The Holly and the Ivy

Make it to Christmas

The more Holly drank, the less she felt like herself. She wondered if she could drink enough where she would feel like an entirely different person instead of disjointed pieces of one.

The club was starting to blur together, and the music somehow seemed fast and slow at the same time. But despite her daze, Holly was still very much aware that she was here to celebrate her upcoming wedding. And for that reason, she knew she had to keep drinking.

She stumbled over to the bar, but right before she could order, strong hands jerked her away.

"Iwannanother," Holly protested, her words slurring into each other. She turned her head upwards to see Ivy looking at her with a smile on her face, but concern in her eyes.

"I think you've had enough," she said gently. "How many have you had?"

Holly tried to remember.

There was the first one with Ivy...then the second and third at the bar...then the fourth that guy had bought her... She knew she had at least one on the dancefloor. Had she had five? That sounded about right...

She shrugged, which made Ivy sigh.

"I think it's time to get you to the hotel," Ivy said. "Where are all the elves?"

As if she had been summoned, Mistletoe appeared next to Holly and Ivy.

"Great," Ivy said, "Mistletoe, can you help gather the rest of the elves? Holly has had enough to drink, so we're going back to the hotel."

In an uncharacteristically juvenile move, Mistletoe stuck out her tongue at Ivy.

"You're not the boss of us," she said proudly. Then she turned to Holly. "You know what's crazy? The world is just so...big. Isn't that crazy? And the universe is even bigger!"

"I thought you said they can't get drunk?" Ivy shouted to Holly.

But Holly was staring off into space in a total daze. Sighing, Ivy turned back to Mistletoe.

"Did someone give you something, Misty? Like a pill?"

"Nuh-uh" Mistletoe replied. "Just a nice guy handing out gummy bears. I didn't realize people gave out free candy in clubs!"

Ivy's eyes went wide. "Which guy?"

Mistletoe pointed to a man on the other side of the club who had the rest of the elves gathered around him as if they were children listening to him read a story.

"Both of you. With me," Ivy commanded, dragging Holly and Mistletoe across the club by their wrists.

"Holly!" Hope exclaimed with a giggle when they arrived. "This is Jason. He gave us free candy."

Ivy grabbed Jason by the collar, causing his eyes to widen. "What the hell did you give them?" she snarled.

"Just some THC gummies," he replied, holding his hands up. "I swear."

"Wha's goin' on?" Holly asked, confused.

"Your friends are high," Ivy said, releasing Jason, who rubbed his neck after being released, then darted away.

"Izat bad? Tha' sounds na good," Holly said, her words still slurred.

"It's great," Cinnamon said, before the group devolved into giggles.

"Do you have any Christmas cookies?" Twinkle asked. "I'm hungry."

Ivy counted the elves, but only made it to four.

"Where's the fifth one of you?"

"Offensive," Mistletoe scolded. "We have names. We're not all interchangeable."