Katherine, part of Genna and Brendon's anatomy class, was perfectly proportioned in a way that made her absolutely adorable. She was also extremely kind to everyone and Genna liked her, regardless that they had never really spoken before.
"Hi Genna. Hi Brendon," Katherine responded with an adorable smile. "Aren't you ready for Christmas break?"
"Absolutely," Genna said with a mirthful laugh. "Do you have any big plans?" Genna noted Brendon's uncomfortable shuffling beside her but chose to ignore him.
"Oh nothing really," Katherine answered, seemingly unaware of Brendon's discomfort. "I'm just going to be visiting family down in Virginia. How about you?" This time she looked up at Brendon to include him in the conversation. Genna felt him freeze.
"Same thing. My dad lives in New Jersey," Genna said, clearing her throat.
"Well listen," Katherine said, "Would you mind if I stole Brendon for a moment? I just have a quick question I have to ask."
Genna was taken aback for a moment; she hadn't even known that the two had spoken before. She collected herself quickly and said, "Of course. I've got to finish packing anyway. I'll see you later, Brendon. Have a great break, Katherine." Genna smiled politely. Brendon seemed incapable of words, so she took her leave.
The minute walk back to her dorm was uneventful. When she took off her jacket, she fished through the pocket for the paper, hoping to keep in safe in her duffel bag, but she couldn't find it. After turning her jacket and every other pocket on her inside out, she cursed and decided to retrace her steps. If she ended up not chancing upon, she'd just copy it down again.
Trekking back, she mulled over the reasons that had been bouncing off the front of her mind as to why Katherine would want to talk to Brendon. And why did Brendon start acting weird when Katherine showed up? Or was that only because he was about to tell Genna why he wasn't sleeping? Was that somehow connected to Katherine? It seemed unlikely, but…
Genna pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind again as she tried to focus on finding the paper. She had known that discovering the white paper amid blinding white snow while more snow came down in blankets would be impossible, so she wasn't very disappointed when she saw no sign of it. She aimed her feet towards Farlow Hall, hoping they'd find the way because whenever she would look up, icy snow would burn her cheeks.
As she passed a small gazebo-like area, she looked up briefly, curious as to how many students might have sought refuge beneath its hardly adequate roof, but found only two people. Genna suddenly realized they had to be Brendon and Katherine. The snow seemed to ease a bit so that she could make out, about thirty yards away, the tall pale form of Brendon and the small, equally short stature of Katherine. They seemed to be talking and Genna had just taken another step forward before she froze at what she saw.
They were kissing.
Genna blinked once, as if hoping it was the snow that was blurring her vision and making it seem that way. They couldn't be. That was impossible. Brendon would've said something about it.
He did say something about it.
Genna suddenly realized that this is what Brendon had been trying to tell her all along.
She shoved all thought back to the recesses of her mind and fought her way back to the dorm. There was no sense in waiting any longer than she had to; she could leave now for home before the snow got too bad.
After making sure she had her cell phone and all of her bags, she piled it into her small, light blue Hyundai Accent. She turned on the car and waited for the heat to come on before setting off down the muddy roads.
She turned on the radio and tried to zone out for the hour and twenty minutes it took to get to Montclair, New Jersey. Genna silently thanked God for the snow because it kept her mind off of anything but driving. Thirty minutes in, she decided to call her dad.
He picked up on the second ring and answered, "Hey Genna!"
"Hey Dad," she said. She cleared her throat. The cold and not talking had made her voice go weird. "Listen, I left early, so I'll be there in an hour or so."
"Are you all right?" Genna wondered idly whether he had acquired her mom's super abilities to read emotions over the phone after her death.
"I'm fine!" she answered, throwing together the acting skills she had inherited from both her mother and her father. "I just left early because of the snow and stuff. I better go; I don't like talking on the phone and driving."
"All right," Stephen answered. He still seemed unconvinced. "I'll see you in a bit. Drive safely."
"Will do," Genna said and she closed her phone. She turned up the radio again.
