Chapter 2/?

Brittany grabbed her pillow rolling over and slamming it on top of her head, why wouldn't anyone answer the damn phone? Her alarm hadn't gone off yet, and it seemed like she had just went to sleep.

"Hey Mom...Mr. Rollins wants to know if your planning on coming in today?" Adam asked coming into her bedroom, and flopping down on the bed.

"Why are you so chipper so early in the morning?" she asked moving to sit up only to have her son sitting there and giving her the weirdest look.

"Mom...it's almost ten o clock" he said simply, and she froze for a moment before jumping out of bed and almost tripping over the blanket that had fallen on the floor.

"My alarm didn't go off...I don't beleive this and why aren't you in school?" she asked turning to face him her hands on her hips.

"Mom...school's closed today it's a snow day"

"Wonderful" she replied simply moving to grab her stuff for a shower and trying to talk to him at the same time.

"Okay young man what are your plans for the day?" she asked.

"Duh mom...im going to read" he replied, and she had to smile. Her son had become addicted to reading as soon as he had learned how.

"Just promise me one thing...that you will take some time and clean that landfill in there you call a room?"

"It's not that bad mom" he protested, hurrying from the room when she grabbed a rolled up sock to throw at him.

*An Hour Later - The Ice Cream Shop*

Seth was making out an order in his office when she slipped into the shop, and pulled off her coat and gloves tossing them onto a hook on the wall.

"Brittany...we need to talk" he called out when he spotted her trying to sneak by his office toward the front of the shop.

"Yes sir"she said quickly deciding to be short sweet and too the point.

"Have a seat" he said indicating the chairs infront of his desk.

"Mr. Rollins..." she began and he simply held up a hand stopping her, and a sudden sick feeling came into her stomach.

"You do realize I cannot let this kind of behaviour go on?" he inquired steepling his hands infront of him.

"My alarm didn't go off ..." she began and then he interuppted her.

"Yesterday your mouth overshot your brain and today it's the alarm clock...if you don't want this job..."

"Woah...hold the phone I never said I didn't want this job..."

"Your actions tell me otherwise" he protested, and she felt anger begin to over take her.

"Now wait just a minute" she began and he suddenly sat forward in the chair a stern look on his face.

"I highly suggest you loose the attitude because you are very close to being an ex employee of this store"

Before she could even think she was standing up and staring right back at him, her mind going a mile a minute.

"You can't fire me...you need me in this shop" she exclaimed and he the audacity to chuckle before he spoke.

"Yeah I really need someone who can't show up and backtalks" he replied, and then the almost unthinkable happened.

She looked him right in the face and procedded to tell him he couldn't fire her, because she quit and then before he could even reply she was out of his office and heading to once again pull on her coat.

*Brittany's Apartment*

"What are you doing home so early?" Adam asked the moment she shut the door, and tossed her things on the couch.

"Where's your grandma?" she asked quietly, and this was not the time to ask any questions he simply headed for the other room to get the other woman.

*A Few Minutes Later*

She had kicked off her shoes, and was leaning back against the couch cushions with her eyes closed when Audrey came into the room sitting down across from her.

"Baby girl what's going on...Adam said he was worried about you?"

"Mom...I really screwed up today" she said simply, and her mother sat there letting her talk as much as she needed too.

"I...quit my job today" she said simply, and Audrey couldn't help the soft gasp that escaped from her lips.

"Honey why?" she asked and Brittany sat forward for a moment planning her words before replying.

"I was in his office and we were talking about the other day and then this morning when I was late, he startd talking about how maybe I didn't really want my job. I guess I got a little mouthy...and before I knew it I was quitting" she replied putting her head in her hands.

"Brittany...what are you going to do?" her mother asked, as she got up moving over to stare out the window.

"I don't know" she replied simply shaking her head as the snow kept falling outside.

"Maybe you could apologize and..."

"There is no way mom...it has went so far past that..."

"Britt.. Christmas is in three weeks..."

"You really think I don't realize that?" she asked and immediately felt guilty.

"Im sorry" she replied softly and her mother simply nodded.

"Guess it's time to start looking at the want ads" she said wrapping her arms around herself.

"Brittany...if I can help in any way" she said and Brittany smiled in response.

"Thank you mom..." she replied moving to turn on the cd player, and the soft strains of "Silent Night" filled the room.

"Maybe if I went and..." she began only to stop when she sees her daughters horrified face.

"What?" Audrey inquired.

"Are you serious...mom this isn't elementary school anymore...I appreciate the help but I need to handle this myself okay?"

"I just don't want to see you hurting" she replied, and Brittany moved to hug her just needing some comfort for a moment.

"What am I going to tell Adam?" she said as the tears began to fall, and her mother led her back over to the couch where they could sit down.

"Your going to tell him that things might be a little different for awhile"

"That's going to go over real well when he wakes up on Christmas Day and the tree doesn't have any presents" she said running a hand through her hair.

"Now you stop it right now young lady, we are going to get through this together as a family. Now you sit here for a minute"

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Im going to make us some tea...everything is going to be okay..."

"You promise?" she asked quietly, and her mother hugged her close.

"I double promise" she replied walking from the room, and Brittany moved to turn the tree on staring at the colored lights for a moment.

Hearing a noise behind her the first thought was that her mom came back into the room for something, so she was very surprised when after she turns around to find Adam standing there a worried look on his face.