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Introduction:

The next two parts will be up a bit late, with Christmas and all.

Oh boy. If there’s one thing I despise, it’s shopping. Like, shopping is fun in general, don’t get me wrong, but, shopping for clothes makes my face explode. Tao and Aya said we should do some quick looking before Christmas, so we went to the mall to scope out some cool outfits. Aya was twirling around in a cute mini skirt that matched her hair and a white blouse.
“This is so cute! Ers, go throw this on,” Tao beamed, handing me a black dress.

“Uhm,” I paused. I’m not really one for dresses. And uh… I’m pretty sure this would barely cover my ass. “Tao, I can’t wear this.”

Aya and Tao turned and looked at me like I was crazy. I stood there, awkwardly holding the dress in my hand.
“Put it on or I will freeze your face,” Tao threatened.

“And if you don’t, I’ll make you wear lipstick.” Aya gave me a death stare.

I darted to the dressing room then stripped off my sweatshirt and jeans. Some people have told me that I look attractive in dresses, I just don’t wear them. Even Dallas asked to see me in a dress! I was brushing the dress down over my body when Aya slid a pair of 6 inch pumps under the curtain.
“Aya! I’m not putting those on. I’ll break my neck,” I called out.

“It’s either those or lipstick,” she said in a singsong voice.

Reluctantly, I stepped into the heels—or what I liked to call “Tall Neck-Breakers”—then glanced at myself. Well, the heels raised me up over six foot and I actually looked attractive. This morning, I didn’t straighten my hair so my teal locks were in its natural waves and draping down my back. Though I loved Tao and Aya, they always tried to doll me up; I didn’t really like being all dressy and stuff. Wearing a dress was so foreign to me, I was used to sitting however I wanted in jeans. Not crossing my legs and looking all prancy.

Anyway, I opened the curtain then glared at my friends. Their mouths wouldn’t close.
“Uhm,” I blurted, “is it o—okay?”

“Better than okay,” Tao gawked.

“Hot damn. We got a model on our hands,” Aya smiled.

They grasped both of my arms then stood me on the podium in front of the circled mirrors. Five mirrors gave a good view of every angle on my body. Aya started running her fingers through my wavy hair and draping it over my shoulders, ignoring every single one of my protests.
“Okay, can I change?” I sighed.

“No.” Tao shook a mean finger at me and I made a face.

Aya darted off to the other side of the boutique, obviously on a mission for something. While Tao continued turning my body and pointing out “attractive” assets on my figure, I heard my phone buzzing on the nearby table. I looked over and saw it was Dallas.
Dallas: Do u lke vanilla stuf?

I reached for my phone and caught it just before it fell.

Me: Y?
Dallas: answr the dam question.
Me: Uh, yeh. Y, Dallas, y?
Dallas: Bc vanilla.
Me: tell me, u poop.
Dallas: U cnt b mean tu the bday boi.
Me: but I can b mean to my boyfriend.
Dallas: tru. wryd?
Me: Trying not to die.
Dallas: Y?

I took a picture in the mirror then reluctantly sent it to Dallas. He sent back surprised emojis and heart eyes.
Me: SHUT UP! Its not cute!
Dallas: buy it.
Me: No.
Dallas: I’ll punch u.

I sent another picture of my heels and threatened to step on him. Dallas laughed but told me to buy it. I was getting annoyed so I just called him.
“Dallas, I don’t want to buy it,” I sighed.

“Why? You look beautiful,” Dallas cutely said.

“I always look beautiful, I don’t need a dress to tell me that.”

“Eris, are you really fighting with me? I’ll even buy it for you.”

I let out an irritated sigh. Two seconds later, Aya ran back up to me with teal-colored, feather earrings. Tao practically tackled me to put them in my earlobes.
“Honey, you’ve been so busy fighting with us that you don’t even know what color shoes you have on. Look,” Aya demanded.

She was right. I looked down and saw the pumps were a teal that matched my hair. The earrings, hair and shoes really made the dress pop, and I hadn’t even realized. Dallas liked my body, he wanted to see what I’d look like in a dress. And, the girls always pressured me to dress up. Fine, I’ll buy the damn dress.

“I’ll buy it, you poop,” I mumbled.

“THANK YOU,” Tao and Aya cheered.

I put my phone to my ear and Dallas was laughing.

“See?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Buy it, beautiful. I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I replied.

He hung up, now, I had to deal with Tao and Aya. They were so happy that they were planning what I should wear the dress for. Damn, was I really being that difficult? Tao ran off for a bit and came back with a sparkly belt.

“Please, please, please put this on! You’ll look hella hot,” she begged, sticking the accessory out at me.

“Okay,” I groaned.

Aya and Tao wrapped the belt around my midriff then snapped it on my back. I looked at my multiple reflections, I looked good. Seriously. I looked mature, well-kept, all the while looking sexy. The thought of showing Dallas this outfit made me smile.

“Ooooh,” Aya sang.

“She’s thinking about boytoy,” Tao added, batting her eyelashes at me.

“Shush! He’s not boytoy, but yes. I am thinking about showing him.” I tried to hide my devious smile.

“Alright. Well, I think we all like our dresses.” Aya looked at us for approval.

To tell the truth, our dresses looked incredible! Aya had changed from the mini skirt to a white, sleeved mini dress that really showed off her butt—not to mention it was backless. Tao had on a gold dress, with an off-shoulder sleeve—Tao really made that thing look hot. Honestly, these outfits would make us look like hoes if we didn’t carry ourselves right. (Thank god we knew how to.)

Aya and Tao changed first, then I stripped off the blinding clothes they had put on my body. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve worn a dress since I was 14. Hell, I would’ve skipped on the dress but, it was dad’s birthday. Anyway, we bought our stuff then headed back to the dorms.

As we were walking, Tao was taking selfies on her phone like she’d die without them. I watched her take 4 and continue snapping pictures. When she checked her camera roll, there were over 50 selfies—just of her in different poses and different facial expressions. Tao deleted 49 and kept the one she thought was, “the sexiest selfie”.

We got upstairs then put our stuff in our closets. The good thing about winter break was that curfew got pushed all the way back to 12pm for every day. No getting in trouble for coming in at 9:05, no getting hammered with questions, nothing. Curfew was 12 and 12 only. By time we got back to the dorms, it was 10:45, so, we could still leave if we wanted.

And… who doesn’t love just being able to forget about school? Textbooks were left in classrooms, teachers got a break from us, we got a break from them, it was just so…. relieving. But, we still had to make sure we were practicing our affinities and not slacking with anything. (Oh wait, in my case, I don’t have a flipping affinity at the moment!)

It didn’t bother me as much, but it still made me pissed that I had no idea what happened to my affinity. Brice and dad had been doing everything they could, really. But, it was just nerveracking without my Elements. I tried my hardest to forget about it, just wait for all of the presents on Christmas!

That was another thing: Christmas. Christmas in Rianate may be thee coolest thing ever. There are no decorations put up, that’s the students’ job. We have to use our affinities and run around to decorate in any way we could. Mostly the cold affinities were used but there were so many different ways other affinities could be used. Tao and a girl named Quinn decorated the entire dorm with ice and snow, they froze everything they could and made everything…. Christmas-y. Quinn had the strength for snow, (she was like another Elsa) and she and Tao created thee best decorations ever.

And, did you know that Rian called Christmas, dervandeve? All of the holidays had some cool, hard-to-pronounce, Rianate nickname. Like Halloween was called samhain, though it was borrowed from different languages. (Most of the Rianate alphabet was borrowed from Greek, African languages and ancient languages. Pretty darn cool.) But, holidays in Rianate were always fun—or so I’ve heard.

By 12am, I was beat. The chatter around campus was low—since most students and professors went to visit human relatives through the portal. Dad and I decided to stay here since Nana and Papa would be here, soon (they were an old generation of Rian).

Tao and Aya turned out the lights then we laid down. I was excited to see Dallas tomorrow, since he’d been gone for quite some time. Plus, we planned on telling my dad about our relationship—we thought it was disrespectful to keep it a “secret”. I asked Dallas about telling his sisters, but he said they could give a rat’s ass about who he dated, they hadn’t talked to him in almost 5 years.

I went to sleep with thoughts of Dallas’s family. He said his mom was nice, his dad just didn’t care for him. And, Dayton and Dakota really just wanted their powers. (I thought it was cool how they all had city names.) Before I knew it, my mind was blank and I was out.
====
That next morning, I woke up around 10am (I really didn’t feel like getting up) and hopped out of bed to go see Dallas. He was getting back through the portal in about an hour but I was super happy to talk with him. Hell, Dallas wouldn't even tell me why he went—I just figured it was for hunting and for him to leave Rianate (he liked beaches).

After a long shower, I threw on a hoodie, with my favorite pair of skinny jeans then stepped into some tennis shoes. Tao and Aya waved to me, making kissy sounds and emphasizing the word Dallas.
“Shush,” I scoffed. “We’re telling dad about our relationship.”

“Ohhhhh! Can’t do that in front of pops,” Aya giggled, waving off her kissy sounds.

“Have fun after you tell him.” Tao winked like an idiot.

I shook my head as I closed the door. They just really liked to bug me about having sex with Dallas, but, that’s what best friends do. It was nearing 11:15 so Dallas had to be back at his house, and if not, I was gonna tackle him when I saw him. Before I went to the apartments, I saw the Twins talking with their mom, Chryseis.

She snapped something at them then they hurried away. The Twins caught up with me and awkwardly waved.
“Hi,” I said.

“Hey,” Bear answered.

“Guess what?” Bull didn’t give me time to answer before saying, “Mom is pissed at us.”

“Ouch. I saw her, what’d you two do?” I darted my eyes at the both of them but they got real quiet.

“We...kinda...cussed at Lena,” they muttered.

“WHAT? Ahahahaha!”

Bear rolled his eyes but Bull joined in on my laughing. He tried to hide his smile, Bull poked him in the stomach and Bear really started laughing.
“Well, she just stormed into our Yard and chewed our ass out. I was about to cut the bitch,” Bear growled.

Bull shook his head. “She’s not even being mean to everyone now, it’s just us. And mom gets mad at us because we’re like, the devil in her fucked up mind. Has she been mean to you?”

“No,” I answered. “That’s because I’ve been staying outta her way. I don’t want a storm to knock me over.” I looked at both of them and they nodded.

“Whatever. At least Brice is nice to us,” Bear grumbled, rolling his dark eyes as he talked.

“Actually, we haven’t seen Brice in a while. Ya know, he’s been in Alaska, being all Brice-y,” Bull added.

“Brice-y,” I said.

They opened the big glass doors and I thanked them. Bull got super quiet, I felt one of them try to trip me so I quickly turned around and eyeballed the Twins.
“You’ll die,” I hissed.

“It was him,” Bear laughed.

“Okay, maybe it was.” Bull put his hands up and gave me a sweet smile.

Bull was just a sweet person. He was really gay, too, but no one judged him for that. Hell, he even told me that he barely liked girls, guys were just his thing. We got to Dallas’ door and crept in. (I wasn’t real sure why the Twins came but, I didn’t mind.)

Dallas was in the bow room and I could hear how Harley was annoying him. I stood in the doorway then waited for him to turn around.
“Oh,” Dallas laughed, “hey.”

I ran over to him and he picked me up. We shared a quick kiss, remembering the Twins were in the doorway and watching.
“You guys can make out, we’re leaving,” Bull smiled.

Bear made a face then said, “Wait—what? How don’t you know—”

“Leaving,” Bull said, cutting off his brother. He tugged his arm but Bear winked at us and mouthed, “Have fun.”

The front door opened then shut and Dallas kissed me again. I rested my hand in his hair as he carried me to the bedroom. Dallas sat me down then crouched in front of me.
“How was it?” I asked.

“Fun. I got to see a swimsuit model,” Dallas grinned like his boyish-self.

“Uh, and you didn’t kidnap her so we could have a threesome?”

Dallas threw his head back and started laughing, I tried to hide my smile but he was just so cute.

“No,” Dallas said, “I didn’t kidnap her because I only want you.”

He tried to kiss me but I pulled back. Dallas gave me a death stare as I crawled back on the bed. I really liked to tease him since he always was so playful. Dallas grabbed my ankle and pulled me back to him.
“Hey!” I giggled.

Dallas leaned over and stole his kiss. “Hah,” he smirked. “I got the kiss.”

“Okay, yeah. So, what else did you do there?”

“Uh, nothing much. There was actually this museum that had this bow from like, 200 years ago, it still works it’s just frail! I was so excited when I saw it.” He grinned like a kid on Christmas.

“Eh, sounds fun. So, you’re telling me you didn’t go to the beach?”

Dallas was in his closet but peeked his head out from the door. “You know I went to the beach.” I smiled at him. He came back out, looking for a different shirt to put on and I saw a big scratch on his back.
“Baby, what happened?” I softly asked.

“Wha—oh. This,” Dallas sighed. “Well, Harley came with me and I practically had to fight him for one of my quarrels. He got my back and I wanted to stab him.”

Harley flew into the room at the exact time he said that and made a loud screeching noise. I loved how Dallas got so aggravated by him, Harley just tried to do it on purpose. He flew over to the bed and sat with me.

“And,” Dallas pointed to his bag. “He hid a dead mouse in my clothes.”

I looked at Harley; he looked kinda amused. “Nice one, Harley.”

Dallas huffed air out of his nose and pulled his shirt on. I stuck my arms out to him, Dallas scooped me up in his arms.
“Hi, baby,” he whispered.

“Hi,” I smiled.

My legs were wrapped around his lean waist with my arms snaked around his neck. I snuck in a little kiss, Dallas reacted with his tongue, I knew what this meant. He gave me playful, big kisses while I tried to pull back.
“Dallas!” I giggled.

He kissed me again but I continued to laugh. Dallas laid me back on the bed and kept nuzzling my skin and lips. His playful make outs were always fun because one of us ended up naked—usually me. I put my hands flat on his chest then said, “You know we have to go.”

Dallas sighed then sat back on his haunches. “I know. Come on.” He pulled me up and we left the bedroom, though Harley was flying right behind us.

“We’ll be back, don’t miss us,” Dallas said.

We had to quickly run out of the door before he flew out with us. Dallas wrapped an arm around my waist as we headed out of the building and toward Ria. 200. Dad had been at home for the past two days, trying to figure out my powers and what the hell happened, so I knew he had to be at the house.

I thought it was super cool that Rianate was in our backyard, like, were we that special? When mom was alive, she told me this story about something surrounding our house, and now I know that she meant Rianate. I don’t exactly remember what she told me, I just know that she called it a “mysterious creature”, like Rianate was just one. Technically, Rianate is one, like it’s own small (very small) state, full of kids, adults, schools and all the resources we needed. (The shitty thing was that Lena was our governor—of course with Brice.)
“Eris.”

Dallas had asked me a question but I was too caught up in my thoughts, oops.

“Sorry, what?” I laughed.

“Wow,” he smiled. Oh, that smile. Thirty-two perfectly white, straight, full-grown teeth. “I said, do you know if your dad is home?”

“Oh, yeah, he is. I texted him.”

“Okay. Girl, why you always caught up in your own thoughts? Why don’t you just… hmm. What was it that you said? Sit down, eat a donut and take a nap?”

“Oh, that.” I laughed as I remembered what I said. “I said why can’t I just sit down, listen to music, eat a donut and watch the game. Dallas, it’s not really that—”

“I don’t care. One day—probably tomorrow—I’m gonna buy you some type of pastry and turn on the Browns game and make you sit on the couch for two hours. You really need a break from your own mind. I’m pretty sure if I got professor Nolan to perform that ritual on you, we’d be able to see your thoughts.”

I raised an eyebrow at what he said. “Ritual? See my thoughts?”

“Yeah,” Dallas nodded. “It—it’s a thought ritual. It’s when Nolan casts a circle, gives you some weird potion-shit, you drink it. And, after that, your thoughts come out of your head in three different colors: purple for happy thoughts, silver for bad thoughts and sapphire blue for unknown questions. It lasts for… 3 hours, I wanna say. It’s literally like being high.” Dallas gave me a serious look after the last sentence.

“And you’ve been—”

“Yes, I’ve been high before, and, I’ve taken the potion.”

I shook my head as we stepped over a loose branch. Dallas must’ve heard or saw something because he yanked me back against his body by my belt loop.
“Jesus Christ,” I gruffly whispered. The force of his solid chest really hurt my back.

“Sorry,” Dallas said. “There was a loose gargoyle—not like the ones you see on buildings. The fucking creepy ones.”

Dallas let me go and we continued walking. The portal was probably 100 yards away, so, we weren’t that far off. I felt something graze my lower back and jumped. Fucking Dallas.
“Stop! That’s not funny,” I giggled.

“That was hilarious,” Dallas snickered.

I hooked my finger in his belt loop and pulled him over. Dallas pushed me against the tree then looked down at my eyes, I stared directly back at him (I was really focused on his moss green eyes).
“Stop it,” I softly said.

“Make me,” Dallas smiled.

I kissed his lips but Dallas teased by pulling back, creating a big distance between us. This only worked on him so I made a cute pouty face.
“Oh, don’t. I’m trying to learn how to not give in,” Dallas sighed.

“Pwease,” I cutely said.

Dallas gave me a big kiss and I smiled against his lips. He gently bit my lower lip then released my body, continued his walk. Since I got my way, I started to hum 8 mile to piss him off. Dallas’ deep, sexy voice joined in on my humming and we started our traditional sing along when we were bored. We reached the portal right when the song ended, pretty good timing. Before Dallas said the Rate words, he looked down at me and said, “I’m the better singer.”

“You—”

“Ru si wer di opho nof.”

Once again, it felt like my eyes were adjusting to the dark and then, there we were. In the woods behind my house. Dallas hadn’t been back here so I had to show him the way to go. We got to the little cliff and I said, “Make a right.”

“We can just—” Dallas almost slipped and let out a loud curse. He looked down and saw how high up the cliff was. “Make a right,” he nervously said.

I tried to stifle my laughs as we walked the last few yards. We were out from the oaks and in the backyard, just how I remembered it.
“You lived here?” Dallas asked.

“Yeah. And it’s not all that cool,” I sighed. I knew exactly what he meant: my uncle designed the oil mansion that we lived in and uh, it was a bit over the top. Shit, from the back of the house, most people would die at how cool it looked but, it was just home to me. I heard our dogs Tugg and Jinx run out of the sliding door and down the stairs.

“Prepare to get licked to death,” I laughed.

They jumped over at us and started attacking our legs. Jinx and Tugg were probably thee sweetest pitbulls you’d ever meet, Tugg was a blue and Jink was white with a brown patch on her chest. They fell in love with Dallas, that was a good sign.
“Alright,” I said, “we should go find the other one.”

“Okay,” Dallas agreed.

We left the dogs outside and went up on the deck. I slipped into the sliding doors, followed by Dallas, then we saw dad coming into the house.
“Hey, Eris—”

“Hi dad,” I quickly interrupted.

“Dallas? Hi,” dad softly smiled. He and Dallas had seen each other but, this was probably the most awkward thing right now.

Dad narrowed his eyes at me and I smiled. “Okay, so, you know I’m a terrible liar, so I’m just gonna say it: Dallas and I are like, dating. BUT, we want your per—”

“Mr. Faye,” Dallas interjected, “Eris and I wanted your permission on our relationship. It’s very disrespectful to do something and, not get your consent or opinion.”

I smiled like a little girl and nodded. Dad had his hair back to normal, but I was just imagining him with the grassy green color. He took a deep breath then said, “First, did you two plan to come here and tell me, or are you just here because you want something? Second, how long has this been going on? Third, do you two know you have to change your hair? Do it.”

Dallas waved his hand over his head and his hair went to a soft brown, with blonde highlights. I changed my hair back to it’s dark blonde and looked at dad. He didn’t seem mad, just confused, but trying to set us straight.
“Okay,” I commenced. “Uhm, we did plan to tell you, we wanted to do it earlier but Dallas was gone.”

“And, it’s been…. a bit over a month,” Dallas smoothly added.

“Hmm.” Dad gave a single nod but didn’t say anything else. A thumb over his shoulder gave me the hint he wanted me upstairs for the moment.

I walked around the hallway and trotted upstairs to my bedroom. Hell no was I gonna let dad just chew Dallas’ ass out and not listen. So, I sat at the top of the banister with my ear turned to the kitchen.
“Dallas, I know you. And, I know what you’ve been through as a teenager. But, the thing is, Eris is only 17—” ahem, I am turning 18, soon—“and from what I’ve heard, I know that you’re turning 20 tomorrow.”

There was a quick silence before Dallas answered, “Yes, I am. We discussed the age difference, and, at first, it didn’t seem rational, but, it’s not like I’m a professor. So, it wouldn’t be that bad. But, your opinion is most important.”

“Solid answer. Dallas, what do you think Brice and Lena would think?”

Damn it! Why does he have to bring in hard questions?!

“Well, right now, Lena hates everything that crosses her way. And, I know that Brice wouldn’t think of it as—as an inappropriate relationship. But, both of them as a whole, not so sure.”

Dad took a long pause. Too long…. Oh shit. He knew I was there. I quickly retreated to my room and stopped listening. (I wasn’t that sneaky, either.) After about 30 minutes, I heard the front door open then shut. Uh… Two seconds later, there was a knock on my bedroom door.
“Yeah?”

Dallas peeked his head in and smiled. “He approves.”

“Really?! Then—then where did he go?” I asked.

“Back to Rianate. He said that you and I are allowed to date. And uh, he asked me about sex.”

My eyes burst out. “WHAT?!”

Dallas shrugged. “It’s not like I gave detail. I just said, something happened.” He looked around my room and made approving sounds.

“Okay, I guess its not that bad. Okay, I’ll say hi to him when we get back. Are you—”

I looked up and Dallas wasn’t there. He was snooping around my room like a creep. Well, not like a creep, just looking and touching. He glanced at the soccer posters I had on my wall, and at the pictures of my mom.
"Sorry, what?" Dallas said over his shoulder.

"If you wanna look, that's fine," I giggled.

"Har har, Eris."

Dallas stopped looking and came over to the bed. He looked at the nightstand then pointed to the picture.
"Who's that?"

"My favorite cousin, Grayson. She and her brother are in the army," I smiled.

Dallas gave a single nod then grabbed my hand. We rose from the bed and marched down the staircase, and through the kitchen so we could leave back to Rianate. On the way back, Dallas kept tickling me just enough for my body to jump, and it was really pissing me off. I had to stay a few steps ahead, since Dallas was using his torture method on me. I was really ticklish, and Dallas always took advantage of that by making me jump and get scared.

We just reached the portal and Dallas recited the words. After the darkness thing, we were standing in front of the gates to the high school and Dallas typed in the code on the brick wall. The heavy doors opened then we strode in. As we neared the Girls’ Dorm, Dallas put his arm around my waist and said, “I have to go and help the Twins with some Tio (elementary kids) for tonight. Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” I asked.

“Because. I’ve been gone for over a week and, I really wanted to hang out tonight.”

I stopped in front of the doors and cupped his neck. Dallas’ eyes were a light brown color at the moment, and they actually made him look really attractive.
“It’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow… and the rest of the week,” I smiled, though I wanted to hang out tonight.

“I’ll call you later… probably not tonight, I’m tired as hell.” Dallas leaned down and kissed me on my lips, he even slid his hands down to my rear.

The glass doors abruptly opened and Tao & Aya were smiling at us like creeps while we kissed. Dallas turned to them, but didn’t react; I let out an amused sigh.
“I love you,” I chuckled.

Dallas gave me another big kiss. “I love you, too." He looked at the girls with a smug smile. "What? Do you two want a kiss?”

Aya took a step toward Dallas but Tao pulled her back. I let go and walked into the dorm with them.
“Are you serious?” I laughed. “I was in the middle of some serious tongue-work!”

“Hey, if he ever wants to spread that birthday-suga around…,” Aya bit her lip as she trailed off.

“Yeh, don't be selfish,” Tao added, bumping her hip with mine.

I rolled my eyes as we stepped into the dorm. It was nearing 9pm, and for some reason, I was hella tired. Probably because dad almost caught me eavesdropping when he was talking with Dallas. Well, I stripped off my clothes and laid down, there was no way in hell I was still staying up.

And… of course, my mind took me into a bunch of different questions. I was thinking about Dallas, and what he said earlier, about our age difference. There are some people who date other that are, like, four years older than them, and two years could be trouble? And, some girls date older men like it's nothing big!

Ever been in high school? Seen a sophomore dating a senior? Yeah. So, why would anyone get pissed? Hell, I’m halfway through with Rio year, and after that, Dallas and I will both be Mio.

Hmm, so these questions already have answers. Less stress on my mind means more time for sleep, and more time for my friends. It took about two seconds for me to close my eyes and start dreaming.
====
It was 5pm and I was getting my clothes ready. Of course, Dallas was turning 20, and he didn’t want to do anything, so, I decided to do something for him. He was gonna be out all day, working with the Twins at the elementary school and practicing some other stuff. That morning, Dallas was so happy while he texted me that I had to calm him down a few times.

Being the little sneak I am, I asked him could I go to his apartment and get my charger, Dallas said sure. I purposely left my charger so I could sneak in and plan everything out. After telling Tao and Aya what I was up to, I grabbed my Victoria's Secret bag then ran off to the apartment buildings.

Dallas wasn’t there, good. I crept in and set my bag in the bedroom, on the chair. My contacts were really bothering my eyes so I quickly slid my glasses on, I guess Dallas would have to see my glasses. Now, my Nana was always teaching me cool recipes, and, not to brag, but I was a pretty good cook. So, I planned on making Dallas a real good chicken pasta that everyone said was delicious. (And, Dallas ate anything you gave him, so, he wouldn’t be that hard.)

After cooking and setting everything in the dining room, I heard Harley fly in through the window.
“Hey, babe,” I cooed.

He landed in the kitchen right by where I was cleaning up. I didn’t want him to bother Dallas and I later on, so I shooed him off to Dallas’ Yard. Obviously not happy, Harley flew back out of the window and left the house. I ran to the bedroom then hopped in the shower.

I hated having to leave Dallas’ shower because it was just so amazing and relaxing, but I had to hurry. Since Dallas wanted me to buy it, I decided to wear the black dress and the teal heels and the earrings I got two days ago. He was really set on seeing me in a dress so, I had to make the b-day boy happy! After drying my hair and brushing it behind my shoulders, I heard the front door open. I peeked my head from the bathroom then saw Dallas laughing to himself in the living room.
“Eris! I know you’re still here,” he called out.

I shut out the light then walked out to him. Dallas looked up and saw me, his lips curled into his charming smile and he stuck his hand out to me.
“See? You look beautiful in that,” he said.

“Thank you,” I smiled. “And, what’s a birthday without your girlfriend doing something special?”

“Yeah, I see this. Thank you because that—” Dallas gestured to the food on the dining room table—“looks like heaven.”

“Well, if you want, you can taste heaven.”

Dallas grabbed my hand and we went to the dining room. He loved the food. I was surprised when he told me I should be a professional cook. After dinner, he was about to clean off the table but I grasped his hand.
“What?” Dallas chuckled.

“Later.” I winked at him.

Dallas grabbed my hand and stood me up. He brushed his lips over mine but I wanted more. I hated when he teased me like this because Dallas always left me wanting more. I stole a big kiss and Dallas moaned into my mouth. By time we pulled away, we were breathing hard and getting a bit horny. He hooked me behind my neck then kissed me some more. Not those bitch-ass, no-tongue kisses. No, those kisses that made you horny and wanting to jump his bones.

My tongue swirled around his as Dallas picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. He didn’t bother to close the door then set me down on my feet. I stepped out of my heels then tackled him down on the bed, I was really horny and Dallas was too. He kissed me again, but this time, Dallas put his hands on my ass and kneaded my covered skin.

I pressed my body flat against his and Dallas put his hand back on my nape, pulling me closer and keeping my lips on his. Dallas sat up a bit then slid his shirt over his head, exposing his sexy, muscled, yummy looking chest to me. I was getting tired of the dress so I stood up between his legs. I turned my back to him and pushed my hair to the side.

Dallas stood up behind me and placed his hand on the zipper, taking his sweet time to undress me. I let out a moan when he kissed my shoulder, he kissed more of my neck and on my scapula, all while unzipping the dress. Dallas pushed the thin straps down my shoulders and I assisted by slipping my arms back. I turned around so he could watch me take it off.

I let the dress drop from around my hips and fall to the floor. Dallas bit his lip when he saw my bare chest and my black lace thong (a girl knew how to prepare). He ruffled my hair back then kissed me again. Dallas cupped either side of my face and gave me thee deepest kisses I’d ever felt with him.

I wanted to do more for Dallas, but his lips were on mine and all I could think about was how he felt against my body… that I could feel his pulse speeding up… that his heart was beating in time with mine. Our kisses deepened and his hands moved down my body. I rocked against him, thinking about heat and how Dallas always made me feel. Damn, he was so fucking good to me!

Dallas gently pushed me back on the mattress and I sat up on my forearms to watch him strip his jeans. With his breathing hard and erratic, Dallas gave me that sexy smile before saying, “I should make you wait.”

“Wait? That’s so cruel,” I smiled, biting my lip just to turn him on.

I watched him slowly reach down for his jeans before coming back up. Dallas was teasing me on purpose. Hell, it was teasing him, too, because he’d been hard as steel in his pants.

“Please, baby,” I cooed.

“Please?” Dallas gave me a smug look but I made a cute pout.

He shrugged one shoulder then undid his jeans. Dallas got back on top of me and kissed down my stomach, but, I didn’t want that. I pinned him onto his back then kissed down his chest, and all the way down to the waistband of his jeans. Dallas sighed when I started to slowly massage his erection through his boxers, stroking down its length with just my fingernails.

I pulled his jeans and boxers down then gently took hold of his cock. Damn, Dallas was fucking hard, and so turned on. He tilted his head back and let out a moan as I licked down the underside and came back up with my tongue on the upperside.

I did that a few times then sucked just the head. Dallas clenched his fist on the sheets when I sucked to the middle of his shaft. I let out a soft moan, knowing that the vibrations from my voice made his cock feel good.

I slowly swirled my tongue around the head and looked up at his face, even though Dallas had his head back. I started to bob my head, all while pumping my fist up and down just after my mouth. I wanted him to be more wet so I used more of my saliva to glide on his cock.

"Eris, stop," Dallas lowly said.

I pulled my mouth off of his tool and looked up. Dallas pulled me back up to his mouth then kissed me hard and long, though I had no idea why he stopped me.
"Baby, why did—"

"That's not important, right now. I want something else," he replied.

Dallas brushed a loose strand of hair from my eye then kissed me again. I was grinding my hips down on his while we continued to kiss and get hornier by the second. Dallas didn't want to wait anymore so he reached between our bodies and ripped the thong off of my hips.

I smiled down at him as he said, "They were cute."

I grabbed his cock and pushed just the tip between my pussy lips. My wet folds made it easier for him to penetrate me but I wanted to tease by going slow. Dallas locked his hands on my hips and forced me down.
"Aghhhh," I gasped.

Over a week without Dallas made me forget how amazing he felt inside of me. Now, Dallas was sitting up with me on his lap and my arms around his neck. He started thrusting into my pussy at a slow, steady pace and I gently rocked my hips. Dallas tightened his hold on my hips then started to slam me down onto his erection.

"Fuck," I panted. Dallas was slamming me down harder and harder every time and it felt so amazing. Shit, I started digging my nails into his shoulders because it felt so good.

Dallas paused with forcing me down then started to thrust his hips upward, and, that made me feel so great! I locked my lips on his and Dallas hooked his hand behind my neck to keep me closer. I could barely breathe when we pulled back, the kiss took some work and how hard he was pounding into me left me wanting even more.

I looked directly into his eyes and saw how blue they were. I wanted to do some work, so I put a hand on his chest, my sign for stop moving. Dallas let out a soft grunt when I started to rock my hips at a slow pace, then, I started to slightly bounce in his lap. I let out little pants every time his cock sawed me open, sliding into my pussy like they were meant to fit together.

Dallas palmed my ass and softly said, "You've had your turn."

He started to move his hips again, creating a slow but amazing thrust between our bodies. Though I was still gently rocking, Dallas was in control; just how we both liked it. Dallas gave my rear a small slap and I bit my lip. Would he really agree to spanking me?

I guess ya gotta try. I grabbed Dallas's hands and placed them on my ass, giving him the hint I wanted to be spanked. He gave me a few soft slaps then started to really spank me.
"Aghh," I moaned. Dallas had strong hands—I'm not sure why, but they just reminded me of paws—and he never really touched me like this. Only when he'd give me a playful spank, but, right now, this was one of those hits that turned people on. Shit, I kinda had a thing for dominance, but, did Dallas? Would he find that weird?

Well, with the way he was spanking me, probably not. Dallas gave my ass a rest and moved his hands to my mid back, rubbing and caressing me in a loving way. I felt myself getting close to an orgasm, I always came before him. In a matter of seconds, my girl cum was leaking from deep inside of me and soaking his cock while Dallas continued to hammer me.

Dallas slammed his cock further into me and I gasped with pleasure... I was having another orgasm, oh shit.
"Ohmygod, baby, don't stop! Aghhhh!"

Dallas sure as hell wasn't about to stop. He fucked me harder and harder with each orgasm I had. To my surprise, I reached about six orgasms before Dallas even got close to cumming. He slammed me a few more times before shooting his cum high inside of me.
"Aghhhhhh!"

"Fuck," Dallas sighed.

I collapsed on his chest and panted air back into my body. Shit, we hadn't fucked that hard in a good minute. Dallas scooched me into the bed, pulling the covers up our bodies and cuddling close to me.

He pushed some hair out of my face.

"I love you," I said.

Dallas kissed my lips then said, "I love you, too. Thank you for thee best birthday ever."

"You're welcome." I sat up a bit and chuckled; our clothes were just everywhere. "We need to learn how to be neater."

Dallas looked over his shoulder then snickered. "I guess we do."

He pulled me over and I rested against his chest. This was probably the best birthday gift I could ever give him, but, for Christmas... He'd flip when he saw what I got him. I knew he didn't like when people tried to mush his birthday and Christmas together, so, I tried my hardest not to get him Christmas-y stuff.

Dallas rubbed his hand on my inner thigh and I looked up to see him looking out the window. He was happy, very happy. I kissed his neck to get his attention.
"I'm so sorry if this is awkward or a mood-killer, but, did your sisters—"

"No. And don't even," Dallas said.

I was taken aback by the way he said that. Dallas didn't care that his sisters didn't care, but he hated that I continued to ask and nag about it. (It's a girlfriend's job.)

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Dallas gently grabbed my jaw and said, "No. I'm sorry. It just pisses me off sometimes, but it usually doesn't bother me."

I shook my head and cuddled closer to him. Dallas rested his chin on top of my head and wrapped his arms around me, we fell asleep in each other's arms.
====
In the morning, I woke up and Dallas was still sleeping on his side. I knew we got to bed late, so I didn't blame him for wanting more shut eye. Dallas shifted his body as I slipped out of the bed and to the bathroom.

I came back and he was still sleeping. Daytime was not his friend. I inched into his arms and Dallas' eyes fluttered open.
"Morning, sexy," I giggled.

"I know I'm sexy," Dallas yawned. He sat up and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," he answered. Dallas checked the time and laughed. "How about you? Did you dream of a sexy guy riding his horse to save you?"

"No, I dreamt of sex." I gyrated my hips and Dallas laughed.

"Good answer. Well, we both smell like sex, so come on."

Dallas yanked my arm and dragged me to the bathroom for a shower. He turned on the hot water then pulled me in. God, the water felt so amazing against our bodies, beating on my skin like comfortable little.... I dunno what they're called, but it felt like heaven.

"If only I still had my powers, we'd have much more water in here," I sighed.

Dallas ran his hands on my sides while he stood behind me. "Baby, don't worry about it. They'll come back, I promise."

"Okay," I softly smiled.

Dallas grabbed some body wash and started to caress my skin, he paid most attention to my breasts and pussy areas. He washed every inch of me, not leaving any place uncleaned or untouched. Dallas put me under the first shower head and I rinsed the suds down my body, making sure to spin around for him.

"Your turn," I smirked.

I did the same thing for Dallas: washed his chest, back, arms, everywhere I could. I pushed him under the water and he rinsed himself off.
"Kneel," I demanded.

"Why—"

"Now." I narrowed my eyes and Dallas rolled his, but got on his knees.

I grabbed some shampoo then lathered it into his light hair. While I was washing, Dallas started to kiss on my navel and touch my Maxi.
"Stop," I smiled.

"Uhn-uhn," he replied.

Dallas toyed around with me as I rinsed his hair out. I quickly finished and he stood back up.
"Turn," Dallas ordered.

I turned around and he grabbed a big glob of shampoo. Dallas ran his fingers through my hair, getting any tangles out and lathering my scalp. He tilted my head and rinsed the bubbles out. I turned back to face him and put my arms around his shoulders.
"Thank you, babe."

"You're welcome," Dallas replied. He gave me a big kiss then slapped my ass.

"Ow," I cutely smiled.

Dallas squeezed my ass under the water and I started to giggle. He put his hand on my back then pulled me closer so we could kiss. I kissed him for a few seconds but quickly pulled away, I was in a teasing mood.
"Hey," Dallas scoffed.

He tried to pull me closer but I teased again. Dallas attempted to grab me right before I stepped out of the shower. He turned off the water then followed me to the bedroom. I grabbed a towel and handed it to him.
"Dry," I said.

"You're really pushing it, ya know," Dallas scoffed.

He dried himself then patted me down. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and laid back in the bed. Dallas was just about to get between my legs but I closed them.
"Hey, open," he said.

"No," I purred.

"No? That's not an acceptable answer. Open, Eris."

I shook my head and bit my lower lip. Dallas pried my legs open then got on top of me. He guided his cock to my hole and shoved deep into me, and damn, did it feel good. Both of our slightly wet bodies, pressed together and getting ready to make love.

Dallas put his hands down on the mattress and continued to thrust into me. I tucked my knees back a little so I could see how his cock rammed into me, pumping and thrusting into my tight pussy.
"Ohmygod, Dallas! Aghhh," I moaned.

"You want more, baby?" Dallas softly panted.

I looked into his hazel eyes and nodded. "Yeah..."

Dallas pulled me to the edge of the bed then flipped me onto my stomach. I spread my legs a bit and bent over the mattress as he lined his cock up to my angled sex. Dallas slowly sank into me and I let out a loud curse. He started a slow thrust, lightly hitting his pubic bone into my ass then started to pound me.
"Ugh—Dallas—fuck," I gasped.

I grabbed the sheets and let out loud cries every time he pumped into me. Dallas put his hands on my midriff then gave me a slow hump (yes, I'm going to call it hump) that was so sensual and sexy. He slowly brought his hips after his upper body and it—it just felt so unbelievably amazing!

Dallas did that a few times then started to hammer away again. I could barely hold myself up while he gave me a good spanking, Dallas just really knew how to work me up. I felt my orgasm nearing and moaned, "I'm cumming... Ohgod, baby, I'm cumming."

I surely was. My orgasm hit me so hard that I almost screamed out from how good it felt. Dallas must've gotten turned on by my screaming because he shortened his thrusts and started sawing into my pussy harder and harder. Dallas palmed my ass then gave me four hard thrusts and shot his cum all into my pussy, I never got tired of how good he felt.
"Ohhhhhhh," I sighed.

Dallas released his last rope then pulled out. I laid my upper body down, with my ass up to him and reached under my stomach to rub my pussy. Dallas quickly went to the bathroom and cleaned himself off then came back out.

I laid on the bed, rubbing my pussy while he searched around the room and got dressed. Dallas started cleaning our clothes up and putting my stuff by my bag. I was in heaven right there. Hell, I never touched myself in front of Dallas but he didn't mind to watch me after sex when I cleaned his cum off of my body or from inside of pussy.

He stood over me then gave me a look.
"Hi," I cooed.

"Hi. Come on, you need to get dressed," Dallas smiled.

"Why? This is much more fun." I spread my pussy lips apart just to turn him on, and it worked. Dallas looked down between my legs, observing my soaking wet pussy and how I worked myself in circles.

Dallas' cock started to get hard and I lewdly licked my top lip. "One more round?"

"No, baby," Dallas sighed. He grabbed a pair of my lace panties and handed them to me. "Maybe later. But, you know the Twins are expecting me, soon. And, we still gotta clean up."

I stepped into the lacies and made a pout. Dallas grabbed my jaw then gave me a stern look.
"Don't be like that, please. You know that I will do whatever you want later. But no pouts," he said.

"Fine. I guess I'll have to go for puppy dog eyes next time." I broke from his grip and giggled. Dallas smacked my ass then walked out of the room.

I quickly dressed in some jeans and my tee shirt then came back out to help him clean up. Dallas was really fast at cleaning. Like, a bit too fast. He told me he liked to get it done before he got lazy and didn't feel like doing it later. That was really helping because I was feeling a bit lazy.

Dallas put the last stuff away then joined me on the couch. We had about five minutes before the Twins came knocking down the door, so I quickly grabbed my charger and bag. Seconds later, Bear and Bull were banging on the door like they were the fucking cops. I opened the door to see them waving like idiots.
"Room service," Bull laughed.

"Come to kill you," Bear sweetly smiled.

"Ew. Come in, Dallas is in the bow room," I said.

Bear and Bull did some footwork to get in then ran into the bow room for Dallas. As they walked back out, Bear and Bull were laughing about something, though Dallas was trying to hide his smile.

Harley flew in through the window, back from his night out with Hannah. He landed on Dallas' shoulder then nipped his hair.
"It's Harley," Bear chuckled.

Bull turned around and Harley flew over to him. Dallas walked up to me then gave me a kiss.
"I love you, call me later when you're bored," he smirked. Dallas made a sexy face then waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Dallas," I giggled. I bit my lip and waggled back at him.

"Heh, do you want us to walk back with you? We're going right behind the dorms, anyway."

I nodded and Dallas turned to the Twins. They left Harley and we all darted out of the house so he didn't follow us. The Twins started arguing and Dallas just shook his head.
"Ask Eris. Eris, do you think pandas eat other bears?" Bear asked.

"Do I look like The Crocodile Hunter? I dunno," I irritably said.

"So, the answer is no, Caine," Bull scoffed.

"They could! Maybe, pandaoligists just don't know it." Bear gave Bull the bird.

"Grow up. Everyone knows that pandas are just like gays: they like their own kind," Bull gayly said.

"Duh," Dallas added.

Bear shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I would say something, but Eris is here."

I burst out laughing and they all stared at me. I gave them a dirty look then continued walking.
"So, Eris, which professor do you think is cute? Every girl has the same answer," Bull smiled.

"What?" I laughed.

"C-U-T-E. As in, which old, crusty professor do you think is?" Bear added.

"Oh, you guys should know: it's me," Dallas scoffed. He did an imaginary hair flip and I gave him a high five.

"But, we aren't professors." Bear made a face.

"Well, technically we are to the younger kids," Bull smartly said.

"Well," Bear mimicked Bull's tone, "technically I didn't ask for your input, Christopher."

"I'm telling mom."

Dallas and I burst out laughing as they started arguing about their mother.

"You're ugly," Bull growled.

"You're stupid," Bear added.

"Tramp."

"Hoe."

"Fag."

"Annoying."

"BUTTMUNCHER!"

"Pandaoligist!"

I pushed in between them and said, "Okay, girls. Dallas will pick which one he wants to fuck."

"I pick Bull," Dallas coughed, trying to hide his laughs.

"Thanks," Bull smiled.

"Why not me?" Bear laughed.

"Because, you don't like big dicks. Ohhhhhh!" I did a victory dance at the amazing burn I created.

Dallas threw his head back and laughed, the Twins slowly nodded at my joke.

"You gotta admit," I smiled, "that was hella funny."

"Very," Bear flatly said.

"I'm dying of laughter," Bull added.

I jumped up and laughed in their faces. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

We got to the front of the girls' dorm and saw Tao and Aya outside. They ran over and stole me from the guys.
"Who touched you? They touched you, didn't they. Whose skull do I need to break," Aya joked, rubbing her hands together like an evil genius.

"Uhm, I would say Bear, but, it's unfair to beat up the girl. Ohhhhh!" I did my victory dance again and bumped hips with Tao and Aya.

"Killed you," Tao smiled.

"Go inside before someone gets hurt with your terrible burns," Dallas laughed.

"Why'd they get hurt?" I asked.

"Because you're on fire," Aya added.

We threw our arms up and started a series of victory dances. The guys left and the girls dragged me upstairs to our dorm.
"Okay, look," Tao said. She pulled a box out of her closet and Aya grabbed one from the corner of the room. "Traditional decorating!"

"We've got white lights, garland, a few small things and a lot of lights," Aya smiled.

"Cool! Let me set my bag down and we can get started," I said.

I put my bag in my closet then opened the boxes with the girls. They were right about the lights. We hung up lights on the window and around the outside of our door. Aya practically moved in with us, we even talked with Brice to get a three-roomie room so she could bunk with us.

Tao spread some icicles around the room and cooled it down. Aya put some garland on each of our bed posts then we stepped back. In two hours, this room changed from sorta Christmas-y to How The Grinch Stole Christmas! Aya even put some decorations around her pallet on the ground.

Our room was really bright and really fun-looking. The lights made the room seem even brighter, and the garland and other decorations were pretty.

By 5pm, we were downstairs, sitting on the couch and talking with a few other girls about Christmas. I was telling Tao something just when I got a text from Bull.
Bull: hey girl hey. Come to the garage.
Me: wtf? Why?
Bull: bc I said so
Me: fine.

"Aya, Tao," I said, "I'm going to meet with the Twins and Dallas at the garage."

"Okay," Aya smiled.

"Have fun." Tao gave me a wink as I stood up.

I started the long walk to the car garage, and even from 20 feet away, I could hear the Twins arguing about something. I walked down the rows of expensive cars (which I would die for) then saw them.
"Hey! It's Eris," Bear exclaimed.

"We need your opinion," Dallas asked, giving Bear a dirty look.

"What?" I looked at the three of them but didn't get my answer.

"Hey, Eris, do you like beer?" Bull tossed me a can but I threw it on the ground. "Okay, guess not."

"I'm not old enough," I laughed.

"So? Hashtag Rebel." Bear three me another can but I threw it down. "Okay, Hashtag No rebel."

"Don't pressure her," Dallas scoffed.

"Wanna play catch?"

Before I knew it, Bear was tossing three cans at me and I quickly caught them all. Without my affinity, I learned that my reflexes were the best thing to protect me from idiotic stuff like this.
"Caine!" I laughed, catching even more cans.

"Tell me when to stop," he snickered.

I lifted my leg and started kicking the cabs around, not really caring that they'd eventually burst. (God, they were such imgits.) Bear tossed one last can then stopped fucking around.

"Underage drinking is so overrated," Bull sighed, looking at his brother with doe eyes.

"And I care because...." Bear waved his hands in a circle to prove his point.

"Get over yourself," Dallas sneered.

The Twins were sitting on top of a black Audi R8, with their legs dangling over the side. Dallas was sitting on the hood like an idiot, with his fingers drumming away on the smooth paint.
"So," I blurted, "why am I here?"

"Gangbang."

"Because we're friends."

Dallas looked at the Twins and they nodded like little kids.

"Gangbang?" I asked.

"It could happen in the near future," Bull smiled, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"No," Bear said, "it's happening tomorrow, if you didn't know." He made sexual gestures and Bull made fake moans.

"Dick," Dallas laughed.

They really scared me sometimes. The Twins were still making the noises and inappropriate motions, even Dallas joined in. I shoved my headphones in then sat on the cement, sitting Indian-style and glancing around at the other cars. I swear that this garage reminded me of all of the cars in Fast and Furious, we just needed Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

I couldn't hear them over the loud drum and bass song I was listening to, but I knew I was their topic because Bear kept pointing and Bull kept glancing at me. After Dallas said something, they all burst out laughing and yelling, only like guys would do.

The song changed and it seemed like their laughing got even louder because Bear looked like he was about to start crying. Bull made a gesture for me to remove my earbuds so I paused the music.
“What?” I asked.

“Shelissa,” Dallas sniggled. They started laughing even harder but I just shook my head, they really acted like little kids.

“Anyone ever told you you look like Beyonce? No, they usually say I look like Shelissa. Who the fuck is that? Me, bitch,” Bear roared, falling into an even bigger fit of laughter.
I tossed my head back and started to laugh with them, we looked like idiots. We caught our breath then got real silent, Bear scanned his eyes over us and we all said, “Shelissa.”

“Shelissa,” Dallas laughed.

“If y’all had one,” I commenced, “what would be your ghetto name?”

“Chrisandra.”

“Caineisha.”

“D’lallas.”

“Erisia,” I ended, bursting into more laughs. Our ghetto names would be very affective.

“Or,” Bear said, “La’Caineth, it really suits me.”

Dallas and Bull gave Bear stupid looks, but he just nodded. I thought about it…. La’Caineth isn’t all that bad, like, if you’re a porn star (I dunno). The Twins shared a look then a devious grin crossed both of their faces, they were up to something. They tapped Dallas on either side of his back and they all got off of the car.
“Get in, loser, we’re going shopping,” Bull sweetly said.

“I call driving, you two can’t drive for shit,” Bear added.

“What? I can drive, just, not well,” Dallas muttered.

I stood up and they grabbed my arms. If they weren’t making this feel so weird, I’d be pumped… Bull and I climbed in the back seat then Dallas and Bear got up front. Bear turned around and waggled his eyebrows at me.
“I’m not responsible for any injuries,” he evilly said.

“Escusi? Mister, I-can-drive-better-than-everyone, I’ll be damned if you hurt me,” I scoffed.

“Oh, honey,” Bull smiled, “Bear can drive anything he wants.”

Bear turned back around and started up the car. Beautiful, sweet, perfect engine. I may’ve cried when the car smoothly pulled out of the garage. Bear actually was really good at driving. He took us into the track and I pressed my face against the window to get a good look, it was hella big.

Bull put his face right next to mine and we continued to peek out of the window while Bear sped up the car. I swear he was gonna kill us. I turned my body and eased onto the armrest between the guys.
"Would it be bad if I asked for the aux cord?" I smiled.

"Don't kill us," Dallas laughed.

"Did you say kill you? Okay." Bear gave an evil smile then continued his very smooth driving.

I pulled back into my seat then sat back with Bull. It was a really smooth ride—though Bear was probably going 100 miles an hour. After a twenty minute drive, Bear pulled back into the garage and we all got out.

We stopped in our tracks when we noticed Lena standing behind the car.
"Hey, Lena," I forced a fake smile.

"Eris, you do know that you’re supposed to get back to the dorms soon, right?" Lena eyeballed us like she was trying to kill us with her dark eyes.

"We were—"

"I didn't ask you, Caine. Eris?" Lena harshly spat.

"Yeah, we were—"

"Then shouldn’t they be taking you back?”

Dallas secretly rolled his eyes before saying, “Sorry, Lena. All of us were just hanging out and, Twins and I wanted to show Eris a car. Since she very much likes them.”

“But, we can take her back,” Bear smiled, he was trying to be sweet, but Bear was just an evil personality.

Bull smiled, then Dallas, but I gave my lips set in a straight line. Lena was really pissing me off, always trying to find something I was doing wrong. It’s okay, I’d eventually do something to her.

“Thank you. Merry part.” Lena bowed to us and we gave back weak signs.

She marched down the row of cars and disappeared deeper into the garage. Bear started plotting how he was gonna harm her, but I was thinking much worse.

“Merry part.” Dallas and Bull pretended to be girls by flipping their imaginary hair and mimicking things Lena did.

“You’re doing it wrong,” I scoffed. I stood up straight then gave my hair a big flip. “Merry part, Shelissa.”

As we started walking out of the garage, Bear started to talk. “Ya see, if Shelissa was here, we wouldn’t have to deal with Bitch Monster Lena. Like, what the shiz?” He put his hands up and made a confused face.

“No, if Shelissa was here, we’d have our nuts—and tits—chopped off,” Bull added, caring about my womanly parts.

“Poor Shelissa,” Dallas gasped, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

I sighed and made a face as I thought of Lena. Playing the, oh-I’m-so-nice-and-innocent game, pretty fake if ya ask me. The Twins and Dallas stopped right in front of the dorms and I threw a thumbs-up.
“Get in trouble for me,” I smiled.

“Heh, we’ll try,” Bear flatly said.

“I’ll do my gayest-bestest,” Bull added.

Dallas and I shared a quick kiss then I walked into the dorm. It was already 12, so I just went upstairs and collapsed, though tomorrow morning was Christmas. That just made me happy: Christmas. I got a ton of stuff for my friends, I was a really good gift person. Tomorrow was gonna be fun and exciting, and, Christmas-y!

Ten minutes after laying in the bed, Aya and Tao snuck into the room and laid down with me. They squished under the covers then threw their arms around me.
“I love you, too,” I laughed.

“Goodnight. It’ll be Christmas before we know it,” Tao squealed, squeezing me even tighter.

“GIFTS!” Aya tossed her head back and started giggling.

We cuddled up in each other’s warmth then slowly drifted off, with thoughts of Christmas morning in our minds.
====
“IT’S CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!”

Tao and Aya quickly got up and we fixed our hair then darted downstairs. It was barely past 8am, but all of the girls were up and running downstairs. Our Christmas tree was bright and jolly and, Christmas-y! Tessa yelled out from the kitchen then all 103 of us poured in for breakfast—traditional at the dorms.

D-A-M-N! This girl made Martha Stewart look terrible! There was anything one could want: bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, fruit, veggies, oatmeal, everything! All of us grabbed food then walked to the bonus room. The bonus room was like our makeshift dining hall when all of us were together for a holiday or birthday. Myself, Tao, Aya, and a few other girls sat together in a small circle, laughing and talking about Rianate Christmas. After breakfast was up, everyone dropped their dishes into the sinks—thank god it wasn’t our hall's dish night—and crowded around in the living room.

A girl named Suni had an affinity for gifts, so it was traditional for her to announce gifts and who they were from. Under the tree, there could’ve been a thousand gifts, ranging from big, gigantic stuff to small jewelry-sized boxes. She smiled at us then started her little-thingy.
“Okay,” Suni cheered, “it’s Christmas! And, all of us love or hate each other, so let’s open these gifts!”

Suni grabbed four boxes then handed them out. She grabbed eight more and we had to wait for those people to open them. Jewelry, clothes, posters, everything a girl could want. Suni repeated her twelve boxes thing over and over, and we weren’t even halfway through. Tao, Aya and I got our first gifts then ripped them open.

I got the cutest set of iPhone cases, with two gift cards! Tao got an entire outfit, with the shoes she had been dying for. Aya got a big basket filled with her favorite stuff from Bath & Body Works, with three coupons and a gigantic bottle of shampoo. We looked to see they were from our friends Dana and Xylia.
“Thanks, guys,” we smiled.

They nodded and returned their set of “you’re welcomes” and stuff. The next twelve boxes had a gift from me to a girl named Laurynn, her affinity was Hair—yes, really—and I got her a set of shampoo, conditioner, brushes, hair-smoothie stuff, and pretty much everything for hair.
“OHMYGAWD, THANK YOU, ERIS!”

“You’re welcome. Just don’t go around trying to murder our heads,” I giggled. Laurynn evilly smiled as we passed out more gifts.

By time we were finished, everyone had at least ten gifts and the air was just happy. The girls all thanked each other then we ran off to get dressed, put our stuff away and leave so we could give gifts to other people around Rianate. Tao, Aya and I went to professor Nanaya and gave her a big—no, not big—GIHUGIC vase of flowers. Her jaw dropped to the ground when she saw all the beautiful roses, cosmos, gerberas and all the other ones.
“Thank you, girls. Oh, I love them,” Nanaya gasped, delicately touching the different plants.

“You’re welcome.”

“Flowers are our friend.”

“Does that mean we can skip that next test?”

Nanaya laughed as she set the flowers on the back table. “Sadly, no. Maybe I’ll give you some flowers if you all do good. Merry Christmas, and Merry meet again.”

We bowed to Nanaya then left the room. Chatter was cray high, most professors were talking and laughing in the halls, students were giving each other gifts and stuff, it was just… Christmas. Tao wanted to go see Maz, Aya wanted to go find Kadolfi and I had to go give Dallas his gift. We split our different ways then went to do our business.

When I reached Dallas’ door, I heard he and the Twins inside and talking. I knocked on the door then rocked back on my heels. It was a surprise, but I had gifts for the Twins, too. But the funny thing was, they probably didn’t even know that they were hidden inside of Dallas’ place.

The door opened and I saw the three waving at me, with Harley trotting around the floor.

“HI!” I smiled. I ran in then plopped down on the couch with them.

“Hey,” Bear gave me his sweetly-evil smile.

Bull waved like his gay-self (not that I’m judging) and Dallas gave me a kiss.

“Guess what?” I grinned wider than ever. “I. Have. Gifts.”

“And guess what? We do, too,” Bull said. He winked and I laughed.

“You first, since there’s more for you to give us.” Dallas poked my shoulder to emphasize his point.

I rose from the couch then darted off to the hallway closet. I hid the gifts high up, higher up than Dallas could reach on flat feet and I had to grab a stool. The first box was gigantic, that was Bear and Bull. The next was just as big, that was Dallas. And, I had three tiny boxes for each of them. I pranced back to them and handed them the boxes.
“These are—”

“Huge?” I interrupted Bear, knowing what he was gonna say. They tore into the boxes while I stood there smiling, waiting and thinking about their reaction.

“Holy—”

“—Shit—”

“—Nuggets.”

Dallas pulled out the gift… a rare pistol bow that he’d been wanting forever. Bull and Bear, I talked with one of our Sword Warriors (they were legit called that) and got them their own weapons—with their initials carved into the hilts. I knew that they’d try to kill each other, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Wait—wait, that’s not it! Small boxes,” I smiled, waving my hand out to the other three boxes.

The Twins and Dallas ripped them open then got real bug-eyed. I got them pendants… but not regular pendants. These were ones that I had a professor bless, he incorporated their own powers into them, Dallas had Archery power in his, The Twins had Life and Death. The Twins had CP and Dallas had DO engraved into the small jewelry.

I was smiling at them when they practically tackled me onto the couch and started hugging me like fucking bears.
“THANK YOU!”

“You’re welcome,” I giggled, taking in the smell of all three of them. (Not displeasuring) They smelt like cologne, but not that overused shit, but, the really good kind that girls cried over.

“Okay, your turn,” Dallas announced.

They let me go and stood up. The Twins followed Dallas into his bedroom, obviously on a search for something. Minutes later, they all came out with something behind their backs.

“Alright,” Bull smiled. He pulled his from behind his back and I dropped my mouth down to hell. I knew he knew how to shop (proving how gay he was) but, uhm, those were fashionable clothes! Like, the type that perky white girls always wear. A cute blouse, dark skinny jeans and my favorite pair of teal and peach KD 7’s.
“OH GOD, THANK YOU! WHAT ELSE?!” I beamed, standing up and smiling up at them.

“Since I’m so nice…” Bear pulled his hand out and I had a mini heart attack. He bought me the comic modded controller that I wanted for my Xbox one, and it was as beautiful as I thought it would be. “But,” he smiled, “that’s not it…” Bear revealed three new games I wanted.

I thanked him then stepped over to Dallas. “Is it super-duper-extra good?” I smiled.

“Well”— Dallas pulled out a new iPad mini and a nike tee shirt that I’d been dying for—“would this be considered super-duper-extra good?”

I took my gifts from them then wrapped them up in my own hug.

“There’s something else,” Bull said in a singsong voice.

“Don’t fuck around right now,” I gasped, pulling back so could see their faces. They nodded. “WHAT IS IT?!”

“These.” Dallas grabbed a red candle, Bear blue, Bull green and a soft grey-ish color. HOLY CRAP! They got me Element candles! It was a way that different affinities could call their powers, by casting a circle. Though I didn’t have them back, this was so awesome to receive! That meant I could be connected to them in a way I hadn’t before, and even work on summoning them back.
“Awh,” I gasped, “thank you!”

I snatched the candles then gently set them on the table. First, I gave Bear and Bull kisses on their cheek and gave Dallas one of the biggest kisses ever. We broke away then saw the Twins making sexual motions and expressions.
“Shut up,” I smiled.

“All we’re gonna hear tonight is screaming and banging,” Bear smirked, making a circle with his forefinger and thumb and Bull slowly sliding his middle finger through the hole.

“You know it,” Dallas laughed. I beat on his chest but they continued to laugh and be guys about it.

“Ya nasty,” I giggled.

“No,” Bull said, “more like y’all are nasty. Shit, I heard you two on his birthday.”

“Oh yeah! It was like listening to a porno without headphones in,” Bear added.

Dallas brushed past them but gave the Twins a secret fistbump. I sat on the couch and the Twins sat with me in the two chairs.
“Dallas!” Bull called back.

“What?”

“Hurry up. Tournament before we have to leave,” Bear said.

“And I’m using my new controller!” I exclaimed, snatching my controller up like a little devil.

Dallas came back into the room and joined us for a game. Since we stuck with FIFA last time, Bear popped in Madden NFL 25. I quickly got the 49ers and Dallas picked the Ravens.

After the first five minutes of 2nd quarter, I was up, 10-7. Dallas made a touchdown just in the last three seconds and I groaned very loudly.
“Ohhh,” he whooped.

“Two more quarters, bitch,” I growled.

“Five dollars that it’s Eris,” Bear said from the kitchen.

I smiled to show I had the upperhand but he stole a kiss. Bull let out a cute “awhh” from the kitchen and we looked up at him. He was walking back to the living room, coffee in hand and a cute smile on.
“Y’all are honestly just so cute,” Bull cooed.

“Thank you, it’s mostly me,” Dallas said, just like his smartass-self.

“Yeah you’re cute, but I’m sexy! Ohhhhhh!” I kicked my legs into the air and heard Bear laughing in the kitchen. He came back out then added his own “ohhhh!” to agree with me.

Third quarter was halfway done, and Dallas was getting real close to scoring. I kept him down for the rest of that quarter, but after four, he murdered me; 14-10.

“SHIT,” I sighed.

“So, Bull… What were you saying about five dollars and Eris? Cause I’m damn sure I just beat her,” Dallas bragged, sticking his hand out at Bull. Bull handed up five dollars and Dallas ruffled my hair. “It’s okay, babe. Sometimes, you start slow in life.”

“We had him in the second half.” I got what Dallas was talking about so I finished off for him.

“Exactly. Uh, Chris, you’re up next,” Dallas smiled, wrapping his arm around my lower back.

“But, I dun wanna be up next,” Bull groaned.

“Give it,” Bear said, reaching his hand for Dallas’s controller. Dallas handed him the controller and Bear looked at Bull. “Get your ass up. Grab one, because I’m about to crush all your girly little dreams.”

Bull tossed a pillow at Bear then sat up. The Twins played another game while I laid back on Dallas’s chest and we watched. His hands were on my hips, keeping me close to his solid body. The Twins continued yelling at each other and playing, and, it was hilarious to watch.
“Chris, I swear to god I will punch you,” Bear barked.

“Do it and I’m telling mom. So suck my dick,” Bull growled.

“You’re stupid.”

“Fag.”

“Don’t talk about yourself, it lowers your self-esteem.” Bear made a sarcastic smile but Bull flipped him off.

“If I was talking about myself, I’d say Thee Sexiest Homo Alive, capitalized because it’s a name, bitch.”

“Shelissa.”

“Panda.”

“Hoe.”

Bull looked at Bear then slowly said, “Your mother.”

“My mother is your mother, stupid,” Bear scoffed.

“No, you’re adopted. We just look the same because mom cloned you.”

Bear hopped over the coffee table then sat on his brother while they played the last 20 seconds. Bull smacked his controller down and he won the game.
“Booyah!”

“Shut up, I’m still oldest,” Bear hissed, grabbing the controller and going back to his seat.

The Twins swapped games and starting playing Call Of Duty and screaming and cursing like flipping sailors. Dallas still had his hands on my side, still touching me and still teasing my ear with tiny kisses and nibbles. He didn’t get too crazy, since the Twins kept shooting us looks and making sexual gestures to show they were watching us.

After a few games of FIFA, Call Of Duty and Halo 4, we got ready to leave and go see our parents or friends. Dallas and the Twins were going to see Chryseis and a few of their friends, and I had to go back to see the girls. Also, I had to see what dad was doing; he told me my Nana and Papa came to Rianate to visit.

Nana and Papa are the best old people ever. I didn’t know this until I came to Rianate, but, Papa has an affinity for Music—explains why he’s always humming or singing or listening—and Nana had a strength for birds (they had a parakeet named Sparkle). They were just one fourth of all my grandparents—being Italian gave me lots of relatives. Truth be told, I hadn’t talked with them in a while; they lived in Oklahoma and we lived in Chicago (technically Ria-cago, ba dum tshh).

The Twins and Dallas were heading to Ria. 84, so was I, so they just walked me there. I could barely hear which one of them was talking because they were blabbing on about the gifts I gave them, and how they adored them so much.
“And”—Bear untucked his pendant from around his neck—“these are sick.”

“Thanks,” I smiled, they were making me happy with all this talk.
We pushed the glass doors open then split our different ways. I found dad in the hall, just about to enter Brice’s office.
“Dad!”

He turned around and smiled at me. Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder then brought me into the office with him. Oh. My. God. I’d never seen Nana and Papa like this! Since Nana was so crazy about birds, her silver hair had brown and colored feathers in it—it didn’t look weird, it just made Nana look so much happier! Though Papa had his own grays, his hair was a faded red color with small pink highlights (he looked half his age like that). They were talking with Brice when they noticed me.
“Eris!”

I ran over to them and hugged them super tight. Nana always smelt like lavender, since they owned a lavender farm back in Oklahoma. Papa… he was just always so warm and happy! We pulled free then I started admiring their hair.
“Whoa…”

“Whoa to us? Look at you! I was wondering when Jeff would tell you about your powers,” Nana smiled, gently stroking my hair.

“And, you may have gotten the best power of all time: the Elements,” Papa added.

“Papa, you have no idea.” I softly smiled, but I didn’t know if they knew about my powers being gone.

I looked at Brice, wondering if he thought it was a good idea to tell them. Brice gave a single nod and I sighed.
“Uhm, my powers… have been gone for a while,” I mumbled.

Papa creased his brow. “What do you mean, Bambi?” That nickname. Papa always called me Bambi because I used to have big doe eyes, and my favorite book was Bambi as a kid.

“James,” Brice interjected. Thank god he just saved me from a storm of questions. “Eris, has been very patient waiting for her powers to come back. But, I don’t think now would be a wise time to discuss this. Maybe a bit later.”

Nana and Papa nodded. “Of course.” They brightly smiled at me and I gave an awkward smile, almost like I forgot how to.

“Well,” I said, “how’s Dorijan?” Dorijan (the j is pronounced like y) was my younger cousin who lived with my grandparents. He didn’t have powers yet, but he was expected to get them soon.

“He’s great. Misses you, so does Jamaya and Silas,” Nana answered.

“Oh, I’ll call them.”

“Good. Now, would you care to guide old people around? We haven’t been here in decades,” Pap smiled, his fingers tapping on his hip. Papa adored music, more than you’d think was healthy. He was a music professor, and even had his own choirs and taught at different schools. Hand him a piece of music, Papa would name who, when, how, where and even give lyrics of the song. The only type of music he didn’t like was pop; it was too immature and he said that people shouldn’t be known for just characters they played on stage.

Anyway, I turned around to dad and said, “Will you be joining the old people guide?”

Dad scrunched up his nose and narrowed his eyes. “I’m no older than 25. No, show Nana and Papa around for a bit, I’ll be with Brice.”

I looped my arms with both of theirs and we waved to Brice and dad. Now, I wasn’t so sure what not to show them, or what they remembered. I decided to start easy, so, why not the high school? As we walked, I took in the strong aroma of Nana’s lavender, how it reminded me of 10 years ago when I’d go to Tulsa to visit them. Papa always took me to the large fields and let me play in the tall grass. Nana always told me stories of mom and dad, or my uncles and aunts when they were kids. Believe it or not, I had 28 aunts and uncles (yes, they all had powers), which lived all over the country—no, all over the world. Papa and Nana lived a traditional elderly life: always inviting their grandchildren over, buying gifts, Nana knew how to knit, Papa liked to go hiking, they were just old. (It’s sounds rude, but, they loved when I called them old—they said it was my way of respecting their wrinkles.)

We were in the high school, visiting teachers and I was showing them the things they hadn’t gotten a chance to see at my age. Nana and Papa approached the art room, where Verc was putting up some paintings. I knocked and she whirled around to us.
“Hello! Renee, James, such a pleasure to have you here!”

She bowed to them then noticed me. “Ah, has Eris told you about her works in class? She truly has a gift.”

“Oh? We always knew Eris loved being messy and colorful.” Papa winked at me.

“Indeed. How has your Christmas been going so far?”

“Good,” I answered. “Got some gifts, gave some gifts.”

Nana and Papa nodded. They talked with Verc for a bit more then we left to go explore some more. I was telling them about the play from last week, how some of my friends did an amazing job.
“Are you into acting?” Nana asked.

“No, not really. Uh, you know how I like soccer, and lacrosse, and painting. But, not acting,” I explained.

“Hm. Your grandmother used to participate in plays. Renee was very good,” Papa smiled.

“Oh, Jimmy, don’t.”

I laughed as they continued to talk about Nana’s acting career. We walked all over campus; going to the elementary and middle school, visiting the car garage (I just had to throw it in), seeing Brice and Lena’s mansion, everywhere. After about two hours of tour-guiding, I started bringing them back to Ria. 84. It was almost 9pm, and I knew they had to head back to Oklahoma in a bit.

Dad was back at home when we made it to Brice’s office.

“Oh, thank you, Eris.” Brice smiled at me. “You make an extraordinary tour guide.”

“You’re welcome. Nana, Papa, I’ll call you guys soon,” I said, squeezing both of their hands.

I was just about to bow to them all when Nana said, “Ah-ah, where are you going?”

“Back to—to the dorms.” I knew what “ah-ah” meant, usually trouble or they wanted something.

“First: what’s visiting a grandchild without gifts?” Papa scoffed, making a fake surprised face.

“Oh! Heh,” I laughed.

Papa uncloaked a gigantic box and my eyes went wide. (I knew that Rians could cloak and uncloak, you just had to be super skilled to do it.) That box was beyond too big. Nana and Papa always gave me some over-the-top present, though I loved receiving them.

“So,” Nana blurted, “are you gonna stand there with cherry-pie-eyes or go and open the box?”

I quickly ripped the wrapping (snowmans and pink snowflakes) then sighed. There was a big cardboard box that I had to open. I tore that apart and practically fainted. There were two outfits, perfumes, a Cristiano Ronaldo poster (my future husband), more video games, lacrosse balls and a new lacrosse head. Wait! There’s more! An Avicii poster, a Dillon Francis poster and a Kid Ink poster. That. Was. Not. It. And a small batch of lavender. I love them so damn much!

“THANK YOU!”

I hopped up then bear hugged Nana and Papa.

“You’re welcome, Bambi. We’ll see you soon,” Papa smiled.

I pulled back then smiled as hard as I could. I bowed to both of them and to Brice. It took me about five seconds to put the stuff back into the box and run off to the dorms, I was too excited. I’d gotten everyone a gift that day, and they were happy with them! (When I say everyone, I mean the people I had on my list.)

Now, there were just four more gifts to knock out: Tao, Aya, Brice and Lena. The girls and I planned to do ours late tonight since we had major gifts for each other. Hell, the best feeling is getting someone a gift and they fall in love with it! Now, for Brice and Lena, I did something that I knew would make them happy. Even if Lena was being Bitch Monster Lena, I still had to be polite and mature and a kind person.

But Tao and Aya had been waiting all day, and we really wanted to get these outta the way. I charged into the dorms, waved to some of the girls then ran upstairs to our room. Aya was just hopping out of the bathroom, Tao was laying on the floor with Boing.
“Presents,” I sang.

“YES!” We ran around to grab the boxes then sat on the floor again.

Aya just had on lace bra and panties, with her wet hair pushed behind her shoulders. We looked at each other then smiled.
“Alphabetical order,” Tao said, motioning for Aya.

We handed her the boxes and she smiled super big. Aya tore into the gifts, making her eyes so wide that I thought she was stuck.
“Oh. M. Goodness!”

She pulled out the stuff from the boxes then completely had an ecstatic-attack. From Tao’s gift, Aya got a pair of boots she wanted, iTunes gift cards and a computer skin. My box had two books she wanted, a Marilyn Monroe sweatshirt and a purse.
“Tank chu, sho much!”

“You’re welcome,” we giggled.

“Eris! You’re up next!” Tao smiled.

They slid three boxes over to me and I grinned like a little kid. Prior to ripping and tearing through the wrappings, I let out a loud “yes!” Aya had gotten me phone cases, every single Underworld film and a perfume/shampoo/lotion/hand sanitizer basket from Bath & Body Works. Tao got me an outfit with the pair of Uggs, a Ricardo Kaká (I love his name) poster and a new pair of headphones.
“Thank you!”

“Welcome,” they said.

“Tao is up,” Aya announced.

We gave Tao her gifts and she raged to get through them. Tao had a heart attack when she opened them. I gave her two pairs of Uggs, a crocheted sweater, hair bows, an iPad case and an ice ring. (Not literal ice) Aya got her an outfit and a painting. That painting was off Ice characters, as in Elsa, Ice King from Adventure Time, Iceman from Xmen, Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat X, Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians, Icy from Winx Club, and a model of Tao.
“Holy shit! Thank you!” Tao gasped, bouncing a bit.

“You’re welcome,” Aya and I said at once.

After cleaning up the wrapping paper and putting all of our gifts somewhere safe, Aya and I climbed into bed with Tao. We were damn tired.

“Merry Christmas, my sweet children,” Aya yawned.

We laid our heads on the pillows and cuddled up to sleep.
====
The day after Christmas is always fun. Ya know, last-minute gifts, people showing off their new gifts and everyone’s still in a happy mood. The dorm was kinda quiet since most of the girls were out, hanging with their friends or parents. Aya and Tao had been up, though they were still halfway sleep.

I crawled out of the bed then went to the shower. Damn, this water felt amazing! My favorite thing to do was dilly-dally in the shower, not having to care about getting out or being late. Sadly, I didn’t want to turn into a wrinkled-berry so I got out and went back into the bedroom. On my nightstand, my phone was buzzing with a call from Dallas. I quickly answered and heard his strong voice.
“Hey! Guess what?” Dallas said.

“Uhm, what?” I replied as I stepped into a cute pair of panties.

“Nothing, just wanted to make sure you were up.”

“Dallas, that’s sweet but, you don’t get up before 11am. What’re you talking about?”

“Ahem, I actually got up early and visited Govea. So, kiss my ass,” Dallas scoffed.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What’re you doing later tonight?”

“Uh, probably sleeping. We’ve got another week and two days before break is over.”

I slipped on my nike shirt and reached over for my shorts. “What do you mean? Dallas, on weekends, you sleep in until 2pm and you don’t have to do anything during the week! I actually go to school.”

“And… your point being… oh, wait! There is no point! I get to sleep in until 2 because I have to deal with you everyday.”

“I love you more,” I giggled.

“Yeah, yeah. When you get the chance, come down. Uh, the Twins kinda crashed here, so, don’t freak when you see them.”

“Why? Are they naked and snoring in your bed? I knew you three had something going on.”

“Har, har, Eris. No, truth be told, I’m the one laying in the bed. So, like, yeah. Just—hurry up,” Dallas snickered.

“Alright, bye.”

I ended the call and dove under the bed for some shoes. Wait! I had new shoes! That’s the best thing: right after Christmas, there's more choices. I pulled on the KD’s that Bull got me. Tao and Aya were following me out the door, probably going to see their men.
“I love your phone calls,” Tao blurted.

“Yeah,” Aya giggled.

“Thank you, we work hard to give you those conversations.” I slapped them on their foreheads but they just laughed harder.

Outside of the dorms, there were five metal picnic tables where some kids hung out after school, and that’s where Maz and Kadolfi were with another one of their friends. Aya and Tao ran up to them, kissing and hugging them.
“Hey. Hey, Eris,” Maz smiled.

“Hey,” Kadolfi added, giving me a nod.

Kadolfi and Maz where just really cute. Always fun to hang with and they treated me like a little sister. We got along perfectly since I was really into sports, and they were pretty much Rian jocks.
“Hey. I gotta run, remember what I said,” I replied, directing the last part to the girls.

Tao leaned into my ear and whispered, “Holiday sex is the best, by the way.”

“Tao! No,” I giggled.

Aya made a serious face then slowly nodded. “She’s telling the truth.”

“Whatever. Bye.”

I waved then ran to the apartment buildings. When I opened the door of Dallas’ place, he and the Twins were in the kitchen, being loud and most likely making a mess.
“Hey!”

“Now stop.”

I walked into the kitchen and they turned to me. Sometimes it was an advantage to being the only girl, because they had naked torsos, and they looked so hot (especially Dallas since he had his Maxi on his chest and back). Bear and Bull’s Maxis couldn’t get all that bigger, since they were around their eyes. Anyway, I hopped on the counter with Bull and we shared a bag of chips.
“Did you have breakfast?” Bear asked.

“If you consider a cookie breakfast, then, yeah,” I replied. “Why? Are you gonna cook for me?” I waggled my eyebrows at Bear but he shook his head.

“Hell. No, Caine can’t cook for shit,” Dallas laughed.

“Wanna hear the potato story?” Bull added.

“Shut up! I was 16.” Bear gave his brother a nasty look but Bull ignored it.

“So, Caine and I came home from school, hungry as hell. We had a stupid moment and made potatoes, but, we tried to fry them on the stove. It—it was fucking stupid. Anyway, we had them on for like, five minutes, and, Caine’s stupid-self puts hot sauce in the pot. Fire. Fucking fire. I threw the pot into the sink, but, it got some of the plates on fire, so, Caine turned on the water. Well, we got rid of the fire, but there was a burned pot and burned plates,” Bull explained.

“And, of course, Momma Bear came home and yelled at us,” Bear concluded.

I broke out laughing and held my stomach. Why the hell would he add hot sauce into the pan? They were really stupid. I caught my breath then sat up straight.
“One time, my cousin locked me in the closet. And, I laid down on the floor and slept in there, but, like, after an hour, she unlocked the door. So, I just had an idiot-moment and slept in the closet,” I seriously said.

“Uhm,” Dallas snickered.

“Oh! And, this one time, I hit my younger cousin in the face with a soccer ball and she hurt her nose.”

“I am so proud of you.” Bear gave me a high five like an idiot.

“Did you apologize?” Bull asked.

I bit my lower lip and made a guilty smile.

“No,” Dallas laughed.

Bear gave me another high five but Bull shook his head. I was on my phone and saw a picture, I decided to say it to the guys.
“Hey, ask me why I was late coming home,” I said.

“Why were you late coming home?” Bull asked.

I smiled then took one last look at my phone then said, “I was in the woods and this sasqwotch was trying to eat my hair so I punched him in the noodle dick then rode a lawnmower home. But, I was coming up the street and saw this pedophile trying to touch this girl so I punched him in the noodle dick and the girl got on my lawnmower. Only, there was this guy streaking, while yelling, ‘I want a fucking chili dog!’ so I hopped off my lawnmower then chopped his noodle dick off. Then, there was this flying omelette and we had to eat it before I could come back home. The girl was allergic to the omelette then she broke into hives and had explosive diarrhea. I dropped her in the lake and she died. But, the sasqwotch came back and he hopped on my lawnmower so I stabbed him in the noodle dick then gave him a titty twister. Then, I got home late and told you this story.”

Bear broke out laughing and managed to say, “How did you keep a straight face?”

“I did?! Yes,” I laughed.

“Noodle dick,” Dallas snickered.

Bull took my phone then read it. He handed it back, but shook his head while laughing.

“But then, my lawnmower broke down so I called Shelissa and we started dancing to music like idiots,” I added.

“That’s a beautiful story.” Dallas caught his breath then threw a thumbs-up.

Bear and Bull started clapping and I did a victory dance. After our little story-time in the kitchen, the Twins started arguing about something irrelevant. We were sitting on the couch, watching the game and listening to them bicker.
“Eris,” Bear snapped, “if you could pick one, would you pick ass or boobs?”

I gave a blank stare before replying, “Which one can you do more with?”

Bull and Bear paused then started thinking. They looked at each other then said, “What’d you get?”

“Stop it, what did you get?”

“You idiot! Quit doing that!”

“It’s not funny! Stop.”

Bear tossed a pillow at Bull but he caught it and threw it back harder. They threw the pillow back and forth until I stood up and grabbed it.

“Since when are you two four years-old?! Stop it,” I laughed.

“His fault,” Bull mumbled.

I beat him with the pillow and Bear started to laugh. I wasn’t done. I crossed over to Bear and start to abuse him just as much.
“Stop”—smack—“being”—smack—“mean!”

“Eris, you might wanna stop, he’ll beat you back,” Dallas snickered.

Before I could reply, Bear was lifting me into the air.

“Ahhh! Put me down, you prick,” I laughed.

Bear slammed me down on the couch and I threw the pillow back at him. Bull switched with his brother then picked me up and slammed me back down. They threw pillows at me again, but I hopped over the back of the couch. I was about to stand up but Dallas joined in and grabbed my leg.
“Can y’all stop abusing me?!” I could barely breathe as I continued to laugh.

Dallas threw me onto the couch and I picked up another pillow to hurl at them. Bear launched another pillow at me. I curled up into the turtle position and closed my eyes.
“Eris, you look dead,” Bull laughed.

“Who’s grabbing her legs?”

I felt someone approaching from behind so I kicked my leg back. It was Bear. After three more pillows were thrown at me, we sat down and actually watched the game. During the commercials, Dallas and Bull would start humming the Batman theme and making little hand motions.

“Nun, nun nun, nun, nun,” they hummed.

Bear and I shared a look but he just shrugged. The game came back on and they shut up. Every single commercial, they were humming or singing any song they could just to create noise—a very annoying noise at that. A bit after, Bear and I started humming and singing with them. Two verses into Smells Like Teen Spirit, I got a text on my phone.
Aya: Hey, cmon.
Me: Ight.

The girls and I were just hanging out that day, just to walk around and go shopping and play around. I rose from the couch then stepped into my shoes.
“I gots to leave,” I announced.

“Why?” Bull made a cute face and it was really working on him.

“You should know this, Eris can’t hang out with boys,” Dallas answered.

“Duh,” Bear added.

Dallas gave me a long kiss and he even cupped my ass. The Twins started cough-talking words like “anal” or “fuck her right in the pussy.” I let go of Dallas then flipped them off.
“Hey,” Bear fake-gasped.

“Sorry,” I smiled. “My finger needed to stretch.”

“I feel ya,” Bull nodded, giving Bear the bird.

Dallas gave my rear a small smack then let me out of the door. I quickly walked to Ria. 11 and went inside, the girls said we should get some food before we did anything.
“Hey!” I smiled.

“Hola,” Aya replied.

Tao glanced at me over the rim of her glass, she was sipping some cold water. She put it down then said, “What did you two do?”

“Nothing. The Twins were there, and, they wrestled me,” I answered.

“What?!” Aya’s eyes got wide as cherry pies.

I knew what she was thinking and sighed. “Honey, no. They like, hit me with the pillows and slammed me on the couch.”

She took a deep breath then muttered, “Thank god.”

“Yeh, what’d y’all do with Maz and Kadolfi? Foursome?”

Tao made a face then replied, “No. Maz took me to the RA center and we watched some guys face off. They were bad, though.”

“Hmm, and, Kadolfi and I just went to the mall for shopping. He bought me a pair of earrings,” Aya smiled.

“Cool.”
Our waitress came over and we ordered our food. After a really good lunch, Tao decided for us to go on a walk in the woods. Aya and I started running, but our food soon caught up with us.
“Yeh, don’t run after eating a bacon burger,” Aya giggled.

“What, I was hungry,” I smiled.

We whirled around the trees, not really following a straight path. Tao froze a leaf then handed it to me.
“What am I gonna do with this?” I scoffed.

“Uh, take it to a museum,” she smiled.

“Or, eat it.” Aya gave me a devil grin then grabbed the leaf. She was about to nibble on the stem but I smacked her on the back of her head. “Ow!”

“Don’t eat it,” I laughed, still kinda taken aback that she was gonna eat the leaf.

“Fine.”

Aya let the leaf flutter down to the ground and we kept walking. Thirty minutes into our walk, there was a small whipping through the air. You’ve got to be kidding me…
“Dallas,” I called out.

“What?”

The girls looked at me. “How did you know that it was him?” Tao asked, Aya looked kinda impressed. Two seconds later, Dallas came out from behind a few shrubs.
“What? I’m trying to practice over here,” he scoffed, giving the girls a quick smile.

“I still wanna know how you knew that was him,” Aya muttered.

“Well, we can’t forget that he once tried to kill me. But, I knew you were using the new one.” I looked down and saw the bow I gave Dallas.

“Uh huh. And it works perfect.”

He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear then gave me a kiss. Dallas winked at the girls and went back to his business; we kept walking. Tao and I were walking ahead, we were coming close to the small stream directly in the middle of the area. I planted my feet shoulder-width apart as we looked down at the slow-moving water. Tao put her hand on a wet rock, freezing it over then throwing it into the current.

Two seconds later, there was a wet, disgusting hacking behind us. We turned around and saw Aya… on the ground… coughing and holding her chest. Oh god! Blood started to pour from her mouth and she gasped for air.
“AYA!”

We darted over and crouched down with her. Aya’s mouth was red and her lips were trembling as she coughed and coughed and coughed. Tao grabbed her left arm, I grabbed her right and we slowly picked her up.
“Aghhhhhh,” Aya gasped. She couldn’t stand so I cradled her in my arms.

Tao took off her scarf and handed it to Aya, she brought it to her mouth and squeezed her hands tightly. I started running—though Aya was pretty tall, she only weighed about 100-some pounds. The blood-soaked scarf was dangling from her hands as I picked up my legs and started running faster. Aya started shaking… shaking like she was freezing… and her coughs got stronger. The blood started to get on my shirt, but I could give a rat’s ass about a piece of fabric, my best friend was more important. We were getting closer and closer to exiting the trees, but it seemed to get further and further with every step.

Aya was panting… like she’d been held under water too long… and coughing worse than she did when she was sick. Blood. Blood. She was clutching the scarf to her mouth, letting more blood leak into the sheer and drip from the bottom hem. By time we exited the woods, the scarf was nothing but red. And I was getting tired.
“Eris! Give her here,” Tao quickly said.

We quickly switched and zoomed off to Brice. Aya’s coughing sounding like a dying old man… she couldn’t breathe and the gurgling of her blood just made it more heartbreaking. We didn’t care about anyone who saw us. Our main goal was to save Aya. I glanced over and saw the tears that streamed her cheeks and how the blood was smeared against her lips. Tao and I ran a bit faster and hurried into the main building.

Brice was in his office, THANK GOD!
“BRICE!” I yelled.

“What’s the—Holy Goddess,” he gasped.

Aya collapsed from Tao’s arms, trying her hardest not to choke on her own body fluids. She was on the ground, hacking and spitting up more blood. Tao and I got next to her, Aya laid her chest flat on the ground and her body shook even more.
“E—Eris,” she gasped.

“I’m here, baby,” I sobbed. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. Tao looked exactly the same.

“T-Tao.” Aya looked miserable, and all we could do was watch and hold her.

“Anything,” Tao hiccuped. Her icy blue eyes were glossy and her cheeks had teardrops rolling down her smooth skin.

Aya threw up. Blood, mixed with… all I could see was blood. The blood on the floor was so sickening—sickening to look at. Why was this happening to her? Aya clawed at the ground as her body fell into a series of shaking… convulsing like she was having a seizure… Aya’s blood-stained hands quivered every time she touched the hard, cold, marble floor. Brice was right there. Right in front of us, looking at Aya with tears forming in his eyes.

“Aghhhhhhhh!”

Oh my god! Aya’s skin looked like it was turning red from heat… like someone was setting her on fire and making her cough harder! She screamed, cried, coughed…. suffered in so much agonizing pain. The pool of blood surrounding her body made me sob harder. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?! Tao and I had our arms wrapped around her, Aya tried her best to hold back, but her body wouldn’t let her…

More blood and throw up and spit and… oh god. Aya hacked a few more times, shook her body for, what seemed like forever, before grabbing our hands and barely whispering, “I love—”
Her body shut down. Aya’s grip loosened. Her eyes slowly closed. She stopped. Everything just… stopped. Tao and I let go of her hands and cried even harder. This was not happening… this was not… no… no.
“Girls, I—I’m so sorry,” Brice whispered.

No use. Blood was not what I thought it was. I never had a real definition of…. pain… depression… emptiness… loss. I felt so… like nothing mattered anymore. My clothing was soaked in her blood, I had smears of blood on my arms and on my legs…. But, Aya. I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Right after Christmas… she was happy… what did she ever do… how it happened… Nothing. I never felt so empty—so helpless. Tao clung onto me and I cried even more. To take one of thee best people away…. especially like this…. Aya didn’t deserve it. She lost her parents, now we lost her.

Five minutes later, the office doors burst open and in walked Dad and Sumiko. Brice stood up then nodded to them.
“I’ll do it,” Sumiko huffed.

She left the room and went on her way for whatever. Dad knelt behind us and hugged us tight.
“I know…” he whispered.

“She’s gone,” Tao cried.

“Dad, why did this happen? How?” I could barely speak but I had to know.

“We’re not sure… come on.” Dad picked us up and took us to the other side of the room.

Sumiko walked back in and hugged us. Behind her, the two men—whom I knew as Xi and Karder—grabbed Aya’s body and took her. In walked Lena. She led the men out of the room then came back a few minutes later. Lena grabbed both of us and hugged us like a mother would.
“We are truly sorry,” she comforted.

Tao and I weren’t crying as hard, just letting the last few tears fall. Brice and Lena nodded to our parents then they took us out. This was something that no one should see. No one. Losing your best friend is one thing, but seeing it happen is another. Watching their body quiver and suffer from so much pain, to see them scream out and take this eternal beating. Our clothes were just an example of what happened… My shirt was pretty much red, my shorts were blood-stained, my skin had marks everywhere, Tao was just the same. The thing that shocked me the most was how she didn’t get to finish her last words. How her body just cut off and told her that was it. It took all of me to not run back and grab her.

Dad and Sumiko led us through the dorms, up to our room and sat us on the beds. Oh god… now that I was here, her room. Aya’s Christmas gifts… her pictures… her friends… Kadolfi. But, they weren’t all that were on my mind. Life without Aya just seemed, dull and incomplete. Dad and Sumiko sat at the desks then sighed.
“Start to beginning.” Sumiko had a bit of a squeak in her voice.

Tao and I looked up at each other. She opened her mouth first.
“Can we talk later?”

Dad and Sumiko nodded. “Call or come find us when y’all are ready,” dad softly said.

They left the room and gently shut the door. I looked at Tao, who looked just as miserable.

“It’s not fair,” I blurted.

“And just after Christmas…” Tao trailed off as she looked around the room.

Aya’s outfits and phone cases and gift cards and all of her gifts were in the corner of the room. I saw the dog collar someone got for her and gasped.
“Mikey!”

Tao got the same look and we ran into Aya’s dorm. Oh no… Mikey was laying by himself in the dog bed, looking out the window and obviously anticipating her return. We got down by him and rubbed his brown ears.
“Hi, honey,” I smiled. Animals were the death of me. If Mikey took this as hard as we did, I wouldn’t be able to leave my room.

“You’re ours, now,” Tao whispered. She patted his neck and Mikey got the hint; only Aya patted his neck like that. He was pretty much like her: Mikey could tell when something was wrong… or sense when Aya was upset. He let out a little whine and put his head on his paws.

“We’re sorry…” My vision was blurred from the tears welling in my eyes.

“Come on,” Tao rose from the floor and so did I. We grabbed his dog stuff, then took him into our dorm.
After getting Mikey situated, I walked into the bathroom and quickly stripped off my clothes. I stood under the water and washed the blood wash down the drain. Even my hair had a bit of blood on the tips. This wasn’t one of those enjoyable showers, the ones that refreshed and relaxed. This was one of those showers where I couldn’t concentrate, let alone watch the past be washed away. The water didn’t feel like anything. It was just “helping.” I gave myself one more wash then quickly got out. In the mirror, I could see my eyes were red and puffy, I didn’t look like Eris.

That was a reflection, not her. Er, not me. “She” had the teal hair and the teal eyes. “She” had those pink lips that slightly parted. “Her” skin was light olive, with the small birthmark on her neck. “She” looked like a mess, like she just lost something.

I did lose something. And it wasn’t making me feel any better by changing the pronouns and sulking over the past. But, it’s not that easy to forget something like that. As I slid on my pajamas, I thought of what Aya would tell me. I pulled my shirt on then looked in the mirror again. I took a deep breath then said, “Eris, don’t be stupid. Be aggressively nice.”

Aya always told me that when I was being a smartass. I felt a bit better. Next, Tao took a long shower and came back out. We both seemed happier, but still kinda down about losing our best friend—no, losing our sister.
“Tao?” I blurted.

She had her headphones in while she smoothed on some body lotion.

“Tao,” I loudly said.

“Huh?” she replied, looking like a scared toddler.

“Did you tell yourself to think of what Aya would say?”

Tao smiled then nodded. “Yeh. I said, Kenny Chesney wouldn’t want to see me crying.”

“Good, because he doesn’t like a crying Ice Queen.”

We thought about how Aya would think about it, how she’d say Kenny Chesney was bad, but he wouldn’t like to see Tao so upset. I heard my phone buzz and looked over… Dallas.
Dallas: R u ok? Im srry about Aya.
Me: Im fine, thx.
Dallas: Hows Tao?
Me: good. Don’t worry, I’ll come c u tmrw.
Dallas: Ok, i luv u. Get some sleep.
Me: i luv u.

I sat my phone back down then cleared my throat, getting Tao’s attention. She swung her legs over the bed and said, “Yes?”

“Nothing.” I glanced at the floor. It looked so empty without Aya sprawled out on her pallet. “It’s gonna be so… weird without her.”

“I know, Eris. Well, wh—when Rian die, there’s no funeral or anything. There—”

“A ritual. Cast a circle, burn the body, and we spread the ashes where we want,” I interrupted, remembering what I read in History.

“Right. And, since her parents are… we’ll have to figure out the place,” Tao said, softly smiling to bring some needed light into the discussion. I nodded, I knew why she paused: we didn’t talk about deceased parents. Hell, since Aya’s parents were gone, we would be left with responsibility to help Lena clean her dorm. It really sucked. Also, it was very, very uncommon for Rio to die so young—so with cleaning her dorm, we also had to take which personal items she may have wanted to keep. The good thing was that we knew which stuff she’d want, and wouldn’t want, so it wouldn’t be that difficult.

As a matter of fact, just at that moment, there was a benign knock on the dorm door. Tao lifted an eyebrow at me, I called for them to come in.
“Is everyone dressed?” That was Kadolfi’s voice.

“Yes, we are,” Tao called back.

The door abruptly opened and in walked Kadolfi and Maz. They sat on the beds with us, shooting us with a million questions.
“Guys.” I looked at them with a set jaw. “We’ll tell you, just, please don’t overwhelm us with the word-jumble.”

“Oh, sorry,” Maz gave us a sweet smile. “Okay, do you guys know what caused it?”

Tao sighed before answering: “No, we were on a walk, she collapsed and, starting coughing.”

“Damn. How did she end up in Brice’s office?” Kadolfi asked.

“We ran with her.” I rubbed my forehead, I felt a pounding developing. “Look, we know you guys have questions, but—”

“—we’ve had a long-ass day,” Tao added. She apologetically smiled at me, she knew I was getting stressed. “C—can we all talk tomorrow or something? Eris and I are so tired.”

“Of course.” Maz and Kadolfi raised from the beds then hugged us. “Call us if you need anything.”

They softly closed the door and Tao flopped back on the bed, I sighed as I cut out the lamp. Aya would miss this… getting to bed late, or just making stupid jokes and laughing together. But, the three of us have experienced deaths before, and, this was another—it was just more important. Like my dad always says, it’s worse to dwell over the past when you could be smiling about the future. Huh. “The future” was something I wanted Aya in. My thoughts trailed off as I closed my eyes and got to sleep, remembering what an incredible best friend I had. Shit, I still had one, but it’s like we’re missing ⅓ of our Idiot Pizza.

Though I could handle it a bit better, Aya was still a big part of my life, and to see her die—to see her tremble in agonizing pain, that was one thing that wouldn’t change. I couldn’t just, erase my mind…. (There’s a ritual for that, but that’s not necessarily what I’m speaking of.) Hell, I thought I was a mess, but Tao had been her friend for 3 years! Imagine having the one person that was always by your side, being ripped away from your arms. And thrown out like a piece of trash…. Oh man. This was harder than I expected.
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END OF PART 4
I know there are mistakes, please tell me if you happen to find them. Uhm, I'm not quite sure when I'll have 5 and 6 up, but they'll definitely be after the holidays.

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