Dark Night

Brief break

It was really good to be home with Grandpa, even if it was just for a week. Stan came over shortly after I arrived and showed me his latest medals--he'd won Worlds easily, and I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, especially the toys that he'd sent. Johanna had been thrilled with hers. Dinner was devoted to catching up on pretty much everything but John, and I was happy to learn that Krista and Marc had started to date. She'd broken up with her boyfriend just after New Years, just a case of people growing apart. Marc had kept in touch and had told me that news. I really hoped things worked out for them. They were both awesome people. Mom and Dad came to dinner the next night and wanted to know more about Will. They were kind of worried about the pressure of his status as a star football player and wanted to make sure I wasn't being taken advantage of. Will wonders never cease, they were learning to be parents at last. And when I said that my financial aid package had come in and I wasn't getting the waiver any more--and I really couldn't be too upset about that, it had saved me a ton--they insisted on giving me money to make up the difference, even though I could pay with the money in my college fund, Pell grants, and scholarships.

The next day I went to the rink with Stan to say hi to Marc and Krista, and my brother and I put on skates and goofed around with them. Then Ekaterin wanted Stan to review changes to his choreography for his new programs, but that was ok because Paul had arrived for his shift. I gave him a big hug and congratulated him on his ACTs; they were slightly higher than John's had been. He was already sweating about college applications. He'd taken his junior year very seriously, winning an election for class president and he'd been elected student body president as well for next year. He had a good mix of clubs and activities and I told him to relax. He was going to do fine.

"I wish you were going to be here this summer," he said. "I miss you."

I winked at him. "Another reason to apply to UCLA," I said and he laughed.

"Like I need more," he said flippantly. "I want to apologize for my part in those scenes when you were trying to give us a tour," he said, sobering. "I shouldn't have made a fuss in public and I embarrassed you. It's just that I was so mad. I really just wanted you for my sister."

I blinked a few times. "The two of us are still friends, though, and you're important to me, I assure you. I appreciate your apology, though, and in case you were worried, of course I forgive you."

"I really don't like her. She's such a bitch, acting as if she's superior to everybody around her, and she's not. Grandma and Grandpa have had them over a few times for dinner and I don't think they care for her much. She looks down on anybody without at least one degree, and Grandma never went to college, but she's a really successful costumer. I burns me that she thinks she's better than my grandma. She's beautiful and smart, but she just seems so... cold. If I were my brother, I'd worry about getting my dick frozen off when I was in her. Maybe he uses Polarfleece-lined condoms, guaranteed to protect to 15 below. Oh, jeeze, I hope he's using protection. Once there's a kid, there's no getting rid of her." I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"I shouldn't have laughed, it was mean," I apologized, and he shrugged, not caring.

"Selfish bastard, he's only thinking of himself. But Will Holmes, wow."

"You said that already," I teased him.

"What's he like, though? He seemed nice, really good to you."

"He is," I said, smiling at the thought of him. "I've never been treated better. It's not just that he holds doors for me, which I think is sweet, he accepts everything about me. That is just so powerful." This time I did get a little misty. "We've had disagreements, but it's never gotten mean, we talk about it enough and either drop it or go away to cool down. It's kind of hard, though, in a way that it wasn't before. I've never been standing somewhere with my boyfriend, being social, having fun, and having females proposition him right in front of me. And not just college students, grown women who should know better. Not just asking him out, which wouldn't be too bad, but serious propositions. With me standing there, his arm around me. They don't care that he's got a girlfriend or they assume that he's going to cheat. I never had to deal with that mess before." It was why the guys with girlfriends always hung out as a group in social situations to try to cut down on that kind of thing, and Will tried to shield me from it as much as possible. He took it easy on me because of things like that, and I took it easy on him because there was so much pressure on him. Then I changed the subject; Paul had his first girlfriend and I gently teased him a little about that.