A couple of uneventful weeks passed. Thanksgiving had come and gone and now, it was Christmas Eve.
Mom had never done anything for Christmas. She was typically out with her friends. That was when Faye and I had gone over to Ethan's house and celebrated with his family.
With any other family, I'd feel like I was intruding, but Ethan's mom was like a second mother to me when mine failed to be one.
Ethan's dad went back to the Navy a couple of weeks ago. Ethan still hadn't known why he'd shown up, but he did gain a better relationship and respect for his father.
It was almost midnight and Faye, Ethan, and I were watching Home Alone. It was about the point where Kevin was jumping on the bed when Faye decided to part with us.
She was sleeping in the guest room, whereas Ethan and I were going to sleep in his bed. We'd always done that ever since we were kids.
We continued watching the movie to its end and when I glanced at the clock it was around one in the morning. I let out a loud yawn, causing Ethan to laugh and turn off the TV.
A lay down on the edge of the bed, sleeping on my back. Ethan rolled onto his side, facing me. I felt my eyes begin to close.
"Goodnight," I whispered softly.
"Goodnight princess," he mumbled against the pillow.
I smiled and began to drift off.
********
I woke up in a sudden because of the violent shakes given to my body. I mumbled incoherently before opening my eyes to see my fluffy-haired best friend grinning widely at me. I beamed back at him.
"Merry Christmas," Ethan practically squealed.
"Merry Christmas," I repeated, my morning voice coming through.
Ethan grabbed my arm and pulled me out of bed. I walked to the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush.
It might be Christmas but I could tell my breath still smelt.
Once I was done, Ethan pulled me down the stairs. He was still as giddy as he was when we were kids.
Faye and Elizabeth, Ethan's mom, we're both already sitting on the couch. Faye looked like she'd gotten the same wake-up call as me whereas Elizabeth looked like she'd been up for hours.
Ethan's mom walked to the kitchen just and I had gotten to the couch. She was gone a few minutes, but it was worth it because, by the time she'd gotten back, there was a plate of cinnamon rolls in her hand. Ethan reached out to grab one but she slapped his hand away.
"We have guests Ethan, be polite."
"Yeah Ethan, be polite," I said, mimicking his mom. I grabbed a pastry and looked him in the eyes as I took a bite just to rub it in his face.
Ethan crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch, pouting like a little kid. He mumbled something incoherently as his mom handed him a plate.
"What was that?" She asked sassily.
"I said 'thank you mom'" Ethan retorted at the same time. She gave him the 'mom look' causing him to sink into his seat even further.
Elizabeth walked over to the tree in the corner of the room and began pulling out gifts. Even though Faye and I weren't her kids, she still went all out with us. I felt guilty a lot of the time but tried to silence out the thoughts as they came.
She handed us boxes and sat down on the couch so we could open them.
********
We'd gone through all of the gifts and were now watching movies on the couch. Well, most of us were.
Ethan had laid down and was sleeping with his head on my leg. The Polar Express began rolling the credits and Elizabeth sat up and walked away without explanation. Faye sat up as well and told me she was going to the guest room.
My eyes began to shut and the last thing I saw was Elizabeth going into her bedroom.
********
I shot up to the same brutal wake-up call if gotten that morning. Ethan always tended to wake people up the same way. By shaking them so they think they are having a seizure.
It worked though.
He grabbed my arm and dragged me upstairs. The mess of wrapping paper was still on the floor and nobody bothered to clean it.
Before when I said we'd opened all of our gifts, I lied. Ethan and I both still had to give each other our gifts. I pulled a large box out from under the bed and he grabbed a box from under his desk.
He insisted I went first, so I took the box from his hands and began peeling off the Shrek wrapping paper.
Inside was an old record player. I didn't even have the words to describe how it made me feel.
"Thank you," I told him, finding no other words to express myself. He grinned widely and started playing with his fingers. I attempted to grab the box from the floor and propped it on the bed. "Your turn."
He smiled again and ripped off the grim reaper paper. I didn't have time to wrap it well, so it was only half done.
As he pulled it off, my foot began tapping on the floor and my heart picked up a bit, all in worry about his reaction.
He opened the box and grabbed the head of the acoustic guitar, pulling it out of the box. I knew he'd learned how to play a while ago, but I didn't think he had a guitar of his own yet. He'd taught himself to play after spending hours in the music room every day after school. I think sometimes he even snuck in so he could play.
I immediately saw a tear roll down his face. Oh no. Emotions. He set the instrument on the bed and wrapped his arms around my neck. I smiled and wrapped mine around his waist.
"Please don't go all sentimental on me."
"Too late," he sniffled, pulling away. "Thank you though."
I smiled back and laid back in his bed.
********
After an exhausting day, Faye practically had to pull me home.
I pulled out my phone to text my girlfriend to wish her a merry Christmas since I hadn't heard from her in a while.
Matteo:
Merry Christmas ❤️
I wanted to keep it simple and take her on a date tomorrow.
Minutes passed and there still wasn't a response. Before I could start to worry, I heard Faye call me downstairs.
I sped down the stairs, almost tripping down. She was standing by the doorway holding the mail. We'd probably missed the last time the mailman came by.
"There's one for both of us. They're from Brielle," she told me hesitantly, handing me a letter.
I looked at her quizzically and took the envelope. I ran towards my bedroom and checked my phone.
Still no response.
I figured the letter was just a Christmas gift, but I was so wrong.
I peeled open the seal and began reading.
Dear Matteo Collins,
Cliffhanger🕺🏻👀
QOTD: What do you think the letter is about?
Word Count: 1211