A Christmas Eve

First and Last Chapter: A Silent Christmas Eve

Jessica had always been a quiet soul, masking her turmoil behind a bright smile that fooled everyone around her. Her laughter was an armor, a shield that concealed the chaos of her mind. For three years, she battled her depression in silence, hoping that...

someone....

anyone...

might notice the cracks beneath her surface. Anna, the person she loved the most, was meant to be her safe haven. But Anna was cold, distant, and dismissive of Jessica's pain.

Jessica had opened up once yet timidly, cautious about the storm inside her. Anna's response had been a sharp dismissal, brushing her feelings aside as though they were nothing more than an inconvenience. That moment replayed in Jessica's mind for years, a constant reminder that even the person she loved didn't see her and didn't truly care.

"The Long-Awaited Christmas"

For the first time, Jessica was hopeful about Christmas. Anna had invited her to spend it with her family, promising a celebration filled with love, warmth, and joy. something Jessica had never experienced. She clung to the thought, imagining herself surrounded by laughter and kindness.

But as December 24th approached, Anna began pulling away.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to come." Anna said over the phone, her tone indifferent.

Jessica's heart sank. "But why? I've been looking forward to this."

"You'll just feel out of place. It's better if you don't come," Anna replied, to Jessica, its like she's making up excuses to not see her.

Jessica begged with a cracking voice, "Anna, please. I want to be with you."

But Anna didn't budge.

When the call ended, Jessica sat in her room, staring at the phone with trembling hands. The weight of loneliness crashed had her feeling all sorts of bullshit feelings... merry Christmas to her indeed.. the thoughts were suffocating her. She tried to suppress her sobs and whims, biting her lip so hard that it bled, she was unwilling to let anyone hear her break. But the pain was so unbearable.

She began to hit herself... Jessica wasn't being in her right mind... she was striking her head over and over, desperate to feel something other than the ache in her chest, anything would feel much better than the heart aches at that moment... Exhausted, she collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face as well as her thick warm blood... gushing from her head to her forehead.

She couldn't take it anymore.

Jessica opened her drawer and pulled out the rope she had bought years ago, a grim relic of a time when the pain had almost won. This time, she thought... "it would..."

"Christmas Day"

Anna celebrated Christmas with her family, laughing and exchanging gifts. She glanced at her phone occasionally, expecting a message from Jessica. But there was nothing. By the end of the day, irritation replaced her indifference.

"If you don't reply before midnight, we're over," Anna texted, her tone more angry than concerned.

When Jessica still didn't respond the next day, Anna grew furious. On December 26th, she drove to Jessica's house, her irritation masked by a thin layer of worry.

She got by the Door, furious...

She knocked...

Knock knock knock.

Jessica's mother answered the door, her face lined with grief and exhaustion. "What do you want?" she snapped.

"I need to see Jessica," Anna said, pushing past her.