~Pucker face~ Charlie Conway

Chapter eight: Merry Quackmas

Quick A/N, 

Hey guys! This is chapter eight of Pucker Face. Quite honestly, if you were waiting for this chapter to be out, I'm really sorry. This honestly was weird to write, it took so long because I had absolutely nothing for it. Hopefully, chapter nine will be a lot better sounding, and written. Once again, I'm so sorry if this kind of squashes the expectation.

The rest of the time up until winter break was smooth sailing. Practices without petty arguments and physical encounters were an absolute godsend, as things had never been that way before.

Finally, it was time to leave Eden Hall to go home. I hadn't seen my parents in months and really missed them. My siblings too.

There was 18 year old Keith, and 11 year old Mandy. Keith played for the Vermont Catamounts in college hockey, and Mandy did ballet, she didn't like tossing the puck. Speaking of her ballet, she was playing Clara in the nutcracker this coming weekend.

Of course I was the middle child, so being sent away was a blessing and a curse. Really just more time for my parents to spoil Mandy. I wasn't sure how to feel about going home. It was sort of an interruption, as rekindling friendships was in the process. Connie, Julie and I were getting closer than ever, the incidents of the past months were being ignored. Just living without a problem was all one could want.

Before more overthinking occurred, I was soaring thousands of feet in the air, heading back to New York. The flight was in the early morning, the sunrise once again over Minneapolis. Finally off the plane, I met my parents at the baggage claim.

"Sloane!!" My mother shouted, waving her hands so I could see her.

I made a beeline towards the happy woman, nearly tripping over a couple people's feet on the way. Immediately, an embrace greeted me, warming me.

"Hey kiddo! You ready to go home?" My dad asked patting my back a bit.

I nodded, and after a few more tidbits of conversation, we found the car and started the drive home.

It almost made me emotional, the sight of everything. Dainty snowflakes flittered down from the sky, landing on the window. 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' by Frank Sinatra played quietly into the backseat.

"...From now on our troubles will be miles away..."

They were. My issues were nonexistent here, something that held me at peace. A nostalgic feeling of holiday perfection snuck back in. The memories; sledding in the town park, Christmas Eve by the fire, the sound of music echoing softly through the halls of my house.

The Christmas season was special because nothing could ruin it. It was all about giving, and even the tiniest gift with love behind it was meaningful beyond belief.

The white fluff covered the front lawn of my house, and dusted the previously shoveled walk. We walked inside, and immediately, Mandy rushed towards me.

"Gwenny!" She yelled, pulling me into a tight hug. The embrace was magical, making up for every single one I'd missed in the last few months. She called me Gwen since we were little, she originally couldn't pronounce Sloane. Gwenyth is my middle name. It stuck though, so it became a local nickname.

"Hey Mandy! I really missed ya..."
I let go of our hug and picked her up for a piggy-back to the kitchen. I was absolutely starving for whatever reason.

"Right to the kitchen...they feeding you enough there?" Mom asked in a panicked tone.

"Hey, Hey, Hey. Relax, I'm just hungry. And this is still the kitchen full of snacks, so I'm going to get a snack mom. That okay?"