Riley POV
It's Christmas Eve! I can't wait for Christmas! This is my favorite time of the year. Nothing could ruin the wonderful mood I'm always in during the holidays. I automatically felt something different in the air, when I woke up-Christmas spirit. I jumped out of my bed and almost tore my closet apart looking for a holiday-type of outfit, but not the cutest one I could find. I'm saving that one for Christmas day. I desperately needed some help, preferably from my best friend who happens to be out of town with her new family. Maya told me she would be here in time for us to hang out with the rest of our friends. Putting that thought aside, I got dressed and skipped down the stairs and sat at the table. Auggie was already there, waiting for me to come down. My mom was in the kitchen, making breakfast. As always, my dad was still upstairs, taking his sweet old time.
"Good morning Riley!" Auggie greeted me. "Are you excited for Christmas tomorrow?"
"Yeah!" I replied, as if to say 'duh'. "Of course I'm excited! I love Christmas!"
Auggie and I kept talking about our plans for the day with our friends. While I was going to spend the day with my closest friends, Auggie was planning on spending the day with his "wife" Ava. Soon enough my parents joined us at the table and we ate breakfast together. After we finished, I ran up to my room to make sure I actually looked good for when my friends show up. I wasn't particularly excited to see all of my friends, just a specific one, Lucas. I don't know what it is about him, but I seem to always get butterflies when he's around. I checked out my outfit, making sure I actually looked good for him. I was kinda lost in my own world at the moment.
Lucas POV
Christmas Eve… Another day going by where my family has a family party. It was just me, my little sister Jessica, my mom, Pappy Joe, Zay, and his mom. I didn't look forward to the holidays. It just brings back memories of how the people in my family always walk out on us. But when I woke up this Christmas Eve, something felt different. It seemed like the holidays weren't going to be so bad this year. I thought about reasons why this might be, realizing why… My friends! I made some incredible friends this year in New York and being with them always helped me forget what happened at the house. I had every different type of friend I could possibly need. Smackle, the genius who still has work to do with her etiquette skills. Farkle, the other genius who has really grown this year. Zay, the goofy knucklehead who always seems to find his way around trouble and never fails to tell a good story. Maya, the fiery little blonde who I've had some mixed feelings for, but we've realized it's not meant to be. Last, but definitely not least, I could always count on having Riley by my side. Riley, the cute brunette, always sticking her nose in other people's business and trying to make everything right with the world. I've adored that girl for a while now, more since the triangle doesn't exist anymore. Remembering that I am supposed to be at Riley's apartment by 8:00, I sprung out of bed. I looked for a "festive" outfit because Riley told us we had to wear something cheery. I got dressed and went through a daily routine, passing by my mom's room, checking on her. She was still asleep so I closed her door and spent another few minutes running through the apartment, stopping right before the door when I saw my little sister, Jessica sitting in front of it. She paused in her actions and looked up at me, curiously.
"Lukey," She started, "Where are you going?"
"I have to meet up with my friends." I spoke softly. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
"When will you be back?" Jess asked. "Can we still make those Christmas cookies?"
While I didn't enjoy the holidays, Jess loved this time of year. I've always felt bad that she was growing up exactly like me- without true holiday experiences. I looked down at the 7-year old little blonde girl standing in front of me, and for the first time in a while, I smiled genuinely.
"Yeah" I said, holding out my pinkie. "I promise I'll be home before 6:30 so we can."
Jessica wrapped her pinkie around mine and gave me a big hug. I hugged her back and lifted her into the air, twirling her around. She started giggling and that brought the smile back to my face. I set her down, said goodbye, grabbed my jacket and started walking to Riley's apartment.
