Love Helps Life

Scared To Be Lonely

Winter spent most of her time in her room. The room was painted baby blue, except for one wall, which was lavender. Her canopy bed was pink with Disney princess sheets and pillows, along with numerous stuffed animals. The walls were decorated with posters of tween Disney channels shows and singers, and paintings of castles and teddy bears. All in all, it looked more like the embarrassingly adorable room of a five year old girl. The only thing that even remotely represented her intelligence was the glow in the dark solar system on her ceiling, surrounding the pink, flowered fan. Besides the bed, in the room resided a bookshelf filled with books and childish, yet priceless heirlooms. A white couch was settled next to it, along with a side table that sported an ugly dolls lamp, a ballerina music box, and tree locked drawers. Her closet doors were painted bright yellow with green handles decorated with pastel colored flowers.

It was easy to see why she didn't have any friends.

Winter read more books than anyone else in her class, and didn't speak much. She usually had her headphones on. Her parents were both very efficient workers: her father worked for a huge corporation that Winter didn't bother to remember the name of, [she was terrible at remembering names anyway.] and her mother worked from home in her office, doing who-knows-what for whatever clients she came across. The only company Winter had resided of her stuffed animals and toys. She usually didn't bother with her brother. It was a lost cause.

An unexpected drama outside caught her attention. Through her window, she could see Echo, Iris, and Mallory, along with their tag-along wannabes, laughing up a storm about who knows what. As if it weren't enough to see them at school, Mallory had to live across the street from Winter's house.

Rolling her eyes, Winter closed the curtains, leaving the window open for a breeze, and went to her vanity. She'd never really believed in makeup; she thought it hid who you really were. But sometimes, it was fun to just play around with it and experience something new.

She pulled her chocolate hair out of their customary pigtails, and tied it up in a bun. Taking her glasses off, and setting them next to her hair accessories, she went about applying a face mask. After searching online, she'd found a face mask that was healthy, enviorment-friendly, and helpful with pores and acne. She'd never had a zit in her life!

Settling back down in her couch, she put her headphones on, and read her book, while she waited for the mask to do it's job. She was twenty minutes into it and only had ten left when her older brother, not bothering to knock, let himself in. "Hey." He snapped, yanking her headphones off. "Door for you."

Winter looked up at him with interest. "Who is it?"

Jakoda shrugged. "How should I know? And for the record, you look like a zombie." Winter rolled her eyes. She had a whole list of words to describe her only sibling: annoying, self-centered, careless, and immature were the most appropriate.

She couldn't take the face mask off unless she wanted a half-done job, so she wandered down the stares, feeling her way around. Without her glasses, everything was a blur. Grateful to make it downstairs without a disaster, Winter gripped the doorknob, and yanked open the door. Echo's friend, and latest member of the 'cool kids,' Kaylee, burst out laughing. "Hey guys!" She shouted to the group of onlookers that set off the prank warning in Winters head, "Wimpy Winter thinks she's a beauty star!" There was a roar of laughter. Winter rolled her eyes; she did that a lot. "You guys do the same thing. I know you do. I hear you talking about it." Kaylee stopped laughing and stared at her. "You talking to me?"

Winter nodded easily. "And, FYI, acting as if your to cool to be spoken to doesn't make you cool. In all honesty, it make you a dork." Kaylee scoffed. "You're just jealous." Winter shrugged. "And, so are you." Kaylee looked tongue-tied for a moment, before faking a friendly face. "Here," she gushed, handing Winter a box. "Happy birthday." Winter's eyebrows rose. They remembered? They knew?

"Open it!" Kaylee giggled, signaling to Winter that this was a prank. Eying Kaylee, Winter cautiously opened the box. Inside was a potty -training chart. Well, that one was certainly creative. Figuring out how to kill two birds with one stone, Winter faked her own friendly face. "Thanks, Kaylee! How did you know I needed this for my brother?" Before having to hear Kaylee's retort, Winter entered the house to go look for Jakoda. As always, he was in his room playing video games, and refusing to wear his headphones. Winter dropped it on his bed, and scampered into her room. Wiping the face mask off, she pondered her life. Her brother didn't like her, and neither did her classmates. She was sure she didn't do anything wrong.

Every day was the same thing: she'd go to school, put up with heck from her classmates, come home, put up with heck from her brother, put up with heck from her parents when they refused to do anything about her brother's bullying, go to bed, rinse, repeat. She was fine being on her own. She had plenty of independent stuff to do. But, she didn't want to mention to anyone that she was lonely.

A call from her father, Castriel, sent her venturing downstairs. Her eleventh birthday was finally beginning. It had taken her parents a while to clear up work, so they were going to eat some cake, open presents, and go back to business. And, with it being Friday, she could do anything she wanted over the weekend.

Over chocolate cake with blue and pink icing, her mother, Indigo, explained something to her daughter. "Honey, I've noticed the other girls picking on you. And, I think it's time for you to start growing up a little." With that said, she pushed her present towards Winter, which happened to be a 'Tween's First Makeup Kit.' Her father had gotten her a new CD, and her brother got her a notebook like last year, and all the years before that. Winter didn't mind. She loved notebooks and CDs. It was her uncle's gift she was excited about. Her mother's brother, Uncle Dill, always knew just what to get.

Like every year, her grandparents sent cards with money. But this year, her unlce sent her a large box wrapped in pink paper with a blue bow. There was a note on top;

' Dear Winter,

I wasn't sure what to do with him at first. He wasn't made for human consumption. But, I couldn't have him lying around and being left out. He seems pretty lonely. Tell the boy I'm sorry, would you please?

He's durable and pretty much the same as the other dolls I make. He prefers to go by 'Lou,' but you can call him what you like.

Happy birthday!

Uncle Dill.'

Winter smiled. Her uncle owned the biggest toy factory in the world. A majority of the stuffed animals in her room were from him. Carefully, she opened the box, and gasped. Inside was the most wonderful doll she had ever seen. Her green eyes locked onto his blue ones. He had a lovely smile, and gold locks. Those blue eyes shone, as if they were filled with tears.

Winter's smile grew, until she feared he head would split right down the middle. Tenderly, she lifted him out of the box, and hugged him tight.

"Oh, no!" Her mother groaned. "Doesn't Dillen understand you're eleven, and not four? Give me the doll, I'll trade him in for some nice jewelry." Winter recoiled. "No, Mom! I love him! And he's lonely! Please, let me keep him! No one else wants him!" Indigo sighed, and looked at her husband. Then, she relented. "I suppose, it was very generous of him to give you his old prototype." Jakoda laughed. "What a baby! Dolls can't feel lonely!" Winter's fists clenched. But, for once, her father stood up to Jakoda. "Young man, stop teasing your sister. It's her birthday." While the lecture went on, Winter carried Lou up to her room. She sat down on her couch, and held him out so he could see. "This is your new home, Lou." Lou blinked and his eyes widened. He already felt relation with this child. Judging by the pigtails and glasses, she probably wasn't winning a popularity contest. And it sounded just like him. Marveling at her room, he fought the urge to cry. Tears of happiness brewed in his eyes. Winter pulled him close again, and smiled. "I can tell we have a lot in common. I hope we'll be best friends." Lou stilled for a moment. He couldn't believe it. His own child, and she already loved him. He hugged her tight. 'I already know we will, my dear.'