"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
-Charles Dickens
Chapter Nine
"Vanessa … what are you doing?" Lainey demanded to know of the girl. She could hear Vanessa's sigh on the other end of the phone line.
"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked wearily.
"You know exactly what I mean," Lainey bitingly told her, "You asked my brother to go and see you … and after you broke his heart and everything."

"Lainey," Vanessa started, but Lainey interrupted her.

"And you act like nothing happened," Lainey continued to fume, "and he comes crawling back. If he would have any guts he would tell you that it is over and that you should not have dumped him in the first place. But, no, he cares too much about you. He must think you are the one or something."

"Lainey … can I talk now?" Vanessa said calmly.

"Only if you are going to give me an explanation," Lainey said coldly.

"Okay," Vanessa began slowly, "First, I did not tell Craig to come down here. He just came on his own. I had nothing to do with it. He just realized that I might need a friend. And second, you might want to get your facts straight on who dumped who because I am here to tell you that it was not me dumping him."

"But, you guys said that it was because of somebody else you broke up," Lainey protested.

"And everybody automatically assumed it was me breaking up with him to go out with Seth," Vanessa said, somewhat coldly, "but did you ever see me going out with Seth?"

"Why did you let everybody believe it was you who broke up with him?" Lainey demanded to know. She was confused by this entire conversation.
"Because, we both knew that everybody would be upset with the person who broke it off," Vanessa sighed, "so, we figured if people asked what happened we would tell them about the other person, because that was true, and then unless they asked for more details we wouldn't say anything else."

"So …," Lainey started to ask a question, but Vanessa interrupted her.

"Sarah and Seth are the only two people besides Craig and I that know the truth," Vanessa correctly guessed what her question was going to be, "Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and meet your brother."

Vanessa hung up the phone and Lainey stared in shock at her phone. Craig had never out right told her who broke up with whom, but Lainey had assumed it was Vanessa. And apparently it wasn't. And she had treated Vanessa like dirt this entire time. So had her parents. This was bad.

She had to find a way to make it up to Vanessa. She had taken all the blame for the break-up. And she had to know that was going to happen when she agreed to do it. Vanessa was a better friend and girlfriend to Lainey's brother than Lainey had ever given her credit for. And now was the time to start.

0000

"Your sister kind of knows about how we broke up now," Vanessa said almost guiltily as her and Craig were getting snow cones later.

"How did she find out?" Craig didn't seem as surprised or angry as Vanessa thought he might.

"Well, she called me, yelling at me for dragging you down here, and then I told her what happened because I couldn't take it anymore," Vanessa sheepishly said. Craig gave her a smile.

"It's not your fault," he assured her, "I should have never put you in the position of being the one to take the fall for a break-up that was my fault. Besides, my parents know too."

"How?" Vanessa asked.

"I told them when they called me and tried to talk me out of seeing you," Craig laughed.

Vanessa laughed along with her ex-boyfriend but couldn't help but be a little confused. Craig had broken up with her for another girl, but he had never mentioned another girl at all to any of his family. Was he still with this other girl? Vanessa's instincts would tell her no because if he was, then there was no way this girl would be happy about him seeing Vanessa. But, if that was the case she was not really sure why he broke up with her in the first place and was now trying to comfort her.

"Are you okay?" Craig suddenly asked her. Vanessa was startled out of her silence and gave him a quizzical look, "You all of a sudden got quiet."

"I'm fine," she assured him, "Just fine."

99999

"Rebecca, will you please call me back?" Sarah said, annoyed as she called Rebecca for what seemed to be the thousandth time. Rebecca still hadn't contacted her and seemed to be paying no attention whatsoever. Not that Sarah blamed her. She had really screwed up because she was stupid enough to think about the consequences of the things that she had done. Now, well, now she knew that she had to tell Rebecca the truth about Carlos before he ended up hurting her too and hopefully Rebecca would understand more.

Sarah was startled when she heard her phone ring. She quickly looked at the caller id and sighed when she saw it was Seth and not Rebecca, but answered the phone anyways.

"Hey," she glumly greeted her friend.

"Don't sound so excited to hear from me," Seth cheerfully said. Sarah let out a short laugh.

"Sorry, just having a problem," Sarah sighed.

"What happened?" Seth asked, concern filling his voice.

"Nothing I can't handle," Sarah promised him. She didn't really feel like telling him the truth.

"Well, whatever it is, I know that you will do your best," Seth reassuringly told her.

And that was when Sarah decided that she was going to go talk to Rebecca now. The best part was, she was still in possession of the traveling pants so she had an opportunity to wear them to face her fears. She was ready. She was sure of it.

9999

"So, I heard you finally apologized to Beth," Madison carelessly said as she walked into the room to find Bailey laying on her bed, "and now I'm wondering why you are hiding in here."

"Because Scott is driving me crazy," Bailey sighed, sitting up, "everywhere I go, he's there."

"He's your boyfriend, he just wants to hang out with you," Madison pointed out, "It is sweet."

"Not the way he does it," Bailey informed her, "Last year, he was never this clingy. This year the only way I can get him to leave me alone is if I tell him I have to go to the restroom."

"You are exaggerating," Madison laughed.

"Let's say I am," Bailey decided to concede a little, "But, I bet you anything right now he is out there asking where I am and if somebody will come get me out of the cabin."

Madison hesitated because she knew her friend was right, but didn't want to admit it.

"That is what I thought," Bailey said triumphantly.

"Bailey …," Madison said hesitantly.

"Yes?" Bailey asked sweetly.

"I think you don't like Scott anymore," Madison blurted out.

"What?" Bailey asked, shocked.

"You are avoiding spending time with your own boyfriend because he is clingy," Madison shrugged, "you are constantly annoyed by him, and besides, when was the last time the two of you had a decent conversation?"

"We always talk," Bailey rolled her eyes, "And I'm just a little annoyed at the moment. I'm sure it will go away as the summer continues."

"Okay," Madison said, clearly still not believing her friend.

"It will!" Bailey protested, "Scott is my first boyfriend. I just have to get used to the fact that we don't agree on some things."

"Such as whether or not free time is an option in your relationship?" Madison asked wryly, "Just think about what I said. If he is too clingy now, he'll always be too clingy you can't change a guy."

Bailey frowned as her friend made towards the door, and then Madison turned around, "And, Scott is looking for you. Says that he hasn't seen his honey pie all day and is missing her."

"Leave!" Bailey informed her friend, angry. Why in the world did Scott call her honey pie? That was not a nickname that she could relate to. In fact, it was one of those nicknames that lovey dovey couples had that made you want to barf. Maybe she should talk to him again. See if he really got the point of her talking to him at the beginning of the summer.

She knew they belonged together, she just had to make sure that he realized where their boundaries stood. Because, honey pie was not something she wanted to be called again. Ever. And besides, this could give them a chance to really grow in their relationship.

Madison just did not know what she was talking about. They were fine. She knew it.

099999

Sarah swiftly knocked on the door of a friend's house she had been at numerous times. Despite this, she was still a little nervous. But, when the door swung open, she realized that she was more than just a little nervous.

"What do you want?" Rebecca coldly said.

"I have to tell you the truth," Sarah simply stated, "I know that I switched so I didn't have to be in the morning anymore. But, it really did not have that much to do with you. I just couldn't see Carlos. When we dated last year, he didn't just mentally hurt me, he physically hurt me."

"What?" Rebecca quirked an eyebrow. Sarah took it as a good sign that Rebecca hadn't kicked her butt out yet.

"Well, see," Sarah sighed, "Carlos and I went to a party … and, well, one thing led to another, and he went much farther than I wanted him too."

"Are you accusing Carlos of raping you?" Rebecca demanded to know, letting Sarah into her house so they could continue their discussion.

"It's not an accusation, it's the truth," Sarah protested.

"I don't believe you," Rebecca simply said, "You were at a party, how much did you have to drink? You could have agreed to it and never known."

"I know I didn't," Sarah protested, not believing what she was hearing, "And I wasn't the first girl."

"So, he just has a habit of date raping girl after girl?" Rebecca asked sarcastically, "Why is he still able to date then?"

"Because nobody believes the girls, I didn't believe my friend last year, you don't believe me," Sarah informed her, "Don't you see a pattern?"

"I see a pattern of you trying to make sure I don't date Carlos," Rebecca snapped at her. Sarah just sighed. This was a lot harder than she thought it was going to be.

"I don't want you to date Carlos because I don't want anything bad to happen to you," Sarah reasonably said.

"Well, thanks for the advice," Rebecca snapped, "And just out of curiosity. What makes you sure that I wouldn't want to do that with Carlos? I mean, it wouldn't be rape if I was willing."

"But …," Sarah started, but Rebecca had already pushed her out the door.

"And by the way, those pants are the most hideous things I have ever seen," Rebecca innocently told her before slamming the door in her face.

"You did not work your magic," Sarah whispered to the pants before yelling at the door, "And these our not hideous pants. Just think about what I said!"

Sarah began walking down the street when she noticed a car pulling up next to her. She sighed as she turned around and saw Carlos getting out of his car to come talk to her. Sarah, deciding that she could not deal with that at this moment, ran two doors down to where she knew Bailey lived and hurriedly knocked on the door. When Tibby answered, Sarah knew she had found refuge from Carlos for the moment.

00000

Vanessa looked at her parents, birth and adoptive. She had asked them to meet with her, and Craig also happened to be with her. Her mom had shot her a quizzical look as she walked into the room, but hadn't said anything and Vanessa did not offer any information.

"Okay, as you guys know I might have been a little bit less than willing to accept your news at the beginning of the summer," Vanessa grossly under exaggerated her reaction to the news of her birth parents, "However, after a couple of talks with some friends, I have realized that I was acting like a child. So, I would like to spend time with each of you individually."

"I mean, I already know you two well," Vanessa pointed out Carmen and Phil, "and even you Aunt Krista, but I want to get to know you better as different people."

"Honey, there's something else we need to discuss with you," Carmen finally said.

"What?" Vanessa said, taken aback.

"Well, since your adoption was unusual from some people's point of view, we decided when you were old enough to see who actually gave birth to you that you might want to leave with these people," Carmen quickly said.

"What?" Vanessa said again.

"Basically, she's saying you can come back with us, or you can live with your birth mom or your birth father," Phil simply said. Vanessa's jaw dropped and then she looked at Craig, who seemed to have no answer for her and looked just as speechless as she did.

"Then we should definitely do the one on one thing," Vanessa faintly said. Slowly the others began to walk out until it was just Vanessa and Craig left in the room.

"That was a shocker," Craig lightly said.

"But, I mean, I'm legally adopted, how can I live with either one of them?" Vanessa asked, confused by the situation.

"Well, I'm just guessing, but I think you would still technically be Carmen and Phil's daughter, but that you would be living with a distant relative, like when people go to live with aunts and stuff whenever they get pregnant," Craig reasoned.

"I don't want to leave Bethesda," Vanessa confusedly said, "Why would they even give me that option?"

"Just to make sure that you really want to stay with your parents," Craig shrugged, "They love you and want to give you what is best for you."

"You're too smart for me," Vanessa committed off-handedly.

"Nope, you just can't think straight given the fact that your entire world has been turned upside down two summers in a row," Craig smiled at her.

"And you are always there to pick up the pieces and make me be reasonable," Vanessa smiled back at him, "And I appreciate it. Even if you did break up with me."

"Things are not always as they seem," Craig said mysteriously as he walked out of the room, leaving a confused Vanessa behind.

Vanessa,

I am very sorry about yelling at you on the phone. And I know an apology in letter is not as good as an apology in person, but I hope you enjoy the notepad I sent with it since I know how you like to write. Once again, I am so sorry and I hope you can forgive me. Sometimes I can be a bit judgmental.

Sorry,

Lainey