22 letters

Chapter 2

December 25th. The worst day of the year in my opinion. Being the middle child you don't get so much as a second glance. Well that's what it's like for me anyway.

5a.m. and I have a five year old and a four year old jumping up and down on my bed with smiles stretching from ear to ear, holding their red stockings in my face. My cousins can be annoying most of the time, but you learn to love them.
"Look what Santa got me Tay Tay!"
"No look in mine first!"
Kayleigh and Max, they could talk for Wales.

"Why don't you go show the boys? I bet they'd love to see all your chocolate and sweets" I say and they immediately stop arguing mid sentence. They turn to each other, smile, then turn back to me and nod their heads vigorously. They jumped off my bed and ran out of the room, Max making sure he closes the door behind him because he knows how much I hate it when people leave my door open. He's the only one in the house that understands and he's five for God's sake!

I hear their feet patter down the hallway first, then the creaking of a door open and close. The next thing, I had to struggle not to laugh at.

"It's 5 in the morning get back to sleep!" Jack has never been a morning person. Especially not a five in the morning person. "If you want to show anyone what you got, Taylor's down the hall"

"BUT JACK!!!! SHE SAID YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT WE GETED!!"

*~*~*~*

Finally 7a.m. came and our parents let everyone downstairs to see what they got. Kayleigh, Max and Jack dived under the tree looking for their presents and any ones they came across that weren't theirs, they threw over their shoulders. Even though he's sicteen, Jack is a big kid. Harvey however, is the complete opposite. Everyone gets them mixed up and I don't know why, they look nothing alike.

Harvey and me sit on the sofa, I scroll through my Twitter news feed while Harvey watches TV while texting his girlfriend. Multitasking skills there.

I heard a few gasps from the three children at my feet, half way under the tree. There's wrapping paper and ribbon everywhere. My dad walks in and hands me and Harvey a mug of hot chocolate each and sits down on the other sofa, switching on Friends.

Jack hits my foot and knocks my slipper flying across the room. He look at me, disgusted, back down at a small box in his hand and back up at me.

"Hey! What was that for!" I got to pick up my slipper, put it back on my foot and return to my usual position on the sofa.

"There's two presents here for you" he hands them both to me. The first is about the side of my hand and a rectangular shape. It's white with a red ribbon tied around it. I undid the ribbon and pulled off the top of the box. Inside was another note.

Before I met you, I never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason. Now, I do

I tuck it into the pocket of my trousers and look at the next box. This one is also white but it had a yellow and red ribbon tied around it. I, once again, undid the ribbon and removed the lid from the box. All I could do was gasp. Inside was the prettiest necklace I'd ever seen. It was silver with two chains. Hanging from one was a heart and from the other was a small silver ball. I hadn't ever seen anything like it. But who was it from...?