TRACK #3 MUSIC:

🎵 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey

🎵 "All I Want Is You (This Christmas)" - *NSYNC

__________

TRACK #3- WINTER

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey

Sunday night was a different story. I kept tossing, and turning, and tossing some more. So, needless to say, I slept horribly the night before the squad would be announced. When my alarm came Monday morning, I wasn't prepared. I threw my hair into a high ponytail, slid on a pair of old black leggings, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and my trusty burgundy-colored poncho. It belonged to my mom once-upon-a-time, but I laid claim to it years ago. The nostalgia of it calmed my nerves as I walked downstairs to find my Doc Martens. I grabbed a banana and headed out to drive Freddy to school.

When I finally got there, I attempted to casually stroll past the bulletin board where the results would be posted, but nothing was there yet. I sighed while I dragged myself to first period, knowing the day was going to feel like a year if I didn't find out soon. When I entered the gymnasium, I saw Emma sitting on the row of bleachers above Kody and Noah, put together and pretty as can be, even in her gym uniform.

I sat down next to her with a huff. "Why are you so cute in the morning? I couldn't even bring myself to put on real clothes today, let alone makeup."

"As if you even need makeup." Emma rolled her eyes playfully, but she knew what I was going through. The agony of waiting was torture. But just like my parents, she, too, assured me that I nailed my tryouts. Even after I called her for the sixteenth (or was it seventeenth?) time over the weekend. Noah began drumming a snare and cymbal setup on the spot of the bleachers in front of him, his foot tapping along with the beat of his invisible bass drum.

"Noah!" I yelled, putting my arm over his body with one definitive swoosh. "Give the drumming a rest!" I noticed the shock on his face, but also the amusement. I immediately realized what a jerk I was being. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," I apologized while I removed my hand from him. "This is killing me," I whined, leaning against Emma and burying my face in my hands. Thankfully (which I never thought I would say), Mr. McMann had us start class.

The day dragged. I found myself zoning out, even when it wasn't my intention. The voices droned on, the work felt long and tedious, and the minutes on the clock ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace. When the bell rang to end the day, I felt so defeated that I actually walked back to the board, partly expecting no results to even be posted. To my surprise, they were there in bold, shining letters. I looked around to see if anyone was watching before I scanned the top of the paper, "WINTERGUARD 2000-2001 OFFICIAL SQUAD." My eyes seemed to cross as I scanned the list of names. There. I finally saw it. #15. Aria Gray.

I bit my lower lip to contain a squeal of joy and bolted off to find Emma. I passed a few of the girls who also tried out, and they waved and congratulated me. I thanked them politely, but continued my quest as I turned the corner. At the end of the hall, I saw her and broke into a full-fledged sprint.

"I madeeee ittttt!!!!" I yelled, flailing my arms around her and squeezing her tightly. Soon, the two of us were jumping up and down in full-blown celebration.

An audible huff came out of Brittany and her cronies as they passed, eye rolls indicating that they were unimpressed. But that didn't matter. At that moment, I was on Cloud 9. The Brittany Jenkinses of the world couldn't ruin my mood, even if I was about to be in closer proximity to her than I ever would have liked. It would be okay, though, because I felt like I was ready to take on anything.

"Let's go! This definitely calls for some celebratory smoothies," Emma announced as we left the lobby to head to her car. I was still beaming. I couldn't believe I made it. "Oooh, and I need to look for my Secret Santa gift," she added.

"Oh, right... Secret Santa." It was a yearly tradition for the friend group that I now had the pleasure of being a part of. "I have to figure out what to get Kody," I declared casually.

"Aria! You're not supposed to tell anyone who you got," she laughed at me. "But since you did, you can help me look for Noah." She started the ignition, and we were off to shop.

The mall was fully decorated for the holidays with over-the-top decor that matched the seasonal music playing over the speakers. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded yet since we slipped in right after school.

"What exactly do you get for a kind of dorky, musical sixteen-year-old?" Emma asked rhetorically, chewing on the straw of her mango smoothie as we walked through Hot Topic.

I laughed at the description and looked up at the band t-shirts tiled across the wall. "He'd probably like one of those," I suggested while I pointed up. I started scanning along all of the options to see if I could find anything he might want. My eyes locked on one almost instantly, and I told Emma the number of the design so she could grab a matching one from the corresponding bin. "Unless you wanted to get him something else?"

"I mean, he's a drummer. Can't you just get him drumsticks?" Emma and I heard voices in the next aisle. A smirk came across her face as the comment seemed to fit directly into our own conversation.

"It can't be just drumsticks, Carly. I did that already. It has to be special," we heard. I raised an eyebrow at Emma before tiptoeing around an end console filled with various brightly-colored collectible figures and stared directly at Carly and Quinn.

"Hello," I said with a friendly smile. Emma came up behind me and did the same.

"Hi, there!" Carly returned our greetings with a wave. Quinn's face twisted in mortification before she blatantly turned to stand behind Carly, pretending to look at studded belts. Carly shifted uncomfortably. "It's nice to see you again!"

"You, too," Emma replied, clutching the band t-shirt she was going to purchase for Noah in her hand.

"Are you going over to watch the band practice tonight?" Carly asked politely.

"We're having a little girl time this evening," Emma answered smoothly. I wasn't sure that either of us actually knew they were having band practice. My stomach turned involuntarily, and I felt the jealousy rise within me. I fixated my eyes on the back of Quinn's head to see if she was going to acknowledge us, not that I really wanted her to. I was just hoping to be able to read her expression at the mention of the band, and by extension, Noah.

"That's cool. We better get going. Hopefully we'll see you around!" Carly turned quickly, and the two girls scurried away, Carly speaking in low, hushed tones to Quinn as they beelined out of the store.

"Bye," Emma offered halfheartedly since they were already out of the store. "What is that girl's issue?" She turned to me, an eyebrow raised.

"Sounds like maybe it has something to do with Noah," I offered, knowing Emma was going to come to the same conclusion herself eventually.

"Well, that would make sense. Maybe she's jealous of you," Emma wondered.

My face contorted. "Jealous? Of what? I'm not the one he kissed. Nor am I the girl that he is dating."

"Doesn't matter. You're the girl he wants to date." Emma nodded before we turned towards the cash register. "And she isn't the girl he is dating, either. He isn't dating anyone."

Uggghhh. Why did this have to be so hard?! "Feelings are stupid," I vented as Emma paid for the shirt I had picked.

"I couldn't agree more. Speaking of the Walkers, though... I'm going to their house tomorrow to help Mrs. Walker decorate cookies for the annual church bake sale. You're coming."

"I'm what?" I blinked slowly at her, trying to make sure I heard her correctly.

"Well, there is no chance in hell that I am going by myself with Elijah being there, and you're already going to be at my house. Pleasseeee?" She gave me her incredibly practiced, sad puppy face.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to say no to her, even if I wanted to. "Fine, but you owe me. I was supposed to have a very long date with my bed tomorrow. I get to pick the movie tonight."

"Sold," she smirked, knowing very well I was going to pick something we both would enjoy anyways.

The next day, Emma and I approached the Walkers' house with arms full of shopping bags of sprinkles, icing, dyes, and other cookie decorating items.

"What is it that we are doing with all of this again?" I eyed the items in the bags, my mouth only slightly salivating at the idea of getting stuffed with sugary treats.

Emma laughed before she rang the doorbell. "Every year Mrs. Walker goes insane with making cookies for their church's bake sale that takes place during their Christmas program. It was one of my favorite things to do with her growing up. We'd spend hours baking different types and decorating them. Now, you get to join in on the fun."

I gave her a sideways glance. "So, you're wrangling me into working on my day off."

"Precisely." She smiled as Mrs. Walker opened the door.

"Oh, hello!" She greeted us warmly, bending down to kiss Emma on her cheek. "Come in, come in, the both of you! It's frigid out there."

We did as she bid, stomping the snow from our shoes a bit before completely making it through the door. Mrs. Walker emptied our hands of the supplies before calling upstairs, "Elijah! Noah!" She helped us with our coats and hung them up in the hallway closet while we removed our boots. "Honestly," she huffed as she looked up the staircase again. "I send those boys to find two simple boxes of Christmas decorations, and I swear they take longer than the next coming of Jesus."

My head snapped up, and I looked between Emma and Mrs. Walker, surprised by her brash comment. Emma burst into a fit of giggles at my response, clearly unable to refrain from doing so. I had to stifle my own laughter, being reminded once again where Noah got his humor.

"It's so good to have you here, Aria." I could feel the sincerity in Mrs. Walker's voice. "I'm not sure how Emma roped you into this, but I thank you all the same."

My smile appeared on its own. "I'm happy to help."

"Hold that kind of language until about midway through this process," she chuckled softly. "Emma, dear, help me carry all this stuff into the dining room, would you? And Aria, please head upstairs and check to see what my two boys could possibly have gotten themselves into."

"Sure," I laughed as I headed up the familiar banister staircase. I heard Emma and Mrs. Walker making small talk while they headed into the kitchen. As I slowly ascended the stairs, my eyes were drawn to all of the family photos decorating the wall to my left. I tried to contain my giggles seeing a young Noah with a tough-guy grimace on his face, striking a bodybuilder pose in a cowboy hat and what appeared to be a swimsuit two sizes too big for him. This was next to a photo of a younger Elijah, surrounded by stacks of books and papers, leaning over a coffee table with glasses on his face while he read. A little pigtailed Emma sat next to him, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she concentrated on coloring with a big chunky crayon.

There was a small landing before a few more steps led to the second floor, the hallway splitting the way between another banister and a few bedroom doors. As I took in my surroundings, I saw further down the hall that the ladder to the attic stairs had been pulled down. I walked over to it and began to climb, the rungs squeaking slightly underneath my weight when I mounted the first few. "Noah?" I called out to him.

"I'm telling you, Elijah," Noah spoke softly but sternly. "You're going to lose her." I stopped climbing the ladder and listened. "Maybe even forever, once you take off to whatever university you end up going to."

"I would have to be with her first to lose her, Noah. And even if I were, which I am not confirming I want to be, she would not be mine to control. She is her own person and can make her own decisions," Elijah retorted, equally as frustrated. With himself or their discussion, I wasn't sure. "Forgive me, but I am not following precisely where it is that you are trying to lead me with this conversation. It is not as though she is currently available."

"That is exactly what I am saying. You claim that you don't know if you want to be with her, but you have had feelings for her ever since I can remember. You just sat on them instead of acting on them." This was probably something I shouldn't be listening to, but I was also scared to move. The ladder was loud, and though they both somehow missed hearing me before, I didn't want them to think that I was spying on them. Even though I technically was, but completely unintentionally.

"My feelings for Emma are... complicated." Elijah was choosing his words carefully. "And also none of your business." And also none of mine. I needed to get out of there, or somehow alert them to my presence without them knowing I could hear their tête-à-tête.

"Right," I could hear the eyeroll Noah was giving his brother. "Spare me. Everyone knows that you have been in love with her ever since we were little kids. I know it. Adrian knows it. Even mom talks about it."

"I... do not know what you are referring to." I could hear Elijah take a few steps and push some more boxes around.

"Emma would follow you around everywhere, and when she wasn't attached to your hip, you would always be there to swoop in and save her from anything." Noah grunted as he kicked what sounded like a heavy chest out of his way.

"As anyone with half a heart would. She is a good person and should be treated as such." I could hear the sound of more boxes shuffling across the floor. "These so-called 'feelings' that you are describing could just as well be those of an older brother or a best friend. Both of which I consider myself to be to her." Elijah paused his explanation to move more items out of his way. "You cannot tell me that you would neglect to do the same for her."

"Yes, Elijah, I would help her if she needed me. But, unlike you, I really do see her like a sister," Noah snapped, opening and closing a box. "You can't be this stupid."

"I'm not certain as to what my intelligence has to do with this conversation," Elijah countered. "If anything, I would think I am keeping the clearer head between us." He must have been lifting something heavy, as he continued with slightly labored breath: "If I do not know what my feelings are for Emma outside of wanting to protect her and always being there for her, how would that be fair to her? Should I ask her to break her current commitment with Adrian and wait around until such a date that I may know what I feel, if anything at all? I will not do that to her."

"That's the point, Elijah. You hesitated, for years, and simply stood by as Adrian waltzed right in and took her." Noah slid a box across the floor towards the attic opening. I ducked slightly.

There was a brief pause from Elijah. When he responded, it was barely above a whisper: "Adrian will treat her well. He is an admirable man."

"You're right, Elijah. He is." Noah sighed, his tone shifting from agitated to more serious. "And that's why I am telling you that you need to tell her how you feel. Before it's too late."

Elijah didn't respond, but I could picture him lowering his head in thought, as he often did when something weighed on his mind.

"All I am saying is to not make the same mistake I did," Noah said kindly. What was he talking about? What mistake? "Don't pine after the girl and watch helplessly as she chooses someone else."

Oh. Um... okay. Definitely need to make my presence known now. I bit my lip and quickly ran through my options. I gently removed my feet from the rung I had been on and slid down, landing on the ground below. The ladder, of course, let out a huge creak (the treacherous scum), so I quickly placed one foot on the bottom rung and called out more loudly this time, "Elijah? Noah?"

Both of their heads peaked out from the attic. "Aria?" Noah asked, clearly not expecting me.

"Hey!" I responded a little too loudly. "Emma brought me along for cookie decorating," I offered nervously to explain my being in their house. "Your mom wanted me to check on you to see how you were doing with finding the Christmas decorations...?"

Elijah and Noah looked at each other before turning back to me. "Nearly there," Noah responded. Elijah chuckled to himself before handing Noah the box that he had slid over previously.

"Why don't you take this one down, and I will look for the other one?" Elijah offered, clearly giving Noah a chance to talk with me alone.

"Right," Noah agreed trepidatiously, handing the box to me so that he could climb down the ladder. Once on the ground, he took the box back from me with a mumbled, "Thanks."

"Sure," I smiled warmly at him. "Can you explain something to me, though?" I asked sweetly while we began descending the stairs. He stopped suddenly, clearly worried that I had overheard their conversation. I went down a few more steps and paused in front of the swimsuit picture that I noticed before. "I just have to know... how old are you in this picture?" Noah looked at me with reddened cheeks, and I burst into a fit of giggles. "It's so cute," I added, hopefully breaking the tension.

"Well, of course it is." His face brightened as he passed me on the steps. "After all, it is of me. But I can't tell you..."

I laughed harder, knowing his comment was intended for just that. "Fair enough," I replied, following him the rest of the way down.

"If you like those, I have plenty more where they came from." Mrs. Walker appeared from the dining room, ushering us to follow her.

"Mom, no," Noah begged as he set the box down against the wall. We chuckled while I took in the scene in front of us. Emma sat at the dining room table, which was covered end to end with sugar cookies of different shapes and sizes. Several gingerbread men, Santas, reindeer, wreaths, snowmen, angels, and other Christmas-themed cookies waited to be decorated.

"Oh..." My eyes had to be deceiving me. There were so, so many of them.

"I warned you," Mrs. Walker snickered, bringing in more icing and sprinkles from the kitchen. "Usually they start out looking really cute and professional-looking. About midway through we give up and just slap whatever we can on there."

I smiled while Mrs. Walker made her way over to a CD player that was on top of their credenza. She put some holiday music on softly in the background. *NSYNC's "All I Want Is You This Christmas" filled the air, and I began humming softly. "Sorry, I love this song." An embarrassed flush fell over my face as I locked eyes with Noah for just a second before turning away.

"Noah, try to refrain from eating all of the icing," Mrs. Walker warned, cutting the tension before heading back into the kitchen to start a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I covered my mouth to hide my widening grin. "You laugh," she called back to me, her voice giving away her own smile, "but he does it every year."

"Mom, really?" Noah shook his head. Emma burst into giggles as she dipped her butter knife into the red icing and began decorating the stocking cookie in her hand. Noah sighed before gesturing to me to take an empty seat at the table. He sat down next to me and grabbed a cookie. I followed suit, grabbing the closest one to me.

The three of us sat talking and laughing while we decorated cookies. We got through a decent amount of the batches on the table when Elijah stepped into the room. I risked sneaking a peek at Emma, who was purposely keeping her focus on the cookie in front of her.

"You'd better be here to finally help us," Noah chirped at his older brother. "There's no way I'm going to keep doing this if you aren't."

"Glad our company is so repulsive to you," I joked, giving him a fake pout. Emma chortled.

"That's not what I meant," Noah laughed, "but I think it's only fair that Elijah has to do this too. I shouldn't be the only one to suffer."

"Suffer?" Emma teased while I raised my eyebrow at him in jest.

"Also not what I meant. The cookies, not the company," he tried to clarify.

"Sure, sure," I mused, placing another completed cookie down on the parchment paper in front of me.

"I'll help." Elijah came and sat down next to Emma. She spared him a glance, but didn't speak. The room soon became quiet, the music in the background being the only true noise. I was certain that the boys were both thinking about the conversation they shared in the attic, as it was weighing on my mind, too. Emma had her own related dilemmas that I could tell she was trying to puzzle out. The tension in the room was palpable.

Noah set his cookie down and wiped his forehead with his hands, spreading icing all over his face. I could not help myself as I burst into laughter, causing Emma and Elijah to look up.

"What?" he asked. It only made me laugh harder, and both Emma and Elijah joined in as well. "What?!" he exclaimed before standing up and looking in the mirror above the credenza. "Really?" he questioned as he looked down at me. "You think this is funny?"

"Very much so, yes," I confirmed through giggles. Without warning, Noah dunked his finger into the blue icing and bopped my nose with it. I immediately jumped backwards in my seat, surprised by his action.

Emma laughed at the two of us before receiving a green smear of icing on her cheek from Elijah. She let out a squeak before dunking her hand in the red icing. She flung it at him, causing the icing to splatter on his shirt, face, and hair.

"Oh, it's on, Walkers," I threatened, and chaos ensued. Both mine and Emma's squeals were mixed with taunts and jeers from the boys as icing and sprinkles somehow made their way on all of us.

We didn't get too far before Mrs. Walker stepped into the room, stopping us from throwing any more ammo. "How about less on each other and more on the cookies, hm?" she said pointedly, but with a smirk tugging at her lips. We wiped our hands on the napkins she had brought in, all feeling sheepish. "At least you didn't eat all of it this time, Noah." And with that, we all burst into laughter again.

"C'mon," Noah said to me. "I'll remind you where the bathroom is so you can get cleaned up." I followed him up the stairs to the second door, which opened to the same cute little pale green bathroom from my memory. "Oh, let me get you a clean shirt to wear," he added before turning and heading to the door next to the bathroom.

"That's not really necessary–" I started as I followed him, but my words caught in my mouth when I entered his bedroom. I don't know what I was expecting it to look like. Maybe I was thinking that it would still be the same as it was when we were little. Or maybe something like what I was seeing now, but the puzzle pieces never really fit until I actually saw them together.

Noah's room was painted a navy blue. At least, I think it was. I could only judge based on what little wall space was left that wasn't covered with band posters and memorabilia. His windows were still lined by the same dark green and navy plaid curtains that he had before I left, and the carpet was still an off-white color. A dark green comforter covered his neatly made bed, which had been upgraded to a queen size. Both the molding around the room and his furniture were the same dark mahogany as I remembered. Along with his bed, he also had a new desk with a computer, a dresser, and a large bookshelf with comic books and haphazardly stacked CDs. Although he wasn't necessarily messy, there were pieces of drums strewn about, as if he was working on repairing them in his spare time. It was the same room, only older. Just like Noah.

He walked over to his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt from one of the drawers. "It's probably going to be a bit big for you." He smiled warmly while he walked over and handed it to me.

"Thank you." I returned the smile and opened the black bundle he handed me. Staring back at me were the nine letters that made up the name of my favorite band: Lifehouse.

I stood flabbergasted for a moment, causing Noah to clear his throat, "Would you like a different shirt? I remembered you said you liked them and I figured–"

"No, it's perfect," I interrupted him. "Thank you."

"You're, uh, welcome." He rubbed the back of his neck, obviously nervous.

Our eyes met, and we stood transfixed for a few moments. And then I saw it: in my mind's eye was Brock's evil glare. Maybe Noah and I were standing too close to each other. Definitely closer than I had originally thought. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but before he could, I stepped aside and commented on one of the band posters hanging on his wall. "Skillet, huh?" Smooth, Aria. Real smooth.

"Um, yeah." He turned to where I was looking. I slowly walked around the room, taking in my surroundings before accidentally bumping right into him.

"Sorry," we mumbled in unison, nervously laughing at each other and ourselves. We were back to square one, standing face to face with each other. My eyes ran the length of the room and fell upon a bulletin board hanging upon the wall. Photos, ticket stubs, and other keepsakes filled the space until there was no cork left to be seen. In the corner, a postcard. From Cleveland with Love. The Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. I gasped and reached out to touch the smooth material tinged with age. I gently removed it from its contented spot, then turned it in my hands. My old handwriting greeted me on the opposite side.

"You... kept it?" I looked up to Noah, searching his face.

"Of course I kept it," he said quietly, taking the postcard from my hand to replace it neatly beneath its tack.

"I..." I began uncertainly, "I never knew for sure that you got it."

Noah sighed before turning to face me. "How would I have told you? It's not like you called. Even if you had, I wouldn't have known what to say. You left without saying goodbye."

"You– you kissed me," I stammered in reply. Noah snorted a low laugh.

"I was in sixth grade and absolutely obsessed with you. You were leaving. Of course I kissed you," Noah admitted with his hands on his hips as if it were something that should have been obvious. I stared at him, heart beating wildly in my chest.

"Well, I guess sixth grade Aria just didn't understand," I mumbled, diverting my gaze to the lump of fabric in my hands. And before I could chicken out, I added "I'm not so sure eleventh grade Aria understands either."

Noah sighed softly. "Aria–"

"Thanks for the shirt," I dismissed him and exited his room to get changed. Though I had started it, I knew I really shouldn't have. Plus, I wasn't sure that I actually felt brave enough for this conversation.

As I approached the bathroom door, Emma stepped out wearing what I assumed to be one of Elijah's shirts. She had thrown her hair up in a messy ponytail. We smiled at each other and exchanged places.

Once in the bathroom, I got a good look at myself in the mirror. There was icing all over my face and in my hair. I grabbed a few tissues from the box on the counter and ran them under the water in the sink. Rubbing my face with them, I was able to get most of it off, but I would definitely need to shower later.

I quickly removed my shirt and threw Noah's on. My nose was immediately overwhelmed by his scent– fresh soap and fabric softener. I hesitated for a moment before lifting the top of the shirt towards my nostrils. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes. For a brief moment, I was transported to our slow dance at Homecoming. "All I Have to Give" replayed in my head, and I exhaled a long, slow breath. Finally, I caught myself. What was I doing?

I quickly opened the bathroom door to find Elijah gently wiping icing off of Emma's cheek. She tensed as his fingertips brushed her skin. Not sure what I should say, I cleared my throat to alert them of my presence. Emma blushed, and Elijah dropped his hand. "We really should be going," she announced loudly.

"But I thought–" I began before Emma grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs after her. She called out to Mrs. Walker that we had to go as she flung my coat at me. She threw hers on quickly and stepped into her boots without tying them. I was just finishing up putting on my second boot when she yanked me out of the house.

"What was that about?!" I called after her, pulling my hat out of my coat pocket and throwing it on my head. She was already at the driver's side of her car, searching her pockets for her keys.

"Shit!" Emma cursed when she dropped them into a pile of slush on the road. She scooped them up and unlocked her door, practically falling into her car in her rush to get in. She leaned over and unlocked my door. I climbed in and shut the door behind me.

"What the hell, Emma?" I looked at her.

"I don't know!" She scrunched her face. "I don't know," she said again before turning on the key to the ignition. The engine roared to life. However, we didn't move. I blinked at her, but all she did was sit there staring out the window, her hands gripping the wheel so tight I thought she might break it.

"Why did we rush out of there?" I finally questioned.

"I just couldn't do it, Aria. I couldn't be in the same room as him anymore." Emma rested her head against the steering wheel.

"It's okay, Emma," I tried soothing her. I could empathize with her predicament.

"It's not!" she exclaimed as she sat back, surprising me. "Aria, I love him!" I sat silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond. I knew she loved him, she always had. But her outburst was a declaration, not an explanation. Now she realized that she was in love with him, and that was a whole other story. "I'm in love with him, and he doesn't love me... At least not in the same way."

I wanted to correct her, but she shook her head before I could speak. "Please don't," she protested. "I can't right now." I took that as my cue to drop the subject. She took a steadying breath before shifting the car into drive to pull away from the Walker household. I sighed and looked out of the window. My eyes journeyed to the front of the house where I saw a concerned Elijah watching us out of the dining room window.

__________

⭐ Decorating Christmas cookies while singing along to our favorite holiday songs? Sign us up! Just as long as we don't get covered in icing and sprinkles. XD 

Don't forget to hit the STAR to vote for MIXTAPE: Volume One!