OUT OF THE RED ↝ dave grohl

thirty.

THERE WAS THE faintest dusting of snow outside, coating Reagan's street and glimmering in the weak daylight. There was enough of it that not even the sun had managed to melt it down, though the afternoon itself was coming to a wrap.

Reagan was off from work and lying in her bed, covered in extra blankets. Instead of giving herself an agenda on her day of freedom, she'd opted to treat herself to a book and a mug of hot tea. She had told everyone around her, including Dave, that she'd be using her day off as time for designated self-care.

With 'A Confederacy of Dunces' in her hand and her thickest socks pulled up past her ankles, Reagan snuggled against the pillows behind her and lost herself in her own splendid coziness. It was amazing that even though her whole family was home, she'd found her share of peace and quiet. Even Kate laying in her own bed across the room had not deterred Reagan's determination to have a relaxing day.

"The tree looks nice," Kate said casually. She was lying on her stomach, her chin resting atop her hands and her eyes casted upwards towards the window behind their beds. She was contemplatively watching cotton ball snowflakes cascade down from the sky.

"I bet," Reagan replied, turning a page of her book.

Along with the rest of the family, Kate had spent the morning downstairs sprucing up the Abner's Christmas tree with their collection of baubles and ornaments. They had a real tree that year instead of the cheap, plastic one that was shoved into the attic after every passing December. Reagan had used her own money to buy the tree from a local farm. No one had needed to convince her to do it — she loved the smell of fresh pine needles wafting through the house.

"You should have helped," Kate chided. "Rae and Kody looked so cute putting up ornaments."

"It was supposed to be for the kids, not me," Reagan said. She didn't lift her eyes from her book.

"True, I guess. I'm surprised Mom hasn't come yelling for you yet."

"Don't jinx it."

The last thing Reagan needed was Kimberly clomping up the stairs calling her name, asking her to do some miscellaneous chore. So far that day, Kimberly had not bothered her at all, which Reagan took as a probable early Christmas gift. She did not expect much that year, but alone time was a good enough present as far as she was concerned.

"How come you're not with Dave?" Kate asked, pushing the conversation onwards.

Reagan put her book down in her lap and shot her sister a deathly look. It was alright for Kate to be in her own bed while Reagan read, but for her to talk when a discussion was clearly unwanted was another thing.

"Reading here," Reagan said sarcastically.

"Sorry. I just can't believe you're not with him right now."

"It's not like I have to spend every waking moment at his side."

"I know, but I figured you would since he's your first boyfriend and all."

Kate clambered out of her bed and wandered over to Reagan's side of the room, hovering at Reagan's bedside with a bored look on her face. She picked up a Polaroid picture that laid on Reagan's nightstand, tucked beneath a stack of books and her alarm clock.

"Would you stop looking at that thing?" Reagan quipped with annoyance.

The thing in question was a picture of Reagan and Dave, taken by Shelli on a day when she and Krist had swung by the "Boy Land" apartment. Dave was flashing a big smile at the camera and Reagan was looking at him, mid-laugh as she leaned forward on the couch. It was the only picture they had together and to please Kate, Reagan had shown it to her in order to show what Dave looked like.