Blue Christmas

Chapter 1- "I'm just a phone call or text away."

I let out a sigh of relief as the final bell rings, signalling the end of the school day. I walk down a flight of stairs and out the front door. I walk over to a bench and sit, subconsciously shaking my leg up and down. I pull out my phone and check my messages, three from my mom and two from my boyfriend. I click on my mom's messages:

Mom: Hey, I'm heading to the store, do you need anything?

Mom: I'm serious, I'll get you anything you want.

Mom: Clothes, shoes, food, anything

I run my hand through my long, brown hair and ignore the texts. I get ready to click the messages from Zeke, but get interrupted when a pair of hands go over my eyes, "guess who!"

I pull the large, sweaty hands from my face and get up, "I thought you had practice today," I say with a smile as I fall into Zeke's tall, muscular figure.

"Coach is giving us the day off. Plus, I thought we could use some time to talk. Date night?"

I follow Zeke as he heads towards his car, "what do you want to talk about?"

We walk to the senior parking lot and I open the passenger door to his car, "well, I know your worried about your dad..."

"I don't want to talk about it," I say immediately, no hesitation, crossing my arms.

"Ally, your dad has been away for a month now and you haven't talked to anyone about it," I watch him put his key in the ignition. "I'm worried about you. I have no idea what you're going through and I want to make sure you're okay."

I look down at my feet and don't say anything. I start to shake my leg again as I feel the heater fill the car with warm, comfortable heat. Zeke places his hand on my leg and I run my tiny fingers across his large knuckles, "I know you're worried about me, but you said it yourself, you don't know what I'm going through."

He starts to back his car up and moves onto the street. "I just want to be there for you. You know that I'm here for you, right?"

I lean back and let my hair fall in my face, nodding my head, "yeah, I do. It's just, my dad has never missed the holidays, he wasn't here for Thanksgiving and now he's not going to be here for Christmas."

"Hey, at least he's keeping others in mind, he's keeping our soldiers alive."

"But what if something happens to him! Zeke! He could die! I don't know what I'd ever do without him; not hearing him say my name every day when I walk into my house, it hurts, Zeke, really bad."

He parks his car in the Target parking lot, "even if something does happen, you still have your mom and I."

We get out of the car in unison and I walk by his side, leaning into his shoulder, "it's going to be so different not seeing you in the halls next year."

"Hey, I'm not going out of town, I'm staying right here."

"Aren't there other girls your age, though"

"Yeah, but none of them are you," he pulls me to his side and drapes an arm around me as we walk in the parking lot and smiles at me. I look down at my feet and frown, he rubs my shoulder, "if you ever need to talk to anyone, I'm just a phone call or text away."