Under the First Mistletoe

Revelations Between Two

Lizzie played with her hands as she approached Sally's room. An odd sort of ache swept through her, as she walked past the rooms of her older siblings. She remembered how she would run down the hall, yelling at the top of her lungs during Christmas morning, telling them to wake up.

Now, she couldn't do that. And she never could.

Her three older siblings, and now Sally, had their own houses. Matt and Mark had their own apartment now, and she knew soon enough, they were going to buy their own houses. Even she had her dorm. The house would no longer complete, except during Christmas when the rest of the family would get together.

I hate growing up, she thought sadly. Stopping in front of Sally's room, she knocked on the door before she entered.

Sally was sitting on her dresser, her head bowed. Lizzie looked over her shoulder at Donna, who was looking very frantic. "I'll be fine," she whispered. "Go look for mom or Becky, okay?"

Donna nodded. "Okay."

Lizzie turned back to Sally. "Hey Sal," she called softly.

Sally turned around and Lizzie saw black streaks running down her face.

"Oh Sal! Your makeup!" Lizzie cried in dismay rushing forward. She grabbed a tissue and reached for her sister's cheek but stopped, unsure what to do. It was like one of those awkward moments. Her hand fell limply to her side.

Silence.

"Sal, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do the whole thing," Lizzie burst out. "I didn't understand what I was doing before but I completely understand now. I was acting like a complete baby, wanting all the attention," she confessed, dropping to the floor and looking up at Sally's face. "Okay? Please forgive me. I don't want us to be like this on your wedding day!"

Sally sobbed harder. "There's no wedding day!"

"What?" Lizzie exclaimed, blood rushing through her veins. "But you guys were just so in love and now, why not? Everybody's dressed up, ready to go. Everyone's waiting for you at the church already. What happened?"

"I'm so scared," Sally whispered. She took a tissue and dabbed it into her eyes. "And I look horrible! Like the bride of Frankenstein," she mumbled.

"No you're not. You look beautiful, okay? Like the bride of Spencer Ridge, the guy who loves you with all his heart," Lizzie argued taking her sister's hand in hers.

Sally frowned, and her eyes narrowed into slits. "What happened with you? What are you talkingabout? Is this another of your practical jokes? Aren't you the one who started all those I'm-Against-Spencer-Riot? And now, all of a sudden, you two are best friends?"

Lizzie chuckled. "We're not exactly best friends but the rest is true. I know I've been acting all psycho around Spencer. I admit that I didn't like him, didn'tbeing the operative word. But now I do. Because he told me that he loves you and I believe him."

Sally looked at Lizzie, her eyes staring into hers. "You're sure?"

Lizzie nodded, and smiled. "Hard to believe, huh?" she asked. "All I wanted was an assurance from Spencer and he gave me one."

A slow smile crept up Sally's face. "I'm glad that you like Spencer now, but I just don't know if..." she paused, biting her lip.

"Sal, what is it?" Lizzie prodded, taking hold of Sally's hand.

Sally played with her skirt, fixing out the creases before she spoke.

"Liz, last night we had a fight. And it was the first fight we had in such a long time and I couldn't handle it. I just asked him to get out of my life and he-" A tear ran down her cheek, "-he left the room. And since we weren't sleeping in the same room, I never got the chance to talk to him again. So I'm afraid that when I go down the aisle today, I won't reach the end." Sally sighed. "I'm not sure if I want to marry him."