Page 1 of Under The Meh-stletoe

November 10

Ale

Asfaraslife-changingevents go, the breakup with my now-ex and my sister Renata’s car accident fit the criteria. To top it off, things unfolded in such a way that I had been forced onto a Christmas committee as well. All in all, the end of the year was shaping up to be a complete nightmare.

The first committee meeting was scheduled to start in a couple of minutes, in the old community hall by the town's main square. I wrapped my fingers around the handle and willed myself to open the door. Instead, all I did was stare at it.

"Fuck. For Renata," I said, and swung the door open. It squeaked as it closed behind me.

Sure, I'd been the one to break up with my asshole boyfriend, and my twin sister had survived the car accident and would fully recover. Still, both events rocked me enough that they marked my life with a sharp before and after. After several years living in the city, it took me two weeks to pack up my stuff and return to the small town I grew up in, on the Northern Pacific coast. I even got bangs to mark the event.

The fact that I did so right at the start of the Christmas season had no relevance whatsoever. The small town of Laguna IslandlovedChristmas. I did not. It would be just my luck of late, that one thing led to another and now I would take my sister's place in the committee. It sucked.

"Ale!" Someone yelled as soon as I entered the room. The fact that they used the short version of my name and said it well,Ah-leh, settled warm in my stomach. "I can’t believe you’re back!"

Still, I had to fight to put a smile on my lips. It took a few seconds to place the voice and, after squinting at the person’s face for a moment— a cool blonde bob curling around her jaw, big brown eyes with soft hints at wrinkles at the corners, and a huge smile— that I put it all together.

My grin turned real. "Janet?! Oh, wow!"

I strode through the community hall toward my high school classmate, ignoring the way the drab walls around the large space could use a new coat of paint. No decorations were up, letting the off-white— dirty white?!— show clearly. The tall rectangular windows didn’t allow for much light to come in, and we were left to make do with cold, fluorescent tubes shining from the ceiling.

Janet stood by a makeshift table at the center of the room, lonely-looking with so much empty space surrounding it. Six raggedy chairs stood around it, in an old beige-gray combo that only added to the dull look of the space. I waved at the three other people sitting around the table, all of whom I'd met but didn't know well, and focused on my old friend. The petite blonde stood and opened her arms for a hug.

I walked into her embrace. "It’s so good to see you! Why did we ever fall out of touch?"

"Because you moved away and I had three kids in quick succession," she laughed. "But I’m glad you’re back. We need to go for coffee sometime! Eva opened this amazing place at the other side of the square, so we can let my kids tire themselves out while we catch up in peace. How long has it been? Ten years?"

"Eight," I said. "Only eight."

"That’s eight years too long but, hey. Have one of these—"

Janet pushed a box toward me, already open and showing a selection of cookies. They were shaped in a Christmas theme and iced to look like colorful winter trees, sugar canes, and snowflakes.

Great. I didn’t even like sweets, and now my friend looked at me like she expected me to squee in delight.

I was saved from having to taste a flour, sugar, and colorant snowflake and pretend like I had never enjoyed anything better, when a new figure entered the hall and stomped his way toward the center table.

"Six people. We’re all here then. Let’s start." His deep voice resounded in the space. His rushed steps echoed in the silence that followed.

With no hello, he sat down on one of the chairs and ruffled through his papers. Janet sat slowly and I mirrored her. No one uttered a word.

The man had curly dark hair and light brown skin. I didn’t get to check the color of his eyes until he lifted his frown to the group and glared at us with dark brown irises. A deep wrinkle between his eyebrows marred his attractive face, his lips set in a tense line.

When his eyes settled on me, his frown deepened. "You’re not Renata."

His tone was so grumpy that it made me want to make fun of him. I didn't, if only because I didn't know him, and didn't know if he could take it graciously.

"Maybe the car accident made me change my style." The sarcasm imbued in my words was unplanned.

While we obviously had extremely similar looks, Renata kept her natural brown hair color, while the bottom half of mine was dyed in shades of pink and orange ombre. I also wore dark green cat-eye glasses while she wore contacts, and I wore lots of black and pleather while she loved colorful clothing.

She had also been in a scary car accident and was in the middle of recovery. She couldn't volunteer for the Christmas committee like she did every year and had begged me to rush my return so I could take her place.

He squinted at me. "Identical twins, then. It’s fine, as long as we get the extra hands. You’ll do."

He went back to his paperwork, effectively dismissing me. A mix of pride and irritation rumbled in my stomach. My nostrils flared. Now I didn't care if he couldn't take me making fun of him. I would have a blast despite him.

I smirked.