"Just Friends."

Chapter Nineteen.

Chapter Nineteen. 

            Christmas Eve wasn’t anything like I pictured it to be. I mean, yeah, we had everything decorated and Christmas music was playing in the background as I sat by the fireplace and looked at the tree, remembering the way Reina looked at the tree in the mall. I remember how excited she was and how beautiful she looked and I think my mom noticed because she sat down next to me and put her arm around my shoulder, kissing my head like she always does to try and comfort me.

            “It’ll work out sweetie.” She reassured. “Just have faith.”

            “That’s easy for you to say mom when you have the love of your life. I don’t have the love of my life and the moment I think I might have possibly found it I’m so beyond wrong. I’m always wrong and I’m so tired of it.”

            “Reina seems like an amazing girl honey and maybe she just needed to have some time to think about it. When you spring something like that on someone it’s a lot to take in. Just give it some time and maybe when you get back from break you can talk about it and clear some things up.”

            Nodding my head, I tried to let her know that I understood but as much as I tried to convince myself that maybe we could work something out we couldn’t. You can’t just tell someone you love him or her and then take it back and after I told my mom the truth, from beginning to end, that was the advice she gave me. She just told me to give it time.

            “But it’s Christmas Eve Justin and as much pain as you’re in right now you need to spend time with us as a family and just enjoy the blessings God has given us, alright? You need to try and do that for me.”

            “Yeah.” I said. “I know.”

            Wanting to make her happy, I rose to my feet and asked Jazzy and Jaxon if they wanted to decorate the tree. It was always a family tradition of ours to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve and even though I thought it was boring it was fun to see Jazzy and Jaxon get all excited at how pretty the ornaments were and when my dad lifted Jazzy to put the star on the tree it was finally completed and my mom already had the hot chocolate ready to go for us to watch Polar Express like we always did as a family afterwards.

            “I want to sit next to Justin!” Jazzy shrieked, climbing on top of my lap.

            For a second I started to forget about everything and for a second I was honestly taking my moms advice as I pulled Jazzy into my lap and snuggled her closer, my mom carrying all of the hot chocolate cups over to set them on the coffee table.

           

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            “Justin.” My mom whispered, shaking me awake. “Honey wake up.”

            “What?” I groaned. “I was sleeping mom.”

            “I know you were but someone’s here to see you.”

            It took me a second to register what she said but as soon as it coherently went through my head I sat up so fast and Reina was standing by the front door, tugging on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying right now. Nothing else even mattered and all I could do was stand up from the couch, trying to fix my hair from it being so messed up.