Silent Night: Vampire Holiday Romance (The Night Songs Collection Book 4) (5 page)

Paige laughed. “Only you would find a date at Christmas Mass.”

“Stop it. You asked, and you won’t even let me tell you.” I didn’t even want to tell her any more. Talking about it almost seemed a violation of Aidan’s generosity. “I guess I kind of did find a date, but not really.”

“Oh god, you hooked up with a guy you met at church. On Christmas.” Paige dramatically put her head down on the table, bouncing up quickly and rubbing at a sticky spot left from the last patrons.

“Yeah. We screwed in front of God and everyone, right at the altar, during communion. Happy birthday, Baby Jesus.” Our food came, and I took out my aggression on the ketchup bottle, pounding on the pressure point marked by the little fifty seven, spilling way too much onto my fries.

Why was Paige judging me? She was never without a boyfriend. At one time, I would have brought this up, but it didn’t seem important anymore. To me, anyway.

“I don’t care what you do,” Paige insisted, “I’m just glad you didn’t wind up at Matt’s house. What do you get him for Christmas? A bong?”

Matt liked to make his own bongs, but I didn’t mention that. My heart sank, I’d really wanted to tell her about Aidan, but not if she was going to be so snarky about the whole thing. I gave up and changed the subject. “So what did you do?”

“What a crazy day.” Paige welcomed the chance to talk about herself without any further questions. “We opened all our presents when we woke up, of course. Jaden got an Xbox, so we hooked that up and played for a while until my grandparents got there, then I went to Scott’s house after dinner for dessert. He got me this necklace! Isn’t it pretty?”

I nodded, daydreaming about Aidan instead of listening to her story or looking at her necklace.

“Sounds like fun.” It sounded too good, actually. I envied Paige for being normal. More and more I just felt like a freak when we hung out. Maybe I always had, and I just was noticing it now.

“It was. I had a ton of returns to do. My mom just doesn’t get me.” That I could sympathize with, my mother didn’t get me. Anything. “I wish she’d just get me gift cards. Oh! I almost forgot your present!”

She pushed a shopping bag at me, and I pulled the present out of the bag. I liked to unwrap my presents slowly. This year, this was the only present I had to unwrap.

Paige got me an e-reader.

“This is too much.” I actually pushed the box back toward her. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I got a great deal on it Thanksgiving night.” Paige beamed. “And you love to read. It kills me that you had to give all your books away when you moved.”

Everything had to go when I “moved.” At first I thought I’d sell a lot of it, but I got so stressed out I wound up giving up on that idea. It’s amazing how much shit we all have that just doesn’t matter when it’s gone. I only kept the clothes I needed, a couple of my favorite Memere trinkets, my teddy bear, a few of my worn, well-loved books, and our photo albums. The important things. All of it was stored in Paige’s basement. Someday, it would have a home again. Just like me.

I pulled the e-reader back toward me, tracing my finger along the outside of the box. My mind went back to all those books at Aidan’s house. The books Aidan wrote. Lost in thought, I hugged the box against my chest. How long would it be before someone at the shelter stole it from me? I’d keep it at work. No one could get into my locker.

Why was I romanticizing Aidan so much? He had kind of creeped me out. We fought. But he kept his promise, he didn’t hurt me and gave me a safe place to stay.

I couldn’t shake him.

“I’m glad you like it.” Paige seemed weirded out that I was hugging her present. Snapping out of it, I put it back on the table and started eating my pickle. I always saved that for last. Paige used the rest of her English muffin to sop up the egg yolk on her plate. Realizing she’d cleaned it, she looked alarmed. “Excuse me.”

Please don’t let her be puking again
, I thought as she made a bee line to the bathroom. All this food, along with her Christmas binge, would trigger her bulimia. The idea of it made my stomach turn, too.

“Sorry.” The look on her face confirmed my suspicions when she returned to the table. “Are you sleeping over tonight?”

“I guess so.” I really wanted to go back to Aidan’s, but I didn’t know if that was even an option.

“What, do you have a date or something?” She raised her eyebrows.

“No.” I tried not to whine.

“Awesome. There’s a party at one of the off-campus houses tonight. I think it’s Trash the Ugly Christmas Sweater or something like that. Scott’s got some hot friends, I know you’ve got a new man, but it’s never a bad idea to keep your options open.”

“Can’t we just stay in and watch movies?” The frat party sounded like a nightmare. There wasn’t enough booze in Boston to make me want to hang out with a bunch of drunk frat boys. Paige tried so hard to impress these people and I just didn’t get it.

“Boring.” She rolled her eyes. I started thinking of a loophole to get out of going to this party. It must have been written all over my face, because she changed her tune. “Unless we have a
Twilight
marathon?”

Paige was way more of a
Twilight
fan than I ever was, but I had no problem staring at Taylor Lautner for the night. “Sounds perfect.”

“Just make sure you tell my mom you went to your aunt’s house, okay?” Paige said as we gathered our things to leave. “She’ll take it as an insult that you didn’t come to our party otherwise.”

Six

What a nightmare.

“Have you found an apartment yet?” Paige’s mother asked before I even took off my scarf.

“Not yet.” This woman had probably never worked a day in her life. She wouldn’t understand credit, references, or first, last and security. Or that I had none of it.

“I thought Paige said you moved in with your aunt,” she continued, hardly taking her eyes off of the twenty-four hour news channel she felt compelled to watch twenty-four hours a day. “Where are you staying?”

“Tonight, I’m staying here. Do you mind if I have one of those cookies?” Frosted sugar cookies taunted me from the center island that separated the giant kitchen from the high ceilinged family room. They were my favorite and I hadn’t had one yet this Christmas.

“Are you hungry?” She jumped up quickly, assuming the worst without wanting to ask. I must have sent her motherly guilt into overdrive. “Because I can heat up some leftovers for you.”

“Geez, Mom, calm down, we just ate. You don’t have to go shoving food down our throats,” Paige groaned. “Wanna see what I got at the mall?”

I wandered into the family room, munching on my sugar cookie, while Paige went upstairs to start her fashion show. The opened presents, already forgotten, dwarfed the usually open, airy room. The Christmas tree lights still twinkled, even though its day had come and gone.

“Don’t mind the mess in there. I have to put all this crap away.” Paige’s mom flitted about, making a halfhearted attempt to tidy the room.

“It looks gorgeous.” The high ceiling in this room made me feel tiny ever since I was a little kid. I wished I could spray the balsam scent of the tree on my wrist like a perfume and inhale it any time I needed a little pick-me-up.

“Thanks. I tried to scale back this year, but you know I can’t help myself.” Paige’s mom went all out decorating for every holiday. When we were kids, it made this house pure magic. Now it just gave Paige something else to bitch about. “Are you starting school this semester, Kyndra?”

Inhale tree scent. Close eyes. Count to ten. “Not this semester.” I plastered a smile on my face.

“Are you still working at the mall?” She sounded more disappointed than curious.

After this week, my hours would dwindle, which did nothing for my cause. Hopefully one of the other stores would be hiring, and I could work there, too. “Yup. I’m a sales lead.”

“But I thought you wanted to be a nurse.” She sighed. Right now my dreams went as far as staying warm and fed. Survival now, accomplishments later.

“What do you think?” Paige sashayed through the family room like it was a catwalk, dressed head to toe in a new outfit.

Her mom wrinkled her nose. “Those boots are totally impractical.” She stared at the heels that raised Paige a good half foot in the air. So distracted by the boots, she didn’t even notice that Paige had painted on the jeans tucked into them. Or her boobs hanging out of her shirt. “You’ll never make around campus in those.”

“Mom! They aren’t for class. They’re for clubbing!” Paige looked to me for confirmation before pulling me up off the couch. “We’re having girls’ night in.”

“You need to start being serious about your studies!” Her mom totally missed the point. “You too, Kyndra. I hate to see smart girls squander opportunities.” Her voice trailed off as I followed Paige up the stairs.

I flopped down on her bed, my arm landing over my eyes. I needed a minute.

“You need to start being serious about your studies,” Paige mocked, her heels thumping on the wood floor. “It’s just dumb Gen Ed crap. Monkeys could pass these classes, I swear.”

I opened my eyes and watched her pull her waist length blonde hair into a bun. She whipped her new sweater over her head and dropped it on the floor next to the boots. I could see the outline of her ribs. They stuck out just like mine. It was ridiculous, really. She puked to because she ate too much when I didn’t have enough to eat. After that, I’m not sure what she did.

“What the hell is that?” I pointed at the giant TV that covered most of the wall facing the bed.

“Oh, Dad put it up!” Paige went over and ran her finger along the edge. “From Santa.”

“That thing is so big, I feel like I need to give you ten bucks before we watch
Breaking Dawn
.”

“We have hours to go before making it to
Breaking Dawn
.” Paige climbed on the bed, already in her pjs. From the creases, they looked brand new.

“I don’t know.” I sat up and claimed a pillow. “
Twilight
Marathon or eighties chick flick marathon?”

“You make a compelling argument.” She tapped her finger against her chin. “
Dirty Dancing
.”

“Patrick Swayze. Hell to the yes.” I jumped off the bed to grab the DVD while Paige turned down the comforter. I’d never say no to my all-time favorite movie. “Can I borrow some pjs?”

“Sure, I actually got you a new pair.” Paige beamed. “You can just leave them here for when you stay.”

“It’s too much!” I protested, but making do with sleep clothes got old quick. “The e-reader, the pajamas. Paige, you can’t spend all this money on me.”

“It’s just money,” she insisted, with a goofy smile on her face. Charity was an odd thing, I learned that quickly in my couch surfing adventure. Humble was good. Unappreciative was not. I wriggled out of my work clothes and pulled on the jammies. New jammies were the best feeling in the world.

“But it’s not your money.” I pointed out. “Do your parents know you bought me an e-reader?”

Paige leaned in close. “It’s my money,” she whispered.

I jumped back. “Are you dealing drugs?” I whispered in response.

She laughed but looked toward the door. “I’ve been selling my eggs.”

“What?” I shrieked and Paige waved her hand and me to quiet down. “Isn’t that like, invasive?”

“Yeah, it sucks a little, but I get like six grand a pop, because I have desirable genes.” She put her wrist against her forehead dramatically and I resisted the urge to smack her. I wondered what my eggs would go for. Bargain babies. “College is expensive, Kyn. All my sorority sisters have bottomless bank accounts. You’d die if you saw the money they spent. And it’s a little embarrassing to have to ask Mom and Dad for an allowance. I’m in college, for crying out loud.”

“But is it worth not knowing if there’s a bunch of random little Paiges running around so you can keep up with a bunch of girls who you’ll never talk to again in a couple of years? We’re talking peoples’ lives here.”

“I know what they do with eggs. But it’s not like giving a baby up for adoption. You don’t get it, Kyn. Being in a sorority is different. It’s about making connections, and alumni networking. These girls come from important families. And I’m Paige from Brighton.”

I didn’t want to get it. “There’s nothing wrong with being Paige from Brighton. If people can’t love you how you are, screw them.”

Paige looked incredibly sad. “That’s why I like spending time with you.”

Seven

I stared at the clock as Katie went over the closing figures for the fifth time. The drawer was off, and she couldn’t quite figure what didn’t add up.

Usually, we were out by ten when we closed. It was already ten thirty. The sales girl had to go, her mother came and picked her up. Two people had to close. Company policy.

Paige’s house was just too weird last night, and I told her I was all set for tonight. I was all set with being there, but I didn’t have a place to go. After a night of old movies and too much popcorn, Paige seemed anxious to break in those new boots on the party circuit.