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At long last, your Holiday shopping is complete! Every last person is checked off the list, and you have time to spare. Maybe you deserve something a little extra special, too? Or is there someone you suddenly remembered? Are you just imagining that you’re done? What if you actually haven’t gotten everything finished? This time of year is always so stressful—how are you handling shopping at all?
The after Christmas sales were always the best times to buy things, at least that was what Kelly had always thought. Sure the pickings were a bit slimmer…but everything was at least half off, if not more…plus…well…maybe that was the only real reason.
This year though, her last minute shopping didn’t have the same…excited glow as it normally did…perhaps that was because she was shopping alone, and honestly that made it perhaps the worst shopping ever. She had gotten almost her entire ‘extended’ list done though…even though all the list included was something for Leander, she had managed that within her first half hour of shopping.
So now as Kelly wondered aimlessly through the bookstore in the mall, she had a niggling feeling that she had forgotten someone. Or something. Of course…there was on gift that she hadn’t bought…hadn’t even really thought of…but then again, she hadn’t spoken to her…to her former best friend since September so…she figured there was no reason to get a gift when she had ruined their friendship by saying stupid things…
After a moment of thinking about this, Kelly’s throat felt as though it was tightening and she glanced around, heading for the children’s section and sitting down quickly on one of the small chairs, clutching her bag closer to her chest and squeezing her eyes closed.
She had been so good, doing her best not to think about Bea. She had gone through Thanksgiving to Christmas with nothing but a few thoughts of calling the girl, and luckily none of those urges had been heeded. But…that didn’t mean she was happy, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, these last few months had been some of the worst she had ever experienced…there was still so much grief over Altea…and more self hatred than she could have thought possible at the fact she had driven Bea away…
Her father still was angry with her, and so the silent treatment was more of what happened at home than not…and she was very close to just begging Leander to get an apartment for them so she could at least…have someone to talk to again.
She felt a panic attack starting and tried to focus on just taking deep breaths. It wouldn’t do any good to do this here. Not in the middle of the mall…if she were home in her bedroom, at least that would be so much less embarrassing.
After spending several minutes alternating between holding her breath and trying to breathe all the way down to her toes, Kelly finally felt as though she could get back up and finish her mall trip.
…Maybe she would feel better if she at least got something for Bea. Just in case. She figured that it was useless…but she…she missed her best friend more than she ever wanted to admit, and as she walked through the store and her eyes fell on a beautiful hardcover book all about ghost hunting, Kelly felt tears spring to her eyes. It was expensive, yeah…but it was on sale…and Bea was always worth it…even if she never saw her friend again…
…She was still worth it.
