"Ok. You should just ask him out." Why would Sylas say that? He accepted his loss? Just like that? What would the mage of Mysterious God Prowler do? He shouldn't give up, not now. Maybe Mark will reject her like all those girls who rejected Sylas routinely for all his life. That didn't happen. They started dating the next day, only saying happy birthday to Sylas after they met up for their after school study session in the library where Sylas found them kissing before any other person arrived.
His stomach turned when he saw them, and he decided to excuse himself by saying he was going to take a shit. He was gone for about an hour or so. The only one who came to look for him was May, who barged into the boy's bathroom to drag a crying Sylas out. When they were alone in an empty hallway, she let him lay his head on her boobs and cry.
"It's going to be okay, Sylas. You're going to be okay." Her voice was deep and soothing.
It almost made it okay for Sylas to say, "I'm such a loser!" She brushed his hair with her hand. They stayed in that hallway with each other until a teacher showed up to kick them out half an hour later. Though to them it felt like it lasted for an eternity. They never spoke after that. Sylas was too embarrassed.
The rest of highschool was uneventful. Empty crushes, easy assignments, forced interactions with his most hated pairing. They lasted together even after highschool ended, and would post each other frequently on social media. Meanwhile Sylas remained a virgin. He got a job. He started working out with his father. He got into most of the colleges he wanted, but not the top college that would certify that he was a genius to the rest of the world.
By the time he was in college he had started multiple online relationships. One of them was with a woman who lived an hour and a half away by train and bus. He didn't mind the commute, but she was a character. Her name, April, she had a fondness for strawberries. She had red hair, and all of her outfits were a mix of red or black. She drank often, and she always apologizes when she decides to dissociate from the rest of the world for a few days. She was 6 years older than Sylas. They would always play games together or talk about life and death. They had been talking for 2 years when 20 year old Sylas was invited by her to come over for sex.
"What about your boyfriend?" Sylas asked.
"Who? I broke up with him already." April responded.
"It'll take an hour and a half to get there, maybe more if I miss any buses or trains."
"My parents won't be home until late at night. I'm not babysitting. I already called a mental health day at work. My therapist told me this would be good for me. Also are you sure you don't want me to come pick you up? I can if you want to, I don't mind at all."
"But you were literally in an accident, you dumbfuck. I'm not letting you go behind a wheel again."
"Dumbfuck, aren't you the boy who beats cars? Just stop every other car from hitting me."
"Sure! Then I'll grow wings, and fly you back home to avoid the police."
"Yippie! I can't wait to ride you."
Sylas smiled as he stared at April's ex-boyfriend holding a knife, the light of the sun reflecting off of his shaven head. Sylas's bloody hand limped to his side as a fully robed April looked at the situation with despair.
"Just put the knife down!" She screeched.
"No! Not until I know what the fuck he was doing in your bathroom half naked!" The ex-boyfriend said as he swung his knife to point it at April who retreated into herself.
"I thought you broke up with her." Sylas said in a questioning tone.
"Another one of her delusions?" The ex-boyfriend said. "We are still together, she had a manic breakdown and spontaneously broke up with me. She does this all the time."
"Well you aren't really the model boyfriend here. Are you sure you aren't the crazy one?" Sylas said, chuckling to himself. His calves throbbed.
The ex-boyfriend swung his knife towards Sylas. "You think this shit is funny!" Tears started running down the man's face. Sylas couldn't discern how old he was, he looked like he was in his 30s though.
Sylas raised his hands above his head. "Not at all." He had a bad feeling, it made his stomach turn. Clearly someone here was lying, Sylas thought, but he had no time to actually figure that out or ask enough questions. How should he get out of this situation? He only had come here to lose his virginity, then moments before it happened this maniac came in with roses. Sylas was in the bathroom while he entered the home because he was nervous and needed to take a shit.
Deducing from the rough voice that said, "April babe, I brought you flowers."
Followed by April responding, "Thanks babe." He knew that she was most likely the one lying. What was she hoping to get out of this? Her two favorite people meeting? Did she forget to uninvite him? Was he a surprise visitor? Is she just trying to appease him to get him away from them as quickly as possible? It didn't matter. Sylas felt like he had wasted his time, when the ex-boyfriend was invited into the home.
As she then invited him into her bedroom, Sylas could hear every shift of cloth and word spoken. He refused to stay inside of the bathroom. Hearing them do their thing. He believed he had been rejected again. This ain't the first time, he thought, that a woman made him feel they were intimately close just for them to confess their love for another man. She called his name in a moaning tone. Not Sylas, but the ex-boyfriends. That sealed the loss for Sylas as he stared at himself in the mirror. He saw red.
Sylas punched her bathroom mirror. The glass pierced his hand and he felt a little light headed. "What the fuck." The rough voice of the ex-boyfriend sounded muffled as he ran over to the bathroom and opened it to see a pathetic Sylas. He stormed out of the house, grabbed a knife and came back.
Sylas Peters made a run for it. He planned on jumping the white fences that surrounded April's home. However, Sylas Peters wasn't ever really faster than others.
SCHUNK!
His face contorted and squeezed together as he exploded out in a harrowing screech that harmonized with April's. The knife was in Sylas's back. That would leave quite the nasty wound, Sylas thought, a scar to show how he survived another encounter. He thought of how he would show the scar to all the prosecutors and jury who would deem this man that attacked him as evil. Then the knife was taken out.
SCHUNK!
His scream worsened as he felt something like a bone being pierced. He couldn't tell what it was, but it made him fall to the ground face first.
SCHUNK!
Oh, Sylas thought as the ex-boyfriend flipped him around so he could see Sylas's face in utter despair.
SCHUNK! SCHUNK! SCHUNK!
He just kept stabbing Sylas in the abdomen region. Sylas tasted blood pooling in his mouth. He despised it.
"Stop! He's dead! He's dead!" April said as she pushed her ex-boyfriend off of Sylas. April held Sylas's body up, she hugged him as he felt her breasts press into his face. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. Don't die love. Don't die! Sylas! Please, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." She brushed his hair.
"Shit April. Fuck. We're going to have to bury him."
Ah, Sylas thought, I wonder what mom made for dinner today. I hope it's an omelet. Dad'll be happy that I eat it with tomatoes too. His voice was weak, even in his own mind. Is April crying? I'm sorry I look so pathetic right now. Man. Mark and Valentina better show up at my funeral. I'll haunt them for life if they don't. We haven't talked since graduation.
"Come on May, get off of him. We gatta clean up." That's not right, her name is April. May, we had our prom in June. I should have asked, "May I have this dance with you." Emphasizing the may. I'm so sorry May. "It's gonna be okay." I'm such a loser.
Then everything went dark.