The Test of Time

49 ~ December

"Oh... I..." Elena stutters as she takes in the sight in front of her, eyes wide. Kyle looks slightly amused as he glances over her shoulder.

"It's not..." I trail off, jumping off my bed and reaching up to smooth my hair down. "I..."

"I was just leaving." Brett mutters, grabbing hold of his top as I look down at the floor, not trusting myself to look up and face him. I'm a coward and I know it.

I hear his footsteps as he walks towards the door and finally the door slams behind him and I glance up, thankful to see that Kyle went with him.

"S?" Elena asks, quietly.

"Please E, I don't want to talk about it just yet!" I reply, sinking down onto my bed. I can't even begin to comprehend what just happened, and I certainly don't know how to explain it to Elena. There's no reasonable explanation, I'm a cheater and there's nothing more to it.

"I'll go get the donuts." She replies, and I finally look up to see her grabbing hold of the door handle.

"E! Your keys." I exclaim and she looks back, wide eyed as she shoots me a sheepish look.

"Got them!" She grins, grabbing them off of her bed and leaving without a second glance. I bury my head in my hands and finally let a scream erupt out of my mouth, the frustration taking over as I let all the emotions hit me.

What the fuck have I just done?

*~*~*

"Are you sure this is okay?" Elle asks worriedly as she glances back at me, unsure of her decision for the fiftieth time.

"You can't back out now!" I object, grabbing hold of her shoulders and smiling at her.

"I can! I want to spend Christmas with you!"

"Els. I'll be fine." I assure her, smiling. "I'll ring you Christmas Day."

"I love you." She says sadly and I pull her into my arms, not letting my own emotions ruin her moment.

"I love you too." I reply softly as she tightens her hold on me. It's the 21st December and time for my sister to fly to Texas. Time for her to start living her life for her, and not just to support me.

"The meter is still running!" The cab driver calls out to us and I grimace before letting go, standing back and seeing the lone tear that flows down my sister's cheek. I reach out, gently wiping it away before sending her a reassuring smile.

"Go!"

"I'll miss you." She chokes out.

"I'll miss you too." I confirm, squeezing her hand.

"We'll make it up in the New Year."

"January 3rd." I nod as she lets go of me, "I'm already counting down." I reply as she hesitantly gets into the cab and shuts the door. Winding down the window I can see the tears that are pooling in her eyes as she looks up at me.

"Happy Christmas Ann."

"Happy Christmas Elle." I reply, blowing her a kiss before the cab begins to pull away. "Bye!" I call after her, waving at the retreating car until it rounds the corner, out of sight. Taking a deep, slow breath I reach up and wipe any tears away from my eyes and turn back towards my dorm room, desperate to ignore the sadness that is clawing to get out.

As I open the door to the dorms I dig into my back pocket and pull out my phone, taking another deep breath before clicking on my boyfriend's name and placing it at my ear as it starts to ring.

"Hey!" He answers, his voice slightly gruff.

"Hey, have you left yet?" I ask, desperate to keep my voice light and hopeful that we can have a civil conversation.