Chapter Four
After an hour had passed and she had gotten her errands done with the help of her friends, Lacey sat with Mario, Mercedes, and Marianne in a coffee shop sipping hot drinks whilst people bustled about around them and Christmas music played on the speakers.
"Ugghh." Porcha said as she heard the song 'All I Want for Christmas is You' got played.
"That Mariah Carey song is permently stuck in my head!"
"Mine too!" Marianne agreed "I was sick of it before Christmas began, no sooner was Halloween over than they start playing Christmas songs!"
"It gets earlier every year." Mario agreed.
"And Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow!" Mercedes piped up.
"Creeps up on your for sure!" Marianne laughed then she looked over to Lacey who was sipping her chocolate in silence.
"You alright?" she asked to which Lacey looked up "You've barely said a word."
Lacey sighed.
"I'm just not feeling it," she admitted taking a bite out of a large cookie she had.
"Since Timmy's been born, all my parents talk about is him, and his needs, and they barely ask how I am anymore, it's always about Timmy!"
Her friends looked at each other and sighed.
"I know it's hard." Mario said "Babies are hard work."
"Yeah!" Porcha said "When mine and Mercedes had our little sister Holly, it was all about the baby."
"You were seven when she came along." Lacey said "And at least you two had each other being twins."
"That's a fair point." Mercedes shrugged "But Lacey, just because your mum and stepdad have a baby, it doesn't mean they don't love you anymore."
"I know that!" Lacey said starting to feel slightly irritated "But they don't seem to care about me much anymore, they haven't given any thought to me or how I'm dealing with the change, they didn't come to our recital, they didn't ask about what I wanted to get or do over Christmas, all they talk about is Timmy and what would be nice for Timmy."
"But Lacey." Porcha said "That's what happens, things change when a new baby comes along, I know it did for Mercy and I, and to be honest, we quite like the changes since we got used to them."
"Well that's alright for you then." Lacey snapped.
The twins were a little offended at Lacey's attitude but then Marianne decided to try and calm things down.
"Lacey." she said calmly "I know its difficult and I hate to be blunt, but don't you think you're being a little...well...selfish?"
"Selfish?" Lacey exclaimed.
"Look, I know it's hard when you've been the centre of your parents world, and it was just you and your mum then of course Ralph came along, now you're having to share with your new baby brother, but Timmy can't help being demanding, he won't be a baby forever you know."
"Yeah," Lacey huffed "And then he'll reach his terrible twos and want to know about everything and stick his nose in where it don't belong! It's gonna be like having a male version of the blister sisters!"
"Blister sisters?" Mario asked.
"My cousins." Lacey said "Layla and Rita."
"Oh them." Mario realized "I remember them, when they came to one of our rehearsals they won't stop touching some of the costumes we put aside as well as fiddled with the music station!"
"And to make matters worse they're coming over to my parents place with their parents to meet Timmy."
"Oh boy..." Mario said.
Marianne shook her head.
"I'm sorry." she said "But you're really are going to have to grin and bear it hun, suck it up buttercup as they say."
The twins agreed.
"Afraid so Lacey Girl." they said in unison.
"Life isn't fair, but that's the way it is." Mercedes said.
Porcha nodded in agreement.
"I think Marianne's right Lacey." she said "You are being selfish and jealous and you need to have a good long think about it."
Lacey frowned and sipped her Hot Chocolate, she couldn't understand why anyone wasn't seeing her side of the story.
"You think I'm being selfish? And Jealous?" she demanded "I thought you guys were my friends and you call me that?"
"Lacey..." Mercedes started to speak but Lacey downed her hot chocolate, shoved the last piece of her cookie into her mouth and picked up her shopping bags.
"Hey Lacey wait!" Marianne said "We didn't mean..."
"No, No, I get it!" Lacey said "If you think I'm being selfish and jealous then be like that! But I'm not gonna sit here and be lectured, I already get that crap at home already!"
Then before anyone could stop her, Lacey turned and stormed out of the coffee shop.
As they watched her go, her four friends looked at each other awkwardly.
"Oh dear..." Mario said.
Marianne shook her head.
"Looks like this is going to be a tough nut to crack guys." she said "But I do think she's being a little selfish."
"You're not wrong Marianne." Porcha said "Lacey does need to stop thinking about herself and think about what it's like to have a baby brother and that she needs to accept the changes."
"I just hope our friendship with her hasn't been ruined though." Mercedes said in a worried voice.
"Don't fret Mercy." Porcha said "She just needs to think for a bit, and we'll be here when she's ready to talk again, right guys?" she asked looking at Mario and Marianne who nodded.
"We'll be there for her." Marianne said "I just hope she doesn't do anything silly."
Meanwhile, after she had left the coffee shop, Lacey hurried home as fast as she could, and she tried to stop the angry tears that flowed from her eyes.
"Me? Selfish? Jealous?" she asked herself "How could they? All I wanted was to have someone understand how I'm feeling, that I'm feeling left out and not cared about because of Timmy and all they say is I'm selfish and jealous?"
She wiped her eyes and she felt her phone buzz which she fished out of her pocket and she saw it was a text from Ralph and that she was late for her Aunt, Uncle and cousins arriving.
"Shit!" she thought as she tried to pick up the pace and she wiped her eyes hoping to put on appearances for her family even though she wished she was anywhere but there.
As she arrived at the apartment complex, Lacey got in the lift to the floor her home was on, and walked through the front door, she could hear voices and she opened the door to the kitchen area to see her Aunt Maggie and Uncle Barry in the sitting room fawning over Timmy in Emily's arms.
She also saw a new stash of presents under the Christmas Tree in the corner and she was convinced that most of them were for Timmy.
Emily saw her daughter and frowned.
"Where have you been?" she asked "What took you so long?"
"There was a couple of long queues at the stores." Lacey fibbed as she placed the bags on the kitchen counter and Ralph walked over to check the contents.
"Why didn't you text or call?" he demanded.
"I lost track of the time." Lacey snapped still sticking to her story.
Ralph sighed.
"Alright fine, well at least your home," he grunted as he looked through the bags "Why don't you say hello to your Aunt and Uncle?"
Lacey nodded and went over to the living room plastering a smile on her face, yet it was painfully forced.
"Lacey!" Maggie cried joyfully "The New big sister eh?" she walked over and hugged Lacey tightly then Uncle Barry came and pinched her cheek.
"Such a special thing eh?" he asked.
"Hi Aunt Maggie, Uncle Barry." Lacey said in a forced happy voice
"So, how you finding your new baby brother?" Maggie asked.
"Must be a huge change eh?" Barry asked.
"Yeah, it is." Lacey said "Huge change..." she then looked around and noticed that Layla and Rita were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the twins?" she asked hoping they hadn't come along and she could make her excuses to leave when she could.
"Oh, they're in your room." Emily said "They've been so anxious to when you were going to come back."
"They're what?!" Lacey cried in horror and she turned and ran towards her bedroom.
"Why did you let them do that!?" she demanded then she heard giggling and she opened her bedroom door to see Layla and Rita had made themselves at home in her bedroom.
Layla was sitting on Lacey's bed reading a leather bound book and Rita was standing in front of the mirror with a dress in front of her as well as some other dresses on the floor.
But that wasn't all.
Lacey's music station was on and some annoying pop song was playing which Lacey recognized as Justin Beiber who she couldn't stand and also her drawers in her dressing table had been opened and some of her make up was on the counter and her jewellery box was open too with some of her necklaces and bracelets hanging out of it!
"Hey! What do you two think you're doing!?" she exclaimed then she saw Layla reading the leather bound book and her blood ran cold.
"Hey! My Diary!" she shouted "Gimme that!" she snatched it from Layla's hands.
"Hey! I was reading that!" Layla protested.
"It's my diary!" Lacey snapped "It's private! Don't you know that?" she then went over to Rita.
"Put that dress back! Who said you could go through my stuff?" she went over to the music station and switched off the music.
"Hey! Put that music back on!" Rita cried.
"No!" Lacey snapped "I hate Justin Beiber! And I hate your taste in music!"
The twins were appalled.
"Just like you hate your innocent baby brother?" Layla asked "That's not very nice!"
Lacey went bright red as she had written her thoughts about Timmy in her diary and her blood ran cold as she realized Layla had read those parts.
"That's so sad!" Rita chimed in "We love Timmy! He's cute! We wish we had a baby!"
"Oh you'd like one would you?" Lacey asked rolling her eyes "Why don't you ask mum if you can have him?"
She then set to tidy up the mess the twins made.
"Why do you hate him?" Layla asked Lacey.
"None of your business!" Lacey snapped as she placed the dresses Rita had thrown around back in her wardrobe and set about tidying up her make up and jewellery.
"What gave you the right to go through my things?" she demanded "You know that's wrong! It's called invasion of privacy."
"You never had issues before!" Rita protested.
"No!" Lacey corrected "I always had issues of you touching my stuff, but it was always, 'Be nice to your cousins!'" she said in a high babyish voice "You know Santa won't be pleased to know what you did! Invasion of privacy means a spot on the naughty list!"
"Well you're on the naughty list too!" Layla said "Given how you hate sweet little Timmy!"
"Oh shut up!" Layla spat "I don't even believe that that crap!"
"You should!" Rita said "Santa see's all!"
"He sure does!" Layla chimed in "So you better be nice!"
Lacey clenched her fists as she listened and she could feel her heart beating harder in her chest from all the anger and resentment she felt.
It was bad enough her friends didn't understand her feelings, but now hearing those Blister Sisters talk to her the way they did, like they knew everything, it was the final straw.
Slamming her make up drawer shut, she turned around to face the twins, her face red and her eyes flashing.
"When are you stupid little Blisters gonna wake up?" she asked "Santa isn't even real! He's just a guy dressed up! Everyone knows the parents buy all your presents!"
As those words rolled out of her mouth, Lacey could see the looks on the twins faces, like pure shock as well as disbelief.
"There's no Santa?" Layla asked, her eyes watering and her chin wobbling.
"Not there is not!" Lacey shouted, unable to stop herself "It's all make believe! Just like the Tooth Fairy! And the Easter Bunny!"
Rita blinked and looked at Layla.
"No Tooth Fairy? No Easter Bunny?"
"No!" Lacey continued to snap "Just fantasy figures!" she said "Now get out of my room! And my life!"
The twins looked at each other then burst into tears before running out of the bedroom.
Lacey seethed as she checked over her jewellery and saw that one of her necklaces was broken and that one of her bracelets was missing.
"Those little..." she growled yet she didn't get a chance to look around when she heard her name get called.
"LACEY ALICE DARBY!"
Oh dear, looks like things aren't going too well for Lacey, with her friends not seeing her side of the story and her annoying cousins going through her stuff! Now she's lost her temper, it looks like things are gonna escalate, what could get any worse?
I don't know how old many of you readers learnt that Santa wasn't real, I'm not sure when I stopped believing, but I do feel sorry for a lot of kids who still believe, but whose families can't afford Christmas.
Its not 'If you're Good, Santa will come,' it's more like 'He'll pay you a visit if you can afford him!'