Holiday frowned. "I wasn't talking about me." She gave Della a pointed look.
"Me?" Della asked, in total bafflement. "I don't have a boyfriend, so how could I have boyfriend troubles?"
"You could have a boyfriend if you wanted one," Kylie muttered, and that remark got her a sharp jab of Della's elbow in the ribs.
Holiday grinned. "Rumor has it you were the cause of some friction down by the lake."
"What friction?" Della asked.
"Between Steve and Chris," Holiday said, and wiggled her brows. Leave it to Holiday to know what someone needed to hear.
Except in Kylie's case. Kylie needed to know about Holiday's sister, but getting Holiday to talk about it, without just blurting out that her sister was dead, seemed impossible. But if Kylie didn't hear from Hannah soon, or Holiday didn't start talking, then blurting it out might be her only option.
"No." Della shook her head, sending her shoulder-length black hair swinging. "It wasn't over me. You just heard it wrong."
Holiday half grinned and shrugged. "If you say so." She paused and grinned like she knew something no one else did. "Come on. Let's get the dining room whipped into shape for the reception." She draped an arm around each of their shoulders and started walking toward the dining hall.
They took about three steps when Della came to a sudden stop. "Really?" she asked Holiday. "It was over me? Chris and Steve were upset with each other over me?"
"I told you Steve liked you." Kylie almost chuckled at Della's shock.
But Della wasn't listening to Kylie. "You're not shitting me?" Della continued, focusing on Holiday, her head tilted slightly as if listening to see if she was lying.
"I swear." Holiday grinned. "My heart won't lie."
"They were fighting-?"
"I said friction," Holiday corrected.
"They're frictioning over me?" She chuckled and then stopped as if to let that piece of info sink in. "No. Not me. It has to be a mistake." But Della's eyes lit up with a spark of self-confidence.
Kylie grinned-even feeling the weight of all her problems pressing down on her, seeing Della beaming with "boy" pride felt good ... and right. It hadn't escaped Kylie that Della felt left out with both Miranda and Kylie having boyfriends, but she hadn't sensed how big of a chunk that took out of Della's confidence until now. And after the vampire's heartbreak with Lee, Della deserved to feel "friction worthy."
Not that all friction was a good thing. The friction between Lucas and Derek sure as hell couldn't be chalked up as a positive. But for right now, Kylie just wanted to think about Della.
* * *
Five minutes later, Kylie realized Della was right. Miranda was upset. The little witch hardly spoke to her as they whipped the dining hall into shape. Of course, Miranda squealed with glee when Della told her about Chris and Steve having "tension." Feeling like a third wheel, Kylie finally walked up to Miranda and apologized for ... Well, she wasn't sure what she was apologizing for, but she said the magic words, "I'm sorry," and asked Miranda if she'd go over a few spells with her later.
Miranda's eyes lit up. "I would be delighted. Just decide what spell you want to try. And you can trust me, I can do this."
The look of sheer contentment on the little witch's face told Kylie that Miranda's problem was more about Kylie's initial refusal of her help and the ding against her ego than believing Kylie didn't want to be a witch.
While rearranging the tables in the front, Kylie's phone chimed with an incoming text. It was from Lucas.
Still with Clara. Miss you. I'll probably be busy introducing Clara to the pack until later. I'm not going to be at the reception. I'll stop by and see you tonight before you go to bed. Thanks for understanding.
Kylie stared at the phone and sensed she would be seeing a lot less of Lucas now that Clara was here. Kylie inhaled and tried to tell herself that she did understand. That of course he would have to take time with his sister. But between his pack and now Clara, Kylie wasn't sure where she fit in.
Or if she fit in.
Fifteen minutes later, Kylie noticed that Della kept glancing at her. Kylie knew the vamp was chomping at the bit to get Kylie alone so she could finish their conversation about who was in the woods. But frankly, Kylie was having second thoughts about coming clean. Telling Della meant she'd have to tell Miranda. Not that Kylie didn't trust them to keep it a secret, but ... she just didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Then again, considering that she never went anywhere without a shadow these days, she was going to have to trust someone. And she trusted her two roommates more than she trusted anyone else at Shadow Falls.
They were almost finished setting up for the event when Holiday's phone rang. Holiday stepped away to take the call.
Della came moving over so fast that she bumped into Miranda and nearly knocked her down. "Talk and talk fast," Della sputtered at Kylie.
"Talk about what?" Miranda rubbed her shoulder and frowned at Della.
"Shh!" Della held up a finger to silence Miranda and eyed Kylie with persistence. "Talk."
"Don't you shush me!" Miranda bit out.
Kylie exhaled and reached over and touched Miranda's arm, hoping to calm her, then she answered Della's question. "It's my grandfather and aunt. They were the fog."
"They were ... the fog?" Miranda asked, her bad attitude with Della dropping along with her mouth.
When Kylie nodded, Miranda continued. "Then that proves it, you are a witch, because they have to be some dang powerful witches to pull that off."
"Wait. Why would they do that?" Della asked.
Kylie frowned, and looked again at Holiday standing across the dining hall. Kylie noted how the camp leader's gaze kept moving to Kylie and she suspected the phone call had to be about her.
Again.
Great. What was it this time?
"Earth to Kylie," Miranda snapped.
Kylie glanced back at her two roommates. "I'm not sure it proves anything at this point."
"But why would they chase Lucas's sister?" Della asked.
"I don't know." Then suddenly Kylie did know. "To get me to enter the woods. They've been calling me for a few days now but I thought ... I thought it might be Mario and his friends and I didn't go. But I'll bet my grandfather knew if I thought someone was in danger, I'd-"
"Do they even know you're a protector?" Miranda asked.
"I don't know." Kylie's mind raced. "I know that Burnett talked with him, but I don't know what all he told them."