Victoria cocked her head at Alex’s reaction. So, perhaps it annoyed him a tad bit more than it did her. Either he was in a bit of a mood, or whatever had bothered him still darkened his mind.
	Unsure what to say, Victoria shrugged and busied her mouth with the root beer.
	[b]“Why can’t she be more like you?”[/b]
	She nearly choked on her drink. She looked to him and blinked. Though she had thought the same thing about Alex on many occasions, she could not recall anyone saying that of her... or him directing such an expression at her, for that matter. She often got the impression that even her aunt and uncle wished that [i]she[/i] was more like [i]“normal”[/i] girls. Often, so did she.
	“Thank you?” Victoria’s voice turned the statement into a question. She felt heat rising into her cheeks, so looked down at the soda, wishing its carbonation held the secret to a good response. With the all-knowing powers of root beer remaining dormant, she opted to change the subject. “My psychology class is tomorrow. We never did figure out if we have the same professor.”