Deviation

22: Rocky's Date

"What do you mean you're not coming home for Christmas?" Mom shrieked as I told her about my plans to meet Vincent's family.

I glanced out my dorm window at the snow covered hills that glistened in the sunlight. Then I replied, "I want to get to know Vincent's family."

"You can do that some other time. Christmas is supposed to be celebrated with your family," she complained and I could imagine her pouting on the other side.

I rolled my eyes, knowing she couldn't see it. "And who would that be with? Would I be spending Christmas with your family or Dad's?"

"Is that what this is about- the divorce?" She questioned.

I sighed. "No, that's just part of it. I need time to think about everything and I really like Vincent. I'll come home for spring break."

"Are you sure you're okay with everything? I know you think you need space, but maybe you just need to talk to someone. Have you tried talking to Alison about everything?"

I brought my knees up and hugged them to my chest. "No, we don't really see each other very much during school- we're both really busy. But that's not what I need."

"And there's nothing I can do to convince you to come home for Christmas?"

I smiled when she finally gave in. "Sorry, but no. I'll see you later Mom." She said goodbye and I hung up my cellphone and placed it on my desk. I was in my dorm; Rocky was on her date with Kyle- the guy from her science class. Why she had agreed to go on the date with him when she was crushing on Connor, I had no idea. One of them should man up already and ask the other one out.

I pulled out my math homework and started working on it, thinking about how I couldn't wait for Christmas break to start.... I had made it through five problems before someone knocked at the door. I groaned and abandoned my math to get the door.

Alison smiled at me and twirled one of her bleach blond strands of hair around her finger. "Hey Gina, I thought maybe we could hang out!"

"Mom talked to you, didn't she?" I asked, not bothering to greet her.

She nodded and looked at me accusingly. "She also told me you were going to your boyfriend's house for Christmas."

"Oh yeah, he lives in Texas," I informed her. I went and sat back down on my bed, leaving the door open. I figured she wouldn't leave until she got whatever she came here to get.

She crossed her arms and stared down at me. "You can't go to Texas; you have to come back to Utah with me. You're going to make me deal with it all on my own."

"It's too late for me to change my plans now," I said in an attempt to ease the guilt forming in my stomach. "Besides you have Jake, why don't you bring him?"

She blew a strand of hair out of her face. "I would, but his family loves Christmas and there is no way they would let him come with me."

"Well, I'm sorry and that sucks, but I already made plans." I replied, not looking at her. I was afraid that if I did, I would feel all the guilt crushing down on me.

She tapped her foot against the carpet. "Fine, but I will call you every night just to complain about how awful it is there."

"Okay, I'm not the one that has to pay for my own phone bill," I reminded her smugly. Ever since she'd met Jake, she'd spent hour long phone calls talking to him which had caused the phone bill to go up dramatically. And thus, my parents decided it was time she took care of it.

She frowned. "Well when we get back I'll tell you all about it."

"Go ahead," I offered, smiling innocently. Alison gave me the evil eye and pulled at her shirt while emitting a groan of frustration.

She bit her lip and said, "I'm leaving now."

"Good for you," I called over my shoulder as she left. She slammed the door in reply and I laughed, shaking my head at my sister's ridiculous antics. Then I reluctantly focused on the homework in front of me.

Rocky got back an hour later and fell onto her bed, letting her head fall into her hands. Her date must have been disappointing. I set down the book I was reading and asked, "How was the date with Kyle?"

"Awful! He was so stupid." She complained.

I did my best to repress a small smile. Connor would love to hear that. "Aw, I'm sorry; what happened?"

"He kept getting distracted every single time a person walked by. As in he was checking out both the guys and the girls that walked past and he didn't even bother to try to hide it. Who does that when they're on a date with someone else?"

I smiled sympathetically; secretly cheering inside. Connor and she were meant to be together; if this wasn't a sign, I wasn't sure what was. "That sucks; where did you guys go?"

"We went to the cafeteria." She shrugged, studying her hands.

I got up and sat next to her. "That sounds like a lame date place. Vincent and I went on a picnic on our first date."

She nodded and continued, "But that's not even the worst part. Halfway through our date, this guy came over and started hitting on him and he ditched me to hang out with him!"

She sounded so distressed that it opened my mind to the possibility that she might have actually liked Kyle. Nudging my arm against hers, I asked, "Wow that sounds awful.... Did you really like him?"

"No, I guess that's the one good thing that came out of this. I don't have to feel like I'm using him if I continue dating him and I don't have to make up a reason not to date him." She admitted.

I grinned at that. "Now you can go out with Connor."

"I will if he asks me on a date before the school year ends." She sighed.

I shook my head. "Does that mean you're definitely not going to ask him out?"

"I don't know... What if he says no?" She asked me, her eyes shining with worry. Her awful date was forgotten.

I patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, he won't."

"He might," she whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Just ask him out and get it over with. If he says no we can hang out in here and watch sappy romance movies."

"Okay... After all, what's the worst that could happen?"

I cracked a small smile and replied, "He could say no, suddenly announce that he's been a traitor all along and then let in a bunch of vampires to kill us all."

"This is not some weird novel written in a month where someone is trying to think of random stuff to put in," she returned, rolling her eyes.

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, my mind is stuck in the story I'm writing right now."

"Authors," she scoffed. I just smiled.