22 December 2032

A tear rolls down my cheek, I put my hand in the grave.

"Hey"- I whisper, I don't expect an answer.

"How's life up there? I wish it had been me and not you. Your life was way better than mine. Your parents care about you..."-My voice cracks and I fall to the floor, I can't hold back my tears anymore.

"I- I miss you! I miss you so much! Why you and not me? I wish I was dead and it wasn't you, you had a bright future in front of you. Instead, I have nothing. You shouldn't have died!"- I reread the inscription in the grave again, tears in my eyes, it's all blurry, but I remember everything by memory.

(12/08/2020) - (16-09/2028)

So small, so sweet, so soon.

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass…. it's about learning how to dance in the rain.

You left too soon little angel.

Tears fall again, I can't help it. She was and still is, my only friend.

"Why did you leave me? You could have fought longer! I needed you! I still need you! But you are not here anymore... I need you here..." I can't stay here longer, I can't. I leave the flowers I brought next to the grave.

"I'll try to come and visit you before new year. I can't really promise." I sigh after that and get going. I see a man near, he just left some flowers.

When I go next to him I just mutter."hi..."

"Hey kid, I've heard you talk. Was she your sister?" I jump a bit at the question.

"I wish. She was my only friend. The only one that understood me."- I don't even know why I'm telling him this. He is staring at my hand, when I notice, I hide it behind my back.

"Guess you had a thought day" He says pointing my hand.

"It's my usual day." I sigh.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Oh... An incident with needles... My backpack was plenty of them, when I tried to get my stuff out of it well. I went to the nurse after it, my hand was bleeding a lot. She bandaged it, I'm fine now. Thank you for asking Sir."

"Do your parents know about it?"-The man asks me. He is asking way too many questions.

"They do, they think it's my fault. I don't blame them. I cause lots of trouble. They'll be better if it was me the one in the grave."- I say in a rush.-"Now if you excuse me Sir, I have to go."

After that I leave. I don't know why I told that man all that! Oh, I'm so stupid.

When I arrive home, there's no one. Nick Mum and Dad had that dinner with the kids of his year because he was doing a play or something for Christmas. I'm glad I'm alone.

I throw my backpack to my room and go back to the kitchen. I prepare a sandwich and turn on TV I search until I find some Star Wars movies. I much more prefer the old ones, so I just play Episode 4.

It's boring as I have a good memory (not eidetic as Marie or Elliott) and I remember the whole movie. But it's a good reason to eat popcorn. So I watch the whole movie.

Mum told me they had like a dinner after the play so they'll be home late. I wonder if they are behaving themselves there. I hope so.

No one prepared dinner, why would they? I'm old I can manage on my own... I guess I'll just go the easy way and I won't eat anything, but if I do that my parents will get angry at me. I make a quick sandwich and write a note to my parents.

I was tired so I went to bed early, I'll probably be asleep when you read this. I hope the play was cool. Nicholas surely enjoyed it ; )

Taylor

I enter my bed and pull the covers a bit until I'm fully covered. I love doing this. When I'm alone I can imagine a happy world, without bullying, without parents fighting...

I sigh at that thought, it's stupid. It's impossible to be in a happy world. The world isn't pink as lots of people say. I don't think no one ever lived in a perfect world. There's always been war or something to make us sad.

Even in that supposed perfect world, we'd still complain. I'm sure.

I sigh, why am I thinking all this stuff? I want to sleep. I don't, it's just an excuse so my mum doesn't have to see my bandaged hand. I don't want to talk about it.

I open my eyes and blink a few times until the light doesn't burn. Nicholas is in his room sleeping, mum and dad are probably sleeping too. I get up and go to the bathroom, I get rid of the bandage in my hand, but it still hurts when I touch it, and there's still a bit of blood there. I wash my hands and then bandage this one again, but with less pressure than yesterday.

Then I go to the kitchen and throw it to the trash can.

I sigh, I don't want to wake up my parents. I hear something in their bedroom so they are awake now.

Mum comes to the kitchen.

"Good morning Taylor"-She says with a smile.

I smile at her too.

"Morning Mum! Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did." After that mum goes to prepare some coffee for her and dad and some milk for Nicholas and I. I hide my hand in my pocket just in case she notices and help her.

"Taylor sweetie, we didn't have time to talk yesterday as you went to bed before we came. How was your day?" Mum asks me. I feel like showing her my hand and sticking my tongue to her.

But I don't. I say "Fine"

Mum looks at me. "Really?"

"Yes Mum. I said it was fine. I don't want to talk about it!"

"Okay Taylor..." Mum sighs.

"Sorry mum... I just had a hard day yesterday..." I say, I show her my hand and sigh. "They put needles in my bag. My hand bleed a lot yesterday. I went to the nurse, but I'm fine now. I didn't knew who it was so I couldn't defend myself. I'm sorry."

Mum hugs me. "I'm sorry Taylor. I'm sorry I can't help you with your problems, but you can't fake that they put needles in your bag just because you hit someone yesterday."

I push her away. "I didn't hit anyone! They put needles in my bag!" I yell at her.

"Taylor, stop lying."

I leave the room and go to mine, and shut the door with anger.

I don't even know why she doesn't believe me.

I get a paper and start writing again.

Hey Marie,

It's Taylor again. I'm sorry I talk to you this often, but I can't bear this, not anymore. My parents don't care about what I go trhough, I'm blamed for everything. Nicholas sometimes makes me want to throw him a ball at his face, other times I feel like he's the only one that cares about me.

Take me with you! Stop this for me... You didn't deserve to die... You were too young! I should have, I don't matter to anyone, but you do. You left me alone Marie... You could have fought longer... But no. You didn't.

I can't do this Marie.

What am I even doing? Why am I even writing to her? She's dead. She can't help me. I sigh, this is all nonsense.

What a shitty Christmas. No one believes me, my best friend isn't here anymore, I've lost interest in this season, in every season. I preferred when we were younger.

And we didn't realize our problems, our mistakes. And how hard life is.

25 December 2026

The table was ready, the house decorated with a Christmas tree and Christmas songs were heard.

There was a huge amount of presents under the tree. For Marie, Elliott, Taylor, Nick, Halley and Michael and also some for little Aayansh, who was spending her second christmas at California to spend the holidays with her father's friends.

Bernadette and Amy were cooking in the kitchen while Howard tried to convince Sheldon to take care of the kids with him. Penny, Leonard and Raj hadn't arrived yet. Raj was still at the airport, and Penny and Leonard didn't answer the phone.

"Sheldon please, help me! They are four kids, and I'm only one, I can't do this alone."-Howard complained.

"Sheldon, go and help Howard, right now!" Amy asked Sheldon from the kitchen.

Sheldon rolled his eyes, but went with Howard.

"Where on earth are Penny and Leonard? They were supposed to be here an hour ago." Bernadette said.

"I have no idea, they don't answer any of my messages"-Amy replied. Very worried about her best friend.

"Have you called them?"-Bernadette asked Amy.

"No, I haven't, I thought it'd be better not to disturb them." -Amy told the blonde short girl.

"Oh, okay, maybe you're right. I'm sure they'll be here in a minute"

The moment Bernadette's sentence was over, the door bell rang. Amy went and opened the door.

"Raj! It's been a long while" She said as she hugged him, it had actually been a long time, the group kept in touch with him online, but he had moved to England four years ago, and he hadn't come back since then.

"It really has Amy, it really has" He said as he embraced his friend.

When they broke apart, Amy realised the small little girl, hidden behind Raj. "I guess this is Aayansh?" She asked him.

Raj nodded. "Yep, that's her."

Aayansh was Raj's and some other girl daughter, the gang never met her, they just knew that she forced him to move to England with her, and that he did it this time. Then after she had Aayansh, she left Raj because she didn't want to take care of a baby.

But Raj was a very good single parent.

"Hey Aayansh, I'm auntie Amy." Amy waved at the little girl. But she didn't react.

"She's a bit shy."

"I see"-Amy laughed and guided Raj inside-"Howard and Sheldon are taking care of the kids upstairs, Bernie and I are cooking. And Penny and Leonard are nowhere to be found"-She shrugged and went back to the kitchen saying.-"Join who you want"

Raj went upstairs and talked a bit to Sheldon and Howard about his life at London, then, the doorbell rang again.

"It's me, Leonard."-Leonard said. "And my cheater wife" He thought to himself.

"It's open"-Bernadette yelled from the kitchen.

They both entered and Marie and Nicholas went right to the first floor, maybe because they both knew what was going to happen. What had been going on all week.

"Why don't you join the girls and tell them about your new adventure? I'm sure they'll love to hear a spicy gossip like that. Tell them how you kissed him. In front of our kids and in front of me."-Leonard told Penny.

"Leonard stop it! I didn't kiss him! It's not what it looked like!"-Penny yelled at Leonard. Now too angry of this to keep it to a normal tone.

"Well it looked like you were destroying our marriage, and our family. Aren't we enough for you? Aren't we what you need? No! You just want that idiot you were kissing!"

"I wasn't kissing him! But you did flirt with that girl you thought I wouldn't see it right?"-Penny said keeping her eyes closed, as she doesn't want Leonard to see that she's crying.

"I thought our marriage was broken, I saw you kiss another guy! I was doing the same you did a except I wasn't using my tongue."

-

As the fight went on, everyone opened the door of the room they were in to listen, none of them trying to stop, as they didn't know where this was coming from. Only Nick and Taylor did, but Nicholas was crying and Taylor was trying not to, as she saw her loved family tear apart with each yell.

"Leonard, Penny stop."-Sheldon said walking to the living room, holding little Elliott in his arms.-"I don't want to see both of you fight... This is what I always heard when my dad came home each night. I don't want to hear it now."-Sheldon told them.

Both of their mouths stayed a but open, but they didn't say anything.

"Daddy, why auntie and uncle fight?"-Elliott asked him.

Sheldon sighed, and hugged his son tighter, not knowing what to do, or to say, as he was asking himself the same question.

"What a christmas..."-Taylor thought with a sigh, but oh, the following ones to this, weren't better.

Yeah, I know, not very in the Christmas spirit. But this explains a bit why Leonard and Penny always fight.Now tell me, did you expect the first part?I hope you liked this chapter and leave a review of you want ;D