1000 Miles - Chandler Riggs // Austin Abrams

Chapter Forty Five

Time skip to December 

December 24

It's been a couple months since Chandler and I got back together. Austin and I haven't spoken once. I'm a little disappointed because Kaylin and I haven't talked in a couple days. It went from talking everyday to talking every other day or once a week. She's been super busy. 

But now it's Christmas Eve and all the presents have been bought and Katherine is busy cooking Christmas Dinner for tomorrow.

Katherine and Dad supposedly have a big announcement.

Mom came down for Thanksgiving. It was the most awkward thing ever. She and Katherine talked a little but they completely avoided talking about my dad. Mom's doing way better now. She's trying to get custody of Karson and I again. She just has to get everything stable. Of course I'd be more than happy to go with her, I'd just hate to say goodbye to Chandler and Sam. And Elliot but still. 

"Poppy honey, will you help me for a moment?" Katherine asks from the kitchen. I mentally groan but get up off the couch and walk into the kitchen. 

"I need you to grab that pan of brownies and put it into the oven please." She says and I nod. I grab the pan and carefully place it into the oven as she stirs some kind of cake batter. She smiles at me. "Thank you." I nod.

"Hey Pops, come build a snowman with us." Karson says at the front door with Elliot next to him.

"Give me a minute." I tell him. I rush to the closet and grab my hoodie out. I put it on and slip on my boots. 

As soon as we walk out the door we're greeted by a cold breeze. "Nope." I turn around to go back inside but Karson grabs ahold of my arm and pulls me down to the yard. Before I can process anything, snowballs are being thrown at me. I let out a shriek and throw my hands up to protect myself. I hear laughter. Chandler, Karson, Grayson, and Elliot ganged up on me. No wonder they wanted me to come outside. 

Someone jumps in front of me. "DON'T WORRY POPPY. I'LL PROTECT YOU." Sam yells then bends down and scoops a bunch of snow together to make a massive snowball. "FOR NARNIA!" And then he starts pelting snowballs at my brothers and Chandler. Soon enough I join in.

"ONE OF THEM WENT DOWN MY SHIRT." Karson yells.

Everyone laughs. 

The snowball fight ends after a while and now we're all sitting in the snow. "My butt is numb." Sam pouts. "Do you think Dad'll make us hot chocolate?" Elliot asks. We all shrug. Elliot has gave in and started calling my dad his dad. And no matter how many times Katherine asks, I still refuse to call her mom. 

We sit in silence for a second before Sam jumps up and claps his hands together. Without saying a word he runs to the road and stares at it with a grin. 

"GUYS COME HERE." 

We all get up off the ground and follow him to the side walk. On the road there's ice. "Let's go to that hill over there-" He says pointing to an icy hill road thing. "and go ice skating!" 

"Yes! We used to do this all the time back home." Elliot grins. Which is true, whenever it was snowing and there was ice on the road we'd go to the top of the road and slide down on the ice because why not.

"Hang on, I gotta tell Mom." Elliot runs back into the house to tell Katherine where we're going. 

A minute later Elliot comes running out of the house causing him to almost trip on the icy porch. "She said okay just don't get frostbite." He tells us and we start walking along the sidewalk to the hill.