Twelve Dates of Christmas (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1

Author's Note: 

I know I haven't updated Unraveling Destinies in a while, but this story just hit me one day.  I haven't had a lot of free time because of college, but I wanted to at least get a chapter up, so I could get feedback about posting other chapters on this.  I probably won't be able to update this story or my other one until about the 2nd week of October.  I wanted to see if I should try to have this story all posted before Christmas and post every so often or do it on December 12, so there would be a chapter published every day until it ended on Christmas Eve? 

Also want to mention that this is unedited.

Tell me what you think.  I hope you enjoy this!

~

Around three years earlier in Nashville, Tennessee-

It was finally Christmas Eve.  I knew four a.m. was pretty early to be opening Christmas presents, well Christmas Eve presents technically. I mean I am fourteen, but Christmas was my favorite holiday. My family always opened presents the morning before, not always this early, but if they want to see me open presents, four a.m. it is.

I raced toward my mom’s and dad's bedrooms and banged on their door.  “Come on! Get up!” I grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door open.  I looked at their bed and it was empty.  I was always the first one up on Christmas Eve.  I started to make my way towards the staircase, when I heard my parents fighting.  I snuck down towards the general vicinity of the shouting.

“How could you do this to us?!” my mom shouted.  Her dark brown hair was sticking to her face.  “It’s Christmas Eve!  Where are you going?” she grabbed his arm.  “Let me guess.  You’re going to your assistant’s house aren’t you?!”  Her face was overflowing with tears.  I immediately felt hollow. 

I knew my parents were fighting a lot lately, but they usually got over it quickly.  Maybe, they only appeared to get over things.  I became frantic and ran towards my dad before he could even speak.  “Dad, what is she talking about?”  Each second that passed, I felt my breathing becoming more rapid.

He wouldn’t even look at me.  He pulled out of my grasp, and just as I was getting ready to latch onto him again, he looked at my mom, “Expect to get divorce papers in the mail soon.”  Without another glance, he walked out of the house.

True to his word, the papers came the day after Christmas. My mom didn’t even open the envelope. She started to stuff her clothes in a suit case and told me to do the same.

She wouldn’t speak to me until she finished packing her bags.  “Come on.  I’ll help you pack.”  She grabbed my hand and headed to my bedroom.

“Where are we going?”  I looked up at her, waiting for her to say something.

“To Mistletoe, Colorado,” she said with forced emotion.

December 11, 2012 in Mistletoe, Colorado -

Even to this day, I still can’t believe my mom left Nashville to live in a town that celebrated Christmas 24/7.  My dad left on Christmas Eve, and she wanted to live in a place that would constantly remind her of what happened… and me. 

I hated Christmas with a passion.  I never felt the same way about Christmas since he left.  Now, every day, I think about what happened. The town is always decorated with wreaths, Christmas lights, and had contests every so often to get everybody in the Christmas mood, even when it was summer!

I don’t see how a whole town could operate just focusing on Christmas.  All of the shops sold Christmas items: snow globes, reindeer antlers, hot chocolate, and about anything else someone could think of, this town had it.  Okay, I am a big fan of the hot chocolate, but I have to travel two hours just to buy clothes that don’t have Christmas trees on them. I mean obsessive much?!