. The last thing he needed was to have to actually talk with someone. Shaking his head he made his way across the dorm towards his bed, he had stuffed his backpack beneath it the night before. Kneeling down beside his bed, Damien rifled through it to grab out his laptop when he heard an odd hiss from beside him. Eyeing his bed, Damien nearly screamed, there at the edge of the bed were two long snakes.

Damien wasn't afraid of snakes per se, but the thought of them in his bed just waiting for him, did make him rather nervous. A snicker echoed behind him, and Damien could only roll his eyes.

He didn't need to turn around to know that it was Tyler. Zipping up his backpack, Damien got to his feet, pulling it on and grabbed the snakes from his bed. He had realized, shortly after the initial shock had worn off that he knew these snakes. They belonged to the science lab, they weren't venomous or even particularly dangerous; though they were notoriously mischievous, often breaking out of their cages in search of a warmer spot to sneak into. As yet, they had never to his knowledge made it all the way as far as the dormitories, it would be an incredible trek for a snake to make without help.

Several girls shrieked as Damien walked passed them on the stairs, carrying the snakes that were currently circling around his arm like a protective amulet. The snakes in question were not particularly thrilled about their little adventure, and Damien couldn't help but wonder as he made his way down to the science lab why exactly Tyler had felt the need to involve the school pets into his petty games. It wasn't as though they had done anything to deserve this sort of treatment.