Like Gods

[34] distance

A rapid knock on the door made Dylan wake up abruptly, opening his eyes and looked at where the noise was coming from. His dad opened it a moment later, peeking his head inside.

"Are you sick today, too?" He asked softly. Dylan closed his eyes again. Never had he understood why Felicia stayed at home after breakups more than that moment, and he nodded. "I'll call the school, don't worry."

There were no questions asked, and Dylan sighed in relief. This was why he preferred talking to his dad about being sick and not his mom. He heard the door fall closed and he turned on the bed, grabbing his phone. It was Wednesday, eight-forty in the morning, and he'd been home from school every day this week.

Chris had started calling on Monday morning, and Felicia had started not long after, but he hadn't answered a single one. He didn't have the energy. He wasn't sad anymore, just drained and angry and he had barely moved from his position on the bed, save for getting food every now and again.

He could hear his dad slam the door downstairs, and then there was just silence. No even his phone, that had for the last two days rung almost constantly, was silent and still. It was nice. A car drove past, and he closed his eyes once more. 

He lay there for a good while, doing nothing at all except either staring at the wall or out the window. After that, though, he sat up in the bed and huffed. That was enough of feeling bad for himself, just because someone lied. He was basically an adult for God's sake. 

He threw off his covers and got out of bed, stepping into some sweats and a tee-shirt that was a little bit too big, and went downstairs. The sun was actually out for once and though it looked as if it was warm out, it most definitely was not. It was, after all, officially wintertime now. He looked out the window and got into the kitchen, opening the pantry to get some snacks.

Maybe he should study? He could sit in the living room and just relax. Yeah, that was a good idea, considering that he'd missed three days of school already.

He popped two pieces of bread into the toaster and put on some coffee, still trying to get himself out of the sleep-induced haze that clouded his mind. When the toasted bread jumped up, he put some marmalade and cheese on top and brought the breakfast to the living room where he planned on doing the work. The school-provided laptop might not have been the best quality, but it was good enough and he hurried back up the stairs to get it.

While he'd finished most of his assignments, there were still a few things left to turn in, and he started on the easiest one. 

He planned on writing his application essay to some colleges while he had the chance, and the peace and quiet. Most of the colleges that he'd found fit him the best were out of state, but it would probably work out fine. He could get a job and live in the dorms and everything would fall into place.

His mom and dad probably wouldn't like it though, and he'd applied for some in-state ones as well, but his first choice was Eckerd College in Florida; it was in a warmer state, had a great marine program and was located by the ocean. Perfect.

__

When he looked at the clock after what hadn't felt like such a long time, it was almost eleven-thirty and the sun stood pretty high up in the sky outside the window. He sighed, downing the last of the now-cold coffee, which he had forgotten about earlier when he'd started on the work, and put the laptop on the coffee table.

He should probably make some lunch, he thought and rose from the armchair. Just as he was about to go into the kitchen, though, the door bell's sound echoed through the empty house. He turned on his heel, walking back toward the door.