Dedicated to uhm_sir_ for the covers at the top and bottom thank you💛

So...now I'm going to study for my Chemistry periodic table test on my four day long weekend.

Chapter Thirty Seven: "I'm A Freak."

THE FIRST THING I saw in the Cahill house when I entered was the large Christmas tree a proper distance between the entrance and the grand staircase. I stared at the decorating, my neck craning to look at the giant tree. But honestly this was nothing compared to the amazing Christmas lights hanging around the house.

"I know. It's pretty big isn't it?" A voice said.

I watched Christian Cahill walk towards me, gloves on his hands and snow in his hair. He looked like he had just come back from an extreme snowball fight.

"Yeah." I said, staring up at it and the star at the top practically winking at me.

"Mum feels like going all out this year. First time in a long time we're actually not going somewhere."

"You usually do?" I asked Christian.

He nodded. "Last Christmas we went back to England then we spent New Years in the British Virgin Islands."

"Wow." I couldn't help but say. I found it so hard to believe the Cahill's had so much money all the time but I'm always reminded of it whenever I step in this house.

"If you're looking for your boyfriend by the way he's probably in his room." Christian said, walking in the opposite direction of where he came from, towards the living room.

I haven't had much time to talk to Lucas the past couple of days since we were both busy with school and our arts. I felt a body collide into me and drag me in the direction of the living room.

Greg pulled me down to sit with him on the couch and as much as I'm grateful of my friendship with one Cahill brother I really wanted to see a specific one at the moment especially since it was his birthday.

"I need your advice." He said, rubbing his hands together.

I stared at him. "This is the welcome I get after not seeing you for days?"

"I texted you like two days ago. It's not that serious. Anyway, like I said, I need your advice."

"About what?" I asked.

"So you see how Joey's throwing his big birthday party tonight right?" I nodded slowly and waited for him to continue. "He's allowing me to come."

"I'm guessing he has never done that before."

Greg shook his head, his eyes wide. "Never. It's like something switched inside him because literally a couple days ago he was screaming that family members under the age of fifteen allowed and now I can go."

"This seems like a very big deal to you." I noticed by the excitement in his voice.

Greg cleared his throat, trying to play it off like it's nothing. "It's whatever but you know? It's a party."

"I get it. It's a party. What do you need advice on?"

"If a girl asks me to dance, I dance right?"

Out of all the stupid questions Gregory Cahill, my supposed favorite Cahill asks me, he asked me that. The dancer. "No shit."

"Excuse me for asking," He rolled his eyes. "Um...what if there's alcohol?"

"There is going to be alcohol." I told him, not even hesitating.

Greg scratched his head. "I figured. Do I drink?"

"You're thirteen!" I reasoned with him.

"So?"

"You're not drinking."

"Why not?" He asked, looking annoyed.

"You're not drinking." Joey Cahill said, entering the room. He hung up the phone, putting it in his pocket as he looked at his little brother, sitting down on the opposite couch.

Greg pouted. "Alright that's reasonable."

Joey's eyes trailed over to me. "Haven't you wished your boyfriend happy birthday yet?"

Not liking the way he said that to me, I couldn't help but say. "Hasn't your girlfriend wished you happy birthday yet?"

Joey clenched his jaw, his mouth twisting to the side. "Lydia and I are no longer together."

"Again?" I asked in sarcastic surprise because not even that long after Lucas and I had witnessed the break up, the entire school was talking about it.

Joey glared at me, that look on his face nothing like Lucas' no matter how much they looked alike. "Again."

I hold back, thinking that I shouldn't have opened my big mouth and said something like that. I sighed, realizing what a bitch I was being. "Sorry, um, happy birthday Cahill."

There's a pause as I wait for Joey's reaction and when he does react it's a faint ghost of a smile on his lips. "Thanks Acosta."

I nod, getting up and patting Greg on the shoulder. "You drink and I swear to God-"

"I won't, I promise mum number two." He mumbled. I grin, walking out of the room. I don't make it up the stairs this time when I see a familiar face coming towards me.

"Sydney!" The youngest of the Cahill, Phillip comes tumbling towards me. "I haven't seen you in forever."

"I know." I said as we walked up the stairs. "I heard you came first in your competition."

"I got a trophy and highest solo score overall."

"Congrats."

"Thanks," He says as we reached the top. "So..."

"What?" I asked him suspiciously.

"Greg told me you and Lucas are finally mushy with one another." He says it with the most disgusted look on his face and I laughed.

"Is that a problem if Lucas and I are mushy with one another?"

Phillip shook his head. "Not at all. Just don't be mushy in front of me and we're going to be good."

"Got it kiddo." I smile as he walks away and I make my way to Lucas' room.

I knock on the door and it opens not even a second later to Lucas almost slipping on the ground, the door handle helping him hold himself up. "Shit, uh, hey."

"Hi..." I trail off and we both smiled at one another as I looked behind him, the sight of clothes around the room. "Why does it look like a tornado has been in your room?"

Lucas cleared his throat, playing with the hem of his white sleeveless shirt. "I was just trying to find a shirt. It took a while."

"That's because you spent most of the morning trying to figure out 'what shirt Sydney would like best?'" I heard Joey cackle as we walked past us.

Lucas rolled his eyes, pulling me into his room and making sure to close the door. "I'm surprised he's in a good mood today. When we went out for breakfast today with the whole family, he managed not to scowl or something."

"That's Joseph Cahill in a good mood?" I asked.

"Yep," Lucas said, reaching over to grab his phone on his bed. "Okay let's go."

"Go where exactly?" I asked him.

He grinned widely and put his hands up showcasing every word he was about to say in the air. "Lucas Franklin Cahill's very own art domain."

I put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing but majorly failed. Lucas cringed, realizing what he had just said. "I sounded like a dork didn't I?"

He did. He really did. "You're so cute." I laughed out.

"C'mon." We walked out of his room and headed downstairs. He took my hand, going in the opposite direction of the living room and heading down the hallway and passing by the game room I had remembered to be around here.

He opened a door, pushing through it and closing it behind me. "This is it."

The room was surprisingly black. The walls were a dark black with a chandelier hanging from the middle of it, being the only source of dim lighting. There were white sheets on the ground where I could see dried paint spattered on it. Also, there were different paintings hung up around the room, encased in frames.

"So this is your infamous art domain." I mumble, looking around the room.

"This is it. Not what you expected right since it's so dark, right?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

He steered me in the direction of a stool at a proper distance away from an easel. "Sit right here."

"Wait," I stopped him right as he went to a black drawer, pulling out a couple of paintbrushes.

"What is it?"

I took my bag off my shoulder, taking out a small green package, a white ribbon on the top. "Happy birthday."

Lucas lips parted as he looked down at the gift in my hand. He put the paintbrushes by the side of the easel, walking over to me. His lips curled into a dimply smile as I handed it to him. "I told you you didn't have to get me anything."

"Lucas-"

"It's Christmas in four days and-"

I put my finger on his lip to stop him from talking. "Turtle, open the present."

He exhaled, still smiling. "Okay, okay." He removed the ribbon and swiftly opened the packaging, practically ripping it open. I stared at him and he glanced at me with red cheeks. "Sorry. Kind of excited."

"I noticed." I laughed again as he opened the box inside and bit his lip staring down at it.

"Wow." He took out what was inside and even though the chandelier light was dull, the light managed to glimmer against the silver beaded forming to make a one band ring. "You got me a ring."

"Yeah not for marriage or anything but just something to add to the other ring you have." Also because the rings for some reason made him look hotter than he thought he was but no comment.

He tore his eyes away from the ring before slipping it on his index finger. "Perfect fit."

"Yeah, managed to bump into Greg when I went to the mall with my mom and he may have stolen your other ring when you were taking a nap last weekend."

"But you had a competition that weekend. With Eduardo."

"I did. But the Sunday after our win, I managed to get it for you."

Lucas stared at me intensely, his fingers twisting the ring. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

He kissed me on the lips but held back for a second. "Don't get me anything for Christmas."

"Fine." I sighed and he inspected the ring again, a smile creeping onto his face. "You really like me so you put a ring on it, huh?"

"Shut up." I laughed at his Beyoncé reference just when the door opened.

"So...are you guys going to be in here the whole day?" Joey asked, leaning against the doorframe. For a person who doesn't spend as much time with his twin brother he sure is doing it now.

I think Lucas found it weird as well because he narrowed his eyes, leaning back from me to look at his brother properly. "What do you want?"

"I'm heading out."

"And how does that concern me?" Lucas asked slowly and as if a force pushed me, I took a step back, feeling the sudden tension between the two brothers.

Joey let out an exasperated sigh. "When are you leaving?"

Lucas glanced at me. "When do you have to leave?"

"Six."

Lucas turned back to Joey. "Six."

Joey looked around the dim lighted room. "I'll never understand how you hang out here. I'd go insane." He said that last part quietly, his eyes wandering over to me before looking back at his brother.

"So." Lucas said, looking like he half wanted his brother to get out the room but also wanted him to stay and talk.

"So?"

"What's the deal with the Lydia thing?"

Joey huffed at the sound of her name and I felt like he actually wanted to talk to someone about it and that the right person was in front of him. "She's-ugh. I break up with her and she starts blowing up my phone asking for me to take her back but tells everyone that she broke up with me."

"How about you- I don't know- ignore her?" Lucas asked sarcastically.

"It's kind of hard when you hang around the same group of people and go to the same school," Joey's eyes flickered between Lucas and I. "As awkward as you two are, you both have it easy."

Lucas rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Block her."

Joey took his phone out of his pocket and after a couple of seconds he put it back in his pocket. "Done."

"On Everything?"

"On Everything."

"The only problem will be when-"

"When you go back to school and face her." Lucas finished off for him and I could hear them both identically sigh.

I felt like I was intruding on a brother to brother conversation but Joey ended it when his phone beeped and he glanced down at it. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah."

"By the way," Joey had a smug look on his face as he pushed himself off of the doorframe. "A dark room with speakers that will probably blast some cheesy romantic music and just the two of you? All you need is a bed or you could use the white sheets on the ground to have a very happy seventeenth my twin brother."

Just when I thought Lucas would blush, he laughed and for a second I felt like something between the two of them was like it probably was years ago when Lucas walked forward, hitting his brother lightly on the back. "Shut up. Same to you."

Joey laughed along, shaking his head as he closed the door behind him. I stared at the door, then to Lucas. "That was interesting."

"Just sit down on the stool." Lucas gestured as he got started.

About an hour later, my cheeks hurt from laughing too much and there was some band playing through the speakers but I was barely paying attention to the music. Lucas scowled behind the canvas. "Sydney, stay still."

"I can't." I laughed even louder and Lucas dropped the paintbrush, moving around to walk towards me.

He yanked the phone out of my hand. "Devin, stop telling her embarrassing stories about me...yeah I'll see you in a couple of hours. No you can't call her. Bye."

My laughing subsided as Lucas shoved his phone in his pocket, staring down at me. But because he was giving me that face I started to laugh again, louder than the first time. "You-you-" I needed to catch my breath, standing up and clutching my sides.

It didn't even help when Lucas put his arms around my waist, trying to stable me but I fell against him, looking up at his face. "So I make you laugh now?" I nodded, no words coming out of my mouth because I couldn't stop laughing and by now my stomach was hurting. "I liked you better when you were nervous around me."

"You like me whether I'm nervous around you or not."

Lucas pursed his lips. "Okay, we're taking a break." He walked over to his drawer where many paint supplies were stored before pulling out something. He pulled me down to the ground so that the both of us could lay down beside one another, looking up at the chandelier.

"What are we doing?" I asked slowly, looking at his side profile as he brought something up to his eye. "And what is that?"

"A kaleidoscope."

"What does it do?" I asked curiously.

"It has mirrors inside it and pieces of colored glass inside it. When you look inside you can see the many different colors. Here, look." He passed it to me and I held it up to my eye. "Rotate it and you can see the colors change."

I closed my other eye, focusing on the inside of the miniature telescope like object. I watched the patterns and the colors change inside it. "Wow it's mesmerizing."

"I know," I heard Lucas say. "I used to look through it all the time when I was little for hours. I used to want to draw the different patterns with the many colors every time I saw them."

"I could understand why." I murmured, moving my eyes away from the kaleidoscope and holding it in my hand.

"Kaleidoscope. Kalos."

"I'm guessing kalos isn't English."

"I think it's Greek. Yeah, it's Greek. Means beautiful."

He took my hand that held the kaleidoscope, twisting the both of us so that we were lying on our sides. He played with my fingers, putting the tube between us. His thumb brushed against my index finger, on the top of my nail. "Red and white nail polish. Canadian colors."

"I didn't even think about that when I did them," I admitted, twisting the ring on his middle finger. "What were you like as a kid?"

Lucas scoffed. "I don't know. I painted like crazy. Finger painting and everything. I had a lot of other kids I could friends back when I lived in Bath."

"But what did you like? What did you used to do when you lived there? What was it like?"

"We lived in this huge house."

"Bigger than the one I am currently in?" I found that so hard to believe.

"Bigger," Lucas said. "It was a castle on the outskirts of the town. The Cahill family had resided there for so long, my father grew up in the house, so did my grandfather and many before. It explains why my father was born in his business and is successful in this world. It was so big that my brothers and my sister could play hide and seek inside and not find each other for hours."

"Wow." The way his eyes lit up behind his glasses as I could see him remember what happened years back. Before he moved here, possibly before Phillip was even born and when his sister was still alive.

"It really was wow. We had acres of land as a backyard. Bigger than the one here. I used to force Joey to go outside with me in the summer when I was younger and find different things."

"Like what?"

"I had a huge interest in biology and insects fascinated me."

"Bugs? Really?"

"You're looking at me like I'm a freak." Lucas deadpanned.

"I'm not-I'm not- it's just...bugs? Really?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah. I used to collect them and find out everything about certain ones. Where the usually resided, what they ate, what ate them, their scientific name. I was obsessed."

"What happened?"

"We moved." Lucas snorted. "I got into Hamilton Academy of the Arts and I focused more on art than anything. Would you still like me if I collected bugs?"

"I'm not sure I would care to be honest." I told him, pressing my lips against his cheek.

"Good because I know how much you hate bugs. I saw you run away from a bee that was like two meters away from you once."

"It was close to me," I exclaimed, remembering that time. "What was I supposed to do? Let it sting me?"

"It wouldn't have stung you." He tried to reason with me just when the door opened again. Jane entered, flinging her jacket to the side of the room and holding a small chocolate cake in her hands. "Happy birthday! Sorry I'm early but I was really bored at home."

"It's fine." Jane walked over to us, giving Lucas a hug as we sat up. She flickered between the both of us. "I wasn't interrupting something was I?"

Lucas and I glanced at each other and he handed me the kaleidoscope, and I pocketed it. "No, no you weren't."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Christmas Eve, I lost my mom way faster than I was supposed to. I figured she would want me to hang by her side but the second she was whisked away by a couple of adults I had recognized from the wedding and I was so confused as to how she had made herself acquainted to so many people already.

Meanwhile, I was trying to find someone familiar and the first person I found wasn't exactly happy to see me. "Oh man you're here."

"Nice to see you again Cahill." I said to Joey. "Not that I care but what's with the sour mood?"

"Let me help you find your boyfriend." He muttered, moving through people. I followed quickly behind, trying not to lose the guy. But honestly what crawled up his ass and died?

He pushed the door open to the library in the house and I instantly saw Lucas sitting on a chair with Kim, Christian, Greg, Jane and Devin. I took note of his Christmas sweater and then the reindeer ears on his ears, starting to laugh instantly.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Mum forced all of us to wear it. She somehow forced dad to wear a sweater." I take in how Joey was also wearing reindeer ears and how Greg and Christian were wearing elf ears instead.

"You look cute." I tell him, looking at his 'ugly sweater' that was part of the theme of this party.

"So do you." He said. "That elf looks really happy." He gestures to my sweater, tugging on it and I swatted his hands away, moving over to Devin.

"Hi Devin."

He turned his head to the sound of my voice. "Hi Sydney how are you?"

"I'm great. How has your break been?"

"It's been okay. Although I think going to New York might be more of a official break then this has been."

Kim sucked in a breath. "Holy shit I almost forgot." That's when it hits me too. All the seniors were going to New York after New Years for a week as a part of our grade twelve trip.

I glanced at Joey a he walked around, his thumbs tapping frantically on his phone. "What's going on with Joey?" I asked Lucas as we sat down on the chair.

"Remember how he threw his party?"

I nodded and Kim almost dropped her phone. "Wait you didn't see the video? It was all over Instagram and Snapchat."

"I've had dance practice the past couple of days. Haven't really had time to check social media. What happened?"

"Lydia." Jane said.

"What did she do?"

"Matilda wasn't talking about it during your practices?" Kim asked.

"Matilda does anything but talk to me during our practices." She doesn't say a word since Mrs. Yousiff had announced that I was going to do the National solo. I talked to everyone on the team even Isaac who was finally acting like a normal person around me seeing as he couldn't make any of his advances to me anymore.

"Well according to Sarah-"

"Wait isn't Sarah in Spain right now? How the hell is she able to find out everything happening in town when she's not even here?"

"Sarah is literally Hamilton's very own gossip and information girl. You know this Sydney, keep up. Anyway, at Joey's party Lydia showed up."

"And?"

"And my day was ruined," Joey muttered, walking over to us, his hands in his jeans. "She walks into somewhere she wasn't even invited to and she ends up fighting with me. That bitch is getting on my last nerve."

"Joey, don't call her a bitch. She a girl not a female dog." Jane scolded him and I was honestly wondering why out of all people in the room, Jane would be talking. For such a short, innocent looking girl, she had a filter that she was not afraid to use when it came to certain people like Lydia.

"Seems like an adequate name." Joey mumbled, walking out of the room.

Lucas looked down at his phone, eyebrows furrowing. "Phillip wants to see you. But I need to talk to you first." I stared at him, wondering what he meant by that and he laughed. "It's not like it's anything bad. I just want to give you something."

"Oooh." Jane taunted as Lucas grabbed my hand, rushing me out of the room.

"It's in my room. I'll meet you in the kitchen after you see Phil alright?"

I nodded and he squeezed my hand, disappearing up the stairs while I made my way towards the kitchen. Recognizing a lot of people from the wedding and the bridal party making their way in and out of the living room, I made my way to the kitchen, gasping when I saw someone I haven't seen in exactly a month.

"Natasha." She equally gasped, embracing me in a huge hug.

"How was your honeymoon?" I asked, recognizing the other girl in the room talking to Phillip.

"It was great. We-"

She didn't get the chance to finish talking to me when Phillip moved between us. "Did you get me something?"

"Phillip." Liz scolded him overhearing the conversation from the other side of the room. Her jet black hair was in a high ponytail and her Christmas sweater was a bright green almost similar to the one I was wearing.

"Sorry," Phillip said to me once hearing his mother. "Did you get me something please?"

Everyone in the room laughed and I nodded. "I'll give it to you later, I promise. That's what you wanted to ask me?"

"Um..." He sheepishly smiled at me. "How is your life?"

"It's great but I know you don't care...PJ."

He squinted his eyes at me. "PJ? I've been called Philly, Leonardo because I love Ninja Turtles, Phil even little Cahill but not PJ."

"Yeah PJ," I said giving him a small smile. "For Phillip John."

I watched him think about it in his head when one of the girls in the room, someone I recognized spoke up. "I like it."

"I like it too. I'm PJ from now on." I could hear him mumble his new identity to himself as he walked out of the room.

"So...I heard." Natasha said, a smirk on her face.

I stilled. "Heard?"

"You and Lucas."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." She wiggled her eyebrows, sitting next to the girl I recognized.

"Hey Sydney."

"You remember Macy right?" Natasha asked.

I nodded, shooting her a smile. How could I forget the girlfriend of the guy who had a fight with the wedding crasher at Natasha's wedding?

"So Lucas." The way Macy and Natasha were staring at me, waiting for information made me roll my lips into my mouth as if that would stop myself from talking.

Liz tsked. "Leave Sydney alone. Have you seen Lucas?"

"Yeah he just went up to his room."

Liz looked at me a little more skeptically, walking over to me. "She doesn't know does she?"

I get the hint that she's referring to my mom and I swallow hard. I knew my mom and Liz were becoming really close friends. Literally last week Liz was in Paris and she was talking to my mom other the phone but I was hoping she wouldn't tell her.

I shook my head slowly. "No."

"Your mom doesn't know?" Macy asked, looking up from her phone.

Natasha hissed. "You better tell her soon. Mom's find out things when you least expect it."

"I'm planning on it." When she's in a really really good mood.

Just then my mother walked into the room along with a tall man with blue eyes. I recognized him as the same guy my mom had been talking too at the wedding. They were both laughing at something and staring at the man made me realize he looked a lot like someone in a way. I glanced at Macy and the connection clicked.

"Hey dad." Macy said, shooting him a curious smile as she glanced at my mom.

"Mace, this is Danielle-"

"Acosta." She ended glancing at me. "You're Sydney's mom. It's great to meet you Ms. Acosta."

She shook my mom's hand and by the way my mom smiled at her, I already knew she had gotten on her good side.

Macy gestured over to her dad. "Sydney this is my dad Nick Anderson."

I smiled at him, squeaking out a little hi as he said hello to me. But what I was trying to wrap my head around was what was really going on here. Macy looked confused about it as well, leaning against me as Liz, my mom and Mr. Anderson were all talking.

"Wow." I mumbled.

"I know." Macy mumbled back but she shrugged not letting it affect her as she nodded over to the door. "Is Lucas waiting for you upstairs?" I nodded. "I'll see you later then and I'll try and figure out what's going on here."

She gave me a smile as I made my way out of the kitchen, passing through the many people and Christmas music around the house. I was humming jingle bells as I made my way up the stairs, knocking on Lucas' door. It opened quickly and Lucas closed the door behind him just as fast as he had opened it when I entered.

"What happened?" He asked, looking concerned.

I shook my head. "Um...I think my mom is being really friendly with Mr. Anderson."

"Wait. Macy's dad?" Lucas asked. I nodded, trying to push it out of my mind. It's not like it bothered me but at the same time it did.

I cleared my throat, trying to change the topic when I noticed his hands were behind his back. "What do you have there?"

In his hand he held a bag with Christmas trees inside it and my eyes widened as he handed it over to me. "Merry Christmas."

He sat me down on the bed and I crossed my legs on his huge bed. I stuck my hand inside the bag and felt the crackle of the transparent gift wrap and pulled it outside the bag. I spotted perfume and lotion from one of my favorite stores I had once told him about so long ago. Inside there was a long sleeveless shirt that said 'I Speak Sarcasm' with it.

"Wow, thank you so much." I all but whispered.

"I'm not done. There's more inside."

"Lucas..." I trailed off but he eagerly gestured for me to look inside the bag again.

When I did, I pulled out a book- a sketchbook in fact. It was used and I opened the first page to look at what Lucas had drawn and given to me. I looked through the drawings, the multiple ones of me. I recognized the first one, one of me in a bridge position like I had done on the first day I had met him to when I was sitting with Phillip on the ballroom floor.

Sticking out of the edge of the notebook was the napkin he had drawn me on our first date.

I took a deep breath, realizing he had been drawing me for a long time. There was a drawing where I could recognize me laughing. There was one where he didn't even draw my face, just my hair down and I could remember what he had said about my hair those beginning days I had met him a couple months ago.

Lucas cleared his throat, looking a little flushed. "Um...was this too much because-"

I cut him off, by pulling him towards him and kissing him deeply before pulling away. He sucked in a deep breath, blinking frantically behind his glasses. "At least give me a warning Canada girl."

I laughed, hugging the sketchbook to myself. "I love it. I really do."

He returned my smile before reaching into the bag. "One last thing." He pulled out a stuffed turtle and held it up to the side of his face. "A turtle. See?"

I took a deep breath, staring at the adorable idiot I could call my boyfriend. "Thank you."

"Merry Christmas Sydney." He took my hand in his and I kissed him again because I wanted to and because I could.