As much as I love ties… I need someone to break this tiebreaker! I can't do both and it's quite obvious why, sure, a weekly update is fine for me. Although, if you make me do two, it's going to make me late at everything and I'll be back in monthly updates, now someone hurry and review their opinion, so I'm not here to decide!

Chapter 14

It was Christmas and there was an ongoing dispute still going on between the two sisters. After several attempts from their annoyed mom, the two had refused to even utter words to each other. Their father and Max already figured that the two girls were at a full out war with each other, so they hadn't bothered to figure it out, but they had figured everything would've been solved before Christmas.

They had underestimated how long girls could hold grudges, particularly teenage ones.

"Okay, so let's open up the presents," Caroline offered trying to ease the two up still. Everyone gathered around the Christmas tree they had to decorate without the two, it had a glittery gold star top, silver trimmings, multi-colored ornaments, and lining the tree every now and then was a Pokémon ornament owned by one of the family members.

"Max, how about you start?" Norman asked. Max got out his presents from under the tree. It was a tradition to hand out your gifts from others.

"This one's to mom." Max handed her a small box, no doubt wrapped professionally with metallic blue wrapping. She opened it and inside was a pair of dangly earrings in the shape of a rhombus made of a silver grid, and decorated with clear rhinestones here and there. Caroline gave him a side hug and put them to the side.

"Dad's is this one." He handed Norman an average sized box with green metallic wrapping. Ripping off the paper and tossing it like confetti, unveiling a remote controlled car. Like his daughter, he was on the childish side and had a weakness for toys.

"Yes! I mean, thank you Max," He replied putting it to the side pretending he hadn't just let out a childish cheer. Max rolled his eyes; he wondered whose genes he got at times.

"Um, this one's for you two. I thought you could…" Max's voice drifted off not prepared for their reaction.

"It's okay, she can keep it," Misty answered refusing to make eye contact. May took the gift out of Max's hand; she gingerly took off the wrapping which wasn't like her at all. Usually May was the one who would volunteer to go first, the one to rip everything to shreds, but she was too focused on being mad. Inside the package was an assortment of May's and Misty's favorite TV show, Psych. May didn't check, but she was pretty sure the first few seasons were all there.

"Thanks," May's small reply quieted the room again. She put it aside and that was it.

"I guess I'll go next," Caroline said after a while. She got out her presents for everyone. She gave Norman a homemade hand knitted maroon sweater, to Max an Eevee (there wasn't a doubt she needed her husband's help to catch one) and she got out her two presents for May and Misty.

She gave them each their respective boxes. May's was a round box with red wrapping with little Christmas trees, inside she found a dozen of homemade cookies all decorated differently. All were based on, The Twelve Days of Christmas, from a partridge in a pear tree to a drummer drumming. It would've been a strange present if the receiver hadn't been May. She really liked food for presents, though before tasting one decorated perfectly by her mother, she got out her phone and took a picture. Might as well remember it, right?

Caroline grinned. May was starting to cheer up.

Misty's box had sky blue wrapping adorned with cute, tiny snowmen bearing top hats and smiling faces. She gently tore away at the plastic-ish paper and unveiled a new pair of running shoes, more precisely, a pair of Vaporeon. Misty kept from squealing, the color of the shoes were of course, like a Vaporeon. The comfortable shoes had a white bottom, blue and a darker blue on the rest of the shoe, and yellow shoelaces. If you had a pair of Eeveelutions, then it was about the equivalent of owning a shiny Pokémon. Okay, it was a little less than that, but to Misty it meant everything.

"Where'd you find this?" she asked trying them on, loving how they felt.

"I know some people." Caroline shrugged taking note that the two were gradually getting elated. Caroline was tempted to cheer, she'd had enough of her daughters being so stubborn about whatever it was they were arguing about.

Norman was next; he had gotten his wife a new necklace that matched her new earrings, obviously the two had planned it out. For Max, he got a new toy helicopter. For May, it was a cute décor to put on her dresser. It was a swag décor; it was a bunch of roses tied onto a beaded silver string. Although, it wasn't a typical gift, May appreciated the thought. It wasn't easy shopping for the opposite sex plus, it would go really well in her room. Misty had received a new swimsuit, she really needed one, too. She wasn't one to take extreme care, or suitable care for her clothing. That's probably why her new shoes were going to be dirty in no time.

Misty was next. Caroline received a new bracelet. Norman got a new pair of shoes though, not as impressive as Misty's new ones. Max got a popular online game, and Misty didn't really give it May. She kind of just tossed it over. Apparently, she still didn't want to talk to May. May pretended not to notice and left it there, not touching a thing.

May was last. Caroline got a Beautifly figurine. Norman blushed when his came, a set of romance novels; everyone pretended not to notice as he put it at the bottom and thanked May. Max got a microphone headset. May did the same thing as Misty. She just kind of tossed it over. Misty copied, she left if there as if not noticing a thing.

Caroline sighed, they were just too stubborn.

The rushed plane ride took about an hour, they luckily hadn't moved too far away. When they arrived, her grandparents were already there to greet her. They each gave their grandchildren a big bear hug. During the car ride to their home, the two elderly passengers almost noticed Misty's and May's tension immediately. Usually when May visited, she'd be the one jumping everywhere almost excited enough to pee her pants.

While the two mothers bonded and prepared dinner, Max played video games with his grandpa, and the rest went to retrieve their neighbors they hadn't seen in a while. Norman almost wanted to jump out of the car due to the heavy tension still going on between the two, so he instead turned on the radio. It was playing Christmas song covers by all sorts of popular stars.

He hadn't planned anything out like his wife, but soon enough the bubbly brunette started singing along to a new Christmas song. He wasn't sure how much later, but Misty joined in on the catchy beat. Now, he joined in, an awkward pause followed when he did, and then laughing.

"Dad, your singing's terrible." Misty wiped a tear. It was true; his voice was the equivalent to the exploding of a squirrel giving birth while infusing its voice with helium.

"Dad, stop! I'm dying!" May joked. Norman pretended to be hurt knowing that the two would just tease him more, he knew he was insanely bad at singing. He wasn't embarrassed about it either.

"You two are just jealous you can't sing this well," Norman said. The two retorted back with similes of his singing. No sooner had the two started; they arrived at their old house. The people who bought their old house had been a nice couple that had just sent their children to college, so since their children were visiting, so there were going to be a lot of catching up going on during their dinner.

"I wonder how Aki and Ethan are," May wondered out loud. The two had been toddlers when they moved there, but now they were fourteen and it was obvious as day they were destined to be together.

"They're probably dating, though knowing those two, they're just holding hands," Misty rolled her eyes. The two had completely forgotten about being angry with each other. Well, until they realized they were talking to each other, that's when they stopped. So they weren't completely ready to stop arguing.

As Norman parked onto the side curb, the two girls rushed out to talk to their old neighbors. Misty rushed in the direction of Aki and May rushed toward Ethan. They still didn't want to talk to each other. Misty pounded the door while May rang the doorbell.

"Misty?" A girl with bright innocent eyes answered the door. She literally jumped onto Misty and gave her a light hug. Misty laughed and wrapped her arms around her, too. They had called that they were coming to visit, but this girl was just too innocent.

"Aki!" Misty yelled.

"At least something nice happened finally," Aki said sadly.

"What?" Misty was concerned now, she'd raised Aki into the nice loving girl she was. If middle school corrupted her, there was going to be a few more people in the hospital.

"Ethan's mad at me. He thinks I spend too much time with them and that they're changing me. He even dissed them saying they weren't that great," Aki replied. Misty felt a sense of déjà vu, as if this had happened somewhere before. It felt very similar, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Really, well, that's unfair. You shouldn't feel the need to spend all your time with him, either. Plus, it's rude to talk about your friends like that," Misty commented trying to think of a solution to solve the problem. Although, it seemed like a pretty dumb reason to fight.

Ethan answered his door, "Why are you here?" Well, he was blunt and got to the point.

"Wow. What a way to greet someone." May engulfed him in a hug and he hugged back. He usually wasn't this quiet. He was the type to yell out in class as if his citizenship grade didn't matter. He was also really good looking for someone his age. He was tiny, but he had toned muscles because he made sure to work out an hour a day. Since his body was small, it really didn't allow for much muscle build, but he was strong enough to take most people on.

"So, are you and Aki finally dating?" May asked knowing full well she was being nosy plus, she knew he was never embarrassed about anything.

"Actually, I'm mad at her." May was shocked. Of the years she'd known the two, they'd never get mad at each other. They'd just flirt with each other and that was how it always ended.

"You guys are fighting? Over what?"

"She spends all her time with her friends. When she isn't, all she can do is blab on and on about them. It's beyond stupid. They're also making her do things that she wouldn't typically do," Ethan explained. May felt like this had happened before, she wasn't quite sure what it was, but it felt very familiar.

"That's kind of stupid. She should spend at least some time with you. You two have been friends longer," May agreed, still she felt that the two shouldn't be fighting on Christmas of all days. It sounded strangely familiar; maybe she saw it on a TV show?

"She's stubborn like that," Ethan rolled his brown eyes. May got an idea. she was going to bring them tubing. This way, she could have fun while fixing their problem. Without giving an explanation, May took his arm and rushed outside.

"Um, where are we going?" he asked, though, he was the type to go with the flow. He didn't get an answer because Misty was carrying Aki outside. She had thought of something along the same lines.

"Misty, let me go!" Aki flailed around in her arms. After a surprise pile of snow almost tripping the two, Aki jumped off and ran into May's arms.

"May, Misty's being scary!" Aki cried. May laughed, it was just like old times. Aki would get scared of something and run into someone's arms. She was such a delicate girl.

"So, I heard you two were fighting," Misty raised her brow at Ethan.

"Jeez, you had to tell her?" Ethan was as kind as ever.

"Yeah, she did." Misty gave him a dead arm as a greeting and punishment.

"Is there a reason for this, or are we just going to stand here and let you abuse me?" His sharp tone was rewarded with another punch.

"No offense, but this is a stupid reason to fight. Sure, Ethan's at fault, but you two just make up. I didn't come here to fix teenage drama, you know?" Misty shoved the two together.

"Wait. Ethan's at fault? It's obviously Aki! She should try to still spend time with everyone," May butted in. Misty's brain went click. This was why they were fighting, but now they were on the opposite sides? She was right, this was stupid, but she wasn't about to let May win.

"No, Ethan's at fault for being so pushy and dissing her friends without regarding her feelings," Misty retorted back. Now it was May's brain to click.

"Well, then why'd you say my friends weren't all that?" May hissed. That hurt, Misty realized. She had done the same thing as Ethan.

"Then why'd you agree with Ethan, you said she should spend more time. Sound like someone you know?" Misty argued back. May felt the blow, that's right, she had. Aki and Ethan stood to the side as they watched the scene. Eventually Aki sighed, this argument was ludicrous.

"Sorry," Aki apologized. Ethan rolled his eyes, he was about to do the same thing.

"Same here," He said bluntly. No reason to hide it, he didn't particularly like to waste energy on something.

"By the way, I didn't hug you because I was zapped; I just hugged you because you're my best friend." Aki grinned. He sighed, but he had believed at the time her friends had put her up to it, but she was entirely innocent. She probably even believed the weird things her parents told her to see if she believed them sometimes.

"Whatever."

"Yay! We're friends again!" Aki hugged Ethan and started jumping around. She stopped when she noticed May and Misty had stopped fighting.

"I never thought I'd have to copy little kids, but let's make up," Misty laughed as the two made faces at the mention of calling them children. She turned to May, awaiting an answer.

"They're right. I'm sorry," May apologized. Misty nodded. It was ironic how stupid they looked for fighting over something like that. Ethan rolled his eyes, this was getting ridiculous. Aki, on the other hand had started shivering. There wasn't much snow, but it was still cold and all she had on were her blue striped pajama pants and a Marill T-shirt.

"Don't you get dressed right when you wake up?" Ethan shook his head. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt under a tee. He would've brought a jacket, too. If only someone hadn't dragged him out.

"It's Christmas. I was planning on getting dressed right before going to dinner." Aki pouted.

"Right? I would've done that, but mom made me get dressed," May agreed.

"Then let's go to Aki's, so she can get dressed," Ethan said. Without waiting for a reply he entered the house and the others followed suit. Aki and Ethan lived in regular sized houses with two floors. May's dad hadn't really minded living in a regular house, even though he had earned quite the sum with his gym, but that can only last for so long when you have a bunch of teenage children.

Aki came down about half an hour later in a red sweater, jeans, and high knee socks. A black beanie covered most of her head. The other three had gotten sick of waiting and were conversing with her parents.

"I just can't get over how much the two of you have grown," Aki's mother Fuyu, gushed. Of course, a year had not even gone by and she was already fussing over how much they've 'grown.' Her father, Haru was laughing while carving something out of wood as he was a fan of sculpting.

Fuyu was a very fit woman who had the same mud brown hair, but it was much better well-kept. Her hair may've been very in style, her fashion sense wasn't quite as great. She wore a bright purple belly top over a banana yellow long sleeved shirt. Her jean bow skirt was adorned with candy cane striped leggings, and her feet bore tie-dye orange and green crocs. If it weren't for her insane style, she would've been a very gorgeous mom.

Haru was a bit of a round man, but he was one of the kindest people May had ever met, second to only Aki. No doubt, she got her innocent personality from him. His neatly trimmed hair was gelled to the side and he was wearing a white buttoned top and tan slacks; at least he wasn't as eccentric as his wife. He whistled an unknown tune while he chiseled away at a block of wood that was starting to form a Christmas tree.

"Why are you all so loud? I was sleeping." Natsu, Aki's older brother rubbed the sleep out of his eye. People also liked to describe him as, 'That guy who bled sexiness.' His tousled light brown hair was slightly messy because he'd just barely gotten up and he was in a one size too big black tank revealing his ten times more toned muscles than Ethan. It was no wonder that kid had to try so hard to impress Aki. Plus, Misty and May used to compete to see who would win his affection, though that wasn't realistic since he was older than the two.

"Natsu. There. Are. Guests," Fuyu growled. She tapped her green with pink polka dot nails on the kitchen counter enough times to make her rainbow bead bracelet almost slip off her wrist.

"Oh, hey, it's you two. It's been what, a few months?" Natsu scratched his head as he went to go change. A few moments later, Aki's younger brother, Shiki rampaged down the stairs in excitement. He was a small boy with hair the color of sunlight and blue eyes that were such a royal blue; you couldn't take your gaze off of them.

"Mom, can I open the presents?" Fuyu gave him approval and he tore away anything that was addressed to him. He had just learned how to read and write his name, so this was sort of a boost to his pride. Eventually he finished and looked around for any more. When Natsu came out in a black jacket halfway zipped and a dog chain necklace, Shiki ran up to him with a present.

"Natsu, this one's for you." He stabbed it at his calf until he finally took it away.

"Okay, but next time don't stab me. Or else I'll feed you to the lion pit," He threatened. And this was why he didn't have a girlfriend, once it was about to get serious, they'd find out about his dark side, and break it off. He wouldn't actually do any of it, just he sounded so frightening, most girls got scared after the first threat, whether it was to them or someone else.

"Bro, you're funny. Open it," Shiki demanded. That was the odd thing, Aki and Shiki thought it was hilarious when he morphed into his dark side. Natsu tore off the wrapping similar to his younger sibling, inside was a wood sculpture. It was a strange panda thing although, it was a little creepy. The eyes were hollow and its mouth was frowning, its stubby arms and legs were all straight. It was cute, but it was a little disturbing.

"Dad showed me how to carve." Shiki beamed proudly.

"Well, thanks." Natsu rubbed his brother's head affectionately. He wasn't sure if he liked it, but his mom was sure to smack him if he didn't compliment or thank him for it. After getting ready for tubing they went to Ethan's, so he could get ready. At his house, his mom, Pearl was doing his sister's hair.

"Danny's going to be a lucky boy. I'll be sure to interrogate him," Linda said as she got out another bobby pin. She was a police officer that worked at interrogating. She was a feisty woman who had a very plain style unlike her neighbor. She had on a brown sweater with a black skirt. Her hair was in a messy bun, but that was about it. She had on leggings that matched her skin color and plain black heels.

Ethan's sister, Cassidy was an even feistier girl. She was the same age as May, so that was a bonus when growing up. There was no getting around the two if you wanted to mess with May. She had style, much like Natsu's. Her tomboyish/girlish fashion made her wear a jean jacket with black leather sleeves and underneath a plain black dress. She had on the same dog chain necklace as Natsu and denim converse. Currently, her hair was being prepped for a date with her boyfriend, Daniel. She had promised to be back before the big dinner, so her mom was making sure she looked good for the dinner beforehand.

Linda didn't trust Daniel in the slightest. She'd had trouble trusting other guys after finding out her husband had been in an affair with another, so she had to make sure to constantly call and text her daughter while they went sledding.

"I have an idea. How about you join your brother and go tubing?" she coaxed.

"I'm excited that May and Misty are here, but I really want to see Daniel before Christmas is over, you know?" Usually, Cassidy would knock a guy out if he tried to flirt with her, but she finally gave in and started dating. She was, if not more, just as attractive as Natsu, but her typical reaction to guys who flirted were to sock them right in the kisser, while Natsu's was to be nice enough and give them a try.

"Fine, but make sure your phone and purse are with you." Cassidy rolled her hazel eyes, her phone was in her purse and her purse was on the table right next to all the other hair supplies. Her dark flowing hair was the same color as Ethan's, a dark chocolate brown.

BRIIING!

"Could one of you girls get that, thanks," Pearl muffled through a mouth of bobby pins. She breathed a sigh of relief when she finished.

"Mom said I needed to bring you gloves and next time, don't forget 'em or else I'll burn you alive." Natsu held up two black gloves. His eyes narrowed when he saw Cassidy, "Are you supposed to look like a guy?"

"What'd you say?!" the two (Pearl and Cassidy) said in unison.

"Isn't that what you're going for? Whoops plus, you're flat chested, too." He shrugged as if he hadn't just said that to two girls who had been trying to perfect her look for a good hour. Cassidy flushed slightly, from anger and embarrassment.

"At least I'm not a perverted sadist," Cassidy retorted.

"Sounds like someone wants to wrestle," Natsu shrugged. Pearl sighed; whenever the two got close they'd end up almost strangling each other.

"Cassidy, let's think this through. Daniel's going to arrive soon and I'm sure he'd rather see you looking amazing, then on some idiot." Natsu gave a sarcastic look. Daniel arrived to pick Cassidy up and that was that. The rest of the evening was spent with the gang tubing until there was no tomorrow. When they got back, almost all of their butts were soaked because someone had insisted they feel it all, which hadn't been smart in any way. The hills had been slightly bumpy and rigid.

At dinner time everyone was dressed comfortably and warmed up. The dinner table was actually made of two; one side had kids or as the teens suggested adolescents and the adults on the other.

"So how was the date?" Ethan asked taking a serving of steak that had been marinating in a seasoned sauce for hours.

"I broke up with him. Apparently he was too busy flirting with girls to bother coming, so I just spent my evening alone. Of course, I had to pay him a visit, too. Such a shame he won't be able to flirt with any girls for a while with that face." Cassidy shrugged taking a steak like her brother. She actually wasn't so sure what she saw in him, but he was the past. There was no point in dwelling on it.

"I knew he was untrustworthy. I should've had him tested, too." Pearl stabbed into her baked potato, but now it was more like mashed potatoes.

"Whoa, let's just calm down a bit. It's Christmas, let's just enjoy it," Cassidy soothed.

Hey, guys! Again, I'm on time! :D After making this chapter, I realized something. I'm way too obsessed with making attractive people, but I guess it's because they're based on my friends and I see them as attractive, so there it is!

Anyway, that tiebreaker, someone please break it! REVIEW!

~TDF~