STARKID Locked in for Christmas

c h a p t e r f o u r

《DARREN》

I left the closet furious. I could hear Lauren crying on the other side. I heard the door leading to the lobby close.

"HEY!" I yelled. I ran after Joe. I'm not even cold, because of all the anger rushing through my body. I push the door open forcefully.

"Ha, no luck with the door." He says nervously.

"What the hell man!" I yelled at him.

"Darren, It was an accident." He pleaded.

"You were my best friend." I said looking at him with disgust.

"Look hate me forever, but forgive Lauren, it was all my fault."

"I can't believe you would do this to me." I yelled as I tried to open the door. "Dammit why won't these open!" I yelled then beat on the glass.

"Darren calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do, you have ruined enough, just leave." And without a second word he left. I slid down in front of the doors and cried. The one thing I wanted to do ever since we were locked in, I tried to put on a brave face but I can't any more. I just want to go home.

《JOEY》

Joe walked back in but no Darren. The room was silent the only noise was coming from to fire popping.

"Where is Darren?" Lauren asked while crying.

"In the lobby." Joe said sitting down.

"You left him to freeze." Lauren said raising her voice.

"He told me to." Joe replied raising his as well.

"Stop it you two!" Brian yelled. "Joey go find Darren and convince him to come back in here before he gets hypothermia."

I didn't say anything I just left, I couldn't believe what just happened. It was freezing out side our little closet. I walked up to the door of the lobby, I could see Darren. He was sitting up aginst the doors with his face buried in his hands. I opened the door and walked in. Darren looked up, his face was red, either because of the cold, he was crying, or both.

"Hey." I said sitting down beside him.

"I want to go home." Darren said. "I'm done with all this bull shit, I just want to go home and be with my family."

"You don't think that, that's what we all want." I told him. "Look what happened was wrong, but we have to move past it, and it's going to be hard because they are your friends but-" He cut me off.

"I love her." Darren said looking at me.

"Then tell her."

"No, I gave her my trust and she blew it."

"Darren, Joe kissed her, she said it came out if nowhere, she didn't even kiss back. And if you really love her then you would forgive her."

"I just don't know what to do."

"Well what we need to do is go back to where it's warm before we get hypothermia." I told him. Darren nodded and we walked back into closet and rejoined everyone else.

Lauren was still silently crying. Joe had moved onto the couch with Brian. And me and Darren sat on the other one. It was silent except for Laurens sniffling every now and then.

《Lauren》

Everyone else is asleep but me. I took Jaime's phone to check for signal, still nothing. I look at the time 12:41.

"Merry Christmas freaking eve." I wisper to myself. I stand up and walk to the fire and put another pice of wood on it. I stand there and look at the dancing flames.

"I love you Lauren." A soft voice says. I look up and I see Darren standing across from me.

"I - I -" I choked out, totally thrown off by what he said.

"Shh, Lauren I acted out because I love you." Darren said softly.

"So does that mean-"

"I don't know, I'm still hurt, not about the kiss, that was his fault, but the fact that you found out about your parents and you didn't tell me. Me your boyfriend." Darren said. I hung my head in shame. He was right, I should have turned down Joe and called him.

"I'm sorry." I said. Trying to hold back the tears. Darren didn't say anything he just looked at me hurt then turned and sat back down. A tear fell down my face as I went back to the mattress and sat down. I looked at Jaime's phone again. Still no signal.

《DYLAN》

I woke up to the smell of pancakes, what a beautiful Christmas Eve. Currently my whole family is at my grandparents house in Michigan, it's about an hour away from the University so it didn't take me that long to get here. I got dressed and walked down stairs.

"Good morning Dyl sleep good?" My grandmother asked me.

"Like a rock, am I the first one up?" I asked her.

"Yes you are so you get the first batch." My grandmother said setting a plate of pancakes down.

"Well the early bird does get the worm." I told her then began eating.

When I finished eating I put my plate in the sink and went to sit in the living room. My phone started ringing as soon as I sat down.

"Hello." I answered.

"Dylan it's Meredith."

"What's up." I asked her.

"Have you heard from Brian, Joe, Lauren, Darren, Jaime, or Joey?" She asked in a worried tone.

"Well now that I think about it no I haven't, why what's wrong?"

"Are you still in Michigan?"

"Yea my Grandparents live here and we are hanging about big Christmas at there house."

"You need to go to the campus."

"What, why."

"Darren was supposed to be on the 8 o'clock flight with me to California, and he wasant. Jaime's mom has called me about thirty times, worried sick about Jaime. I've also meet Joeys mom and she is over at Darrens house worrying. I've gotten calls from both Brian and Joe's parents. None of them turned up home."

"Well what do you think happened?"

"Well I feel like they started cleaning the closet out but never left."

"Meredith, they never left because the doors were set to lock after 5pm."

"Oh God. What- what if there-" I didn't let her finish that sentence.

"Meredith I'm leaving right now." I told her then hung up.