Merry, merry Christmas to you too. [[changin tittle]]

Chapter 1 – 1

When I think of the perfect Christmas, I think of snow-angel and snowball fight filled days and hot chocolate, sitting by the fire nights. I think of waking up at the crack of dawn, getting mom and dad out of bed, opening stockings and presents. I think about Mom fixing her famous homemade Belgium waffles.2

This Christmas is sure to be different, mom assured me of that. I know Christmas will always be different from now on. I know everything will be different from now on, because dad died. I hadn’t really thought it through. I was afraid if I really thought about it my emotions would spin out of control. I was always in control with my emotions, and it was going to stay that way.3

Just days before our departure my mom had booked a small quaint cottage up north or at least that’s what she told me. Literally, the only thing that she had told me about this trip was that we were going to say in a quaint cottage that was up north.4

After an extensive car ride we have finally arrived here or at least that what I assume. Moms’ not even in the car right now; maybe she’s getting our stuff from the trunk. The passenger window is iced on the outside and the fogged on the inside. I smear a circle into the foggy window, yet I still see nothing because of the frost on the outside. I just realize that I must have fallen asleep while mom was driving. It’s already nine a clock PM, I observe from my clock on my phone that has no service.5

I open the car door, which seems to be almost frozen shut. The snow-covered ground seems a bit high, but I don’t pay much attention to that. But then again, maybe the sleepy daze I’m in is just clouding my common sense, because I seem to have one foot in a foot of snow. This is the way I see it, either get back in the car and wait out the almost two week vacation, or run inside, getting my feet and brand-new shoes wet in the process. I take the second route; I dash to the front porch just as mom opens the door. I practically fall into mom, but she puts out her hands so I screech to a halt.6

“I was just coming to wake you up.” She tells me.7

“Oh. When were you going to tell me that there was so much snow?” I ask her. There is probably over a foot of snow. Was there a blizzard right before we arrived? Don’t get me wrong, I like snow. I really do, but this was just a little over my head. I’m no snow bunny.8

“Don’t you love it though?” she asks, not so much would be my answer, but I don’t say anything. I thought I really did like snow, but now that I realize it; I’m actually not too fond of it. Yeah, a few inches here and there were nice. A few days of looking through a window, where it’s warm, at the snow, that’s cold. I didn’t like snow when my foot had been deep in it, and afterward soaking wet. Yeah, didn’t like it so much then.9

“Where are my bags?” I ask. All I want to do is just snuggle up with layers and layers of blankets.10

“Their right around the corner” She tells me, and points to the petite enclosed kitchen area. I walk over, and find my two medium-sized rolling luggages. I roll them around the small cabin. Hmm, maybe I should look around before I cart around my heavy baggage. Oh well!11

I’d say that the whole cabin was about 700 square feet or so, but I’m no house expert. I already saw the kitchen, which was quite nice. I walk to a small area that seems to be a living room. There’s a plaid loveseat, and an identical reclining chair, sitting in front of a natural wood burning fireplace. There’s a scarlet oval-shaped rug in between the couch and the fireplace. It matches the red in the plaid on the couch and chair. There’s also a bookcase on the wall behind the reclining chair, and it seems to have some very old books, maybe their even dusty.12

There’s a door on the wall behind the small couch. I open the door, and it’s a bathroom. Shower, toilet, sink. An odd place for a bathroom to be. You would have to walk in a towel through the living room if you took a shower.13

There’s a narrow hall through the living room, leading to two separate bedrooms. I open the first and only door to the left. A twin bed, one side table on each side of the bed, a creamy white tall dresser that is the same color as the bed and sheets, and there’s a closet door in one of the corners.14

I walk back out into the slim hallway, and open the other door. It creaks, and makes me notice that the hall way was a little creaky too. This room is a bit smaller than the one before, and looks even smaller because there’s a double canopy bed instead of a twin. The décor and color theme is different too. The bed, two bed side tables, dresser, and window sill are a light pale pink, instead of a creamy white color. It looks like the canopy has a tear in it at the top, but not like that matters really. On the bed post connecting to the canopy there’s a few painted on black tiny roses, but are pretty faded. I don’t know why it catches my attention, but it does. I just think it is a cute little detail.15

“What room do you want?” I yell throughout the cottage, but I don’t think I needed to yell as loud as I did since it is so small.16

“The first one of the left.” She shouts back. Score!!!17

I really like the room I get. It just has an era to it. I roll my suitcases to the end of my bed, and top one on the other one. I open the one on top, and dig through it until I grab out a pair of grey baggy sweatpants, and a black long sleeve cotton shirt. I slip into the Pajamas, and stuff the clothes I’d been wearing into the suitcase. I shut the suitcase, and climb over into my bed. I crawl beneath the covers, and switch the black table lamp off. The moonlight leaks into the room, casting a dim light on the wall. 18

Before I even realize I’ve fallen asleep I wake up to the faint aroma of fresh pancakes. I breathe in the air, and realize their chocolate chip. When did my mom even get the food? I heave myself out of bed, and walk to the dining room slash kitchen, where I see mom tending to the pancakes over the stove. The aroma is even stronger in the kitchen. 19

“Smells good.” I say to her. 20

“Thank you, Are you hungry?” Mom asks me. I hadn’t really felt hungry, until she asked me. 21

“Oh yeah.” I reply back. 22

“Sit down, and I’ll bring it over to you in a minute.” She commands. I glance over at the table and notice it’s already set. Two plates, plastic ware, maple syrup, butter, and two glasses of orange juice. I walk over to the table and sit down. Three minutes later my mom is coming towards me with the pan in hand. She slides two chocolate chip pancakes onto my plate, and walks back to the stove. I pour an excessive amount of syrup onto the plate, and dig in! The first bite is the best out of all. I eat all of two pancakes, and drink my glass of orange juice before Mom even got to eat. 23

The door bell rang, and I could see two shadowy figures outside. Who would know that we were here this early? Maybe the people that rented it out to us? Yeah, that’s got to be it.24

Mom was just finishing up her breakfast, so I hurry to the front door. I open to see an older woman around her 40s, and possibly her daughter, probably around my age (sixteen). 25

“Hi . . .” I trail off. Who were these people? They couldn’t be the people who rented the cottage out to us, because mom had told me an old couple owns the place on the car ride over here. 26

“Hello, we heard you were staying for Christmas. We just came by to say welcome, well for the time being. And I brought you and your mother some sugar cookies.” The older woman tells me, handing me a large plate wrapped in tin foil.27

“Thanks. Would you like to come in?” I ask, not for the sake of being polite, but every other second another burst of negative a million degree freezing air comes in. 28

“Sure.” The mother says again, and her and her daughter steps inside. I shut the door behind them. 29

Mom finally comes in to greet who ever was at the door; I’m not quite sure who these people are yet. 30

“Hello!” Mom says cheerfully and shakes both of the women’s hands. 31

“So, what’s your name?” I strike up a conversation with the girl, while our moms are chatting away. 32

“Danni, what’s yours?” she responds, she seems to be glad we are talking.33

“Roxanne, but you can call me Rox, or Roxy.” I tell her. 34

“You want to show me around?” She asks.35

“Sure.” I say. I lead her through the kitchen and set down the cookies on the counter, and continue through dining room, hall, and bedrooms. There’s not much to show really. We walk back into the kitchen. 36

“How long are you staying?” 37

“Just 2 weeks, Christmas break.” I tell her. She seems pretty nice, really genuine. Not like anyone back home. Her voice is almost as soft as her light brown hair looks. It’s probably layered, but is in a pointy tail right now. She is a bit taller than I am, but that’s not a real surprise since I’m 5’3”. Her skin is really fair, and I’m guessing that’s because there’s not much sun over here. 38

“Hey. . . How’d you and your mom find out we were here anyways?” I ask Danni.39

“News travels fast in this small town.” She tells me. 40

“How small is this town?” I ask Danni, wondering how long this vacation will feel like. 41

“Small enough that everyone already knows you’re here. Not that many people come here to vacation.” She tells me. I don’t blame them, I’m pretty sure I never want to come here again, no matter how nice this girl is. It’s just too darn cold.42

“Oh wow. . .” I trail off. We see her mom motioning for her to come, and I fallow Danni to the door.43

“We should defiantly hang out. It’s not everyday a new girl comes to town, even if it’s just for a few weeks.” She says as she walks out the door with her mom. My mom and I say our goodbyes to them, and shut the door behind the two. 44

“Well, they were nice.” My mom comments.45

“Yeah, Danni was nice. I think we’ll hang out tomorrow or something.” I say to my mom. 46

“That’s good, I’m glad you’ve already made a friend.” She replies back. A friend? I’m not so sure we are exactly friends, but I’m not going to say that to mom. 47

“Yeah . . . So what are you going to do all day?” I ask her.48

“I think I’ll just sit by the fire and relax.” She tells me. Can you say dull?49

“How boring. . .” I say softy, but I think she heard me. What could I do all day? I mean, I’d be here for two weeks yet I couldn’t even find one thing to do on the first day. I flip open my phone, and still there is no service. I walk all over until there is service, or the little I can get. The prime spot is in the middle of the hallway. What a lovely place to talk on the phone. . . I dial my best friend, Janey’s phone number.50

“Hey . . .” She answers.51

“It’s Roxy. What’s up?” I say to her. I hear some sound in the background. Maybe a new make-out buddy? Don’t put it past Janey; she’s all for dating around. It was more likely to be a guy, than a television running.52

“Not much, how’s your little town so far? I miss you! You need to come back . . .” She replies with a great deal of enthusiasm in her voice. 53

“It’s boring, there’s nothing to do . . .” I find myself complaining about the vacation after not even being here for a day, never mind sleeping for over half of it. 54

“Any cute boys?” She shoots right into her favorite subject. I laugh.55

“Not that I know of, I’ll keep you posted. What are you doing?” I ask.56

“You know same old same old.” She says. That’s code for boy time.57

“That kind of same old same old?” I ask Janey, knowing exactly what she was doing. I wonder if this ones a keeper. Probably not, knowing her. She hasn’t stayed with a guy for more than one week. 58

“You know. Speaking of that, I was kind of in the middle of something. Catch you later?” She tells me. Yeah, same old Janey doing the same old things. I know her too well.59

“Sure, I’ll be asking for details later. Bye!” I say, and flip my new silver and blue phone shut. That cell phone call cheers me up a little bit. It shows that I have a connection to the outside world. 60

I go over to mom and ask her if I can walk around the town. She tells me to be careful, but she lets me. I head down the short hallway to my room. Opening my suitcase, I grab out a pair of dark blue and green plaid thick pants, two plain black shirts, a wooly grey sweater, and of course my big poofy red winter coat. I also grab a few three ten dollar bills. According to me, Bundling up was the best way to go. I put on my fur lined black wedge boots, along with the rest of my clothes. I say goodbye to Mom, and go out the door. 61

The moment I step outside I swear the temperature drops at least a hundred degrees. I realize how much heat that cabin keeps inside and how insulated it is. And my god am I thankful. I walk into the direction of town center, or at least the direction I think it is. Luckily I guess right, and here I am, in the middle of what I would call a ghost town. I can’t see a soul on the streets. Who died? What is the population in this place anyways? 62

I walk into the nearest shop, which is an ice-cream shop. Why they have an ice cream shop in a place like this, opened now, I don’t know why. There’s a girl behind the counter, slouching in a chair blasting an ipod maximum volume. 63

“Hi. . .” I say, but all she does is nod in my direction. I look at the menu, that’s displayed across a board hanging above the girl. There’s any ice cream you could think up, and an assortment of hot drinks. There’s one beverage that sparks my interest, hot chocolate. I have to get Mom to buy some little packs for me. 64

“Hot chocolate, please!” I say cheerfully. I can already taste the chocolatey goodness. 65

“Like I work here. . . “She takes out one earphone and says in the snobbiest voice imaginable. It seems that’s someone has ate too many bitch-flakes for breakfast this morning. “Josshhhh!!!” She yells, and puts back in her earphone.66

“Yeah?” He stumbles in, asking her. She rolls her eyes and tells him to ‘deal’ with me.67

“Could I get a hot chocolate?” I ask, hoping he’s a bit nicer. 68

“Oh yeah, sure. Just one second.” He says, motioning for me to sit on one of the stools in front of the counter. I walk over, and sit on one of the red metallic padded stools. The whole shop sort of an old ‘poodle skirts’, ‘rock and roll’ look to it. Its themed red, red lined counter, red stools, red tables, ect. 69

Carefully making sure that she can’t hear me I ask “What’s her problem?” From what I could see this Josh guy is pretty darn cute. He is an average height it seems, and has a tan complexion. How that happened, I don’t know. Did the sun every come out? His short black hair was just long enough to be ruffled. He looks like he might play sports. Which sports, I can not guess. I’m guessing he probably has a nice smile, but I had yet to see it.70

“There’s not just one, there’s many. Well, the main one is that her parents own half the town, including this shop. But you should know that right? Are you a sophomore?” He asks, stirring the drink he’s making. 71

“No, I’m a junior, but I don’t live here. I’m just here for the break.” I tell him. He laughs, and hands me the hot chocolate that he just made. I can sense that he smiles, but I don’t see it. I’m still curious how cute his smile is.72

“What’s that for?” I exclaim defensively. 73

“You’re the new tourist then? You and your Mom are staying up in that tiny cabin.” It’s more of a statement, than a question. What’s with these people? First, I get the normal girl, I like that one. Second, the bitchest girl I have ever met in my life. And now some guy that knows my every move. 74

“Yeah . . . that’s right. How’d you know?” I ask, eyeing ‘Josh’ suspiciously. 75

“Everyone knows. You’re like the talk of the town.” He tells me. Haven’t these people ever seen a new face? I mean seriously. At least Miss. Prissy wasn’t all ‘O-M-G! You’re like new right?’ I couldn’t have even slightly handled that.76

“My god. . .” I sigh. I really want to stop hearing about this ‘your new so we are going to laugh at you’ thing that’s going on.77

“Yeah, can we move on? I mean I get it, no body knows me. I didn’t come here to make friends. Hell, I didn’t come here for anything, my Mom made me.” I realized that I came off quite rude after I had said it. Well, that should turn the conversation around. I wasn’t a rude person, but at this point I couldn’t really care less. It wasn’t like I was moving here, so what was the point? There was no point, exactly. 78

“Sorry. . . “He sarcastically says, giving me a look. Probably the same look he gives Miss. Prissy from time to time. 79

“How much?” I break an awkward moment.80

“Two bucks, even.” He tells me, and enters it into the cash register. I take a few spare bills out of my pocket and give him the exact amount.81

“Thanks.” I say, grab my drink, and I’m out of there! 82

Okay, so officially I have found two possible future enemies. Oh yeah, I’m making lay a way! I’ll just add them to my list. Literally.83

People I met on my winter vacation : 84

Miss Prissy - Don’t know her name, and I hate her with a passion as fiery as the snow is cold.85

Josh - I was rude, he hates me now. At least I know his name, right? He’s a little cute though.86

Danni - Possible friend? She was really nice.87