Eyes of Blue Flame

Chapter 14 - Make A Move

Chapter 14 - Make A Move 

"Hey, Kate," said Roger behind me while walking to class at the end of lunch. I tried ignoring him, but it was like trying to ignore the smell of a skunk. "Kate, can't you at least look me in the face? Come on, don't be rude. I know you've continued the tutoring with Ash. Can't we go back to how it was before you-you found out the truth?" 

"Before you punched me and knocked me out?" I retorted, and he winced. 

"I was worried-scared, even," Roger protested in his defense. He swerved around a group of girls, and then came back to my side. "I was scared, and that's rare for...my kind to admit that. I know I can't tutor you or anything like that, but how about...How about you come to the early Christmas party here at school? There's going to be a party on Christmas, but I doubt you'll be here for the holidays. So why don't you come to this one?" 

"I don't believe you that there is one," I said blatantly. 

Roger grabbed some kid's shoulder and tugged him so the kid's shoulders ended up with one of Roger's arms over them. "Chuck, is there a Christmas party?" 

I stopped for poor Chuck. He was quite astonished by Roger's act. 

"Umm, well, yeah, man," said Chuck. "There's two-one tonight, but the other is a New Years party. The one tonight is supposed to be more fun-which is surprising considering you usually think of Christmas parties as more formal and New Years parties as wilder. Told you this school was screwed up!" 

"Okay, thanks," Roger said, letting go of Chuck. 

"Uh, sure?" said Chuck as Roger and I started to walk away towards my first class. 

"See? No lies." Roger made a sweeping motion with his hand and grinned. "Everyone else will be there-Haven't you seen any of the posters?" 

"There are ba-zillion posters all over for a ba-zillion different things," I pointed out. 

"True," he agreed. "Still. You have to come. It's in the gym. They're going to lay out something over the floor to make it a dance floor, and there will be a D.J."-Roger put his hands on my shoulders and gently rocked me back and forth-"Other people outside of school will be coming, Kate! It's a Christmas miracle-well, not literally. The cafeteria will be open for food, and I heard they're bringing in photo booths! If you don't go, you will be forever alone!"

"Okay, I'll go." I agreed because I was curious, but also to shut Roger up. 

"Cool," he said. "It starts at seven, and they're going to have the gym and cafeteria open until eleven. Lights out by midnight-for once!" 

"I said I would go. Are you going to let me get to class?" 

"Yeah, yeah," Roger said as I veered away from him. "Just be there!" 

~ 

"Lucy, are you going to the dance thingy?" was the first thing to come out of my mouth when her dorm door was opened. Of course, it was her roommate, Cindy, who had to answer the door. 

Urrrgh! Lucy, why couldn't you just have opened the door? I don't have time for this!

"Is Lucy there?" I asked, sounding much calmer than I felt. 

"Hey, Kate. No she's not here, but can I help you?" she asked. 

Cindy was a kind, soft-spoken freshman. She had black hair with warm brunette highlights. Her tan nose was dotted with dark freckles. Cindy's teeth were trapped by braces, but her smile shone just as much with the metal on her teeth. There was a generous, energetic sparkle in her green eyes that's so rare in people these days.