"Happy Holidays!!"

          There was a deafening cheer within the walls of the ball room. The disco ball turned continuously, splashing the room with sparkles all over, as if a sack of glitter went fluttering about.

          Aubrey held up a wine glass and twirled it, then took some sips of the wine before glancing around the room, seeing Lucas chatting on the opposite side of her.

         After a while, a booming sound came out of the speakers, playing christmas tunes. She saw her fellow classmates before drinking, laughing and dancing, while she stayed at the side, her wine glass now empty. She sighed, tugging at the hem of her scarlet dress to cover more of her skin, her hand placing the wine glass on the table beside her.

          All of a sudden, a black coat draped over her thighs, and she looked up, seeing Lucas flashing her a peace sign. "Why are you all the way out here?" he asked as he pulled out a chair and sat on it, eyeing Aubrey's dark brown eyes.

          "Nothing."

          He waited for her to continue, but Aubrey just looked at anywhere but him.

          Lucas opened his mouth to reply when an acquaintance of them came running, swaying from side to side as he ran with one hand holding a wine bottle. He hiccuped as he slammed the bottle on their table, staring at the two with a cheeky grin. One look at him and you could tell he's drunk. Aubrey looked down at the wine bottle. It's less than half full.

          "Are you guys *hic* to— *hic* —gether or *hic* somethin'?"

          "No."

          The reply came instantly that it honestly surprised Lucas, even though he was expecting it. He watched as Aubrey traced the rim of the glass using her index finger, her eyes looking duller than usual.

          "We're just friends. After all, he has a girlfriend."

          Lucas didn't have the time to react when a crowd swept over him, bombarding him with questions. They were shouting and screaming, and he covered his ears to prevent some ear damage. 

          "How long have you been in this relationship?"

          He could only stare at them with his mouth agape as he stretched his hand out in front of him to prevent them from getting any closer. There was a sudden silence as they waited for his answer, and he took a deep breath before saying in a hushed voice, "F-Five years."

          A thundering roar washed over him as his friends and classmates made a racket, shouting inaudible things. He looked over at Aubrey who gave him a close eyed smile.

          "When's the wedding?!"

          "I-It's not planned—"

          He didn't even get to finish his sentence when another wave of  havoc came crashing down. He released a sigh. "—yet...."

          "Dude, propose already, you coward!"

           Lucas felt an imaginary arrow pierce through his back when he heard the comment. "Well y-yeah... I'm about to actually—"

           And then hell came.

           Lucas swore that their yelling went over 85 decibels. He looked over at Aubrey's position to ask for help, but when his eyes went through it, he didn't see her. His gaze went all over the place until he saw her form walk out the door, her lips no longer curved into a smile. The spark that he felt like he could stare at for eternity had vanished, and what was left is just a dark shade of gray.

          Without any further thought, he dashed through the screaming crowd and burst through the door where he found Aubrey sitting on the bench, his coat draped over her shoulder. For a moment, his heart that he had stitched up suddenly howled, growing fangs that tore at the strings, opening the wound. He clutched at his white polo shirt in pain, gasping for air. His eyes then looked at Aubrey who's already looking at him.

          For some reason, he felt that their world had been completely destroyed, dissolving into ashes as the sun gradually left, symbolizing its inevitable fate of devastation.