Adelaide Chang ranked among the elite in various fields, a fact attested by the many trophies that she had won over the years. She already had plenty under her belt at six and they had at least doubled since then.

In fact, if there was a competition for "Great Lakes City's Best Moper", she would win the gold medal easily. Not for anything that she had done in the past, but for what she was doing presently in her bedroom.

With only stuffed animals as her company, Adelaide had gone to bed the night before sad and had woken up not feeling that much better. Now, she lay in her bed, cocooned by blankets and remembrance from the awfulness that had transpired less than twenty-four hours ago.

How could things go so wrong around Christmas? Christmas, of all times?!

Everything had been perfect until yesterday. The day before, she had finished making her gift for her older sister, managed to get it back from Nico after he swiped it and took it running, and the best part was when she was able to spread Christmas joy to Alexis for helping her retrieve it.

She was happy as happy could be when she sprung her mistletoe mischief trap on her unsuspecting friend and caught Alexis off guard with dozens upon dozens of kisses planted all over his face. And as pleased with herself as she was, she was absolutely flattered that Alexis had received it the way he did; supremely content and satisfied with the reddest face she had ever seen and a smile so dazed that it looked like it came out of a silly cartoon.

But…as great as it was, she had soon realized that whether he would've been the picture of complete bliss like Alexis was or, in her prediction, putting on a show of horror and revulsion, Carl's reaction was what she yearned for the most.

Then, everything had gone horribly wrong the next day when she had lost her mistletoe but found it in the hands of someone else. Alisa Barela, a famous singer, dancer, and fashion icon, had managed to nab it from where Adelaide had lost it and to her shock and dismay, she had put it to the same use that she wanted.

Carl was in her grasp, receiving a smorgasbord of smooches on practically every inch of his face and…and…

Loving every second of it.

If the fact that she had been pushed out of her own plot wasn't hurtful enough, Carl's reaction had hit her the hardest, leaving her in tears as she bawled her eyes out in her crying closet after she fled the scene.

What she saw from him, his lovesick expression in the form of his blushing, stammering, smiling visage, was a complete betrayal of everything she thought she knew about her best friend.

Carl hated affection, or at least didn't put up with it without protest.

But he clearly didn't mind Alisa's kisses. Was it because she was a pretty celebrity that oozed charisma and confidence?

Adelaide curled up deeper in her blankets and frowned sullenly. Oh, who was she kidding? Of course it was. And the only reason why she thought he'd do otherwise was because she was nothing like Alisa.

They weren't in the same universe in terms of pure beauty, forget the same planet. Sure, what she got out of Alexis was nice, but that was just one boy and it only happened because she kissed him out of nowhere. Of course he was awestruck. She couldn't imagine anyone lining up in front of her door just to see her because she was so gorgeous and pretty and breathtaking…and…

Wanted.

No wonder Carl found her affection off-putting. She was probably just a gross, weird-looking troll in his eyes, just someone to put up with.

In the end, she was the problem.

It was the conclusion she had come to after coming out of her sad space yesterday but without resolving it with wisdom from her parents or Sid, she had gone to bed and woke up feeling the same way.

How could she not? Carl hadn't bothered to come see her at all since it happened. In fact, he didn't wanna see anyone since yesterday, including her, for being upset about…whatever it was that bothered him. But it wasn't as if that mattered anymore. Alisa made sure to make him feel good about herself.

'With my mistletoe,' Adelaide grumbled as a pang of jealousy and annoyance nearly knocked the breath out of her, as if a fastball had barreled square in the center of her gut.

So now what was she supposed to do? Face the outside world just because Christmas was fast approaching? Sure, she knew she would have a good time with her family, namely with giving Sid her gift, but what about the moments in-between then and now?

Face the world? As if. She couldn't even face herself.

She knew part of the reason why what happened bothered her, but truth was still buried deep down. Like for starters, being a little jealous was one thing but being this insecure? Why did she care this much about what Carl thought of her, so much so that she would assume the worst of herself?

Nothing made her feel repulsive until yesterday and it all had to do with Carl? Sure, he was her best friend, but what was it about him that made her feel this way? What made him so special?

…

That was the thing, though; she never quite figured it out. She knew what she liked about him now, after years of being friends with him, but that wasn't the same as being able to put her finger on the gravitation that he seemed to carry around with him.

She knew, before she became friends with him, that whenever he was around, she always wanted his attention. She knew he was a troublemaker but that didn't stop her. If anything, it…oddly intrigued her.

But…but why? What was so gosh darn magnetic about him that always attracted her to-

Adelaide felt her face heat up and she hid her cheeks in her hands, as if anyone could see her like this, anyways. The word "attracted" instantly made her cringe, not because she was off base but because… she had to admit that it was true.

Whether it was the "right" choice of words or not, she was attracted to him.

'N-not like that, but…I mean…ohhhh, I don't know!' Adelaide groaned inwardly.

And just like that, she was back to square one; inactivity spurned from mixed-up emotions and the inability to get to the bottom of them.

…

But one thing was clear. If she was going to make the best of her winter break and the Christmas season, there was one thing she had to make sure couldn't happen.

'I can't run into Carl!'

That's right. All she had to do was avoid him at all costs and she could deal with her weird, confusing, squishy feelings towards him later.

Much later.

As in when they were both in college.

...

'Okay, okay, fine. Maybe not that far ahead. But for now, I have to make sure that I don't see-'

"Carl's here!" said a spunky voice outside of her bedroom, right next to the door.

Unfortunately, that voice wasn't a figment of Adelaide's active imagination manifesting into the absolute worst possible outcome for her.

No...the voice belonged to Sid.

And dread belonged to Adelaide.