Triple Trouble

25|| A Ryder Holiday (P1)

r y d e r

Well, turns out, Julia really wasn't our sister after all. It was incredibly disheartening, confusing and painful.

See, our parents and Julia took a DNA test on the twenty first. Everyone was eager to see if we really were family, but we were all disappointed when we found out the results.

Unless there was some stupid slip-up, which, in fact, was incredibly unlikely to happen in a testing lab, Julia really was not our sister.

Mom, Alex and Lexi took it the hardest, and because we kind of had a triplet bond, I felt that pain too. It really was hard for them before, and it really wasn't much easier the second time around.

But enough of the sad things, I really wanted to just have a good day. I mean, it was Christmas.

That clearly was too much to ask for.

Alex was on the verge of letting the dam crack because we found out that Mom and Dad couldn't make it back home on time. They were stuck in New York because the snow was too strong for the plane to take off.

My sister's biggest fear ever since we were little was that one Christmas, Mom and Dad wouldn't be with us, and low and behold, it came true.

I remembered when we were around five years old, and Mom had a sudden emergency at one of her shops. Alex wouldn't stop crying until Dad got her a cake.

Which I probably ate around half of. She didn't mind though.

"I give up. She's crying right now. I need you to call Luke and tell him that Alex needs him right now," Lexi told me, entering my room from just being in her room with Alex.

I just cane to my room to get blankets for Alex because hers was thin, and she was shivering. She never really could handle the cold well. She always turned into a popsicle.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll call. Give this to Alex," I threw a blanket at my sister's direction before she left.

I took my phone out to call my friend to see if the poor guy could to get out of his house on Christmas day, so he could maybe help cheer up my sister. "Hey, dude, listen, I have a favor to ask."

I explained to him the situation we were in, most especially his girlfriend, and he said he'd come over after his family finished exchanging and opening presents.

Everyone in our house woke up really early on Christmas morning, like we always did, to open presents from each other.

I got my siblings the presents they always kept hinting on, and in return, they and my parents got me a car. Not just any car, a jet black Mercedes, that's what car.

Definitely an achievement unlocked. I didn't have to beg Jackson to let me drive his car anymore because mine was better.

Speaking of, Mom and Dad got him this watch that he'd been asking for, Alex, some fancy jewelry to add to her collection, Lexi, a limited edition pair of shoes and Paige a little Pomeranian puppy.

On another note, I'd gotten closer to Mia since we started to work together in Pre-Calc and Chemistry. She would help me with whatever I didn't get, and I'd help her too when she got confused with something.

"Hey, uh, Alex? I called Luke. He's going to come over as soon as he and his family finish their gift giving and whatnot. You'll be okay, yeah? We'll play like we used to again. We can run around the house. Cheer up. I don't like my baby sis crying," I lifted her head so she could look at me once I got to her, "Okay?"

She smiled. "Is that better? I think I'll be fine now. And about that game you were talking about, when can we start playing? Can we do it now?"

She almost never refused the chance to play something that wasn't video games with us.