Kaleidoscope

Chapter Sixteen

The next few weeks passed quickly and once again the train station was humming with the throngs of travelers as Kim fought her way through the crowds to go home for Christmas break. She thought back to that other, silent ride home with Danny sitting so close to her. She wasn't mistaken—the vibes had been there. But, she hadn't seen him in class since, and wondered if he was even still in school. She couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, just in case. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to run into him, she boarded the train and found a comfortable seat where she could relax with her book, or even sleep, instead of what had passed for awkward conversation with Danny a month earlier.

The train sped along the track through one town after another. Dozing, wiped out from the stress of finals, Kim was once again sitting next to Danny. Only this time their conversation was animated, filled with laughter and mutual admiration. A sudden lurch jerked her out of her reverie and she realized it was just a dream—she was very much alone this time.

The train pulled into Union Station and her parents, bundled up to ward off the swirling snowflakes, pulled her into a warm embrace. Ryan, standing eye to eye with her, gave her a quick hug as he grabbed her suitcase.

"It's no fair, squirt, you're growing too fast," she teased him. "Pretty soon you're going to tower over me."

"Hey Kim, can we go shopping tomorrow? We have to get something for 'you know who'," he said with a sideways glance at their parents once they were in the car.

"Sure, Ryan, just let me sleep in for a change. I'm exhausted." With that she leaned her head on the window and closed her eyes for the remainder of the ride home.

That night, snuggled in under her old familiar comforter, she slept like a baby. Independence and the creature comforts of home were having a tug of war within her. She loved being at school but nothing could compare to being here in her own room with her family just footsteps away.

The sun was already casting a glow on the wall of her bedroom the next morning, when she rolled over for the third time, not wanting to get up. But she had promised Ryan they could go shopping so she struggled to her feet, pulled on the old fleece robe she had left in the closet and padded down to the kitchen.

"Good morning, sunshine," her dad said as he greeted her with a kiss to the top of her head. "It sure is nice to have you at the breakfast table again. Did you sleep well?"

"Like a newborn babe," she answered, reaching out to touch his hand. "Where's Ryan? We're supposed to go shopping today."

"I think you're going to have to go knocking on his door, sweetheart. He sleeps the sleep of the dead when he's on vacation."

An hour later, Kim and Ryan were pushing their way through the crowds in the mall to get to the video store. They had agreed on a new DVD player for their parents for Christmas. Christmas music was blaring throughout the mall which was decked out festively for the holidays. Mission accomplished, Kim and Ryan picked up their package and left the store.

As they were leaving, Kim nearly collided with Danny.

"Oh, wow, Danny, um, how are you?" Kim stuttered, in disbelief at his appearance.

"Hi, Kim," Danny answered, looking sideways to avoid her eyes. "It's nice to see you again. Hey, Ryan."

Kim spoke. "I haven't seen you in class lately; are you alright?" she asked not sure it was any of her business.

"Actually, I dropped out. It's complicated. But I have to stay at home for a while."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Danny. Do you think you'll be coming back next semester?" she said, her face falling, yet hanging on to a sliver of hope at the same time.

"I'm not sure. I have a lot of things going on. Well, I gotta get going. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." With that, Danny turned and left, Kim staring at him as he wove his way through the mall.

The rest of the afternoon Kim shopped in a daze, distractedly pawing through merchandise she wasn't even interested in. She hadn't realized how much she had missed Danny.

It must be a girlfriend, she concluded. He wouldn't be the first guy to go away to school with a girl back home. But, now wasn't the time to be concerned about a guy she had barely gotten to know. She had Christmas with her family to look forward to.

"Come on, little brother, let's get home and wrap that gift."

Ryan bristled once again over the "little" but right now it didn't seem to matter that much. His sister's smile had all but disappeared.

Once they reached the car, Ryan tested the waters of her mood and ventured to ask what was up with Danny. "He's a really cool guy," he said, trying to lighten the atmosphere which was decidedly gloomy.

"Yeah, he is," Kim admitted, still seeing his blond hair falling over one eye. "I don't know, Ryan, and I may never know. He's not coming back to school for whatever reason. Can we not talk about Danny right now? We have lots of things to do when we get home and I want to enjoy Christmas." They left the parking lot in silence, weaving through the maze of cars entering and exiting.

Back inside the mall, Danny was deep in thought. He had walked away from Kim wishing he could have explained more to her, but doing an info dump of his messed-up life right then was strange at the very least. The chances of his seeing her again were nil if he wasn't going back to school. He caught a reflection of himself in a shop window. His eyes betrayed his soul.