Chapter 52: I'll Be Home For Christmas

I'll be home for Christmas

You can count on me

Sean

"So... how many presents you think you have?" I tried to start a conversation with the quiet girl next to me. The entire way to her house she had barely said two words. I guess the whole her parents not being here thing is really affecting her more than she tries to let on.

She blinked a looked my way. "What?"

"How many presents you think you have?" I repeated.

"Oh," she shrugged. "Probably a hundred." As if it were nothing. I watched in amazement as the bored expression never left her face, even when she a hundred presents to look forward to. Me? I'm hungry. Ellie has turned me into a present-hungry addict. Just opening up the presents she gave me has turned me into a Christmas junkie. I can't wait for next year. Now, I'm not saying I go for the whole peace on earth, goodwill to men, happy birthday Jesus stuff, but... the presents are okay.

"You feeling okay?" I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her sideways.

"I'm fine," she didn't even look up. I shrugged, but didn't take my arm away. The rest of the way to her house we just walked in silence, my arm around her.

When we finally reached the driveway that led up to her house, she froze. "I don't want to go," she blurted out.

"What?"

"I don't want to go home. There's not point. Let's just turn around."

I grabbed her by the shoulders and bent over so I was looking in her eyes. "I just walked my ass off in the freezing now. I'm cold. I'm wet. I'm thirsty. We're going."

"But-..."

"No buts. We're going to go in there, open your presents, and leave. Got it?"

She rolled her eyes in true Ellie-fashion and started walking again. "Since when did you become so pushy?"

"Since I started hanging out with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh nothing. You're just the Queen of Pushiness. Always offering unwanted advice and..."

"Okay, okay. Enough with the brutality." She gave me a sideways look before crossing her arms and looking back at her house. We slowly inched forward through the light snow and up the stairs to her front porch. I watched as she fumbled too long for her keys and slowly turned the lock.

I breathed in the smell of pine as soon as I entered the foyer. Christmas decorations covered the house. Antique nativity scenes were spread out on the hallway tables and in the living room. Yep, this place had been Elliefied.

"So stupid, huh?" Ellie snorted, picking up a stuffed bear in a Santa suit and tossing it carelessly on the ground. I picked it up and put it back.

"Do you have issues today or something?"

"Yeah," she answered, turning to look at me as she walked backwards into the living room. "It's called: my parents suck."

"All parents suck," I replied. It's true. They do. They have you, and then just abandon you when times get rough. They don't ask you what you want.

"I would have argued with that statement before, but right now I totally agree."

I smiled and collapsed onto the sofa. "Someone's growing some balls."

"Someone's growing up. This is so stupid. This?" She helped up a small wooden figuring of Santa. "Stupid. And this?" A stuffed reindeer. "Dumb."

I watched as she picked up random objects and dropped them on the ground at her feet. I laughed at the first few objects- the Santa and the reindeer were definitely cheesy- but then she started picking up picture frames with pictures of her with her dad and mom. I know how much family used to mean to Ellie, so I was a little surprised to see her pick up pictures of her family and throw them on the ground.

"And this?" A picture of her and both her parents taken at the Christmas party at the day care center. "Incredibly stupid."

"Woah, what happened to Mother Christmas?" I took the picture from her before she broke it.

She rolled her eyes and looked around the room. "Nothing, she grew up. Santa isn't real, peace on earth isn't going to happen, and everything about Christmas is just bullshit."

I shrugged. "You seemed pretty into it before."

"Yeah, well, things change."

"Meanings your parents decided not to come home."

"Whatever. If they were here, they would just be fighting anyway..."

I sat on the ottoman and leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I haven't asked about them lately. About the divorce."

"What's there to ask? They're still going through it, but it's not final. I wish they'd just get it over with so I could stop believing that there's hope."

"Maybe there is still hope?"

She laughed drily. "You sound so convincing..."

I laughed and ran a hand through my hair. "I don't know a lot about parents. They don't interest me."

"Yeah... I don't give a shit about mine either. Not anymore..."

She sat down on the ottoman next to me, facing the opposite direction. Our elbows touched, and I felt the familiar burn go through my skin. I kept my eyes forward instead of looking at her. Still, I could feel every move she made. I felt her cross and uncross her legs. I felt her tug on her skirt and run a hand through her hair before placing it down on mine. I quickly turned my face and looked at her.

She looked back at me. "Merry Christmas, Sean."

"Merry Christmas-"

"Merry Christmas, ElleBelle!"

"Daddy!" Ellie shrieked and jumped up, leaving me alone. I turned around and stared as she ran to her dad and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. He laughed and rubbed circles on her back as her mom came in through the door carrying a small suitcase.

"Merry Christmas, Eleanor."

"Merry Christmas, Mom."

The scene was all too "It's A Wonderful Life" for me. I hovered in the living room as they finished their greetings. Ellie's parents explained how they decided it was much more important to be here for Christmas than working. All the talk of "parents suck" and "Christmas blows" was vanished from the air and the mind of everyone but me. It made me sick to my stomach how easy it was for Ellie to forgive her mom and dad. All they had to do was greet her, and she was instantly the happiest little girl on earth.

It must be nice to be that naive.

Ellie

I walked into the living room and looked at Sean and my dad. Sean had fallen asleep

spread out on the couch as my dad watched "It's A Wonderful Life" on the television. I crept across the room to the couch and pinched Sean's toes. He didn't even budge.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," I sang.

Still no budge. I shook his shoulder. "Sean. Sean, wake up."

He moaned and swatted my hand away before turning over. I sighed and jumped up on the couch, sitting on his side.

"Ugh," he groaned. "Was that necessary?"

I laughed and ticked him in the stomach. "Yes, dinner's ready."

"Really?" He sat up quickly, knocking me off the sofa in the process. "Sorry."

"I'm sure," I smirked. I stood up and held out my hands. He grabbed them, and I helped pull him up.

"I'm freaking starving," he mumbled as we headed into the kitchen.

"I bet."

"Hey, I'm a growing boy!"

"Growing is right, tubby," I teased, pushing a finger into his tight stomach.

"Am I really getting fat?" he whined in a high falsetto.

Dinner proved to be rather interesting. My parents ignored each other as they asked me how school was going and what my friends have been up to. I didn't realize my parents even knew I had friends. They've never asked about them before. I picked at my food while watching Sean cram his into his mouth. I must say, I have never seen anybody eat as much food as that boy can.

"Hungry?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Fucki- I mean, yeah..."

My mom tapped her fork against her plate and rolled her eyes at his "vulgar" mouth. My dad barely blinked an eye. I sighed and rested my chin on my hand, pushing my plate of food to the side.

"Aren't you hungry?" Sean pointed out.

"No," I bluntly replied giving him a look.

My parents didn't say a word. Jesus. For once can't I just have a normal family dinner without any tension? I can't tell which is better- cold silence or screaming. I guess there really isn't a lesser of the two evils.

"Mom, Dad- will you be going to the Kellerman's Christmas party tomorrow?"

Ever since I was little my mom and dad had always gone to David Kellerman's Christmas party. It was a routine social event that nobody in their social circle missed.

My dad stared at my mom as she stared back. "It depends," he replied.

"On what?"

"Yeah, on what?" Mom repeated.

"I think you know Elisabeth."

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to go to David's anymore now?"

"I never said you couldn't go."

"But if I go you won't. And David was your friend first. I see how it is."

"How it is Elisabeth is that I can't relax in the same room with you right now. Maybe if you would have been a better example for my daughter-..."

"She's my daughter, too, dammit."

"Then why don't you start acting like her mother?"

"Maybe if you were around once in awhile instead of going on your fake little peace missions then-..."

"Fake? You call me fighting in the Middle East fake! You know what your problem is? You've always had everything handed to you."

"Oh, please... This argument again? Face it, you're jealous that I had it so easy. It's not my fault."

"It's not about that."

"Then what is it about, Christian?" My mom tugged on her pearls anxiously. "Are you tired of your family? Are you having a mid-life crisis? Have you found somebody else? Did you fall out of love with me, or did you even love me to begin with?"

My dad wiped his mouth with his napkin and threw it on the table, pushing his chair back and standing up in the process. "It was a lovely dinner, Ellie, but I can't stand being around this much longer. Thank you, Elisabeth, for showing me, once again, your ugly side."

I looked at Sean but he couldn't even look back at me. How embarrassing. Seriously, how embarrassing. Did they really have to resort to fighting in front of Sean? Did they have to resort to fighting at all? And here I was thinking that as soon as I saw them this morning that it would be a good day. I should have known better.

I stood up abruptly. "And thank you Mom and Dad for ruining my Christmas."

I left the room, my fists clenching and unclenching. I heard my parents start to fight again and a chair scrape back. Soon, I heard Sean's footsteps as he followed me.

"Hey," he put a hand on my shoulder. "You wanna get out of here?"

I turned around and hugged him tightly.


"Thanks," I took the mug of hot chocolate from Sean's hands and let it warm my hands up. "God, I can't believe they had to go and pull that."

"It's pretty routine for them these days."

"Yeah, but... you were there. It's Christmas. Why did they have to go and ruin everything? God, it's your first Christmas."

"It was still fun up to that part."

"Yeah, well... I never want to see them again."

"That's how I feel about my parents."

I blushed and took a sip to hide my flushed cheeks.

"And that wasn't supposed to be a dig at you for your earlier present."

"Sorry..." I apologized sheepishly. "I didn't mean to-..."

"Ellie, stop. I know. It's okay."

"I wish I could just go back and fix everything, you know? I wish I could have made my mom stop drinking somehow. I wish I could have convinced my dad to come back."

"He was in a war, Ellie. He didn't really have much of a choice. And it's not your job to make your mom quit drinking. She had to do it on her own."

"But I should have been enough, you know?"

"I'm not following..."

I rested my head sideways against the back of the couch and looked up at Sean. "It's just... A child should be enough for a parent to change their life. If my mom really loved me she would have stopped drinking when she saw how much it hurt me. And my dad should have found a way to come back because he knew how sad I get when he's not around. And I should be enough reason for my parents to stay together."

"Do you really want them back together after today?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that a little selfish for you to want them to be unhappy just to make you happy?"

"They're happy together, Sean."

"They didn't seem happy to me."

"You don't know my parents."

"I think I've figured them out by now."

"Listen, my parents aren't bad people. They're just-..."

"I love how you say how much you can't stand your parents, but you're the first person to defend them when I say something bad about them. You really need to make up your mind."

I lowered my eyes and played with a loose thread on the pillow in my lap. I looked up. "Fine," I snapped, my eyes flashing. "I'm finished with them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm positive."

The phone rang, and Sean reached over to answer it. "'Lo?... Oh, hey. What's up?... Yeah... Sure... See you then... Love you, too..."

I turned my head away and stared out the window.

Sean hung up the phone and look back at me. "So... That was Nikki..."

"I thought so."

"I guess we're going to Marco's Christmas party tomorrow."

"It should be fun."

"Yeah..."

"Yeah..."

"So, you'll be there, right?"

I smiled. "Of course. Marco's my best friend."

"Oh, yeah, right. Well, good."

Sean swallowed hard and looked away for a second. "So, do you just wanna watch a movie or something?"

I thought about the offer. It's not like there was anything else I had to do. Or anything else I wanted to do more.

So... I haven't updated in a LONG time. I've been so busy and hit a rough patch in the story. And this chapter was pretty uneventful. But reviews, critiques, suggestions are always welcome. Next chapter: Marco's Christmas party. Ellie and Paige will talk. Sean and Nikki will have a good time. And Ellie will watch as her father finally moves out all of his things from the house.

Thanks for sticking with me!