With No Warning (Romance/Inspirational)(Complete)

CHAPTER 10: The Colors of Christmas

CHAPTER 10: The Colors of Christmas

Red, blue, green, and gold. The brilliant, brightly glowing colors proclaimed Christmas, loud and clear, into the chilly December night. Night had fallen while she had been inside the store replenishing her conditioning shampoo, and getting yellow highlighting pens. During her drive from the discount store, on the highway, back to the dormitory, Dakota had seen plenty of the lights glowing from windows, shrubs and roofs. In fact, she had even detoured her route home, to a road that she had heard was well known for it’s light and decoration display. Because she loved Christmas lights so much, the lights twinkling from the large front windows of her own temporary home, the dorm, were a wonderful surprise.

       Sliding her car into it’s parking space, she popped it into the parking gear, and eyed the shining colors wondrously. As her mouth expelled foggy breaths into the chilly December night, she continued to swivel her head in surprise, taking in the beauty of the lights, as she moved up the walkway, and climbed the porch stairs. Plastic shopping bags draped from her arms, hindering her entry into the foyer, and she twisted through the door frame, veering directly into the main room. Kevin’s head popped up from his text, and he immediately flashed her a welcoming smile. “What do you think Ms. D?”

       “The lights? They’re lovely!” Dakota exclaimed. “But when- how did you get them up so fast?” She had only been gone about an hour.

       “It doesn’t take long. Curt and Lana and I did them.”

       Curt and Lana, she noticed with displeasure, occupied one small cushion at the end of a very long couch. In the seconds that Dakota had been standing in the room, Lana had already discretely, scooted a couple of inches between herself and her boyfriend. Curt kept his arm curved possessively around Lana's shoulders, despite Dakota’s glare.

       “Where’s Bretni?” Dakota inquired curiously of Kevin, as she forced her attention from the irritating duo on the sofa, and directed an automatic welcoming smile at the room's other occupants. One of her other girls, and one of the guys, were at a table in the far corner, each with a notebook computer propped up in front of their faces.

       “At choir practice.” Kevin eased his feet respectfully from the sofa table. “She should be in any minute, then we are going to cram for The Old Wizzard’s exam.”

       “Kevin, PLEASE, he is my colleague.” Dakota had chastised him, more than once, for using his many nicknames for various teachers within her earshot. Kevin’s sense of humor rivaled that of a stand up comic at any given time. This particular nickname was tame, but with some of his more colorful names, it was hard not to let her amusement show.

       “Sorry, but he is old–and that beard...”

       Dakota gave an exasperated shake of her head as she turned away. “Great job on the lights.” She praised, then pausing, she turned to Kevin once more. “I thought you were in the caroling group also?” She asked, knowing that is what he had meant when he referred to Bretni being at choir practice. The old time Christmas caroling began in only a couple of weeks.

       “I had a dentist appointment.”

       “Oh.” Arching a brow Lana’s way, Dakota asked, “And you?”

       Fidgeting with a manicured fingernail, a mannerism Dakota was beginning to recognize as a nervous tic, the girl mumbled, without looking up to meet Dakota’s inquiry, “I wasn’t feeling too good earlier.”

       “Are you still part of a group?” Dakota drilled relentlessly, losing the battle to keep her annoyance with the girl from infusing her voice. There were two groups, who would each go out twice a week on alternating days during the last two weeks before Christmas Eve. Also, each group would be excused from classes one day, on the week before finals, to take a bus to sing at various nursing homes, and senior living facilities. All of the staff, and every student, had been given a Christmas Lyrics booklet of the songs that would be sung, so they could join the groups at random.