- Ghost; Justin Bieber -

Aurora Holland

"Oh, Aurora you look beautiful!" My grandma Anne spoke, squishing my cheeks with her hands. I smiled politely at her, twirling my ring as I waited for the introductions to be over.

"You look grown already!" My grandpa John spoke, ruffling my hair.

Grandma Anne and Grandpa John were my mother's parents, who had just arrived in town. They greeted me as they did every time they visited, the greeting short and sweet before moving on to a much longer one with Jason.

My father's parents were already here, having gotten here early this morning instead of now. This meant the greeting and introducing Katherine was over with, so after I go through this with my mom's parents, I'll be done with the embarrassing squishing of cheeks and comments about being grown up.

The good thing about both sets of grandparents here is my mom's a completely different person. My dad's parents are good at keeping her from saying her usual comments to me, but her parents? That's a completely different story.

My grandmother on my mom's side is a lot like my mother, but instead of being that way to me, she's like that with my mom. Maybe that's why my mother the way she is with me, but I won't come up with excuses for it. It just calms my mother's strictness when Grandma Anne's around, simply because she knows she'll have to deal with her if she treats me differently.

After more introductions and watching as my father attempted to help show them their room, I turned to Katherine. "We can probably go get ready for the party now."

Katherine nodded, wasting no time and heading to my bedroom. She'd been nervous to meet my grandparents, and I didn't blame her. After seeing how my mom acted with cleaning the house and making sure she did everything right - she expected the Evil Queen or something.

Not to mention Katherine isn't a people person, which I get.

Seeing Granny Lynn - my father's mother - struggling to reach a mug that was on one of the higher shelves, I took a quick detour to my room and walked into the kitchen. I reached up and grabbed it for her, handing it to her silently.

"Thank you, Rora Lynn." She smiled at me, "You heading out soon with some friends?"

"Yeah, I have a Christmas Party tonight," I told her, messing with the hair tie on my wrist.

It had been a few days since we last got together, and now was the day we were having our Christmas party with the friend group. I was excited but nervous - excited to hang out with a few friends before having to spend more time with the family, and nervous because I had no idea how Kaya was going to react to the gift I'd gotten her.

"I remember going to parties when I was your age," Granny Lynn said, filling her mug up with the boiling water that had been in the tea kettle. "Your father did as well."

"Did he?" I asked, fiddling with my thumbs. I didn't want to sit and talk about her life when she was my age - considering I hear it every time she's here - but I'm not willing to ruin her small moments of happiness of reminiscing all because I don't want to hear a story all over again.

"Of course, he was quite the firecracker." She chuckled, grabbing a tea bag from the box she'd brought. "Your father tells me you're struggling with a boy right now?" She then switches the subject, my eyes widening at her words.

"What do you mean?" I asked, beginning to twirl my ring around my finger.

"Some boy you fell for, is it?" She used a spoon to mix the tea out. She didn't look at me, but she didn't need to know my reaction. She let out a quick chuckle before putting the spoon in the sink. "What's his name?"

"Carter," I admitted quietly, continuing to twirl the ring. "But dad's probably exag-"

"Carter's a lovely name," Granny Lynn cut me off, taking a sip of her tea. "I've heard a lot about him from your dad, you know? He's quite fond of the boy. Your mother on the other hand-"

"Hates him?" I scoffed, cutting her off. "That's because he sees right through her."

"A lot of us do," Granny Lynn stated. "But back to the topic at hand. He hurt you?"

"Yeah," I admitted softly. "Played with my feelings, and is now saying he didn't want to hurt me."

"Explain?" She leaned her back against the counter. I glanced around, seeing we were still the only two in the kitchen. Katherine was surely waiting for me, but before I could come up with an excuse to leave - my Grandma stopped me. "I'd like to put my input if you'd let me."

"He acted like he liked me, and when I let him in he shut me out," I told her. Tears began to build up in my eyes, but I ignored them. "This girl-"

"Ah, another girl." She let out a laugh, "Let me guess - pretty and popular?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Not surprising. Seems although things have changed quite a bit, nothing's changed at all when it comes to rich girls." She sighed, setting her mug on the counter. "Continue."

"She took my journal I guess, and told him that if he didn't stop seeing me she'd expose me. But I don't get it, Granny Lynn, if he truly cared he'd have been honest. He wouldn't have hurt me and he wouldn't have said what he did." I opened up a little more, sharing my thoughts aloud.

"You're young, Rora. Just as you make mistakes, so does he. He probably didn't know who to go to, or what to do. He had his best interest in mind, right?" She asked. I nodded, not speaking my thoughts. "Then I say you think about forgiving him."

"It's easy for you to say, you don't have to deal with what I do." I shrugged, beginning to scratch at my hand.

"I was your age once, in case you forgot. Just as you're like your father, he was once like me." She leaned off of the counter, walking over to where her purse sat. "Boys are confusing, and I don't know much about the situation you're in. Maybe you're right and he did it with ill intentions. But I have a hunch, and I'm not meaning my back."

I didn't say anything as she pulled something out of her purse. It was a necklace, one I'd never seen before. "See this?" She asked as she held it out to me. "Your grandfather gave it to me when I was sixteen. Loved it and adored it, as one would. But then this woman who'd admired your grandfather thought it'd be wise to take it and wear it, claiming he'd given it to her. I believed her."

"How'd you find out the truth?" I asked softly, watching as she put it back in the safe spot in her purse.

"When I was eighteen I found out she'd lied to get us away from each other. He'd gotten the necklace back and kept it in safe keeping until he could give it to me again. I don't know whether it was something inside her, but she admitted what she did. I lost two years with your grandfather because of a mean girl. They're everywhere, and they don't care what lengths they go to to prevent others from happiness. It's how you deal with it, and how you let it affect you that matters." She explained, clearing her throat. "Now, your choice is to hear him out and figure out what was genuine and what wasn't, or to move on and act like nothing happened. Your move, but you can't beat yourself up over something that can still be fixed."

Before I could muster a response, the sound of my mother walking into the kitchen cut our conversation short. I just smiled at Granny Lynn before walking up to my room, my mind jumbled as I moved.

I know she has a point, but she also doesn't know the details. Her story was cute, but it had nothing to do with Carter and me. We're nothing like her and my grandpa, and we never will be. This isn't some love story in one of my romance movies, this is real life and I have to deal with the fact that we're not meant to be, and we never were.

"Took you long enough," Katherine commented as I walked in, shutting and locking the door behind me.

"Granny Lynn needed to have a little pep talk with me I guess," I mumbled.

"About what?" Katherine looked up from doing her makeup to glance at me, to which I just shrugged.

"Unsure. Something about how I'm getting to the age where I'm growing up, the usual you know."

She eyed me suspiciously before letting it go, and getting back to her makeup. I sighed in content that she'd let it go, beginning to get ready myself.

I threw on something simple - a pair of high-waisted jeans with a cute sweater Granny Lynn gave me when she'd first arrived - along with a pair of Converse. They were one of my used Converse, one that had little paint splotches all over them from when I'd done art while wearing them.

For makeup I didn't do anything special - just some concealer and mascara. It wasn't on my list to look super attractive or anything, as this was just a simple Christmas party. I wasn't in the mood to try and look like I was going to be the most beautiful girl there - and there wasn't anyone there to impress anyway.

After we finished getting ready and gathering our things, we walked downstairs where the adults were gathered around the living room talking. Jason was nowhere to be seen, but I'm assuming after his greeting with both sets of grandparents he ran off to his room to isolate himself so he didn't have to linger around anymore. I don't blame him, the conversations can get pretty boring at times.

"Ah! Rora, there you are!" Granny Lynn exclaimed as she saw Katherine and I enter the room. I immediately feared she would bring up what was talked about earlier, and that Katherine would find out the whole conversation had been about Carter and not what I'd told her.

She stood from her spot on the couch next to my dad, grabbing her purse along with her. I watched as she made her way over to us, pulling what looked to be a set of keys out. "Take this, I trust you."

My mother watched in what seemed to be horror as the car keys were placed in my hand. "B-but Lynn that's a very expensive vintage car you've got out there, surely she can just take-"

"I trust that Aurora will be smart in her decisions, right?" Granny Lynn asked, looking at me.

"Uh, y-yeah. Definitely." I spoke softly, holding the keys in my hand.

After getting out of the tense watch of my parents and both sets of grandparents, Katherine and I were finally out of the house. We put our belongings in the trunk before getting in the car, immediately starting it so we could warm up before leaving.

It hadn't snowed yet, which was surprising since it had been on the forecast all week. However, the weather always changes and I don't like driving in the snow so I'm not super worried about it.

After picking up Miles we were headed to the Jackson residence, most of the group already being there since we had left a little later than planned. I failed to see Carter's car but shrugged it off as there was a chance it was sitting in the garage.

When we walked in, music blared through the entryway. There weren't colorful lights like the last party, but instead, there were lots of Christmas decorations everywhere. It was really warm and inviting, and I was thankful due to how cold it was outside.

"Rory and others, you made it!" Layla shouted from her spot on the couch as she watched us walk in, a bright smile on her face.

"Hopefully not too late!" Katherine responded kindly, "Where are we putting our gifts?"

"Over on the table!" Bailey exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the giant table. It was already filled with gifts, some opened in baskets to see what was gotten while others were perfectly wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper.

We did as said and put our Secret Santa gifts on the table, before mingling in with the others who'd already arrived. Everyone already seemed to be here - including Ashley's crew. The only person I failed to see was Carter, but I have a feeling he could just be hiding out in his room until he needed to come down.

I watched as Logan immediately pulled Miles to where he and Paige stood, bringing him into their conversation while Katherine greeted Elijah. This left me on my own, which I didn't mind. Looking at the extra gift in my hand, I turned to see Cameron and Griffin talking in one corner.

"Who are we waiting for still?"

"Carter. He left a bit ago, but nobody knows where." Cameron responded, "Can't exchange gifts much till he gets back."

"He's probably doing anything he can to avoid the devil herself," Griffin said, his eyes behind me. I glanced back to see he was looking at Ashley, who was talking to her friends.

I nodded as I turned back to the boys, seeing they'd already gone back to their previous conversation. This meant I didn't need to come up with an excuse to leave, so I took my exit by sneaking up the stairs without being noticed.

After getting upstairs and turning in an all too familiar direction, I stopped in front of Carter's door. I stared at the gift in my hand as I took a deep breath, sighing to myself.

I stood still, beginning to second-guess my decisions. This wasn't going to do anything but make me feel more feelings for Carter, and I knew that. But at the same time, maybe this could just be my way of getting over it. I'll give him these gifts in this giant bag and move on with my life, just as Granny Lynn suggested.

Without thinking I pushed myself into the room, turning the light on. The room was almost the same as it was the last time I'd seen it - minimalistic - except there was one thing that caught my eye.

Sitting above his desk was the painting - the same one I'd painted for him when we went on our first date. I sat the gift bag on the top of his bed before stepping closer to his desk, admiring it. I was surprised he'd kept it - especially with how things had ended between us.

Just as I began to reach out to touch it, the sound of cheering from downstairs caught my attention. People shouted in happiness as Carter had finally arrived, and fear began to rush through me as I realized how weird it was I was in his bedroom.

I rushed out and shut the light off, gently closing the door behind me. I went back to the hall and just as I reached the top of the stairs, I was met with Carter standing at the bottom.

He looked at me, his eyes landing on my shoes before looking back up at my face. "Get lost?" He asked softly. There was no hurt, no anger in his tone, almost as if things hadn't happened the way they did.

"Just using the restroom," I mumbled, stepping down a few steps.

He stepped up a few, causing us to meet at the halfway mark. He towered over me, the feeling of goosebumps beginning to form on my arms.

"They- they're waiting." He cleared his throat, "I was just using the bathroom before we started."

"Okay," I said softly. There was nothing else to say, and it was awkward. Instead of letting it go any further, I stepped to the side, continuing my descent down the stairs.

My face felt hot, but I ignored it as I met everyone in the living room. We only waited a few minutes before Carter had come back down, meaning the party was beginning.

"So today we find out who got who for Secret Santa!" Bailey exclaimed as she stood up, "I'm so excited! Who wants to grab their gift first?"

++

Things went smoothly, thankfully. Nobody complained about their gifts or felt awkward if they'd gotten someone who they didn't want. I'd spend most of the day wondering who got me, only to find out it was Logan the entire time. I don't know which one would've been worse - Logan or Carter - but either way, I didn't complain and instead put a fake smile on as I opened my gift.

Carter had gotten Alexa for Secret Santa, getting her some new ballet slippers. It was something small to most, but she seemed very appreciative and grateful - considering they were not only the correct size but also the correct brand she liked.

Alexa had Eliana, and Eliana had Logan. Logan had me - as mentioned before - and although I made it obvious I was grateful for what he got me, it wasn't anything I needed. It was perfume - cherry perfume - and skincare products, products that had ingredients I wasn't even able to use due to sensitivities.

It was obvious it was stuff Paige liked, but instead of adding to the tension I just thanked him.

Kaya appreciated the skirts I'd gotten her, and she was excited to show Bailey the gogo boots she'd gotten her.

Bailey had gotten Cameron - which was probably the luckiest pick considering they're siblings. She'd gotten him new accessories for his PC, stuff she knew he'd like and loved as soon as the gift was open.

Cameron got Z some shoes, and Z got Lila a new designer purse. Lila had Naia, making her a yellow-themed basket filled with stuff Naia seemed to enjoy.

Naia got Guin a new pantsuit in a color they hadn't owned yet, and Guin got Griffin a couple of fitness items he'd been wanting. Which again, they were lucky in the sense they'd gotten someone they knew, loved, and could easily shop for.

Griffin got Layla and gave her some jewelry similar to the ones she already wears. Layla got Katherine a new leather jacket among a couple of other items she enjoyed.

Katherine had Ashley, and Ashley had Quinn. A couple of pretty stationary items that Quinn could use for the rest of the school year or just in general, and Quinn got Elijah some items he enjoyed as well.

Elijah got Miles things he wanted - which was surprising, to say the least, and Miles got Maya a gift card and some candy.

Maya got Paige - a match made in heaven it seemed as she got her everything I've seen Paige enjoy over the years. Paige got Gwen, and Gwen had Carter.

She'd gotten Carter some designer clothes, stuff I'd never actually seen him wear before but it wasn't anything I couldn't see him wearing. It was just something it seemed he wouldn't buy himself if that makes sense.

After gifts were exchanged, we moved on to the few activities that Bailey had planned for the party. Everyone mingled and talked amongst each other as if drama hadn't been happening for the past few months, and as if we were all best friends.

Before it got too late, everyone began to slowly decide to leave. As Katherine, Miles, and I left I didn't spare a glance at the others, having been content I didn't let any of the past drama get to me.

Even Ashley was bearable, which says a lot.

Miles and I waited for Katherine to say her goodbyes to Elijah as we sat in the car, and I took that as my opportunity to give Miles his gift.

"Hey," I said, turning around to look at him. "Grab the blue bag from the back."

Miles leaned back and grabbed it, sending me a look. "What's this?" He asked.

"Your Christmas gift. I know we probably won't get to see each other too much over break because of family plans, so I didn't want to wait." I explained.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Rory." He said with a small smile.

"Just open it," I told him, leaning my head on my hand.

He obliged, pulling the paper from the bag. I watched his smile grow as he revealed his gifts, his cheeks turning bright pink. "You knew how much I wanted this," He mumbled. "And it's a limited edition? How did you get this?"

"I have my ways," I mumbled. "Do you like it?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed, scooting forward on the seat. He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, one I'd enjoy much more if there wasn't a leather seat between the two of us.

"There's more in there," I mumbled as he pulled away.

He grabbed the bag and looked inside, pulling out the painting I'd made for him. He smiled even bigger - if that were possible - before looking at me. "You're truly my best friend, Rory."

"Oh, stop," I mumbled, twirling my ring around my finger. "It's nothing."

"You made me art - literal art, and you're saying it's nothing?" He asked in shock.

"I just care about you, and I wanted to show you I did. You've done a lot for me - I don't think I'd survive my life here after everything if it weren't for you."

Miles didn't say anything, but even if he wanted to he couldn't due to Katherine finally getting in the car. I smiled to myself as I buckled up, getting ready to drive in the direction of Miles' house.

Dropping Miles off was quick and simple, and I was thankful to see everyone had already gone to bed by the time we got back.

We got to my room where I handed Katherine her gift - something similar to Miles' gift. She reacted much like Miles had, to which I was grateful that she liked it.

"I think I'm going to take a shower," Katherine mumbled. "Want to watch something after?"

"Sure," I mumbled as I took my shoes off.

She nodded but didn't say anything, and I quickly changed once she went into the bathroom.

After changing I walked over to the bed to get in, stopping as I saw something sitting on the side I sleep on. It was a small box with a little note next to it, with a little ribbon tied around the box itself.

Picking the note up, I looked to see Carter's familiar handwriting.

'Merry Christmas, Rory. I think of you always. - C'

Smiling to myself, I looked at the box. I opened it up and stopped as I looked at what it was.

Inside the box was a small ring, a simple one at that. As I pulled it out of the box I realized it wasn't any type of engagement or promise ring as most would think, but instead was a custom-made one. It wasn't made to say anything but was instead made with an extra band that can spin in circles.

I slipped my old ring off and put the new one on, seeing it fit almost perfectly. I spun the ring around in circles, seeing it didn't irritate my skin at all. It had been made to avoid that - so I could stop hurting myself unintentionally.

I sat on the bed and continuously spun it, a small smile on my face. He was late because he was dropping this off, wasn't he? He wanted to give me a personal gift much like I had done him, despite what was going on between us.

Knowing that whatever had been going on between the two of us was over was enough to break my heart into two, but it made me feel a lot better knowing things were beginning to get better.

Or one could hope, at least.

++

Sorry this sucked, it was a filler more than anything with a small side thing <3 I've had the idea of him getting her that ring in mind since the plot of this story was created, so here ya go lol