NED

Jogging past his house, Ned tried to keep low to the ground to avoid prying eyes out of windows. Not that his size did him any favors, skulking around like a giraffe in nothing but short grass. He hurried to the side of the Hayes' family house, with enough Hanukkah decorations outside to be seen from space. The house plastered with white and blue lights with giant menorahs and dreidels, with the star of David littered throughout.

When they were kids, it wasn't so gaudy, but once Ned's parents started decorating across the street, it became more than just embracing the season's aesthetic. It became an all-out war, starting with one snide comment from Mrs. Hayes, "Are they trying to win a white trash contest?"

Then, Ned's mother chided back to the other moms in the neighborhood, "It's really sad that people can't just enjoy themselves or have fun, but I guess I'd have a hard time letting loose if a pole was stuck up my ass too."

Mr. Hayes stuck his nose up at Ned's family's giant Santa and his sled display. "Are they trying to go big? Seriously? It's kind of pathetic." And then, he responded with a light up dreidel that actually spun.

Ned's dad put up the fake snow machine that rained down on their porch the next year.

In return, Mrs. Hayes put up spotlights.

And so on the decorations doubled, tripled, until there was no space left and their houses became a holiday destination for the town. At night, someone could even dial up a Christmas radio station and the lights would flicker to the beat.

Slipping through the front, Ned followed the side of the house until he stood underneath Sam's window. His chest tightened as Ned caught his breath. Ned's heartbeat pounded in his ears, making all his nerves shake. No amount of rest was going to help. Not the cool winter air. Or the deep breath Ned took.

He reached up and knocked on Sam's window.

After all this time, seeing Sam still gave Ned butterflies. And this was the person Ned felt most comfortable with.

Only Sam knew about Ned's dreams and all the stories he wanted to illustrate. Ned's parents didn't know he made up reasons to take a drive just because he needed the alone time. That night driving made Ned feel the most comfortable. Lena never knew that Ned threw up inside his backpack on the school trip to Six Flags.

Sam knew.

Sam had been there for it all.

"Sam!" Ned hissed, nervously glanced around. He had an excuse at the ready if Sam's parents caught him. He kicked a ball in their lawn and he needed to retrieve it. No, that was dumb. Ned had never even picked up a ball on purpose in his life. Any sports equipment inside his hands was put there by force.

Maybe he could say he was following a lost dog?

No. Everybody knew Ned was afraid of strange dogs.

The curtains shivered and Sam's hand appeared, his joint round and fingers long. He pressed against the glass, pointing at Ned. Making one hard point, he then motioned to go around the house.

"But your parents?" Ned whispered. If possible, Ned wanted to avoid ever seeing Sam's mother again for the rest of his life. 

Sam shaped his hand into a "zero" and motioned Ned again.

"Okay. I'm going," Ned said and hurried back to the front and up the rickety porch steps. Giving the door a little knock, Ned righted himself and raked his fingers through his hair so it'd lay straight and then, he adjusted his hoodie.

The door swung open, and Ned's smile fell. "Oh. Hi, Maggie."

Holding the door was Margaret Hayes with a scowl meaner than a cat just drenched in water. She wore that scowl like it was a family heirloom and it was a source of pride. Shorter than Ned (like everyone else on planet earth), Margaret had thin brown eyes, big frizzy curly hair, and the unfortunate skill of dressing Ned down without having to say anything at all.

"Um, I'm here to talk to Sam—"

Margaret slammed the door in his face.

Ned sighed. "Oh, come on, Maggie!"

"It's Margaret!" She shouted from the other side. "Only my friends call me Maggie."

Despite being the same age and Sam's twin, Margaret was not Ned's friend or Lena's. She did tolerate Indie, but nobody could escape the clutches of Indie's friendship. They were an anomaly greater than Santa Claus themselves and could convince the devil to join secret Santa.

The door opened again, making Ned flinch and he held his arms up to ready for an attack, but Sam was there with a smirk on his lips. Like Margaret, he had curly hair and dark eyes and willowy features, but he had the fortunate skill of instantly making Ned's day.

A rush of joy washed over the butterflies in Ned's stomach and they fluttered wildly. Sam pushed his glasses up his nose and tilted his head. Sam was handsome in the way that you stared at a painting, valuing the obvious artistry, but if you stared longer, there'd be more treasures to appreciate. Ned particularly liked the small mole on Sam's chin.

"What are you wearing?" Sam asked, his voice gravely from just waking up. He was all bundled up in a baggy pair of sweatpants and a bigger sweatshirt that Ned could've sworn he recognized from his own closet.

"Lena forced me to go jogging."

Sam's brow flew up his forehead. "She did? Is she going to pay for your therapy?"

"Oh, yeah for sure and I'm gonna pay for hers."

"That sounds fair. I'm sure you were equally a terror."

Ned grinned, the butterflies in his stomach dancing at the sound of Sam's laughter. He smiled and motioned to Sam. "Come on. There's someplace I wanna take you."

"Is this the kind of place I can bring coffee? Actually, I don't care what the answer is, I'll be right back. Do you want—" Sam almost asked if Ned wanted to come inside, but Ned had never entered Sam's house from the front door before because what sane person would willfully enter a hungry lion's cage. Ned has only ever been in Sam's room and that was from climbing in through the window.

Ned waited a few minutes, hands in his pockets as he nervously shifted back and forth. He glanced at his house across the street. His parents were out doing last minute shopping, preparing for his older brother John to come home from veterinary school. He always brought good news, new accomplishments, epic stories, and enough love that his parents gorged themselves on for months. Ned was hoping when he went to college for something or whatever, he'd also be able to bring cool news home. For once in his life.

In a few minutes, Sam reemerged in jeans, a black sweater, his gray wool coat, and a thermos full of coffee with the consistency of sludge. Margaret called after him before he could close the door on her words. "You better be back in time to help me get ready—"

The door snapped shut.

"Let's go," Sam said, not stopping.

Ned nodded, leading the way to the sidewalk. He shoved his hands in his pockets, stepping into line with Sam. If he turned, their arms might brush and Ned couldn't stop thinking about that in the back of his mind.

Clearing his throat, Ned asked, "What does Maggie need help getting ready for?"

"A Christmas party tonight."

"Really? And your parents are cool with it?"

"It's for a fundraiser, so she's getting away with it, but you know Maggie. She's always been invested in Christmas and Hanukkah, though let's be honest, she just wants presents." Sam rolled his eyes and sipped more on his coffee. He must've noticed Ned eyeing it and let him take a sip.

Leaving the cul-de-sac, we traveled a few roads over until we found the crowd. "What are we doing here?" Traffic immediately held them up, and they stopped in the middle of the aisle between kids' toys that were definitely haunted and a table of picture frames. Some are still holding vintage pictures.

"This isn't a gift," Ned prefaced, looking through the huge yard sale. While Margaret liked to celebrate Christmas with her friends, Sam only ever participated in Hanukkah. He's never liked Christmas for all the same reasons Ned loved it. Sam called it an obnoxious capitalistic empty holiday, but Ned liked giving gifts and seeing his friends and family's faces light up. He loved the campy music and gorging on junk food. The air was different around Christmas. Like there was magic crackling from the twinkling lights.

Ned pulled Sam closer so he'd avoid getting trampled by a group of wide-shouldered men and women moving a couch. Their chests bumped, and Ned cleared his throat to mask his blush. "I owe you a new bookshelf."

"You do." Sam agreed. "Ned, you're twelve feet tall. Stop sitting on everything."

Ned grinned. "It'll all be worth it." He looked around, a twinkle in his eye as he spotted their treasure. He motioned Sam to it.

A dark wood bookshelf that was not tall but was long usurped Sam's attention and the noise that came out of Sam's throat was inhuman. He threw himself onto the top, staking his claim. "This shelf is spoken for," Sam said to a little old lady with grabby hands. He used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe off her grease stain.

"I guess you're good with this," Ned chuckled and snatched up the price tag. "I'll be right back." Ned disappeared into the crowd to make this important purchase. Sam stayed by the shelf, advising passerby to keep walking.

Ned hid a laugh in his palm and eventually, he found his old lunch lady, Mrs. Helen, and she was happy enough to see him to cut fifteen dollars off the asking price. "I see you and Sam Hayes are still attached at the hip."

Glancing back, Ned spotted Sam still coveting the shelf like a dragon protecting his horde. Ned couldn't help but smile. Sam brought them out easier than anyone. He didn't even have to do much. Ned nodded. "Yep. Right where I belong."

Sam met his eyes and motioned him, mouthing the words, "Hurry up."

Ned nodded that he understood and did what he was told.

#

If Lena glanced out her window to find Ned and Sam struggling to lug this bookshelf down the sidewalk, she'd laugh and probably throw tomatoes at Ned. He was really proving her point right now with every inch of his muscles on fire and his pained twig-like quivering lungs.

"We're close. Come on," Sam grunted.

"You said that already," Ned whined. His knees kept bonking the side of the hardwood as his feet shuffled baby inches at a time. "My skin is crying."

Sam let out a tired guffaw, laughing at Ned's pain like it was nothing.

"Your skin's fine. After this, you can lay around all day and do nothing. Crawl back into bed if you want—"

"I can't," Ned grunted, readjusting his grip. "I've got a date today."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello friends! Guess who just announced their Nanowrimo Project?? You? Hey! Me too. So, I'll be using Nano as my inspiration to complete this book and if you wanna keep up with my process (and my pain), follow me on Twitter. My dream would be to have this book completed BEFORE Christmas.

 I hope you enjoyed the updated, expect another one VERY soon. Don't forget to leave a comment with all your thoughts and feelings. What do you think about Ned and Sam's family wars? And what are your thoughts on Ned and Sam's dynamic? And what are your thoughts on Christmas? Team Ned or Team Sam? 

Also, Happy Halloween! Haha. Anybody got any plans?