Back Came December

surprise

Grayson was stroking my hair as we cuddled on the couch watching Tangled. What? So I was twenty-one, Disney movies were my guilty pleasure, sue me.
I shivered in awe and pleasure as I glanced down at the rose-gold ring surrounding a pale pink, practically white diamond resting on my finger. My engagement ring. Yes, I was getting married. To my high school sweetheart. To the love of my life. To the person I sacrificed everything for. 

I looked up at Grayson and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. He grinned his infamous smirk, that I fell utterly in love with. I laughed as I realized he was giving me a smolder, not unlike the one Flynn Rider gave Rapunzel in the movie.
I placed a hand on his chest as he chuckled, "Mae, aren't I so much better looking than the prince guy?"

I gave him a sarcastic look. "Dude, no one's as good looking as Flynn Rider, which is, you know his name?"

He rolled his eyes teasingly. He probably wasn't paying much attention to one of my favorite movies of all time. But then again, most guys wouldn't willingly watch Disney movies with their fiancee. At twenty-one years old. But please, who doesn't love a good ol' Disney movie?

But the point is, I was enjoying my afternoon.

Mom was in the kitchen, making sloppy joes for lunch. For a quiet, peaceful lunch with the people I considered my family. My fiancee, my mom and our beloved golden retriever puppy, Sawyer, that Grayson gave me for my twentieth birthday.

My world revolved around these two people. And dog.

The life I made for myself came crashing down when I heard an engine coming up our neighborhood street.

I stood up and peered behind the green curtain at the window behind the TV. A black, glossy Ferrari pulled up in our driveway, looking quite out of place in our middle-class American town.

Confused, I called out to my mother. "Mom, is that one of your friends? I think we have a visitor."
Mom replied, "No, I wonder who could that be?"

I looked at Grayson questionably and he shrugged. Neither of us were expecting any visitors, especially with such a fancy, expensive car. I knew it couldn't be my best friend, Giselle, she was out of town this weekend. Plus, she would have told me if she was coming.

The Winslows don't get many visitors anymore. We were an embarrassment to the Catholic, orthodox tradition of this town. We were shamed upon, gossiped about, but never visited. Never really talked to. After the incident got out, I lost most of my friends, Grayson's parents disowned him, and she left.

The only reason we never moved out of this godforsaken town was because our eighty year old and still-kicking grandpa still lived here and Mom didn't want to put him in a nursing home.

My mother's ear-shattering scream took me out of my thoughts. The door bell chimed through out the house. Sawyer suddenly woke up from her nap and barked at the sound of the intruder. She scurried her way to the entrance.

Since the trees in front of our house blocked the view of the door, I couldn't see who came to the door and rang the doorbell.

Grayson and I ran to the door, expecting to see a burglar or a serial killer bludgeoning Mom to death by the way she just yelled.

But what we saw was much, much worse.

My mother, in her cupcake apron was hugging a young woman to death. The woman was sobbing in her shoulder and she looked like she could hardly breathe.
I watched in confusion as the woman released Mom's arms and knelt down to pet a wagging Sawyer. Traitor.

"Who's this adorable little puppy?" The woman asked.

I didn't recognize her until her watery blue eyes met mine. My identical blue eyes, in matter of fact.

Grayson's gasp awoke me from my daze. "December, is that you?"

I was shocked and horrified when Grayson raced towards her and engulfed her into a loving embrace.

"I've missed you so much." He whispered.

December and Grayson reunited?

December and Grayson back together?

Oh, hell to the no. I will not helplessly watch December ruin my life, once again. Grayson had been mine for four years. I would not let her have him back.

She left for a reason. She wasn't supposed to come back. And yet she's here. And why is everybody happy about this?

I walked up to December, still wrapped in Grayson's arms.

She smiled gently at me, tears in her eyes. "Mae, Mae. I've missed-"

I smiled sweetly back at her. "I haven't missed you." I say before lifting my hand and slapping her, hard. I've been waiting to do that for years.

Mom, Grayson and December stared at me in shock.
I said, "Why is everyone so surprised I just did that?"

I ran upstairs to the comfort of my bedroom, where December doesn't exist.

But I'm kidding myself. December never really left.