ANOTHER LONELY DECEMBER, Riley Johnson

Eventful Party

🎧: Christmas is all around - Billy Mack

Harper walked down the stairs, I could feel the tension between them and I wanted no part of it so I went to sit down on the couch, pulling my phone out of my back pocket. Although I did not want to listen, I did overhear their conversation. Harper was asking question about where Abby had spent her day. The questions weren't weird but the way she asked definitely was, like she tried to figure out if Abby was hiding something.

Thankfully, Tipper cut their conversation short as she desperately tried to gather her family in the living room so they could get their stupid Christmas picture taken. Eventually, guests started filling the house, making it easier to avoid Harper and her parents. Sloane got busy trying to sell her gift baskets. Ted and Tipper used Harper to keep impressing the people they were already with the nights before. From an outside perspective, it looked like a skit.

I had to get myself a stronger drink when Sloane's twins started singing Silent Night. They really did creep me out. Plus, I was actually upset about the mall incident. We knew they were responsible, even Sloane knew, but it was easier to blame us adults than her spoiled children. I discreetly looked around the room, trying to see if Riley had arrived. She still hadn't, or at least she wasn't in the living room. Her being there would make this torture so much easier to endure... She was probably with her family, enjoying her time with her before going home. In that moment I wished I could have been doing that, spending time with my family, with Abby, without any worry or struggle. A gentle hand placed on my lower back made me turn around.

"What are you drinking?" the brunette asked nodding towards my half-empty glass.

"I have no idea, it's strong and spicy" I describe the weird taste of the beverage I had been sipping on for the past few minutes.

"Gross, give me some" she smiled as she took the glass from my hands and emptied it in one long sip.

"Sure, go ahead and finish it" I chuckled. Her cheeks blushed slightly. Abby walked up to us, an empty glass in her hand.

"I need another one" she sighed; we both nodded and made our way to the small bar Tipper had set up in the corner of the room. I could feel someone observing us as we chatted, leaning against the bar. I slightly turned around and my eyes met Harper's. She seemed confused, definitely upset, she was trying to read on our lips. She obviously didn't like the sight of her girlfriend and ex-girlfriend having drinks together, how ironic...

Riley was telling some story about how she kept on faking to believe in Santa when she was a kid because she could see how invested her parents were. I was listening, or at least I was trying. My attention was on my sister. Her eyes wouldn't leave Harper who was too busy talking with her high school friends to come and hang out with her. At this point I thought it wasn't even their relationship she was hiding, she was hiding Abby, the one woman she's supposed to put above anyone else. She shoved her back in the closest so she could regress to her high schooler self.

"Like so bad fort them that I eventually... I murdered them" Riley said, bringing back to the conversation.

"What?" I almost yelled surprised by the words that had just left her mouth.

"That sounds fun" Abby mumbled, taking another sip of her third or maybe fourth drink.

"You two are just not... here. What's happening?" Riley asked, eyes going from one of us to the other, waiting for an answer. That's when Connor walked in the room, always choosing his moment. He went to Harper who greeted him in a friendliest way than she'd greeted any of us these past few days. Abby's face betrayed her thoughts, she was deeply and truly sick of all this.