He’d witnessed many tears in his life, but never like this. Cya’s sorrow was silent, like even this vulnerability had to be tightly contained. Or maybe they were just accustomed to suffering alone.
Well, they weren’t alone right now, so Dex tightened his hold on the Sypent as they soaked the fur of his neck with a sorrow he didn’t fully understand. He didn’t speak, and neither did they. But he didn’t leave, and he didn’t let them go.
For now, maybe that was enough.
Chapter twelve
The G.O.A.T.
Dex
Thenextmorning,Dexwoke to his alarm, bleary-eyed with an ache in his temple from lack of sleep. He’d slept like shit, tossing and turning, constantly checking his phone in hopes that Cya had initiated contact. They never did, and though he’d been tempted to reach out to them numerous times, he resisted. He’d already crossed their boundaries, as they’d clearly pointed out, and he wanted to do better.
It didn’t lessen his worry, though, especially given the way they’d parted yesterday. After Cya had finished crying, they’d gently, but firmly, pushed out of Dex’s embrace, avoiding eye contact as they wiped their face on his hoodie sleeves. Awkwardness, which Dex was usually impervious to, settled heavily between them, and he didn’t know what to do or what to say to make it better.
Fortunately, Jasmyn had called him, offering a reprieve from the intense emotions and discomfort, and he’d answered her FaceTime to let her know he was running late but would be home soon. Unfortunately, by the time he’d rang off, he’d turned around to find Cya had disappeared. They’d usedhis distraction to scuttle off into the night, leaving him alone, confused, and frustrated with the lack of closure.
Back home as he’d lain in his bed, he’d stared up at the ceiling and thought about Cya. Were they crying alone in their bed? Would they ignore him tomorrow and pretend their shared vulnerability never happened? Would they ever be friends? Didhestill want to be their friend?
And round and round it went, which made for a fitful, short night of sleep.
Someone shook his shoulder hard, and he jerked awake with start. Jasmyn stood over him, already dressed with her backpack on. She was signing to him, but his brain was still too groggy to grasp what she was saying.
“Slow down,”he told her, and she huffed.
“You fell back asleep; now I’m gonna be late to school.”
He checked his alarm clock and cursed.“Sorry, give me two minutes.”
“I’ll get detention.”
“I’ll call and tell them it’s my fault—”
“Just let me go alone.”
Pilfering through his dresser for clean clothes, he shook his head rigorously.“You’re not riding the tram alone. Just—”
“I’m thirteen, and school’s only fifteen minutes away. I’ll be fine.”
“No!”
“If you come to school with me, then you’ll be late to work too.”She set her shoulders stubbornly.“You can track my location in the app, and I’ll text you when I get to school. It’s fine. I will be fine.”
She added extra emphasis on the last part, then pointed to the clock again.“The tram comes in two minutes, and you’re not even wearing pants!”
He glanced down, and sure enough, he was naked. Thankfully, he was covered in fur, so he wasn’t flashing his sister his junk, but still. He loweredthe t-shirt in his hand to hang in front of his hips, making Jasmyn roll her eyes.
“You text me when you’re on the tram. You text me when you get off. And you text me when you get to school, okay?”he signed firmly, and she nodded her agreement.“I’m serious.”
“I will. Now can I go?”
He hesitated for another half-second before relenting.“Okay. Go.”
With a smile, she closed the distance between them and popped onto her toes to rub her cheek against his. Then she was waving goodbye and jogging out of his room. The front door slammed shut behind her a moment later.
He opened the family app on his phone and clicked on Jasmyn’s profile so he could track her journey as he got dressed and scarfed down some cereal. He brushed his teeth and took a leak, then packed up his school and gym bags.
Catching the next tram to the train station, he watched Jasmyn’s progress until a text came through.
