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Chapter One

Holly

“I’ you out of the house,” Harley exhaled, plopping down onto a chair and slurping at her s since we last had H’s united time I miss you”

We lifted our pinky fingers and locked the ever since we’d coarten alht; it had been way too long

“I miss you, too,” I whispered “I’m sorry I’ve been such a recluse lately”

“Hey” She reached for my hand “It’s not like I don’t understand why I just wish you’d let me be there for you, especially at this ti her more than ever”

I sighed and laidto be my first Christmas by myself It had always been just my mom and me, the two of us versus the world, and Christh school,She uy, and I’d been ecstatic for her But Lucian was from Florida, only in Connecticut for a summer After he proposed, she o with her, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my home

We were planning to spend the holidays all together, but storht My shts had been delayed, and then cancelled because the airports had finally shut down yesterday

Thanksgiving was one thing, but Christ to celebrate without my family My plan had been to hole up in ree prograraphic art and had a suh it was basically done The degree was really a forraphic artist for a year before I was done with high school And, I had a ton of work to catch up on But then Harley had barged in, ranting and raving about hoas Christether like we did every year Before I knew it, I was bundled up and headed to thesince I’d truly enjoyed myself I was lucky to have a friend like her in my life

“Youraround on her favorite holiday”

I laughed “My mom really does love the holidays”

“Obviously, since she nahten the mood

I followed her lead, not wanting to spoil what had been a greaton a day I had expected to suck beyond belief “Hey, it’s better than your dad loving his motorcycle so much that your parents named you Harley”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she drawled “Like I haven’t heard that from you before”

“Only about a million times”

“You knohat else I’ve heard about ame to my feet “Ho—”

“Ho! Ho!” the mall Santa finished off for her as we neared the North Pole display in the middle of the mall

“Oh, no!” I tugged onto back away from her

“C’o