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"Hey! No fair!" Patrick yelled, laughing, as Grace and their good friend Anthony Higgins pelted him with snowballs. "We said no teams!"
"We're not on a team," Grace giggled. "We're just both attacking you at the same time!"
Patrick used his arms to shield his face and body, trying to crawl away. He grabbed as much snow as he could and flung it in their direction.
"Whoa!" Patrick heard Anthony say. "Gracie, are you okay?"
Patrick stood up and felt his stomach drop when he saw that all the snow he threw hit Grace full on in the face.
"Oh, Gracie, I'm so sorry," said Patrick, rushing over to her.
Grace spit out the snow, turning her back to them and wiping her face. "I'm okay." Both Anthony and Patrick could hear her voice crack and her sniffle. "I'm fine." She was trying her best not to cry in front of her friends.
Patrick put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Grace nodded, wiping her tears while pretending to wipe the snow away. She hated to cry in front of the boys. They had never made fun of her when she had, but she always wanted to be strong and tough like them.
The church bells chimed.
"I gotta get goin'," said Anthony. "Dinner's gonna be on the table soon."
"See ya, Tony. Merry Christmas," said Patrick.
"Bye, Anthony," Grace put on a smile.
Anthony gave her a soft smile. "Merry Christmas, you two."
"Guess we should get goin' too," said Patrick. "The witch will probably be mad at us for bein' late."
Grace took his hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked down the street. "I'm sorry you have her for a stepmother."
Patrick was quiet for a moment as they walked along. "Can I tell you a secret?"
Grace nodded.
Patrick shrugged. "Sometimes I pretend your ma is my ma."
Grace grinned. "So it's like you're my brother."
Patrick nodded.
Grace's grin grew. "We're family, Conlon. No matter what."
Patrick grinned as they turned the corner and walked down their street. When they reached the door to their apartment, Patrick held his arm out, stopping her.
"Wait," he said. "Before we go inside, there's somethin' I wanted to give you."
Grace turned toward him.
Patrick dug into his pocket and pulled out a bright blue ribbon.
Grace's face lit up. "Is that for me?"
Patrick nodded. "Merry Christmas, Gracie."
Grace threw her arms around Patrick, hugging him. "Thank you so much!"
She took her braid and pulled off the piece of twine that usually held the braid in place. She took the ribbon from Patrick and tied a nice bow at the end of her braid.
"How does it look?" She grinned.
Patrick nodded. "It looks good."