When Sparks Fly (in editing)

Chapter 13

Cassie

"Finally!!" Alyssa screamed as she ran out the school doors. I started cracking up with Drew as she danced in circles in the snow that barely covered the parking lot. "Hey! This is amazing! Exams done and now we get like three weeks of fun!" She said as we followed her to her car.

"Yeah and now I get to worry about what I got on my exams. Stress never ends Lyss." Alyssa gave me a pointed look and I raised my hands in surrender. "But fun first."

She smiled at me and squealed. "We need to got Christmas shopping together."

"What about me?" Drew asked, offended.

"We'll get your a gift, don't worry." Alyssa turned back to me. "Tomorrow: you, me, and Elizabeth will go shopping. Don't forget again."

I chuckled and looked at her. "Just pick me up and choose my outfit. That tends to work."

She smiled and nodded before getting in the car, leaving me and Drew to talk. He glanced at me and his brows furrowed. "You good? You look stressed."

I nodded at him. "I'm fine. Exams just get me anxious. And Christmas is just stressful, especially with your sister."

He laughed, but didn't seem all that convinced. "You sure? Has Bethany been bothering you? Cause we can talk to her. Not sure we'd do any better than you though."

I blushed at his words, remembering my last interaction with the bitch. The rumors had started to die done, but the looks I got didn't stop. "I'm fine. Bethany hasn't even looked at me since that scene in the cafeteria. Just left over stress over grades. Now go with Alyssa before she freezes in that car."

Drew smiled and walked away to his car, leaving me to get in my own. As soon as he couldn't see me, I dropped my smile. Christmas had always been hard once my mom left. My dad was always working which left me spending it alone most times. I wasn't about to complain about it to Drew though. I'd already been enough of a burden. He needed to enjoy his break. Not worry about me.

I drove home and entered my house. Turning up the heat, I dropped my bag on the couch and looked at my bare Christmas tree. Break had started, and my house looked as though no one lived in it minus the singular tree in the living room. I sighed and began to take out the light ornament boxes, knowing it would look strange to my friends if my house wasn't decorated for Christmas. I started putting on the lights, thankful that they weren't tangled. After I finally set the light up, I began on the ornaments. The tree was small so that I could reach the top and wasn't all that wide. While putting the ornaments on the tree, I noticed an ornament that had been handmade by me in first grade. It was a picture of me with my parents eating Christmas cookies. A single tear fell down my face as I remembered when the picture was taken. A family friend had taken it and I loved the photo.

I put the ornament back in the box, not wanting it on my tree. My mom wasn't in my life anymore and wasn't about to be part of my Christmas either. When it was finally time for the star, I left it on the coffee table and wrote a small note for my dad to put it on the tree. If he couldn't help with the ornaments, then he could put the star on like he always would. My family lacked a lot of traditions, but this was one I held on to.

~~~

"Cassie! We're coming in!" Alyssa yelled from outside. I had given her a key to my house back before Thanksgiving and had regretted it ever since.

Alyssa and Elizabeth walked in to my living room to see me watching TV while eating cereal. The tree I had decorated was shining behind me, the star glinting up top. My dad had placed it there when he got home around two in the morning.