Amber had just opened her Christmas presents. She sat with her back leaning on the prickly, fake tree. Amber hadn't asked for much, and all she got was a board game that she'd probably never play.

Amber bundled up, and went outside. She sat in the glistening snow, ruining the perfect background of untouched white. She took a handful of powdery snow and childishly put the snowflakes on the tip of her nose. She giggled as the cold snow melted into a puddle of water. She lay down in the snow and closed her eyes. If only this moment could last forever. If only the world could stand still, and she could always feel this peaceful. She would love to always be stuck in this moment; she didn't want the time to slip away.

Amber laid there on the ground, her tears mingling with the melted snow on her face.

Craig was pacing up and down his room, trying to get up the nerve to actually pick up the phone and dial the number. This was messing up his Christmas Day. He had gotten great presents (one of them was a camera that he had been admiring for a long time!) and it had just been, generally, a good day. But this nagging feeling was gnawing at him, and it was like a mosquito bite that he absolutely needed to scratch.

Why couldn't he just call Amber? Why couldn't he just ask her out and tell her that he likes her? Why couldn't it be as simple as that?

He couldn't call because his yearning was accompanied by a sense of fear. If he actually followed through and called Amber, he would stutter and he would not be able to say anything. He would end up feeling dumb, and he would believe that Amber thought him dumb, too. Even if he asked her out, what if she said no?

Craig could make a never-ending list of the things he loved about her, and that's why he was so afraid of being rejected. He loved the way she had fit when he had his arm around her. He loved the way she talked; he loved the way she moved. He loved practically everything about her. The only thing he didn't love was the way she didn't seem to care about him.

Craig could not summon up the courage needed to do the deed, and, throughout the day, he changed his shirt often. For some reason, he felt itchy all day.

Jimmy was confident. He had the phone ready, and he knew exactly what he was going to say to Amber. If she rejected him, oh well. His feelings wouldn't be terribly hurt, and his pride wouldn't be too injured.

He cleared his throat several times, picked up the phone, and pushed some buttons.

"Amber, phone!"

Amber got up and brushed off the snow from her coat. She wondered who was calling. She deduced (incorrectly) that it was Terri.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Amber! This is Jimmy. Merry Christmas!"

Amber couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. "Oh, hi! And you, too. Merry Christmas, I mean."

Jimmy chuckled. Amber was in the palm of his hand. "Yeah, thanks. But listen, let me get straight to the point. I was wondering if you wanted to do something this Thursday. We could go see that movie, you know?"

Amber became even more shy than usual. "Uh...okay. I'd...uh...like that."

"All right. I'll come over to get you, at, say...7:00."

"Okay. Bye, Jimmy."

"Bye, Amber. See you Thursday!"

Amber hung up the phone, and leaned against the wall. What in the world had she gotten herself into?