The Werecat; The Story of Ronnie

Fourteen

It was December, closing in on Christmas, and Ronnie couldn't have been in a worse mood.

The school was beautifully decorated in Christmas decor, tinsel and stars, wreaths on classroom doors, strings of beads and ornaments running along the ceilings, and a giant Christmas tree in both dorms, decorated perfectly. Students were decked out in Santa Claus hats, headbands with reindeer horns, Christmas jewelry.. And they were all talking about home.

Ronnie didn't exactly have a home to go to. Technically he did, but he wasn't welcome there anymore. Ever since his dad walked in on him and his first ever girlfriend, Ronnie had been the family disappointment, and he did his best to stay away from the house. Normally, Skylar would be staying behind with him, but this year, Lily invited him over to her Gran's house for the holidays, and he accepted pretty quickly. That left Ronnie by himself in the great big school.

Even the professors were all caught up in the holiday spirit. In Transformation class, Professor Masters rewarded every correct theory answer with a candy cane that tasted like Ronnie's favourite food (it was different for everyone). Professor Ludwig was playing Christmas carols on his silver flute, causing every object near him to dance and twirl. Professor Mason had on a beautiful (if not revealing) elf costume on, in the style of a short sleeved dress,and a hat that showed off her pointed ears. The harpy girls were flying around the mess hall every meal, ever wing beat sending down a sprinkling of snow that disappeared before it made contact with anything below. As beautiful as it was, Ronnie hated it all.

But Lulu adored it.

The only good part about Christmas was that he and Lulu were still together. She was supposed to go home for the holidays, so they spent every spare second they could with each other. The days flew by a lot faster that way. He was a little upset that, really, he couldn't get her anything for Christmas, but when he brought that up to her, she just laughed.

"Being with you is enough," she had told him, getting that twinkle in her eyes he loved so much.

The day before the carriages were supposed to carry the home-bound students away, he realized just how alone he was going to be. And he knew Lulu felt his loneliness as well.

"Ronnie?" she asked at lunch, snuggling up against his side. He looked down at her, one eyebrow raised, not much in the mood for talking. She continued anyway: "I don't HAVE to go home.."

He immediately shook his head. "No. You have a family, go see them." Ronnie made himself smile, then leaned down and kissed her nose gently. Lulu sighed in response.

"At least let me give you a present before I go,"she whispered, looking up into his eyes. Ronnie rose both eyebrows,slightly surprised, and found himself nodding. Lulu's face lit up with a smile, but it didn't hide the glint in her eyes that told him she was up to something. He opened his mouth to ask, but was cut off by her lips finding his, kissing him gently, and he returned her kiss wholeheartedly.

They spent the rest of the day in their last classes, getting any assignments that were being handed out for the break, and met up again at dinner. Ronnie was sitting at his usual table, with Sky and Lily cuddling across from him, chatting animatedly about meeting Lily's family. Lulu came in a little late, sliding in next to Ronnie,and giving his cheek a quick kiss.

"Took you long enough," he teased her with a smile,really just glad she made it. Lulu playfully slapped his arm and giggled. It made Ronnie grin, and he wrapped that arm around her and pulled her in close.

"So? Lily says you're going home for the holidays,"Sky spoke up, smiling. Lulu turned her attention towards him and nodded, one of her little hands resting on Ronnie's chest, making him purr.