I got home around 5:30 after detention and I hated every waking minute after that. My father and stepmother yelled at me for being in detention (Go figure) and my room had been trashed by my stepmother who had been looking for my laundry pile (Which had been in the same place for the last 18 years of my miserable life). So I was not ready nor in the mood to have Hayden knock at my bedroom door at 6.

He cleared his throat, "Raven are you ready to get started?"

I gave him the "one minute" gesture with my hand and promptly rolled off my bed thus knocking my head on the bed-side table. I heard foot steps rush over and bend next to me and all I can think was how red my face was going to be when I looked up. I sighed and sat up with Hayden inches away from me. I groaned and rubbed my arm.

"Oh god Raven are you alright?" I looked at him and glared, "Okay you are alright."

He helped me up and we got started. He was awful at pre-calculus, but I helped him struggle through the first 5 problems and from there he flew through the rest. Later on I found out that he had taken Anatomy last year and he helped me through my homework so fast we were done by 7:30.

We decided we would do it again the next day and we did for weeks and weeks and by the end of the 2nd term I had gained a B in Anatomy and a best friend.

I had never really had a friend. Back in 6th grade I did have a friend named Lilly, but as it turned out Lilly was stealing my mom's old necklaces and selling them at a pawn shop. Then in my freshman year I was friends with a girl named Kathrine and she only came over because she thought Aron was cute and after she found out that he had a girlfriend she stopped talking to me. So Hayden was my first best friend.

I really didn't want to ruin that at all and I think Hayden didn't want to either. Every time I felt as if I was stepping over the line, like about his dad. I stopped talking. He did the same.

All in all Hayden was an utter dork, but he was brilliant and even my family started accepting his presence every day at 6 and soon my father even invited him to our Christmas party.

Now I know what you're thinking. Dorky sweaters and crappy artists doing covers of classic Christmas music. No, this was an all out ball.

This party was strictly for my family and for my father's workers that were either family themselves or really close family friends. Most of them were flown in from Greece and anywhere else in the country and if they had plans for the Winter Solstice, the day we hosted it, they would drop everything and come. We have never had anyone missing from the party.

The humongous living room was cleared so that the only thing in there were the 40 foot high Victorian windows. The whole house smelled like warm apple cider and cinnamon. Gourmet foods lined the kitchen counters and our large dining room was set for over 200 and with the largest table set for our immediate family, my brothers and sisters, my stepmother and dad, my uncle John, and always 3 more empty seats for my mother and two other missing members. The whole place was always crowded and I could barely remember all the names, but it was heaven to me.

See, our family is strange. All of us are entrepreneurs or business owners or high payed workers that worked for the family companies. My father owned Armstrong Electrical. Armstrong Electrical ran all of the other electrical companies in the states and all of the children or even some cousins were expected to work for it.

That's basically how we kept the family together; we all worked in some way or another.

I was supposed to be going to NYU in the fall, to study advertisement and of course my all time favorite photography.

I lived to take pictures. My room was covered in pictures of my family, the gorgeous landscape of Connecticut, and of course my garden. Hayden didn't really understand the prospect on taking pictures, but that didn't stop me from taking pictures of him all the time.

The night of the Christmas ball it was snowing lightly and the sun was just at the peak of the horizon. I was wearing a gray sleeveless gown with lace covering the bust it tightened just at my thighs and flowed the rest of the way down. My hair was down for the evening in barrel curls that Isabelle had done for me, my long bangs drifted to either side with pearl-studded bobby pins weighing them down. I had never been so nervous in my life. Hayden was coming and for some reason the thought of him seeing me in a dress terrified me and made me blush all at the same time and if you ask me that was the most annoying part of this whole night.

At the point where I began hearing people flood the lowest level at the house I walked out of my room. I tried to draw no attention to myself as I walked down the main stairwell, but as soon as I looked around I saw Hayden look directly at me and smiled. I began noticing family members calling my name which made me smile even more and I waved to every one of them. I loved Christmas more than anything.

Hayden was standing next to my uncle John and my dad. I hurried over to my uncle and gave him a hug.

My uncle John was a crazy fisherman living on a huge lake in a remote part of Florida. He was the fun aspect of my family. He wasn't all about the whole big business thing although he did own a couple dozen bait and fish shops around the country and even still he had a pretty large home.

"Uncle John I thought you were going to miss the party!"

He laughed pushing his salt and pepper hair out of his eyes and he scratched his trimmed beard, "Of course not Raven! I would never miss it," John stepped back, "Who is this young man?"

Hayden smiled, "I apologize, sir. We have been talking all this time and I haven't introduced myself. I am Hayden Seth."

Hayden looked perfect in a ghostly way. His light skin made him glow in the low lighting. He wore a simple tuxedo without a tie and his wavy black hair was messy as always. His gray eyes glittered.

My uncle shook his hand and smiled, "I'm John, Raven's uncle."

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

Hayden turned to me, "Raven do you want to go get some food?"

"I haven't even seen you for ten minutes and you all already asking for food." I laughed.

"Is this a yes?"

My father laughed, "You two should run along, your uncle and I have to talk business."

I frowned, "Dad it's Christmas!"

He smiled, "It won't be long. Go on I will talk to you later."

"Okay, but hurry!" I grabbed Hayden's hand and I started walking away.

Hayden got some food from the kitchen and I hated the fact how I kept looking at him. His gray eyes sparkled whenever he laughed and his worry lines seemed to fade away. We talked as he ate and years of all the turmoil he had told me were whisked away and I loved seeing my best friend like this. The pain that always seemed to fall on his shoulders was gone completely.

I was in the middle of telling Hayden a story about my uncle when felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned and I was immediately immersed in a hug, "Ah my baby girl!"

I smiled, "Hi Grandma!"

She pulled back and warm memories of cookies and quilts fresh from the dryer. Her black hair had beautiful silver streaks perfectly balanced in her hair. Grandma wore a sleeveless light pink dress that reached just below her knees with a satin shawl around her shoulders. She looked like she could be 40 or 70 she just had one of those faces.

"Oh sweetheart you look gorgeous! Just like a goddess!" She winked.

I blushed, "Thanks Grandma. You look beautiful yourself!"

Hayden cleared his throat and stuck out his hand, "Hello I'm Hayden Seth."

Grandma shook his hand and laughed, "Well I'll be, it's not everyday you get to meet your granddaughter's boyfriend."

I flushed red why did everyone just assume that, "Ah no he's just my friend."

Grandma frowned, "Hm, that's a shame. Oh well I better be going I have to greet my other family members being the patriarch and all," My grandma giggled, "Your father thinks he's so hot. If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be here now would he," She leaned closer, "Between you and me you're my favorite granddaughter, Little Raven."

"I kind of always suspected that." I said.

She smiled and hugged me and whispered, "He's a sweetheart. Don't let him go."

Before I could protest once again he was just a friend she walked away blending back into the crowd of people.

I shook my head and smiled, "I'm sorry about her she's a little enthusiastic on well, everything."

"Did she call you Little Raven?" He asked changing the subject.

I nodded, "Yeah, my mom and her used to call me that a lot, you know before..."

"Right," Hayden was the only person I ever talked to about my mother's death. He knew all the gruesome details from beginning to end. He was probably really annoyed that I kept talking about it, but if he was he never showed it.

Suddenly one of my favorite songs came on and I gasped, "I freaking love this song!"

Hayden stretched hand out to me, "If you like this song, why don't I teach you to dance?"

I laughed bitterly, "I'll step on your feet."

I hated dancing. My father tried to get me into lessons for practical ballroom dancing when I was 10 and boy did that fail. In fact I think I might have thrown the two inch heels I was forced to wear at the instructor.

He smiled, "I do not think I would mind it from a beautiful girl like you."

I flushed red. Was he flirting with me? No I was like a sister to him. Wasn't I? I put the thought out of my mind and took his hand and he lead me to the dance floor.

I looked up at him, "Tell me what to do."

"First off loosen up. It is a dance, you are not trying to kill me, I hope."

I nodded and relaxed my hands.

"Okay put your right hand on my left shoulder, your other right Raven. Good. And your other hand goes in mine like this." He slipped his hand back into mine and put his other hand on my lower back sending an arc of electricity up my back and making my heart thump, "Okay I am going to start moving."

Hayden took a step back and I followed him naturally we took a couple of spins and I found out that I wasn't that bad at it. I guess the reason I had such a problem when I was younger is I didn't grow into my feet as easily.

"Is this how your Christmases go normally?" He asked breaking the silence.

I stared at our feet turning in sync with the music, "Yes. When my mother was here," I choked, "we would spend the day at our old house making cookies and wrapping presents when I turned six that was the first time I had ever gone here for Christmas."

"Why is that?"

I sighed, "My stepmother hated my mother. Me being born almost ripped apart her family. So even though we were invited we never came. I still got presents from my father. Dresses and things like that, but it wasn't the same as being here with everyone I loved."

"Oh," He said in a small voice, "What was your mother like?"

"I've told you a million times."

"Yes, but your eyes light up when you speak of her," There it was again.

I looked up at him and he smiled encouragingly, "She was beautiful. I got her curly hair," I laughed, "She hated it so much. She gardened like me and in all honesty I garden to remember her. What about your dad?"

His face darkened. I knew I had just touched uncharted territory, "Raven I'd rather not speak of him. I never do."

"Hayden you've left me nothing about your family."

His eyes turned dark gray almost black. I was scared that I had gone too far, but I had to break at least one of his mysterious barriers,"He was abusive to my family. My brothers and sisters and I mostly. He was murdered later and his body was never found."

I blinked several times, "But what happened to your brothers and sisters?"

"We were split up. It broke my mother down, but I refused to leave her."

I was speechless. How could have Hayden gone through so much hell and still be so happy?

He shook his head, "These things do not make for good conversations."

I smiled grimly, "You're right," I coughed at the floor and looked back up, "Are you going to college?" Another part of his life I had never asked about.

"Of course. I am going here locally though. What about you?" He looked nervous like I was about to tell him all the wrong things, but I mean I wasn't his to keep.

"I got accepted into NYU. Full scholarship and everything."

Instead of smiling or at least being glad for me he pursed his lips, "Oh."

"I mean it's not like we still can't talk or whatever. You know?"

He nodded, "Per- I mean Raven I just..."

"What Hayden?" I looked around for a moment and realized the only people in here were distant cousins and they were in the far back of the corner.

"Why don't you go here locally? I-I mean you are certainly brilliant enough to get into anywhere."

I shook my head, "There aren't enough opportunities here."

He looked at the ground avoiding my eyes.

Now I was getting angry, "Listen Hayden you are a great friend and all, but I thought you'd at least be happy for me. I worked my butt off the last four years keeping my grades up to get into NYU."

"I know Raven that's not the problem."

The room was suddenly a horrible cold chill and I panicked. Hayden stopped moving and a sick feeling ran through my gut. He put his hand on my cheek and I froze.

He was going to kiss me.

No. No, no, no, no.

This can't be happening.

He got closer andI freaked out I turned my cheek and I stepped back.

"I can't Hayden. I'm sorry." I felt his hand drop down to his side again and that's when I ran. I felt the eyes of the unknown cousins on me and worst of all I felt Hayden's sad gray eyes too.

A.N. Hello my lovelies! Or lovely. I'm honestly not sure how many people follow this story, but don't be afraid to follow me! I shall certainly follow back. Anyway how do you think the story's going? Do y'all see problems? Anything I need to fix? Comment and I'll fix it.

Thanks for reading!

Love from Indy,

Persie :)