𝟷𝟶

59 1 0
                                    

"Oh my gosh!" Theo yelled, eagerly tearing the neatly wrapped paper from his gift.

Festive paper sat pooled around the box. A large, plastic window on the front side of the package revealed a remote-controlled toy truck. Remy recalled Theo mentioning the toy months prior and had taken it upon herself to get it for him.

"You like it?" Remy's face lit with enthusiasm.

"Yes," He answered, catching Remy in a hug. "Thank you, Remy."

"I tweaked it," Remy explained. "Replaced some of the hardware. It should drive faster. And.." She pressed a button on the bottom of the toy, a green light illuminating the ground beneath. "Lights. Your favorite color."

"God forbid he use that in the house," Laura said, drawing a chuckle from her husband beside her.

Kate, sat cross-legged under the tree next to Remy, gave a grin in acknowledgment of the warm interaction. She hadn't spoken much to the family upon her arrival. Kate was quiet— cooly reserved in a way that made Remy feel as if she was acting awkward. How could somebody be so effortlessly intimidating?

Remy turned to face the archer and gave a light peck on the cheek. "I'll be in the kitchen," She said, standing up in pursuit of a hot drink.

The atmosphere was serene; The house was lit colorfully with Christmas lights and the kitchen smelled of snickerdoodles— Which Remy had decided were her favorite holiday cookie.

She stood humming along to the ambient Christmas music as she poured herself a cup of cider. "Hey," a voice greeted.

"Hi, Will." She fell anxious, picking at the skin surrounding her nail beds.

Remy, if she were being honest with herself, had been feeling tense all afternoon. She was left injured and concussed from her previous battles and didn't plan on staying at her brother's house long enough for him to notice something was wrong.

Small bruises remained on her under-eyes and her cheekbone was marred with a hardly noticeable wound she'd obtained the night previous. Recalling her efforts to conceal her marks using makeup, Remy couldn't help but feel as though they were still visible.

"Thank you for coming," Will said, back rested against the fridge. "I miss you, Remy."

"I missed you too," she said, her tone sincere— almost apologetic.

Will smiled, retrieving his cup. "Kate."

"Stop," Remy pleaded, massaging her temple in embarrassment.

"She's nice," he spoke, returning to his serious front.

Remy smiled. "I know."

Kate sat at the wheel of Remy's car, driving cautiously back to her apartment. Remy, worn out from the day's festivities and emotions, had dozed off in the passenger seat.

Suddenly, a harsh impact jolted Remy awake. "Oh my God!" she screamed, her heart pounding as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

Kate watched in disbelief as a dark vehicle sped off into the night. "Are you okay?" she asked, pulling over to the side of the road.

"I'm fine," Remy replied, her voice trembling. "My car," she whined. They sat stunned in silence.

Kate took the initiative to order an Uber while Remy handled police questioning after their hit-and-run incident.

The ride to Kate's newly inherited apartment passed in near silence. Once in the backseat of the Uber, Kate glanced at Remy, who was staring out the window. "What a way to end Christmas, huh?" Kate said, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Is this funny?" Remy snapped, her tone bitter in a way Kate had never witnessed. "I can't afford to have that repaired," she spat. "In case you forgot, I'm part of the working class."

Kate studied her friend for a moment, realization dawning. "Shit. I'm sorry, Remy," she said, understanding the weight of Remy's stress. "I didn't mean to make light of it."

Remy sighed, her anger dissipating slightly. "It's not your fault," she understood. "I'm sorry, I'm just tense. I'm sorry," she repeated.

Kate nodded sympathetically. "We'll figure something out," she said, reaching over to squeeze Remy's hand.

Remy rested her hand on her fist, sighing to herself. She felt as the warmth of her breath saturated the back half of her hand.

"Thank you for inviting me today. Your family's nice."

"I know."

a little death ➴ ᵏᵃᵗᵉ ᵇⁱˢʰᵒᵖWhere stories live. Discover now