In The End (On Hold)

e i g h t

a/n:
•hey. . . .
  •I'm so sorry for not updating this book in months. Writer block sucks. So does school. High school was something I knew would be stressful but also something I was NOT prepared for
    •banner at the top is by me, hope you like it!
      •love you ❥
        •unedited
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e i g h t

December 24, 2014

"It's Christmas Eve! It's Christmas Eve! It's Christmas Eeeevvvvvvveee!" Tommy sang as he ran up and down the hall, his voice getting lower as he got farther from my room, then louder as he got closer. He barged in my room and ran up to my bed where I lay and stared up at the ceiling, thinking over how the day would go.

"Mason, it's Christmas!" Tommy spurted as I picked him up and placed him on my stomach.

I smiled back at him and ruffled his hair. "Merry Christmas, Tommy." I laughed as he swatted my hand away from his hair.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and tugged. "Let's go downstairs, Dad's making pancakes!" As he said this, he decided I was taking too long and ripped the sheets off of me and shot out of my room. "Let's go, let's goooo!" I heard him shout from down the hall, then his feet quickly stomping down the stairs.

I laughed at my little brother's happiness. I looked at the clock to see that it was ten in the morning, just to be sure I wouldn't be sleepy tonight. The way we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day may be a little different from the way you do. We have a small get-together at my house with Mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve and just sit around, eat, and talk. At exactly 11:59, we all gather around the living room and count down to 12:00, when we go around hugging each other. When that's done, we sit down and open presents. Christmas Day my dad's side of the family comes over and we open presents and hang around outside.

Reaching the first floor, I was met with the amazing smell of my dad's pancakes. "There's only a couple left, Mason!" Tommy shouted. Tommy loved my dad's cooking, especially his pancakes.

After serving myself two pancakes for myself and a cup of milk, I sat next to my mother when she asked, "I remember you telling me Matt and Callum don't do anything for Christmas Eve?" I nodded as I wiped my mouth with a napkin before answering, looking up at my mom. "So are they coming over here tonight?"

"Yeah. They said they'll be around five."

"Will—"

"Yes, Matt's going to bring his little brother so Tommy has someone to play with," I interrupted. Every year Matt brings his brother, and Tommy and Joshua have become to be best friends that even if Matt didn't invite his little brother to come with him, Josh would plead Matt to take him.

Speaking of friends coming over . . . .

"And a new friend I made is coming over too," I added quickly.

She faked surprise. "You have more than two friends?" Tommy giggled at this, obviously finding it funny that I had such an antisocial life that my own mother would mock me about it.

I played along (well not really, because they were actually the only friends I had). "Yeah! I have three now," I replied enthusiastically. "But seriously. She's coming over because her mother leaves during Christmas—"

My mother's eyes widened, and her fork made a clank as it hit her plate. "She?" she asked.

The gender of my new friend must have interested everyone at the table, because even Tommy and Dad had paused between bites to pay attention. Tommy must've wanted to see what Mom and Dad would say. And Tommy never missed out on Dad's food. "What?" I asked. I was a bit insulted, I had to say.