Aurora Sky Vampire Hunter - By Nikki Jefford Page 0,61

I would have said had he stayed on the line. That, and I felt the waterworks coming on. Breaking things off probably wouldn't sound so convincing if I started blubbering over the phone.

I threw myself face down onto my bed and wailed into the pillow.

"Aurora!" my mom called from downstairs. "Aurora, why don't you come down and have some lunch before you leave?"

I willed her to leave me alone, but eventually my mom made her way to my room. "Aurora? What's the matter?"

I sniffed several times to clear my nose. "It's not like you'd care."

"What happened?"

I turned my head away from her. "I broke up with Fane."

"Oh, honey." Mom patted my back as she held me in a half-hug. "I'm sorry to see you upset."

That's all she cared about. Seeing me upset. Listening to her try to sympathize with me was torture, especially the part where she said she thought it was for the best.

"Dante's going to be here soon. Let's get you cleaned up."

Mom led me to the bathroom. My face did feel like a splotchy horror. I'd rather not have Dante on my case the whole eight hours up to Fairbanks, or five, depending how fast he drove. I splashed my face with cool water in the sink and patted it dry with the hand towel Mom handed me.

I didn't need a mirror to see I still looked like a mess. I could see it in the way Mom looked at me.

"I have some concealer," she said.

"No, no make-up." I combed my hair forward with my fingers. At least part of my face was covered.

I hung out in the kitchen for the remaining hour, just waiting for the doorbell to ring. When it did, I flinched.

"Ah, here's Dante," Mom said cheerfully.

She rushed past me to let him in. He stayed on the porch and nodded to her in hello.

She smiled. "Dante, it's so good to see you again."

"And you, Mrs. Sky. Always a pleasure."

Mom giggled and blushed.

I brushed past her. "Let's get out of here."

"Do you have your phone?" Mom asked.

"Yes."

"Be safe."

"What's with the boo-hoo face?" Dante asked the moment we were shut inside his Rubicon.

I twisted in my seat to give Tommy Moe pets.

I grumbled. "I can't believe I have to nurse a broken heart with you for company."

"Broken heart? Did some guy mistreat you, Sky? I'll kick his ass to kingdom come."

"It was my doing. I broke up with him."

"Then he must have deserved it."

"Not really."

"So what's the deal?"

"Nothing good could have come from being with him. Whether it was now or later, it had to be done."

"You're one tough cookie, Sky. That's one of the things I admire about you. You're able to make tough choices - no matter what the price."

"That seems like all we do - make sacrifices."

"Naw."

As we were cruising down Fifth Avenue, Dante suddenly threw on his blinker and pulled into a Wendy's. He zoomed into the drive-through.

"What are you doing?"

"It's a long drive and I'm hungry. You want anything?"

"God, no," I said, scrunching my nose. "And if I did it wouldn't be this junk."

"Suit yourself." Dante rolled down his window when he pulled up to the order speaker. "I'll take a double bacon cheeseburger, large fries, and a chocolate Frosty." Dante looked over the menu and turned to me. "Want some apple slices? They've got apple slices."

I shook my head.

"No milkshake? What happened to binge eating when you're feeling down?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't need to puke on top of everything else."

Dante pulled up to the pickup window to collect his bag of fast food. He unwrapped the cheeseburger before getting back onto Fifth and tossed the bacon slices back to Tommy. Only Dante could manage to steer, shift gears, and stuff a burger in his face. When the burger was finished, Dante jammed fingers full of fries into his mouth and chewed loudly.

He noticed me watching and held the fries toward me. "Want some?"

I wrinkled my nose. "No, I'm good."

Soon, we were on the Glenn Highway. This time, I could actually see the landscape waltzing by. We careened past the miles of fenced forest along the base, skirted mountains and woods, and crossed over rivers.

"I won't be able to go back," I said.

"Where?"

"To Denali."

"This guy really got to you, didn't he?"

"Yeah."

I looked out the window.

"I could enroll at West with Noel." I paused. "You probably think I'm a real coward."

"Not at all. From Dante's Guide to Life: If you no longer like the scenery, change it. Keep moving