Alicia

The air was clear and crisp as Alicia, Celeste, and Sterling made their way towards the town square for the final event of the Winter Grove Games—the Scavenger Hunt. Alicia was glad she had decided to wear a thicker coat as it felt like the night would only get colder. Fortunately, she expected the frenzy of the hunt would help keep them warm.

"If Zeke isn't coming," Sterling wondered aloud, his breath coming in a big white puff, "then who am I going to do the scavenger hunt with?"

True to her word, Alicia had spoken with the Brightons earlier that day and made up some excuse to get Zeke 'excused' from further events.

He better be thankful, she thought to herself with a smile. Maybe she'd let him buy her a drink at The Snowball's Chance afterward...

"You could tag along with us," Celeste offered, brightening. "I can't think of a better way to spend my evening than with my two favorite people."

"I don't think that's allowed," Sterling said, eyeing all the pairs gathered around the festival grounds. "The Mayor said only groups of two were allowed."

"I'm sure there are exceptions. Look, there's a group of three!" Celeste said, pointing into the crowd.

Alicia glanced over to where Celeste was pointing and laughed. "Those are two parents and a toddler. Which one of us would be the toddler?"

"You, obviously," Celeste replied. She linked her arm with Alicia and pulled her in. "Now come on, give mommy a kiss—"

Alicia struggled away as Celeste planted a kiss on her cheek, giggling the whole time. "Gross! Get off!"

"Mommy loooves you!"

Sterling just shook his head with a laugh as he watched the two of them wrestle. "You both are acting like children."

"Well, then consider yourself lucky that you don't have to join us tonight," Alicia said, making a face at Sterling.

"Over here!"

They all turned to see Celeste's dad, Herb, waving them down. He and his wife were waiting for them at the base of the tree in the center of town. And standing next to them was... Zeke.

Sterling frowned. "I thought you said he wasn't coming."

"I... I didn't think he was," Alicia said, staring him down as they went over to join them.

"Evening!" Herb cheered. He plucked at the lapels of his coat and hiked them up to keep the chill off his neck. "Chilly one tonight, eh? Hope you dressed warm!"

"Do you need gloves?" her mom piped in. "I brought extra!"

As Celeste's parents inspected her outerwear, Alicia sidled up to Zeke.

"What are you doing here?" Alicia whispered. "I talked to your parents this afternoon. I told them Sterling hurt his ankle and couldn't participate, so you're free."

Zeke made a face. "It's not that simple—"

"Who's this?"

A stranger appeared from behind him. She was beautiful, with perfect skin and shiny black hair that cascaded over the thick fur collar of her coat. As she got close, she took firm hold of Zeke's arm and cozied up to him.

Alicia could only blink at the girl as her mind emptied.

The girl giggled as she took in Alicia's blank expression. She turned her gaze upwards and batted her eyes at Zeke.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Zeke looked uncomfortable and avoided Alicia's eye even as he motioned to her. "This is Alicia. She's Celeste's roommate. And this is, uh..."

The girl shook out her shiny hair with another laugh as if his reluctance was just a lovable quirk. "I'm Nancy. Zeke's girlfriend."

Zeke winced, but she didn't notice. She held out her hand for Alicia to shake. Alicia could only stare at the hand in front of her.

Nancy?

Nancy, as in...

A memory of Zeke, red-faced and flustered, flashed through her mind.

"It's over, Nancy," he said into his snow-covered phone.

Wasn't Nancy his ex?

The ex that had broken his heart and thrown him into a tailspin?

What was he doing with her now?

Alicia chanced a look at Zeke, but he was still avoiding her eye. For some reason, a sharp stab of pain shot through her.

Nancy cleared her throat. Her hand was still waiting.

Alicia shook herself out of her thoughts and hurriedly grabbed it. She gave it a quick, awkward shake and released it. "N-Nice to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual," Nancy said, raising an eyebrow. "So, how did—"

"I have to go!" Alicia announced, cutting her off. "My friends—they're waiting."

She didn't even wait for a response before she turned on her heel and fled.

As she walked away, she heard Nancy say something to Zeke.

"What's her problem?"

Alicia could only wonder the same.

What was my problem?

Why did the sudden appearance of Zeke's ex—well, she guessed the girl was back to being his girlfriend now—bother her so much?

As Alicia rejoined Celeste and Sterling, she saw that Celeste was watching her brother and the girl with intense interest. Celeste's brow furrowed, and her lips pressed into a line.

"Who's that?" Sterling asked, noticing Celeste's distraction.

"Nancy," Celeste explained. "His ex."

"Apparently not anymore," Alicia added as she moved to stand behind them, out of sight of Zeke and Nancy.

Celeste looked over at her, her eyebrows rising across her forehead. "Really? They're back together?"

Alicia shrugged. "I guess. That's what she said."

The frown reappeared on Celeste's face. "But Mom said Zeke was a wreck over it. I don't know what exactly happened, but she said it ended badly—"

"Well, whatever happened, I guess all is forgiven," Alicia said with a huff, crossing her arms and looking anywhere but at Zeke.

"Does that mean he's not participating?" Sterling wondered. He was smart enough to suppress most of the hope in his voice, but Alicia could still hear it.

Alicia just sighed.

Just then, the Mayor bustled into view atop the stage that circled the base of the tree, followed by an army of volunteers, arms heavy with supplies for the event. The Mayor pulled out a microphone and tapped it, and the sound echoed around the grounds.

"Greetings, everyone!" the Mayor cheered, getting their attention. "Before we start handing out the requirements for this evening's event, I just wanted to touch on one topic. Due to some previous, ahem, complications from the other events—" From his spot on the stage, he spied Sterling, Celeste, and Alicia and leveled a chastising stare their way "—this event will be all or nothing! The winner of the Scavenger Hunt tonight will take it all and be awarded the privilege of lighting our tree's star!"

Celeste gave a shriek of excitement and grabbed Alicia's arm. "We still have a chance!"

Alicia tried to smile, but it lasted for only a second before it fell away. For some reason, she wasn't exactly feeling festive anymore.

"You two have fun," Sterling said, though he didn't look too broken up about it. "Guess I'm staying behind since Zeke is sitting this one out."

"Who's sitting out?"

They turned, and Zeke was there, smiling at them. And to Alicia's relief, Nancy wasn't with him.

Sterling, however, looked annoyed with his hope of escaping the games dashed. "We thought you weren't participating."

"Who said that?" Zeke said. Finally, his gaze met Alicia's, but she quickly looked away.

"I did," Alicia said. "Because you said you wanted out."

"Well, I changed my mind," Zeke said, perfectly casual. "I've been thinking about it. If Celeste really wants that prize, wouldn't it make more sense for more of us to compete?"

Celeste frowned like she didn't understand. "But if you win, then..."

"I'll give the prize to you," Zeke said. "Think of it as my way of saying sorry, Cee. What do you say, Sterling? Will you help me get that prize for your girlfriend?"

Despite her sour mood, Alicia couldn't help the warm feeling spreading through her. Though their deal was complete, he was still playing nice. Or maybe he had actually come around...

Sterling's face tensed as though he was considering it. On one hand, it would make Celeste happy. On the other hand, participating meant he'd have to spend another evening with Zeke. And even if things were better between them, he didn't look like he relished the idea.

But there was one loose thread...

Alicia swallowed hard, mustering the courage to say something.

"What about Nancy?"

Zeke's smile faltered. "She... She can wait."

The warm feeling inside Alicia's chest only spread further.

"Alright, I'll do it," Sterling announced. "But I want to switch teams."

Zeke frowned. "Huh?"

"I want to be partners with Celeste," Sterling said, grinning now that he'd come up with a plan. "I've spent most of this festival running around with Zeke, so I'd like to spend one night with my girlfriend."

"But—" Alicia protested.

"You owe me," Sterling whispered to her. "After you volunteered me for this in the first place..."

"I'm fine with it," Zeke said before turning to Alicia. A bright smile returned to his face. "What do you say, Alicia? Want to give my sister a Christmas to remember?"

Alicia looked up at him. Once again, she felt so warm despite the chill in the air. It took her a second, but then her own smile gleamed.

"Let's do it."

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