How It Should Be

Matt watched as Violet skipped, hopped, and jumped down the street on the way to the car. She had just gotten her foot checked out and no longer need the air cast, and was quite happy about it.

"You're just going to break it again!" Matt said, shaking his head at Violet.

"No I'm not, you giant party pooper head."

"Oh aren't we mature?" Matt laughed as Violet began to dance.

"C'mon, do the hokey poky with me!" Violet cried, shaking her foot all around.

"I wish Mark was still here." Matt said, throwing his head back to the sky. It had begun to flurry out, and the little specks of snow danced to the ground like Violet was dancing about.

"Why?"

"Because he's the curator of you're idiocracy."

"No, he was that in high school. Now the job is yours."

"Shouldn't it really be Evgeni's then? I mean, you were dating Mark in high school so it really should fall on your current boyfriend."

"Nope! It's your job now!" Violet bounded over and gave Matt a giant hug. "It's the best friend's job. Now, lets go eat!"

"Jeez, Violet, you're like a human garbage disposal."

"...So are you." Violet laughed and bounded away from him.

"I know! This is a problem; how are we ever going to find people to spend the rest of our lives with?"

"Well, if we can't, we don't have to worry. For I have you and you have me!" Violet spun in a circle in the flurrying snow.

"It's how it should be!" Matt ran towards Violet and caught her around the middle, lifting her over his shoulder.

"Forever and always!" The sang together, laughing as Matt made his way to the car with Violet on top of him.

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Geno played well against the flames that afternoon. In fact, he had a hat trick, his parents we thrilled And Violet was quite happy. As she made her way down to the locker room she was stopped by Dane.

"What's up?" Violet asked, her eye brows furrowing.

"Geno told me that you probably shouldn't go in there today. He said he'd call and explain it all to you, but right now he's sorry." Violet bit her lip and nodded. She turned back around and met Matt in the lobby, confused. Matt shrugged and told her not to worry about it.

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As Violet and Matt went home, Violet anxiously waited for him for him to call and go to drinks with her evil family that evening, Evgeni was returning home from the game. They would be on a road trip for a while now. His parents would be traveling with him and he wanted to get to the bottom of why his mother lied to Violet.

He dropped his bag in the garage and found his mother in the kitchen making draniki, potato pockets, essentially, and loading large dollops of sour cream on top of them.

"Mom, can I talk to you?" Geno asked, sitting down at his table. Mrs. Malkin placed a plate of draniki in front of him.

"Of course, Evgeni."

"Why didn't you tell me Violet called last night?"

Mrs. Malkin sighed, and turned her back on her son, returning to cooking.

"Mom,"

"She's not good for my son! Who was that boy she was with the other day? How could she be with another boy and not with you? With us? I don't trust her."

"Mom-"

"Listen to me, Evgeni." His mother went and stood in front of him.

"You may like her a lot, you may even love her, but I don't trust her. She even lives with another guy. Has she no girl friends?"

"Mom, Violet's not like that. She's different. I love her. I want you to love her too."

"I don't think I can do that Geno, until I know she's an honest women."

"And how will you know that?"

"When she's living with just you, when she doesn't spend her free time alone in the presence of other men, when you marry her." Mrs. Malkin turned back around. "Eat, my son, you need to restock your energy."

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Geno arrived at Violet's apartment and kissed her forcefully. Violet was taken aback but smiled into the kiss.

He remained quiet for the drive to the classy restaurant.bar she was meeting Ryan and Shannon at.

"Moment of truth," Violet waggled her eyebrows at Geno. He laughed and took her hand, kissing her knuckles.

The couple walked into the bar and almost instantly Shannon was waving and wooing at them. Geno squeezed Violet's hand reassuringly.

"Hello," Violet muttered and endured Shannon's hug. Ryan hugged her next, but his wasn't a squeezy one. He ruffled his little sister's hair.

"Nice to meet you," Ryan extended a hand to Evgeni. "I'm the big brother she likes." Geno shook his hand but Violet shook her head.

"Now why would you assume that?"

"Because you haven't had an actual conversation with Patrick in over a year," Ryan raised his eyebrows Violet before she nodded.

"True."

The foursome sat a table and Geno held her hand the whole time, squeezing it when he saw that she was tensing. The whole get together was unnecessary, all it entailed was Shannon telling Violet everything she had done and how happy she was that Violet had helped her.

Midway through Violet and Shannon excused themselves to the bathroom and left Evgeni and Ryan alone. Violet and Ryan had never really been all that close but Ryan was still her big brother.

"I'll be blunt: You're not going to hurt my little sister, are you?" Ryan asked Evgeni.

"Of course no. I love her." Ryan inhaled deeply at the word love.

"You do?"

"I never want hurt Violet. Ever."

"Good. If you do, if you ever, ever make her cry, which is something Violet doesn't do, I will kill you. And I mean that." Ryan said this with such intensity, the cliche moment didn't feel silly. Evgeni actually was afraid of Ryan at that moment.

"I swear, I never will."

"Good."

The rest of the drinks went well, and Shannon and Ryan got up to leave, having dinner reservation elsewhere.

As Ryan and Violet hugged goodbye Violet reminded him he owed her a very large birthday present next week. He grinned and promised that he had it already, and it would be her favorite gift of all.

"I'm excited for it," She later told Geno. Geno smiled and kissed her, adding a little something more to his idea, so that his gift would be the favorite one of all.