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Christmas.”
                  Hiding behind the drink she was about to sip, Julie muttered, “Probably because she’ll melt.”
                  I tried to keep my giggles silent ‘cause I didn’t think either of her sons were close enough to hear that, but Julie and I shared a look of camaraderie and raised to clink our glasses. “I’m gonna need your digits before we leave this place.” Gotta find all the allies I can.
                  “Alright…” Robert’s grip tightened against my shoulder. “We’ll catch up with you guys later.”
                  I waved goodbye as Robert’s fingertips drifted down my arm to my hand, then led me through the sea of people and up the stairs. Gratefully, he bypassed the media room, where a bunch of young adults our age had congregated…including little Miss Robert’s-wife-wannabe, Anne Bridgeway . I really hated how amazing she looked in that sleek, black dress, even if she was revealing too much.
                  A tickle of sorts fluttered inside my stomach when I realized he was defiantly leading me into his bedroom, an action his mother still forbade and would probably castrate him for. Or more likely go after me, as I doubt she’d ever do anything to her precious son. He closed the door behind us, flicking on the table lamp, which dimly lit up the warm tones of mahogany wood, silky midnight blue linens, and what I would consider these garish gold accents.
                  No, it didn’t look like this when Robert lived here as a kid. It wasn’t until he went away to Pennington that his mother took the fun out of it and made it seem like he’d never spent a day in his life here.
                  Admiring the plumpness of the bed, I meandered towards it and sat on the monstrous pillow top. Robert chose the desk to lean against, which was about ten feet farther from where I wanted him right now.
                  “Alright. Give it to me straight. All of it. I want to be prepared when my mother ambushes me.”
                  I rolled my eyes at the thought, imagining her waiting, practically itching, to strike against my happiness. I moved to sip more of my concoction but the stench was like a two-by-four to the face, snapping my head in the opposite direction. I set it down on the bedside table, sure to use the coaster in order to avoid the wrath of Penelope for making a water ring on her expensive furniture.
                  I sighed, then whined, “God! It wasn’t even a big deal but the woman is just so freakin ’ nosy. Did you know she was checking behind on all your purchases?”
                  His eyes darkened when he scowled. “Really? Technically, my father was responsible for handling my trust once my grandfather died. I’ve been given a partial, but the full amount won’t come until I’m twenty-five, so I’m afraid that gives my mother some access by association. But I’m with you, if she’s monitoring my credit card statements, then we’re going to have to start buying things with cash from now on.
                  “What exactly did she see that upset her?”
                  I pursed my lips. “Bus tickets to Penn State.”
                  His eyes scrunched up a bit. Confused, he asked, “For you? Or for someone else?”
                  “For me. Remember when you came back from Bucknell and I told you I met up with an old friend?”
                  “Vaguely.”
                  Uh…yeah. I told him when he was sick on purpose. Sue me – I was totally hoping he’d forget that confession.
                  “Well, I heard through the grapevine that he got hurt with some sort of head trauma.” I leaned sideways and allowed the side of my head to rest against the high bedpost. “When we were in high school, he was in a coma for