New Girl in Town

Chapter twenty-four

Elijah (Tue, Dec 23)

  The next day was Christmas. A day where families are supposed to gather together to celebrate. This was the first time Elisabeth wasn't going to celebrate Christmas with her family, and it was obvious she was hurt by the thought of not being united with her family. I could tell she was feeling awful that she'd be the only one who would celebrate all by herself while we'd be surrounded by our families...I hated to see her like this. When she was surrounded by lots of people, she wasn't letting it get to her that much, but when it was just Kate, Patrick, and I who were around her, she'd often space out, or even worse, tear up. There have even been times when she would cry herself to sleep.

 Sun, Dec 21

  It was a cold night. It must've been around 32 degrees outside because it was impossible to get through this weather without turning on the heat on its full percentage. Elisabeth and I had just gone to bed. I couldn't sleep that night, though. So many things were running through my head, they just wouldn't let me sleep in peace that night. Throughout the first hour of us having gone to bed, I'd hear someone sobbing silently. I couldn't easily figure out where the sound was coming from, it was too low for me. But then, it hit me. I remembered that this wasn't the first time I'd heard these sobs. I turned to the other side, only to see the pillow being wet. She was crying again. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, and let myself fall asleep with the thought that I was there to take care of her.

  Today was a day full of surprises. Unlike other families, we would do all of the cool and entertaining things on the day before Christmas, and we'd leave just the presents for Christmas instead. This year, it was Patrick and I's time to choose what we would do as a surprise to the others, and so we had decided to do something by ourselves, without the adults involved, since we were 6 teens in total, and it would be boring if the adults were to take part in this. 

  First things first, we let the ladies get themselves dressed - since it's almost impossible for us to get them to understand that there was no reason to get overdressed since we weren't gonna do anything 'that' big. We had the best friends - more like sisters at this point - that would help out each other in choosing what was best for the occasion, and we had the lovebirds, who...couldn't get ready without having a make-out session. And well, there were also Patrick and me, who were ready within the first...15 minutes - ridiculous, I know. Let me be honest, they all looked so fucking gorgeous, as if they were princesses, but Elisabeth looked like she was an exact copy of Snow White, in her own way. The way her dress matched with her shoes, and her purse, as well as the way she had styled her hair - a stunning bun - made it seem like she was a princess waiting for her prince Charming. Truth be told, though, she didn't need any prince. She chose to have one. And that was more powerful than anything else. 

  For this occasion, we had called an Uber to take us to our destination, since we were many people. I still remember their faces when they saw the limo parked outside Kate's house. They were all truly shocked. 

  "What's all this for?" Kate asked Patrick, still not having comprehended what was happening. All she got as a reply was a 'shh' sound, though, which seemed to have made her pissed at him. Classic Kate. Can never be satisfied unless she receives an answer. Lucy and Emily, on the other hand, rushed to the limo to take a seat. Elisabeth would give me quick looks while blushing. What they were all about to encounter was bigger than anything else they had encountered so far. 

  The ride to our destination was about an hour since it was a pretty popular place around California. Our young lovebirds would look around from the windows and would comment on everything they saw - since everything they saw was interesting. Kate and Elisabeth would chat from time to time, but they mostly focused on us. It was as if they were dreaming of having such a night, you could see it in their eyes.

  "We're here!!" Patrick said in excitement while helping Kate get out of the limo. He slowly started walking down the red carpet that was on the ground while holding Kate's hand. Elisabeth quickly realized what was happening, and she turned to me. 

  "We-we'll be staying here...?" she asked me, her voice cracking. I looked at her and threw the biggest grin I ever had. 

  "Surprise!"

  "No way..." tears of happiness were already forming in her eyes. She pulled herself into my arms, and then looked up at me. "Thank you, thank you...Oh my lord, this is the best Christmas present I've ever received. This is so...thank you," she continued, a huge smile forming on her lips. Staying in one of the most expensive hotels in California for the night was indeed a huge surprise. 

  

  The inside of the hotel was even bigger than it looked outside. The walls were painted with a yellowish-like color, looking almost golden. On the right side of the hotel was the reception, and on the left side was a huge door, probably leading to the ballroom. In the middle were a huge staircase, one on the left and one on the right side of the room. right under it was the elevator, but it didn't seem like any of us actually wanted to take the elevator, so we casually walked up the stairs. 

  Our rooms were all on the last floor of the hotel - yes, we did take the elevator to reach the last floor, there was no way we'd be able to walk the stairs of 15 floors. We had booked the business suites for the night since it was a Christmas surprise, after all. It cost us a fortune, and I mean, a fucking fortune. We almost had no chance of actually booking these suites, as they were meant to be kept for special people only, but after my parents had a negotiation with the receptionist, we managed to arrange to book these specific rooms. 

  "Hope you brought your bikinis because we're going for a swim!" Patrick said with enthusiasm, waiting for the girls to nod to his words, but they instead looked at each other in confusion. Emily suddenly burst in with four bikini sets in her hand.

  "How many times have I told you all to always be prepared for all case scenarios? Ugh..you just never listen, do you?" she said in annoyance, and we all laughed at how right she was. Best Christmas ever, here we come!