Count The Stars

twenty-eight

        "Happy Christmas, Rosens!" Mrs. Montgomery exclaimed when she swung open the door on Christmas morning. My family stood on her porch, all of us dressed in terribly itchy sweaters decorated with Hanukkah candles and latkes. The first year we spent Christmas at the Montgomery house, they didn't want us to feel left out, so they bought us all matching Hanukkah jumpers. The sleeves that once flopped past my hands were now at my wrists, and it had turned into more of a crop top than a cozy sweater, but we wore them every year. Hanukkah rarely crossed over Christmas, and when it did, my family still didn't do presents, but we didn't bother telling the Montgomerys.

        "We brought presents!" My mum cheered as she made her way into the house which smelled like gingerbread and kicked the snow off her boots. In a matter of weeks, it had become a lot colder and snow really started to come down, burying England in a mountain of white. I didn't mind it.

        My father and I hadn't made up since our fight a few weeks prior. We walked into the Montgomery's with bright smiles and a facade of perfection, when really his hand clasped firmly on my shoulder was a bit too tight and my mum had just enjoyed a silent car ride all the way over after an afternoon of fighting. We weren't the kind of people who looked the same inside and out of privacy, but then again, who was?

        Instead of following my parents over to the big huddle of adults filled with gossip and subtle gloating, I made my way over to the sofa where Blake's older sister, Izzy, sat quietly with a cup of hot chocolate. She was at her last year of University and I'd rarely seen her since I was little, but she came home every year for Christmas. I really liked her, despite the fact that she was a lot different from Blake. She always had her nose in a book or an article, and when she didn't she was telling everyone about what she just read. The Montgomery siblings love to brag about themselves, but for Blake, it was about how cool he was, and for Izzy, it was about her superior intelligence. My dad loved her because she was a studying to be a lawyer. Ever since she began to bury herself deep in her studies, my dad joked that he wanted to set me and her up, although I wasn't 100% sure it was a joke.

        She was pretty, I have to say. She had the same dark hair as Blake, only hers was chopped perfectly at her thin shoulders. She was a small girl— even smaller than me— and looked innocent and easy to walk all over. But when she opened her mouth, she would put you in your place. I always respected her for being to outspoken when she looked like she'd be anything but.

        "Hey, Iz," I said, causing her to pry her eyes away from something she was reading on her laptop.

        She rolled her eyes and placed her drink carefully on a coaster. "It's Isabella now, Elijah."

        Izzy was also sort of a pretentious asshole.

        "Right, my apologies, Isabella sir," I said, so posh it made me want to punch myself in the face.

        She chuckled. "Thank you."

        Soon enough, we were all sat at the massive dining table filled with every food imaginable. I swear I ate more on Christmas than I did on the other 364 days combined. I filled my plate beyond full, stacking everything I could possibly grab into a giant food mountain, and sat next to my dad who was busy grilling Izzy on her law degree. My mum and Mrs. Montgomery gossiped, occasionally lowering their voices and peering over at either a silent Blake or an uncomfortable me.

        "Elijah, listen to Isabella. She might be able to help you get through University." I noticed my dad spoke differently. He used larger words and sat up straighter in his chair, and he even went as far as to put his napkin on his lap like he really cared if he spilled something on his fifteen pound trousers. It was if he was trying to impress an important person, but really it was just little Izzy who used to peer pressure me into eating dirt. I suppressed a sense of jealousy and smiled politely at her. "Please explain to Elijah your university experience," he said, his wrinkled lips pulled into a tight smile. I resisted the urge to vomit.