Getting By ~ Cole & Cassie's Story

Christmas Cheer

Cole P.O.V

                It was Christmas, my favourite holiday of the year. The first snow had happened in November, and now the streets were laden with puffy white drifts, along with our back and front yard.

Sophie, Cassie, Jake and I had all gone to pick a tree for the house, and it had taken Cassie and Sophie an hour to choose the right one. Now we were decorating it, and now I got to put the star on top. We were all putting our old decorations onto the tree; my favourite tradition.

Sophie was trying to put a decoration high up, and her shirt slid up her back, revealing a sliver of pale skin around her waist. She was five months along, due in April, and her stomach had expanded outward in a way that she hated, but I loved. It made me kind of horny, actually. Not that she believed me.

Cassie and Jake where in the kitchen, making eggnog, so I walked up behind Sophie, placing my hands on her bulging stomach.

“I love you,” I whispered, letting my hands hold the bottom of her belly.

“I love you, too, but we’ll never decorate the tree of you keep distracting me.” She laughed, removing my hands and reaching for another ornament. She was practically glowing, and I couldn’t help but feel the things I do. Besides, I’m a seventeen year old boy with a hot girl friend, how would you expect me to feel?

And that night, when she lay beside me in bed, I was so sure that everything would turn out right.

                Cassie P.O.V

                A knock came at the back door at around ten, and I was kind of annoyed, not because it was late, but because I was half way through taking off my pants. When I opened the door though, my annoyance was replaced by anger.

“Mrs. Phillips, what are you doing here?” I had never seen Jean Phillips look so uncomfortable-or un-groomed. Her long blonde hair no longer had its shine, and her blue eyes –identical to her daughters- were sad and surrounded by dark bags.

“I-I wanted to give you something, give Sophia something. And Colton.” She looked so sad, I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

“Really?”

She nodded, handing me a bag “It’s all of Sophia’s baby things; I didn’t think she would need them so soon, but…well, I want her to have them.”

“Oh, thank you.” I tried to smile, but it probably didn’t look very good “When the baby’s born, I’ll let you know. Just in case.”

She tried to smile back, but it faltered, and I saw she was trying not to cry “Thank you, Cassandra for…thank you.”

                Christmas morning was perfect; it was snowing heavily, we had candy cane coffee, the presents were wrapped and Horton hadn’t knocked the tree down. Jake gave me two books I’d been dieing to read and diamond tear drop earrings, Sophie and Cole gave me a wonderful scarf that they had made themselves (they even stitched the words of my favourite Shakespeare line!) and Horton gave me a dead mouse in the morning.

I gave Sophie a new sweater and matching toque in a royal blue colour and Cole the same, but in green, to match his eyes. I gave everyone a book of my picking, with a special meaning.

We had a snow ball fight in the back yard and built an igloo, retiring to cook the turkey and prepare bake cookies. Sophie and I made eggnog (non-alcoholic) while the boys shovelled the walk. The dinner itself was fantastic (even if the gravy was watery and the potatoes to mashed) and we had a great time singing carols and playing board games.

I had never had a better Christmas.

                Cole P.O.V

                Boxing Day breakfast was simple, and very quiet. When Jake had left though, Cassie brought us into the living room, telling us to sit down. I sat with Sophie on my right and Horton in my lap, purring away and getting orange hairs on my new sweater.

Cassie smiled at us and brought three bags out from under the couch, where no one had noticed them. They were big, and full of white tissue. I had no idea what they could be.

“Open this one first, it’s from me and Jake.” Cassie pushed one of the bags towards us.

“Oh Cassie…” Sophie said, taking out one of the carefully wrapped packages. It was socks. Tiny little socks that could fit on my thumb. Then it was a blanket; soft and white. Then hats and jumpers and more blankets.

“Cass…where is this all from?” I picked up a little hat with ears on it, trying to picture something that small.

She smiled “The first bag is from me and Jake, the second is all our baby stuff from when we were little and the third…well, that’s from your Mom, Sophie.”

Sophie’s head jerked up and she dropped a pair of booties on the floor “My Mom?”

Cass nodded “She dropped them off a week ago; I didn’t tell you because I wanted to wait for Christmas. She wanted you to have them.”

“She did?”

Cassie nodded “I thought maybe we could invite her over for new years, if you wanted?”

Sophie shook her head “No, she wouldn’t come. But I’m going to call her, say thank you.”

“Alright honey, I’m going to go do some packing. We don’t have long to finish your room and the nursery, only four months.”

She went upstairs, leaving us alone. I put my arms around Sophie and she leaned into me, tears streaming silently down her face. She cried a lot lately; weather it be from kids at school or for no reason at all. The books said it was hormones; I blamed hormones for getting us into this mess in the first place.

“Its okay Sophie, you’ll see. Everything will be okay, and in four months the baby will be here and we can be a family, it’ll be okay…” I rubbed her back and let her cry until she was all worn out and fallen asleep. Then I carried her to our room, where I put her under the covers of our new double bed.

My old room had been changed; what used to have posters of soccer players now had pictures of me and Cassie, me and Sophie, my parents etc and an empty frame which Cassie said she was going to put pictures of our baby.

Our baby.

Our baby.

I watched Sophie sleep, watched her chest rise and fall (speaking of her chest, it was now twice its size) and her stomach move as the baby kicked her. I put my hand to her bare skin, feeling my child kick my hand. Apparently, she (I still thought it was a girl) only did that when I was around. That fact made my heart swell, and brought tears to my eyes now.

I was not ready to be a dad.

I didn’t even have my own dad!

But when I looked at Sophie, felt my baby kick my hand whenever I put my hand to Sophie’s stomach, it made me feel ready. And when I saw Cassie and how hard she was working…I never thought my sister loved me that much. I always thought she slightly resented me for taking the best years of her life away, making her a mom before she was ready. Just like Sophie.

I was going to do this right; I was going to make my kids life awesome. If she liked Barbie’s, then I’d play Barbie’s. If she liked to play soccer, then I would play for hours. If she was lesbian, then I’d support her. If she had her heart broken by some guy, then I’d punch his nose. I was going to do this.