You Belong With Me

Chapter 22

I wake up with a pounding headache and light shining in through the window.  When I wake up, I don’t move.  I know it’s Christmas morning, and my mom’s making her big breakfast with the girls, but I don’t wanna get up.  Everything with Nathan comes back, and my chest feels hollow when I know Louis went home for two days.  I roll over onto my side and turn my phone on.

“Hey sleepy head, breakfast is ready.” Alexa stands in the doorway.

I don’t move and she sits on the bed next to me. I look up at her. “Merry Christmas.”

“Exactly.  Merry Christmas. Now come downstairs and eat, it needs to be a good day.”

My phone buzzes from the two times Nathan called me, the three times he texted me, and when Lou called me.

“It’s already ruined.” I show Alexa my phone screen and she takes it out of my hands.

“Come on. Let’s go.” She finally gets me to go downstairs, and my mom pulls me into a big hug.

“Merry Christmas. You okay?”

“Yeah I’m good.”

“Well I made your favorite.” I smile and go to the table, and sure enough, there’s chocolate chip pancakes with powdered sugar and syrup with strawberries piled on top waiting for me.

After eating breakfast, my mom gathers everyone to the Christmas tree. All four of us practically get clothes, shoes, and jewelry for all of our presents.  Wrapping paper is everywhere on the floor, along with shirts, price tags, and shoe boxes.

“And these were left for you this morning.” My mom hands us four small wrapped boxes, wrapped in the same paper.

They’re all shaped slightly different, and we all exchange glances with each other.

“Same time?” They all nod.  ”Ready, go.” We all unwrap the boxes and the James Avery label stares back at us. We all look at each other in a shocked, yet ‘they’re so cute’ kind of way.

I slide off the top of the box, and the absolute perfect bracelet is sitting there.

We all hold ours up at the same time.  Hannah got earrings, Molly a ring, and Alexa a necklace. Strangely, they’re all what we wear most.

“Well look at that, they just know exactly what to get us.” I look at my mom and she holds her hands up in innocence.

“Merry Christmas girls.” She hugs each of us and we pile our stuff into our arms and bring it upstairs.

I check my phone, another missed call from Louis.  Nathan’s notifications are still there, I never checked them.  I put my phone up to my ear, calling Louis.

“What are you doing.” Molly looks at me seriously.

“Louis.”

“Ohh.” She really thought I was calling Nathan?

“Merry Christmas, babe.” A smile spreads across my face at the sound of his voice.

“Hi.”

“Did you like your gift?”

“It was perfect.”

“Did the other girls?”

“Well of course.”

“Have them call the boys, they’re getting antsy.”

“Hey!” I get the girls’ attention and point to their phones. “Is it nice to be home?”

“It’s extremely nice, but I want you to be here.”

“You know I’m not leaving my mom on Christmas.”