CHAPTER FOURTEEN~

When Sydney and her family arrived at the café, the parking lot was still relatively empty so they got a decent spot. It would get very crowded later on because the celebration at Sugar Sweet Café was very popular. In this town, it was basically a tradition.

Once the car rolled to a stop, both Marian and Sydney jumped out of the car, anxious to get away from their mother's overbearing nature. Despite calls from their mother, the two girls sped over to the café as fast as they could, shoving and yelling at each other playfully as they went. When they got to the door, both girls were out of breath and Marian's left foot was freezing off from the snowbank she had stepped into. She shot Sydney another mean glare as she shook the remaining water droplets off. Sydney merely stuck out her tongue again.

"Hello there, welcome to The Annual Gallenger Christmas Celebration!" a familiar voice greeted with amusement.

"Thanks Dion!" Sydney said, hoping he wouldn't notice the bag by her side. He didn't notice. Or at least, he didn't acknowledge it.

"Already starting the fun without me?" he asked, with a sad pout. He sniffled a few times for a dramatic effect.

"Of course!" she shot back, without hesitating.

"Wow. Just... wow. Way to make me feel loved Syd."

"Anytime!"

"Anyway, go on in and have fun. I'll find you when I'm done my job 'kay?"

"I'll probably be by the food. Or the punchbowl if you have one this year," Sydney replied, knowing that her mother had instructed her not to do that.

"We do. I'll see you there. Oh! You look lovely by the way," Dion complimented.

Sydney turned away, just before the blush overtook her face. "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself." And with that, she walked away.
She wasn't even lying. Dion cut quite the figure in a formal suit. Sydney shook her head, shoving the mental image of Dion away. She refused to look back.

"He's looking at you Syd," Marian hissed in her ear. "He won't look away..."

"Uh huh. I don't care."

"You're blushing."

"So? It's just... warm in here."

"Whatever you say sis-"

A loud shout of Marian's name interrupted the conversation. Suddenly, a dark blur shot into Marian, nearly knocking her over.

"Marian! Hi! It's been so long!"

Marian turned around and her eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh! Syd, I'm off to catch up with old friends! Have fun with Dion! Bye!"

Sydney groaned once Marian left and joined a huge group of people. Kaila was amongst the group as well so she couldn't bother Dion's sister. She didn't seriously want to stand alone at the punchbowl, stuffing her face. That was a joke. Kind of. Already, Marian was chatting people up, making wild gestures with her hands as she recounting a story. Obviously, she was the social sister.

"Why me? Why did I have to come?" Sydney grumbled.

She spotted the punchbowl and headed over. Thankfully it was in one corner and there was a chair propped up there. Looks like it was loner time for her.

She pulled out her phone, and sat down in the chair, placing the bag down beside her chair. She started texting a few university friends but that didn't last long. Everyone was out celebrating Christmas Eve with family and friends.

An hour later, Sydney was bored beyond belief. People were still trickling through the door so Dion was standing there, smiling and greeting people with enthusiasm. But even his smile was looking a bit forced now. Not that she was keeping track of him.

Definitely not.

That was for creeps and she was not a creep. She just happened to see the strain in his smile.
Sydney glanced down at her phone and continued staring at the unchanging screen blankly. She pretended to scroll through a page when really, she just flicked through her home screen. No one tried to approach her and for that, she was thankful. At least she wouldn't have to awkwardly exchange conversation with someone.

For about fifteen minutes, she people-watched. She examined the people who came up to the snack table, mainly little kids who wanted to eat sweets before dinner. Most parents didn't care much which was typical at this celebration.

"Sydney!"

She looked up at her mother. "Yeah?"

"Go socialize or something! You look like a lonely, anti-social teen here!" her mother hissed.

"Thanks, I try."

Her mother glared and opened her mouth to speak. To Sydney's great relief, a voice cut in smoothly.
"Hey Syd, glad you could make it."

Dion.

Her mother dropped the glare and turned around, offering Dion a kind smile. The two exchanged brief greeting before Sydney's mother was off.

"Thanks Dion," Sydney mumbled, turning off her phone to face the boy.

"No problem. So? Why aren't you up and yelling hello to all your old friends?"

Sydney's small smile dropped. "I just don't feel like it. I never really kept in touch with anyone and it's awkward."

"How so?"

"How do I know what to talk about? I don't know whether or not they've changed! I don't know anything about them. Scary stuff, let me tell you."

Dion grinned goofily. "Come with me then. I'll show you the ways!"

She grabbed the bag, ignoring Dion's curious looks. He proceeded to lead her around to old schoolmates who had also come back from university. They all greeted him with enthusiasm and upheld long conversations, rehashing old memories and sharing new stories. Sydney grew even more bored because she was so out of the loop with his friends.

Finally, she left him to his catching up and returned to her chair in the corner.
Before she even whipped out her trusty phone, Kaila wandered over.

"What's up? Why are you all alone?"

"I don't know how to socialize."

Kaila laughed, pulling up a chair to sit with Sydney. "Me neither. I just smile and nod. Sometimes, if I'm feeling it, I'll toss in a witty comment and that's it. I don't share any interesting stories."

"Huh, so I'm not alone."

"Nope. I'm with you. Hey, you know what we can do to entertain ourselves?" Kaila let a demonic smile spread over her face. She looked downright devilish.

"What?"

"Follow me. And bring Dion's gift."

"What is it in the first place?" Sydney asked curiously.

"Oh, Marian didn't tell you?"

"Nope."

"It's just newest Madden game, he's been wanting it for a while. If he asks, tell him we all split the price and bought it. The damn thing was just under eight bucks you know? Marian stole thirty dollars from your wallet."

"Of course she did."

Kaila didn't respond as she led Sydney into the kitchen, where soups were bubbling and ovens were emitting beeps. Mr and Mrs Gallenger were rushing around, cooking up the light dinner they always served. Since most people ate sweets to fill their stomachs –Sugar Sweet Café was really well-known for their sweets –they didn't have to cook too much. They exchanged quick greetings with Sydney before rushing off to tend to another wailing appliance. Kaila entered the little backroom and beckoned to Sydney. Sydney hovered over Kaila as she felt around the bottom of one drawer.

"I know it's here somewhere..." Kaila muttered as she ran her hand along the edges.

There was a soft click and Kaila grinned widely. She lifted up the bottom of the drawer, pulling it out of the drawer entirely. Sydney's eyes widened.

In the secret compartment, there lay assorted odds and ends. Masks, fake spiders, glow-in-the-dark paints, and... mistletoe. Sydney let an evil smile spread over her face when Kaila pulled it out, along with a long rod. Dropping to her knees beside Kaila, Sydney fished out the clear string and rolled out a long piece. She and Kaila attached tied the mistletoe to the rod, letting it dangle off the end like a fishing rod.

With her neatest block lettering, Sydney wrote out Mistletoe Above. You know the tradition! She drew an arrow above the words.

"Perfect Syd. You have really nice writing," Kaila complimented easily.

"Thanks. You have really awesome plans. Now, let's go wreak havoc."

The girls shared diabolical grins.

<<∞>>

"Hey, there Sasha. Hi Doug!" Kaila chirped happily. Sydney held up the rod of mistletoe while Kaila put her sign on display.
Surprisingly, the pair complied, sharing a quick peck.

Huh, maybe kissing isn't such a big deal to teens anymore, Sydney thought.

"Get moving Syd! We're going to hit every single couple at least. Then, we'll work on single people. Who knows? We might even get some people together!" Kaila ordered, gesturing to an older couple in the corner.

"Hi Mr and Mrs Baldwin!" Kaila greeted. Once again, they pulled up the girls pulled out the props and held it up. The couple also obliged, kissing each other fondly.

Five couples later, Kaila was getting bored. "Alright Syd, let's stir up some trouble. Onto the single fetuses in this room!"

"Finally! Can we do this to my sister and her old crush?" Sydney asked, pointing at the two people. Kaila grinned wickedly and nodded, leading the way.

"Hey Marian! Hey KJ!" Sydney stepped forward to say. She dangled the mistletoe above their heads while Kaila struck a dramatic pose with her sign.
Marian and KJ glanced at each other before flushing bright red. Within seconds, they bolted. Which didn't work so well because they ran in the same direction. So, Kaila and Sydney began chasing after them.

"You have to kiss! It's mistletoe!" Sydney screeched as she weaved in between startled guests. The mistletoe bounced over the heads of Marian and KJ, who still hadn't realized how they could escape the wrath of mistletoe.

Kaila took a turn yelling, "Kiss! Smooch! Mwah! Uhhhh... suck face..." Kaila trailed off when she couldn't think of any other way of saying kiss.

Finally the two girls cornered Marian and KJ. The not-couple looked so awkward and Sydney evilly reveled in her sister's discomfort.

I'm a horrible sister, she cackled to herself.
Marian pecked KJ on the cheek and Kaila decided it was enough. They moved on to their next victim.
Dion watched from his place near the food table as his sister and Sydney dashed around the whole café, making people kiss each other. His sister was doing so well for someone who was complaining about being a loner earlier.

By the time Mr and Mrs Gallenger brought out proper food, Sydney and Kaila had gone through all the couples in the café. So naturally, they dashed over to the owners of the café and held the mistletoe over their heads.

"What is that? Another dead mouse you caught Kaila?" Mr. Gallenger asked, staring at the mistletoe suspiciously. He hadn't seen Kaila's sign yet.

Sydney burst out laughing as Kaila blushed a deep red, dropping the sign by her side.

"You caught a mouse?" Sydney choked out through her laughter.

"Once! And I didn't catch it! I was young and I saw a brown mouse in the trap my dad set out. I thought the damn thing was a hamster or something!" Kaila defended.

Sydney kept laughing, bending over and dying on the floor. Her mother was going to kill her for this.

"Shut up Syd! I was young and stupid! We all make mistakes."

"Kaila, you are hilarious. Seriously. That's great."

"Shup up!"

<<∞>>

"I cannot stop eating the chocolate yule log," Sydney said as she took another slice of cake. "Arg, they are amazing. This might even top gingerbread cookies."

"You did help make them," Dion commented with a sly wink.

"Ha, thanks. I'm surprised they didn't result in an utter disaster," Sydney marvelled. "And they're pretty too. Kind of. They look like... multicolored... logs."

"Well, that is why they're called yule logs."

"Whatever," Sydney replied carelessly. She bit into another slice of cake. Once she swallowed she said, "Okay, that's the last one. I promise."

"I don't believe you Syd!" Dion sang from one corner.

"And I don't care. By the way I have a gift for you. From Kaila, Marian and me," Sydney said, holding up the bag to Dion.

Dion's eyes lit up and he dragged her off to the kitchen. He entered the backroom and flicked on the lights. Flopping on one cot, he finally took the bag from Sydney.

"Awesome! Can I open it now?"

"Knock yourself out."

Dion grinned like a kid and took the rectangular package out of the bag. Without hesitating, he ripped the wrapping paper into shreds, revealing the Madden label. His eyes widened into saucers.

"Oh my gosh!" he squealed, jumping up with dancing eyes. "I love you Sydney!"

He reached out and grabbed her into a tight hug. He kept rambling about how she was the best person ever and continuously professed his undying love for her.

"Uhhhh..." Sydney pushed him away gently once she couldn't breathe from his tight grip. "You do know it's also from your sister right? And Marian?"

"Who cares? I'll thank them later."

Sydney smiled softly and let Dion keep hugging her tightly as he chattered on about every aspect of the game and the plays he wanted to try out.

She didn't know what he was talking about, she only recognized the terms touchdown and quarterback, but she didn't care. His hyper excitement was more than enough to keep her happy.

When Dion finally stopped talking, he didn't bother removing his arms from around Sydney's waist. It wasn't weird or even awkward. In fact, their extended hug was quite comfortable and warm. Dion kissed the top of her head gently and wondered exactly why his heart was beating so quickly. It wasn't the first time either.

He'd have to ask Kaila later.

A/N~

So... maybe I won't be finishing the end of this week. NEXT WEEK FOR SURE! PROMISE!

Other than that... my brilliant way of coming up with so many names for guys is using names from my favourite (american) football team and tossing them together. Smart eh? No? Yeah, I know. I'm pretty uncreative that way.

~CB