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It was night now

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It was night now.

Luckily she'd made it through the silent opening of presents as everyone sat at random in the living room.

Like Brandon had promised, there was a barrage of presents waiting under the tree, all pristinely wrapped and blindingly colorful as if just begging to be ripped apart.

They were nice enough— Justin's mom and stepdad. To accompany Justin's overflow of gifts, they'd gotten Blink a few presents too. Her eyes had nearly watered when Justin's mother held the boxes out to her.

She remembered internally rolling her eyes when she saw the blonde haired woman treading in her direction. She'd thought the stack of presents in her hands were for Justin, so when the woman offered a sly smile and placed them in Blink's lap whispering a motherly 'Merry Christmas Blink' the girl had nearly lost her shit.

She looked up at the woman politely through glossy eyes and a frown of disbelief when the woman ushered her quietly to open them.

She'd looked left to Brandon and Justin who were talking to each other quietly, engaging in their own gifts and then back to the cerulean eyes that waited in anticipation.

You want her to play the pity card, right?

She hadn't been given a Christmas present in years.

Well, a few from Caia and Rellik over the years, if the gifts ever reached her from their vacation spots in Italy and whatever hotspot Caia picked that year.

But this was real.

A real Christmas, with a real tree that wasn't entirely as big as Tyler's mammoth tree, but a real hand-cut tree all the same. A real Christmas with a real hand cooked meal and soft discussion about the liking of presents and how school was going so far.

Blink answered politely, only engaging when she was specifically addressed, but she paid attention mostly to how they acted. Despite their daily drama and societal issues, they spent their Christmas Day laughing with each other. The love, however deeply hidden, showed as Justin and Brandon horseplayed around and Justin's mother showered Justin with random hugs.

The swinging open of the guest bedroom door drew Blink out of whatever memories of the day she'd let herself fall into.

The mess of golden locks told her who was entering the door immediately. Once he fully entered and closed the door behind him, the two teens stared at each other silently until Blink grew tired of his shenanigans.

"What?" She stared up at him.

"Why are you on the floor?" He replied with his own question as his eyes fluttered over to the perfectly made bed before finding her again.

"I'm nauseous and the bed's too soft" she shrugged impassively.

She had a system figured out. Her hangover cure usually consisted of drinking some more and then laying on her stomach to quell the ache until she passed out. The only problem was she was alcohol-less and the rock hard mattress of her dorm was put to shame with the fluffiness of Justin's guest mattress.

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