Christmas Chronicles (Before Christmas)

Chapter 3

*Second week of December*

So Teddy has been out with his friends a lot. I haven't seen him since Thanksgiving which was three weeks ago. I keep stopping by his house, and he is never there. Claire asked me if I could watch Kate while she was at work, or at least until Teddy got home. So I said I would. I'm currently on my way to their house. 

*At the house*

"Hey!" Claire said while opening the front door. "Hey Mrs. Pierce!" "Thank you so much for helping me out. Teddy has been out all week so I haven't had the chance to ask him to watch Kate." "I get it. Plus I love spending time with Kate." "Great, well I have to get going. Make sure Kate is in bed by 9. And Teddy shouldn't be home to late. Probably like 10 or 11." "Got it." "Okay then." She went and said goodbye to Kate and then she left for work. "Hey Kate!" I said as she walked into the front room. "Hey Emma." "So, how have you been?" "Okay. I'm doing a lot better since dad... well you know. But I just wish Teddy wasn't such a jerk!" She always loved Teddy. Why is she so upset now. "What do you mean?" "Well when dad first died he was so quiet which I understood. Then all of a sudden he is going out and he is acting like everything is normal, and not to mention he's hanging out with those stupid gangster friends of his. He doesn't even care to talk to me, but when he does he just says things like, 'You can't ride skateboards. Your a girl.' I just don't get it." "Gangster friends?" "Yeah, these stupid guys who drink beer and hang out outside of gas stations talking to random people trying to get money off of them." "Oh." "Yeah, that's not even the worst of it. I heard one of the guys steals a bunch of cars. I wouldn't be surprised if Teddy was now helping him do it. I don't understand why you are dating a guy like him." Everything went quiet and then I looked at my watch. I cleared my throat and then said, "It's almost your bedtime. Why don't you go get changed and brush your teeth and I can braid your hair before you go to bed." "Oh, Okay." She went upstairs and a few moments later she came back down. "Okay i'm pretty much ready for bed." I smiled and then she sat in front of me so I could braid her hair. After I braided her hair I said, "Okay, all done." "Thanks. Goodnight." She said while standing up. "Goodnight." I said before she hugged me. "Just so you know, I didn't mean what I said about you dating Teddy." I didn't say anything. We let go and she walked up her stairs. I sat back on the couch and went onto my phone waiting for Teddy to get back.

*12 AM*

I had been waiting for Teddy to get back. I ended up being there way longer than I thought I would be. I was told Teddy should be home by ten, eleven at the latest. It's now midnight and I am still waiting for him to get here. A few moments later I heard the door unlock and then open. "Your an hour late." I said as the dark figure walked closer. "Emma?" "Yeah, your mom asked me to baby sit Kate since you were out with your friends. Or as Kate calls them, Your gangster friends." "Kate can just put a sock in it. I can explain." "Explain what? Why you are an hour late. Why you have been avoiding me. Why you have been so rude to Kate. Why you smell like you dumped beer all over your clothes. Which one is it?" We stood there quietly until I said, "Let's just start with one question. Why were you out so late?" "I didn't realize what time it was." "Why have you been avoiding me?" "I thought you were still mad about what happened on Thanksgiving." "Why have you been so rude to Kate?" "She deserves it every now and then." "Why do you smell so strong of beer?" I asked and he didn't reply. "No answer?" "I was being stupid, and had a couple drinks." My hands were shaking of frustration. "Where did you get the alcohol?" "From a friend." "A friend?!? No friend would give another friend alcohol when their seventeen just because. Either you asked for it, or it was peer pressure. Which was it?" "You know I don't have to explain myself to you." "What happened to you?" "What?" "You used to be so much fun to be around. Now all you want to do is drink with people are going to wrong you in one way or the other." "You don't know what your talking about." "I obviously do." I could see he was getting angry. Then he slammed his hand on the wall right behind me. I flinched, I thought he was about to hit me. I then saw his eyes soften. "You thought I was going to hit you?" "I wouldn't put it past you." I started to walk off and then Teddy put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Wait." I shook his hand off my shoulder and said, "Goodnight. We can talk about this when your sober." I ran out of the house and got in my car. I drove to my house and went straight to my room.

*In the morning*

I woke up to my phone blowing up. I looked over and saw it was Teddy.

T: Please talk to me.

T: There is a lot for me to explain.

T: I promise I was never going to hit you. I never ever will!

T: Please just answer me.

T: Emma, please. I need and want to make things right.

E: If you want to make things right, you would stop everything. You would stop drinking, you would stop hanging out with those friends of yours and you would stop being rude to your sister. And you would tell me why you were drinking. I need to know if there was peer pressure involved or if you just wanted to drink. And if you did want to drink I want to know why. You told me you hated alcohol.

T: I wanted to drink. I don't know why but I just did. I'm sorry.

E: Yeah well that sorry would be a lot better if you didn't do that many things wrong. But you did.