I had dosed off after my hot chocolate. By time I awoke again I had gotten a text from Amy to come down to the Dining room for Christmas Eve dinner. I was always a little puzzled to the fact that Fiske insisted we have a big dinner on Christmas eve and on Christmas. I always felt so over stuffed after. But it always was fun silently fixing everyone's hair in my head as we ate. It was a game I came up with. Look at everyone's plain or incorrect hair style and fix it in my head how ever I desired. Maybe even after the meal I could help Amy with her "messy-chic" left shoulder braid. Just as everyone sat down Fiske said grace. It was short and sweet. Always my favourite part of the meal. It even distracted me from the fact I was sitting next to Dan. I could feel a smile creeping on my lips. That's when Dan pointed it out.
"I like it when he say's grace too." He said. "It reminds me a little of when Grace used too" He had the biggest grin on his lips.
"It reminds me of when ignorance was bliss and I had no idea of what my mother really was." I said with almost a touch of longing, "back when everything was simpler." I was looking off into the distance now deep in thought and he didn't mind. He just let me sit there and stare without bothering me one bit.
The meal was very traditional, but with some Mexican influences here and there like, Pico do Gallo to eat with the turkey along with stuffing. I ate in silence as usual and so did Dan for the most part. He talked to Ted across from us occasionally. I was happy with just fixing hair in my head.
"Why so quiet Nat?" Dan asked me about halfway through the dinner.
"Nothing just playing a game in my head" I said with a shrug, "and don't, call me Nat."
"What kind of game? I like games. I bet I could beat you! What do you say, wanna play? Hey that rhymed!" He always did get extra hyper at the mention of games.
I pinched him in disgust. "Okay, okay fine. As long as you promise not to jump out of your seat in excitement." I said slightly annoyed.
"Alright, alright!" He said. He took an over exaggerated deep breath. "Okay I'm ready to play." He said in a clam more normal voice.
"Here's how we play," I said with authority, "We pick a bad hair-style. Say, Amy's. Then we fix it in our head!" I said with enthusiasm.
He frowned slightly. "Okay." He said, "How about if we dyed her hair orange and green!" He said with the biggest grin on his face, as if he would really do it.
"If you won't take this seriously, I win!" I threatened him.
His eyes widened in terror. "Okay fine! Ummmm..." He sat in the Thinkers position for at least ten minutes. "Oh I got it! How about if she made the braid a little more neat and started it at the top of her head and made if go all the way down her back?" He said with a hopeful look in his eyes.
I thought about it. "Actually, you're right. It would be much more sophisticated and look a lot less like she had just slept with the braid the night before." I said with a sneer on my face.
Dan licked his finger then touched it to his bum and made a sizzling noise. "Burn!" He yelled a little to loudly and spraying some food across to a very confused looking Ted.
At this Amy turned around from talking to Hamilton and looked at us with a devilish look in her eye. "My hair may looked slept in but at least my boyfriend doesn't spray food across the table" She said imitating my smirk perfectly. I was fuming on the inside.
"He is not my boyfriend." I said through gritted teeth. I turned to Dan sternly. He just sat there red in the face looking down at his plate as though he would kill it.
We ate the rest of our meal in utter solitude, not daring to look at each other. After dinner we went to our respective rooms and turned in for the night. I slept but had the oddest dream regarding my botched study date planes and my earmuffs...