Page 9 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“I still think the most serious symptom is you being annoyed by Venom. Seriously, that’s totally out of character for you!”

“Danny,” Will grumbled.

“Okay,” Dan said defensively. “You can add no sense of humor to the What’s Wrong With Me Today list.”

Will didn’t answer. He knew his friend was trying to cheer him up, but it annoyed him a little that Dan wasn’t taking it seriously. This really wasn’t normal.

They reached the school grounds. They walked along the edge of the sports field, deciding to stop by the cafeteria to grab something to drink. The basketball team was already practicing.

Suddenly, Will felt a sharp jolt, as if a current had shot up his spine. His body arched reflexively, dodging a ball that whizzed right past him.

Liam ran up to them.

“Nice dodge,” he said with admiration.

“More like a lousy shot,” Will retorted, narrowing his eyes. “And not the first one. Aren’t you supposed to be aiming for the hoop, not at passersby?”

Danny’s eyes widened, and Liam just smiled.

“Sorry,” he said, unconcerned. “Can I get my ball back?”

“You can if you go get it yourself,” Will replied coolly, starting to walk away.

Dan fell into step beside him.

“Are suicidal tendencies also a symptom of that whole fugue thing?” he hissed, glancing nervously back at Liam.

Will rolled his eyes. He didn’t have the patience for this today.

They finally reached their lockers. They were getting their books when Dan suddenly elbowed Will and nodded his head toward a girl lingering by the entrance.

“Ten bucks says she’s waiting for Blake.”

Will let out a quiet snort.

“Why would I bet on the most obvious thing under the sun?” he scoffed, pausing to watch the impending disaster.

Blake strode into the building. The girl made her move, supposedly accidentally bumping right into him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said with not-very-believable distress.

“Get out of my way, you moron,” Blake hissed in response, and if she hadn’t moved, he probably would have plowed right through her.

Will followed him with a shocked gaze.

“What an asshole,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“He’s always like that,” Dan stated.

No. Well, yes, Blake was an asshole, but not that much of an asshole. He was an acceptable asshole. An attractive asshole. The kind of asshole whose asshole-ness you sort of overlooked because he was smart, charismatic, and handsome, and his less-than-pleasant behavior could be explained away as eccentricity. But he’d never acted this nasty before.

Although… now that Will thought about it, he could recall many similar situations. Some even worse, actually.

“That’s just his charm,” Dan said with a shrug.

“That’s not charm, that’s just being a dick,” Will declared harshly.

Danny snorted with laughter.