Page 53 of The Gargoyle in the College

I turn on my laptop, opening the files I need for the exam. It is what it is. I deserve it when I know in my gut that I should at least give Gisett a chance, or give myself a chance.

Gisett is a strong and pretty amazing gargoyle. He surely doesn’t need me.

Meanwhile, I’m just a weirdo who can’t seem to fit in, regardless.

Ryan has been nice to me, but I’ve never felt comfortable around him. It’s not even his fault. I feel the same way when I’m with other classmates too. It’s tiring to have to figure out the right thing to say. But with Gisett, somehow, I don’t worry about that.

He—

“Looks like someone misses me.”

Huh?

I turn around to the door, where the voice comes from.

There stands a big gargoyle guy with his arms folded and wings poised. “Are you the one looking for me?”

“Gisett!” I run to him and hug him before I can stop myself. I peel my hands off him and make myself take a step back. “Sorry, I haven’t asked whether you’ll let me hug you.”

He leans over and lifts my chin. “You know you can always hug me. What happened?”

I hug him and bury my face in his chest. Maybe I’m only good for my “imaginary friends.” “You’re here, even though I told you to leave.”

He wraps his arms around me, and also his wings. His big wings cover most of the light, but it is comfortable to be with him. “I’m always here for you.”

“Why? I’m just a weird human who never fits in.”

“With other humans. Maybe you fit in with gargoyles.”

I tilt my head to the side. “Maybe you and I get along. I don’t know about other gargoyles.”

“Who cares about them?”

I stare at him. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t care what the other gargoyles think, and I don’t think you have to care about what others think either, whatever species they are.”

I rest my face on his chest. “I was trying to fit in with others. But it feels like I can’t get comfortable around them even though it has been a while.”

“Maybe you need some more time. Everyone’s different. Or you need more friends that are different.”

I sigh. “I don’t know. I thought it would be different in college.”

He tilts his head to the side. “Are you different in college?”

“Well... Other than getting older, I don’t think I’m any different.” My throat tightens at the thought. “I’m fine with my studies, but I just don’t have a lot of friends. Like, I got a few.” I lift my fingers. “Not even a handful, I suppose.”

“That’s not bad.”

“Is it?” Maybe I should keep in contact with them a bit more. We’re all scattered in different colleges by now. Most of them are in their senior years compared to me due to... a mild delay in my academic life. We message one another at times, but a lot less compared to when we used to see one another daily in high school.

“It is. Think about it, you’re going to have just one mate, after all.”

“Is someone trying something here?”

He shrugs, pretending to be completely innocent. “What? I suppose you don’t have to find a mate if you don’t want to. Or... I suppose you can get more than one mate. Well, I’m not sure how that works, but I guess some do that. Not sure about humans, but someone out there may be doing that.”

I close my eyes when nausea creeps up at me. “It... I don’t know. Maybe I should wait until my mid-term is over before I think about that. I just want you to know that—“

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