"Hurry up, Gwen, or we're gonna be late." Ben banged on her bedroom door, speaking without any tone to match the holiday.

Her voice was equally solemn. "Well if I wouldn't of had to clean up your mess in the kitchen, then we wouldn't be having this problem."

He ignored her complaint. "Just pick a dress so we can go already. Mr. Bassler says he'll give me extra credit if I present my report tonight at the school party."

"Hmm? And I thought this was all about the falalalala crap."

"Whatever," he waved around from the door's adjacent side. "Wear the red dress you wore at Thanksgiving and lets go."

She thought about saying something, but realized the red dress would go with her sparkling red nails.

Quickly, Gwen opened her closest and pulled out the dress Ben mentioned. It was still beautiful.

"And cost all of my allowance money," she sighed. But it was worth it.

Putting it on, she studied herself in a tall mirror by her white dresser. The way her brightly colored hair melted with the red colors of her nails an dress made her eyes twinkle. She loved it.

Ben waited, as the sounds of her shuffling things about became silent. He took a deep breath and leaned against the nearby wall.

"Why do I have to wait on her..."

It was true. His parents wouldn't be able to take him, and Gwen was going anyways. If he wouldn't have been offered extra credit, a necessity for him to pass this year, then there would be no way anyone would catch him at some stupid party.

He headed down stairs to see what he could snack on in his cousin's kitchen before they left. "Hurry up!" his voiced boomed from the descending steps, and Gwen jumped.

One of her perfect red nails slid right through the bottom of her dress as she had been smoothening it. For a moment she couldn't comprehend what had happened. Staring at the large gaping hole, tears welled in her eyes. It would have been easier to watch a large amount of money burn until it was ashes. The thought of such wastefulness caused her to burst into tears. All her allowance money. Wasted.

Ben was stomping back up the stairs. His irritation was evident in his footseps. She wanted nothing more,at the time, than to tell him to just go jump in a lake.

Ben tore through her room door, tired of caring for privacy, ready to give her a large rant, but stopped when he noticed her sobbing.

"What's the matter?" His frustration dissolved and turned into concern.

"D-dress..." she hiccuped, and a fresh stream of tears gutted from her eyes. "It's ruined, and it was crazy expensive. I can't believed I wasted so much on it. Now look at it."

Not even thinking, Ben knelt down to her. "Don't worry. I'll make up for it. Instead of eating in the school cafeteria, I'll just bring my lunch. I can save money to help you buy another dress."

Gwen blinked. Ben's parents only ever bought baloney.

"But you hate baloney..."

"Yeah I know, but I don't want to see you cry."

"But I don't have another dress like this. All my other ones are too small, and it's too late to have my parents take me to the store..."

"It doesn't matter. You look good in anything."

She giggled through her tears and looked at Ben with renewed interest. Through all of those alien battles, car arguments, and embrassing bathroom incidents in the Rust Bucket, she couldn't remember the last time he had made her feel good.

Ben stood up. "Now hurry up. Grab something – and I mean anything – and lets get going."

Gwen nodded with renewed pride as he left her room.

"Hey, Ben..." she called just before he turned the hallway corner.

"Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas..."

. . .

"Merry Christmas to you too."