"It's probably love," Kylie said. "You're just shining with it. Every time you say Burnett's name, your eyes start glowing."
"Actually, love does just the opposite on the appetite. You think you can live off love. No food needed."
Kylie arched a brow. "Then ... maybe you're pregnant."
Holiday licked the potato chip grease and crumbs from her fingers. "Not possible."
"Oh, please. Miranda told me she was at your place and Burnett's things were scattered all over. You two are planning a wedding. Miranda told me that, too. The fact that you two are sleeping together is ... is normal. And if you pretend otherwise, you're going to look stupid."
Holiday tilted her head to the side, offering Kylie a half-serious look. "I'm not pretending. And while I shouldn't have to explain this-" She paused. "I didn't say he wasn't staying at my place, or that we weren't ... sleeping together. I said it wasn't possible. We're being careful. Using protection. Which is the best advice I can give any teenager out there." She pointed to the paper sack on the bed. "There's a few cookies in the bag. Sorry, I ... ate some of those, too."
Kylie snagged the paper bag and pulled out another plastic bag in the bottom that had three Oreos. She grabbed one for herself, and out of politeness, offered one to Holiday-who took it with enthusiasm.
"I love Oreos," Holiday said, as if reading Kylie's surprise. Then the fae pushed the entire cookie into her mouth in one big bite.
"You know condoms aren't foolproof," Kylie said, opening her cookie and licking at the white icing between the chocolate wafers. "Some statistics state they are only eighty-five to ninety percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Some claim that as much as ten percent of that error is human error, or in your case, vampire error, and not condom error. Like a guy pulling out too quick"-she made a face-"causing leakage, or not putting the thing on right in the first place. And if a woman has long nails..." The look on Holiday's face gave Kylie a moment of pause. "Not that you have long nails or that Burnett wouldn't know how to put one on himself." Kylie felt her face heat.
Holiday blushed right along with Kylie. Then, still having a mouth full of cookie, the fae held up her hand as if to say she needed a minute before speaking.
Kylie, oddly over the embarrassment, felt proud of the knowledge she had, and kept talking between licks of icing. "And if a guy carries one around in his wallet too long, it can tear. Then there're product failures. For whatever reason the condom breaks, or has a tiny hole in it. And you would be surprised how little sperm it takes to get a girl preggo."
Having tasted away all the icing, Kylie took a bite of the chocolate cookie and spoke around the mouthful of Oreo. "To be on the safe side, you can buy the condoms with spermicide on them. That's supposed to help kill any of those little escaping sperms. But using spermicidal condoms all the time cancause vaginal problems. So it's not recommended for long-term use."
Holiday took a deep swallow. "You..."-she swallowed again, licking her teeth clean-"sure do know a lot about condoms."
"I told you, my mom left pamphlets on my bed about twice a week. You wouldn't believe what information I have in my head. I could tell you about all the different kinds of STDs, but it isn't pretty. I don't want to think about those."
Holiday laughed. "I think when I have a kid I might ask your mom about where she gets the pamphlets."
"Oh, don't do that. It messes with a person's mind. I think that's why I'm still a virgin."
Holiday chuckled. "Which is exactly why I'll be getting my kid those pamphlets." Her smile faded.
"Seriously, a teen should not take having sex lightly."
"True," Kylie said, and grabbed the last cookie and broke it half. "But too much information isn't a good thing, either." She offered one half to Holiday, who didn't hesitate to take it.
"Thanks."
"Are you sure you're not pregnant?" Kylie asked, watching Holiday pop half the cookie into her mouth as if she was starving. Or as if eating for two.
"Positive." Holiday talked around the Oreo. "Faes, or at least Brandon faes, always know when they're pregnant."
Kylie grinned. "Don't tell me, one of the signs is they get ravenous and eat their friend's food while they're waiting on them to wake up."
"No." She paused and her brow wrinkled. "Well, being hungry is a symptom, but the most common one is hiccups and burping. I had a cousin who was pregnant and she hiccuped nonstop for eight months. It was sad."
Holiday looked at the lunch sack as if wishing it weren't empty. "Why don't you get your shoes on and we'll go to the cafeteria and snag some more cookies. Then we'll find Burnett and go to the falls.
Something tells me you could use some soothing ambience."
The thought of going to the falls sent a warm feeling through Kylie. "Yeah, that sounds really good."
Maybe when she was there she could remember the rest of the dream. God, she really hoped she hadn't done anything stupid with Derek.
Not that she feared she'd ... gone too far-as in all the way, too far. Face it, like she'd told Holiday, those pamphlets did a number on her. Too much information really could be a bad thing. Or in this particular case, a good thing.
Then she realized that if she hadn't been so cautious where sex was concerned, she might have already slept with Lucas. She was glad she hadn't. That achy pain tugged at her chest again, and she couldn't help but wonder how much truth there was to what she'd told Holiday. When she was over being mad at Lucas, could she forgive him?
Did he deserve a second chance?
Pushing Lucas from her mind, Derek stood in waiting and popped right into the forefront of her thoughts. She recalled the kiss in the dream. Had she stopped the kiss? Or had she let herself be pulled into it? Damn! Damn! Offering Derek hope was a bad thing.
And if she had offered him hope, she needed to nip it in the bud, before it led to some irreparable damage. The kind of damage where people got their feelings hurt. And the fact that she did care so muchabout hurting Derek's feelings might have given her pause, but she wasn't going to let her mind go there.
Nope!
Kylie snagged her shoes, slipped them on, and walked out with Holiday. Remembering Hayden's phone, she stuck it in her pocket. Last night she'd considered calling her grandfather, but not knowing what to say, or how to say it, she hadn't. And if she called him, would Burnett see it as another betrayal?
She glanced up at Holiday. "Can we run by Hayden's cabin? I need to give him his phone back." When Holiday looked confused, Kylie explained. "I left mine at my grandfather's. And I wanted to call my mom."