Balance

Chapter 31 ~ Speechless

I'd pulled Vixxies name and spent so long deliberating over what to get her but just as I thought all hope was lost... I'd found the perfect gift... at least I hope it is. I know for a fact this is one of her favourite things and I'd spent hours, days even surfing the internet to find the right thing. I just hope she actually likes it. My nails are already short enough, my biting habit is breaking them down to the nail bed but this present is making them non-excistant.

I place a medium square sized wrapped present on the table, balancing it half on the ledge and half on my lap since it's too big to fit in my section of the table.

"For me?" Vixxie giggles looking at the pink bow I'd added on top of the polar bear wrapping paper, probably the least Vixxie kind of gift wrap but I thought it was cute.

"Maybe..." I grin handing her the gift, everyone's eyes on the square shape travelling over them. I watch carefully my heart in the throat as she tears back the paper. I pray to god I've got this right.

"Oh... my... Atlas..." She whispers, her eyes darting across the canvas. I'd gotten her one of Alexandra Gallagher's original paintings. She's one of Vixxies favourite artists and she's gushed about her on more than ten occasions, she adores her work and uses inspiration from it to put into her own incredible artwork. Vixxie often talks about Alexandra Gallagher's passion and unique pieces alongside her fire to fight for equality in the creative world. From her website, Gallagher's work 'looks beyond our subjective limits and often tells a story of inner imagination and thought' and Vixxie loves to tell us that.

"Is it alright? Have I got it wrong? Oh gosh, I'm sorry-" Oh god she hates it, her face looks so disappointed, everyone's going to think I'm the worst friend in the world. My pulse quickens leaving my palms clammy.

"Shut up!" Vixxie laughs across the table, I stare at her stunned. Is it that bad she's laughing at it? "Come here!" She gets up and holds her arms out across the table and pulls me into a hug. It's a rather stretched and uncomfortable one but it puts my heart at ease slightly. That means she doesn't hate it right...?

We finally pull apart, Vixxies eyes are bright, her cheeks rosy and her smile gleefully wide.

"I can't believe you've done this... it's a fucking original too!" I plop back down next to Blaze and shrug feeling my cheeks heat up, she likes it! The relief sweeps through me and I feel a lot happier, content.

"What is it?" Brady inspects it under the bright lights hanging from the ceiling. Vixxe is quick to snatch it out of his hands and give it a once over for his greasy fingerprints or marks he left. She scowls at him and tuts in anguish at his lack of appreciation for her favourite artist.

"It's an original piece by Alexandra Gallagher. She's one of my favourite artists and... I really have no idea how you got this... it's incredible... I have no words. Thank you so much, Atlas." She runs her hands down the edge of the painting looking genuinely shocked.

'VJ... speechless... never!" Rutherford gasps clutching his chest. Vixxie doesn't even try and bite back, her eyes stay focused on the painting prized between her black nailed hands.

"I know... that's how amazing this is. Atty's rendered me speechless." She mumbles making us all laugh. A warm fuzzy feeling settles in my chest once everyone else starts exchanging their gifts. Christmas has never been this warm, this exciting and full of love.

Even before I was adopted, my momma did her best to make Christmas special and full of love, which she did, but someone always had to pay the price for it with my dad. It wasn't Christmas in Illinois without an annual festive beating. My heart clenches at the memories.

"She doesn't need another fucking scrap of material to prance about in!" My dad screams in my moms face after ripping my new leotard from my hands, "We don't need all this food! We don't need the presents and we don't need to celebrate Christmas!" He shouts mockingly at her, her face contorting in pain as he yanks further on her hair. He's just come back from the bar, I'm not sure why but he hates Christmas- he never celebrates it- just goes out to the bar that opens the earliest.