desertion

36

After the toy drive, I take Julian and Isabelle home. Me, Miles, and Nathaniel are going to get lunch together. I want to stay out of the house for as long as possible. "Thanks, Lyds!" Julian says as I pull into his driveway. "No problem." I say as he gets out of the car.

"Alright. What's wrong?" Nate asks. "What do you mean?" I ask, starting to reverse. "Don't play dumb. You've been off ever since your grandmother came. You were literally crying when you got back." Miles says. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I handled it." I say.

"Your version of handling is different than mine." Nate says. I look at him in the mirror, confused. "You run away from your problems, Lyds. As much as I hate to tell you that, you do." Nate says. "I know I do. It's hard confronting problems in my family. It always has been." I say.

"It will blow over." I say. "It's Christmas Eve. We should be dancing to Rocking Around the Christmas Tree but your grandmother is making you feel like crap. I've learned that's all she does." Miles says. "I'm fine. I'm used to it." I say. "And who said we couldn't dance to Rocking Around the Christmas Tree?" I ask, turning on my Bluetooth.

Nate laughs as I turn on the song.

**********

We walk into the diner and we're seated at a booth. "What are you going to get?" Miles asks as he sits beside me. "I don't know." I say, shrugging my shoulders. They start talking about something as I zone out. I think about everything that just happened. I kind of yelled at my grandma. Not just kind of, I did.

I'm definitely dead when I get home. Dad will probably be mad at me too. What have I gotten myself into?

*********

After we finished eating, I dropped the both of them off before heading back to the house. I pull into the driveway and just sit there. I take a deep breath before taking my keys out of the ignition then getting out. "You got this." I whisper under my breath before walking up to the front door.

I open the door and walk inside. Grandma and Anna are sitting on the couch watching a show and Grandpa and Aunt Sophia are with Christopher at the dining room table.

I walk down the hall and go into my room. I put my keys in my nightstand drawer before grabbing clothes then heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

*******

After my shower, I go to my room and sit at my desk, opening my laptop and turning on a show.

My phone rings from my bed and I get up and pick it up. "Hello?" I say. "Hey." Nate says. "Nate? Is something wrong?" I ask. "No. Just wanted to check on you. You barely talked at lunch." Nate says.

"Oh. I'm fine. Just tired." I say. "You can keep saying you're fine, but me and him both know you're not." Nate says. "Who's him?" I ask. "Miles. We talked about it just a few minutes ago. He seems worried about you. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not." Nate says.

"I'm fine, really. I don't like Christmas. Never have." I say. "Why's that?" Nate asks. "I just never really had a good Christmas. My family has always ruined it somehow." I say with a small laugh. "Well, this year will be different. We'll make sure of it." Nate says.

"I have to go. But, please reach out if you need anything. I don't care how late it is, Lyds." Nate says. "I will." I say. "Bye." He says before hanging up the phone.

I lay down on my bed and just start scrolling on my phone. Eventually, I fall asleep, the light in my room dimming.