Joel's Perspective-

Yesterday's study session went well.

Though Lizzie wasn't paying full attention.

She seemed distracted, but not mad.

Maybe she's learning to like me!

Joel waited for Lizzie after school the next day.

"There you are. Come on, my dad's waiting." Joel said to Lizzie who looked ecstatic.

"What're you so happy about?" Joel smirked, "Do you finally love me?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "In your dreams. But I got a surprise for you."

"You do? Since when are you nice to me?"

"Shut up you dork." Lizzie elbowed Joel playfully and he blushed.

He'd never seen this side of her.

She seemed to really warm up to him.

"Are you sure you don't have a fever or something?" He asked.

"Will you shut up? Do you want the surprise or not?"

"Sorry, sorry." Joel said, putting his hands up in a surrendering way.

Just then Joel's dad pulled up in his truck.

Lizzie and Joel got in.

"Uh- dad? Since when do you use the truck?" Joel asked.

"Well, Elizabeth has a surprise for you." His dad said.

"Are you okay with me calling you that?" He asked.

Lizzie nodded, "Yep. All my teachers do, it's really no problem."

Joel's dad started driving in the complete opposite direction of his home.

"Dad?" Joel asked, uncertain, "Where are we going?"

"That's the surprise." His father and Lizzie said at the same time.

Joel was worried and confused.

He looked out the window and about ten minutes later, he saw a sign.

'Christmas Trees!'

Ohhhh. That's what they were talking about.

They all got out of the car; Lizzie was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Are you ready?" She asked, smiling at Joel's shocked face.

"I- uh..." He stuttered.

"Sheesh," His father said, "Been a while, huh?"

Joel nodded, at a loss for words.

He stopped putting up a tree when he was 7; it felt weird to be back.

"Come on!" Lizzie tugged Joel's arm.

About twenty minutes later, Lizzie stopped and stared at one of the trees.

She grabbed a tape measurer and measured the tree.

"This'll fit in your house. Nice size, it won't be touching the roof so you can put a star up on top, and it won't take up much room. It'll be nice in the corner of your living room." Lizzie said, putting away the measurer.

"Why- did you carry that around for the whole day?" Joel asked, shocked.

"Course! We have to make sure the tree will fit in your house." She said.

They showed Joel's father the tree and he was smiling from ear to ear.

As they hauled the tree onto the truck his father sighed, but his smile didn't fall.

"I miss doing this." He said, hugging his son, "Putting up a tree, decorating it, listening to Christmas music, being with you the family; I miss that merry, cheerful mood."

Joel nodded, "Me too."

-

"Alright, here are the ornaments. Have fun." Joel's father kissed Joel's forehead and left Lizzie and Joel looking at their tree.

Joel opened up the ornament box.

"Uh- what're you doing?" She asked as he pulled out a red ornament.

"Decorating?" Joel said, like it was obvious.

Lizzie rolled her eyes.

"Look! I haven't done this is 7 years!" Joel complained.

Lizzie grabbed a roll of colored lights.

"Lights first." She said, plugging in the lights so they turned on.

Joel watched as Lizzie turned on Christmas music and started wrapping the lights around.

"While I do this, do you want to put up your stockings?" She asked.

"Er- sure." Joel got out three stockings.

Lizzie looked around, "You don't have a fireplace, so we'll have to hang them up at that wall."

She pointed towards the wall opposite her which had two paintings on it, but a huge blank place in between them.

"Sure." Joel shrugged.

He then left to grab some nails and a hammer to hang up the stockings.

I miss doing this.

He hung up the stockings and Lizzie finished with the lights.

"Wow." Joel said, impressed.

"We're not done yet, dummy." She laughed, "We still have ornaments."

She grabbed the red one that Joel had earlier and walked up to the tree.

She put it on and Joel decided to do a prank on her.

"NO NOT THERE!" He shouted, making Lizzie jump.

"JOEL!" She shouted as Joel laughed.

Joel noticed that she was still smiling.

I guess she doesn't hate me that much.

Joel's dad then walked out.

"Oooo, like what you guys have done. Mind if I help hang up decorations around the house?" He asked.

"Go ahead! Your house." Lizzie smiled.

"But you've got the eye for this stuff." He said, grabbing a box of stuff and moving to a different room.

About a half hour later, they were done.

"Last one." Joel said, grabbing a red heart.

It was an ornament that Joel's dad had got his mother on their first wedding anniversary.

"So it's pretty special." Joel told Lizzie who nodded, taking the ornament.

"That's such a sweet story." She said.

She tried to hand the ornament to Joel, but he wouldn't take it.

"You let us decorate for Christmas, you deserve to put the last one up." Joel insisted.

Lizzie smiled, tears in her eyes, as she put on the ornament near the top.

Joel's dad then walked back into the room and gasped.

"Wow! It looks beautiful!"

Lizzie laughed, "Thanks! But it was nothing."

"Let me take a picture of you two in front of it." He said, taking out his phone.

Joel sighed, "Dad- "

"No, it's fine!" Lizzie said, grabbing a Santa hat and putting it on Joel's head.

"Hey!" He said, adjusting it.

She laughed as she put on a pair of reindeer antlers.

"There." Lizzie posed.

Joel's dad took a picture and smiled.

"That's going to be our Christmas card this year." He said, walking away.

Lizzie laughed, "Well... I should get going."

Joel nodded; a bit sad at her departure especially after all she helped his family with today.