Survival of the Toughest

Christmas in Harrisburg

It had been a little over a month since the country club incident. Halloween passed, then Thanksgiving- which Dustin and I went over to The Arlington's for. Everything seemed dormant.

Nothing happened between Cecelia and myself. I guess she just acted on impulse that night. I was upset about it at first but got over it. Mr. Lombardi was slightly disappointed in her, however.

I threw on my blue jacket and stepped out into the cold bite of the fourth day of December. I was damn near blinded by the lights from the Wahls' Christmas decor across the street. Snow had started peppering the ground.

There was no school so I decided to go and look around for something to buy for my friends. They deserved it in my opinion, plus my money from the last bowling match had been granted to me by Mr. Marino, who was temporarily overseeing our ragtag bowling team. Not only that, with my current living situation, Christmas was almost nonexistent. I decorated and everything, just not really any presents. I'd usually just hang out with Dustin and Kerry in the basement. Sometimes either the Arlingtons or the Harlans would invite us over to their Christmas.

As I walked on, I could hear Christmas music block after block. I don't know if it was because I just happened to be poor and unfortunate or what but I always felt an emptiness this time of year. Maybe it was the thought of everyone with their families while all I had was drunk old Dad. I always wondered if Dustin felt that way too. Except he had siblings to make up for his lack of a father and his lack of a mother that loved him. I just happened to end up an only child.

Maybe I could come up with something. Maybe we'd have a huge Christmas party in the gym without anyone really knowing. Who knew? Definitely not me.

The rest of the day slipped through my hands as I skulked around town.

School was pretty much the same during the holiday season with the exception of the excessive decorations, and Angel singing every Christmas song that radio stations overplay. Every morning it was Mariah Carey. Poor Dustin wanted to rip out either Angel's vocal chords or his own ears.

Eva and I started hanging out more often. It seemed like we were somewhere together every Friday- thankfully without any comments about her backside.

Things had seemed to become dormant as the holidays drew closer. I hadn't seen either of the Dean brothers outside of school and Auston steered clear of me in school. I guess Mr. Lombardi's threat about them ending up like the Aldwin family was something they took seriously. I knew there was a family with that surname that basically ran Eldorado a long time ago but I had no idea of what happened to them. Granted, I didn't care to research it. The look on Mr. Arlington's face when Mr. Lombardi made that threat said enough- that it was a grave subject. One you didn't bring up at the dinner table. But yet, I wondered what Mr. Arlington knew about it.

That Tuesday, I was at Steam Cafe with Eva and the others after school. We had been discussing everything that had happened the past few months.

"Cecelia Lombardi, huh?" Alan chuckled.

"Okay nothing happened between us." I got defensive. "All I did was kiss her."

"Was it as good as the time you kissed my sister back in the day?" Ken laughed.

"Ken, really?"

"Ken, he's over your sister." Dustin smirked. "He's into mine now."

"Dustin!" I felt myself die inside.

"No way either of you are right." Rita said, looking up from her phone. "I think he's got a thing with Aunt Kei."

"Rita, why?"