The next morning they all sat together at a table and ate breakfast. Breakfast that day was waffles with organic maple syrup and a fruit salad with a glass of apple cider. Karkat found it delicious. He had no idea what the others thought. Roxy and Tavros were rather quiet and kept glancing at Calliope, who was talking to Gamzee.
"Calliope, are you and Gamzee a couple?" Roxy blurted out. Calliope and Gamzee stared at her in surprise.
"What? No, that's silly." Calliope said. "He's like my older brother, but we're not related."
"I thought you had a twin brother." Sollux said. Calliope frowned and nodded.
"He's in juvie." she said.
"Oh. Thorry." Calliope shook her head.
"It's fine."
After breakfast they all went outside for skiing. They had to stay with their cabin groups, which was fine. But once they started skiing they could go in any group they wanted. Gamzee accompanied Tavros to a slope that people with disabilities could go down. Karkat, Sollux, Calliope and Roxy decided on a beginner slope since none of them had ever skied before.
Karkat quickly found out he sucked at skiing. He kept slipping and falling on his side or not being able to turn and running into someone. Sollux and Roxy laughed at him enough that eventually he shoved them both.
"Chill KK." Sollux said.
"Yeah Karkat. Just have fun!" Roxy said, still snickering. Even Calliope was smiling. Karkat stuck his tongue out and flipped them off.
"Real mature KK." Sollux said.
"Shut up." Karkat snapped.
After a few hours of skiing/falling down a lot, Karkat decided to stop and just hang out in the lounge. He lay down on one of the couches and smiled. This was plenty more enjoyable. He just had to remember to get to the eating hall for lunch. He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.
"KK. Wake up." Karkat smacked the hand shaking his shoulder and someone sighed. "KK, it'th time for lunch. We're gonna eat without you." Karkat groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Sollux was staring down and him and the others were waiting by the door.
"Come on Karkat. Let's go." Roxy said. Karkat sighed and stood up. He'd been enjoying his nap. He followed the others to the eating hall and they grabbed turkey sandwiches and sat down. Karkat could hear other kids discussing staying inside for the rest of the day. He knew that's what he would be doing.
"Are you guys gonna keep skiing?" Roxy asked. Karkat shook his head and Sollux did too.
"I don't think I will either." Calliope said. "I've had enough for today."
"Tavbro and I are gonna keep going." Gamzee said. Tavros nodded.
"Okay, cool. Let's all rush for good seats in the lounge." Roxy said. So they ate quickly and Gamzee and Tavros went back outside while Karkat and the others went and sat down in the lounge. They all sat on the same couch and after awhile other kids came and sat down, talking loudly. Karkat leaned his head back and closed his eyes and drowned out the noise. He just wanted to get some sleep after hardly getting any last night.
"Can you come here for a minute Karkat?" Mom asked. "We've got something to tell you."
"We aren't moving are we?" Karkat asked nervously. "I'm just a kid, I don't wanna move."
"Relax, we're not moving." Dad said. Karkat relaxed and smiled.
"Then what is it?"
"Well, you're going to have a little sister." Mom said, smiling excitedly.
"What?" Karkat had no idea how else to respond.
"I'm pregnant, and the doctors confirmed it will be a girl." Mom said. "You can pick her name if you want."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You can take as long as you want to think up something." Karkat smiled and looked around the room. Maybe there was something he could name her after. Then he noticed the newspaper. He picked it up and looked at the article.
"Oh, that's adult stuff. Might not want to look at it." Dad said, reaching for the newspaper.
"A murderer escaped prison?" Karkat asked nervously.
"Don't worry, there's wanted posters everywhere and the police are searching. We're fine." Mom said. Karkat nodded and skimmed the article. It was telling how the murderer was last seen when he killed a girl downtown and ran off. Karkat stared at the name of the girl.
"I've thought of a name." he said.
"You did? What?" Mom asked.
"Nepeta."
"KK, wake up." Karkat sighed and opened his eyes.
"What?"
"We've got a problem." Karkat looked around in surprise. When had the lounge been turned into a party? And where the hell had the alcohol come from?!
"Want some Karkles?" Roxy asked, holding up a bottle. Karkat shook his head and pushed it away.
"Roxy brought it all." Calliope said. "And now she's drunk and so is everyone else here. What do we do?"
"Uh, I dunno. Let's take her outside. Maybe fresh air will help." So Calliope picked up Roxy and carried her outside. Karkat and Sollux followed her. Calliope plunked Roxy down in the snow and sat next to her. Roxy kept giggling like everything was unbearably funny.
"Roxy, why did you bring all that alcohol?" Sollux asked.
"Becuz it's sooo great!" Roxy slurred, still giggling. She slapped Sollux's shoulder and grinned. "You guys gotta have some. It great!"
"No Roxy. We don't." Calliope said. "Now please just get sober already." Roxy laughed and shook her head.
"No way! I feel too great tah get sober!" She hiccupped and started laughing.
"What are you motherfuckers doing?" Gamzee asked, pushing Tavros to them.
"Roxy brought a bunch of alcohol and got everyone in there drunk." Calliope said, pointing to the lounge. "How do we get her sober?"
"Just let her sleep it off and the miracles will do their work." Gamzee said. "I'll go let a teacher know about this." He walked off with Tavros, leaving them with Roxy.
"Okay, do you want to go to sleep Roxy?" Calliope asked. Roxy shook her head, frowning. "What's wrong?"
"I feel sick…" Roxy said. Calliope grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet.
"Then let's go to the bathroom before you hurl." She half carried half dragged Roxy off and Karkat and Sollux just went back to their cabin.
"Well this has been a great start to this trip." Karkat said sarcastically. Sollux nodded.
"At leatht it'th not boring."
Calliope stayed with Roxy in the bathroom until night. Roxy was puking for half the time, and the other half she was just coughing a bunch. Calliope helped her wash her face and clothes (she'd puked on them a bit) and cleaned up the floor too. She knew that an adult could come and clean it but she felt like helping so she did it herself.
"Feel better Roxy?" Calliope asked. Roxy shrugged and started giggling a bit.
"Kinda tired." she said. Calliope sighed and helped her up. She was clearly still drunk.
"Okay, let's go to bed. You done hurling?"
"Yeah, I'm done." So Calliope helped her to their cabin. When they got there everyone else was already asleep.
Their cabin didn't have bunk beds and it was bigger than the cabin Karkat, Sollux, Gamzee and Tavros got. Instead it had some mattresses lined up together on the floor. Calliope dragged Roxy to their mattresses, which were right next to each other. Calliope lay Roxy down then lay down next to her. Roxy reached over and hugged her.
"You're beautiful Calliope." she muttered. "No matter what you say." Calliope couldn't help but smile.
"That's really sweet of you Roxy." she said. "You should get to sleep now."
"Don't you think you're beautiful?" Roxy asked. Calliope hesitated before shaking her head.
"No, I don't. My eyes are too big and my face is too thin and my hair…" Calliope felt the white hair on her head and sighed. "I wish I was like you Roxy. You're really pretty."
"You're pretty too Calliope." Roxy said. Calliope shook her head.
"No I'm not." Roxy pulled her closer to her and hugged her tight.
"You're adorable Calliope." she said. Calliope smiled.
"Thanks Roxy. So are you." Roxy smiled and they locked eyes. "Now go to sleep." Roxy nodded, still smiling.
Then Roxy leaned forward and kissed her.
"G'night." she whispered. She let Calliope go and pulled the blanket over her head and instantly fell asleep.
Calliope had no idea what to do. Had her best friend just kissed her? Her best friend just kissed her! She was drunk, but she kissed her! Calliope covered her face with her hands and closed her eyes. What was she supposed to do? Had Roxy really meant that? Or had she just been drunk and crazy? Calliope looked at Roxy but she was asleep. She would just have to ask her about it in the morning. Calliope pulled her blanket over her face and closed her eyes. But she was so flustered she doubted she could fall asleep.
