This short winter day was nearing its end. Blackness filled the sky above him except for the orange horizon to the west. Cole spotted the night's first star while waiting outside for Hope, and the snow which the weather service predicted for now. He had lined the gutters with bright white light icicles and a string of blue flashing ones above them. Well, the box said blue, but he was certain they were purple. He crunched the rest of a candy cane and enjoyed the peppermint and sugary mixture.

It was cold, goose bumps formed on his skin, and he could see his breath. He exhaled hot air and watched it freeze. A cold snowflake lowered onto his arm. "Finally."

Clouds concealed his star, and the sky filled with huge flakes slowly falling toward him. He grinned and leaned his head back allowing them to land on his forehead and cheeks. The cold water refreshed his warm skin.

"Wait! Is that Cole Donaldson enjoying Christmas? I should have brought my camera from school."

He switched his attention to Hope and faced her.

He said, "I'm glad you didn't bring your stalker cam because I'm sick of it, and there's a good chance I would've accidentally grabbed it..." He acted out this scenario, while he spoke, "... flung it to the pavement, and then jumped on it repeatedly, crushing it with my foot, you know... accidentally."

"Quit dodging the question and admit that you like Christmas."

He guffawed and then whispered, "Shh." He motioned for her to be quiet.

"Well, I'm pretty sure somebody already knows." She knocked on his life-sized hollow plastic Santa Claus, standing next to her.

"Fine. Also, it rarely snows here, and I didn't want to miss it."

"... and you didn't," Hope said, agreeing and shivering. She rubbed her hands together. "Now I did not bring a jacket, so I'm going in."

She jogged into his house and he followed, removed his shoes, and brushed the snow off.

Hope's hair was down and straight. She also wore makeup, which was rare. She looked beautiful. "Woah! You look nice."

She twirled around in her Christmas dress. The top was black with short sleeves. The bottom was a long skirt. There was a lot happening on her skirt. The design by her high waist was red with snowflakes. The red switched to white by her knees where alternating Santa Claus images changed every six inches, horizontally. Then, the bottom had a green border.

"That seems to be the popular response today."

"Your mom must've made you take family pictures?"

"You know it." She winked at him and formed a pistol with hand and shot him.

She hugged him. "Merry Christmas."

He recognized the scent of cherry blossoms from the perfume she only wore for special occasions.

"You smell good too."

"Problem?"

"Nope. Just different. I wouldn't be much of a best friend if I didn't point these things out."

She did not let go of him, so they remained bound for a few seconds.

She was searching the ceiling for something. He was contempt not moving ever again, then he remembered.

"Ooh, wait!" he shouted, "You got me all DUH, and I forgot the reason I told you to get over here."

He grabbed her sweaty hand and pulled her into the den to where he had moved their computer and 3D printer.

"I have the best news ever."

She peered at him, curiously. "What?"

"I finally printed it, and got it past 56%, 58% actually."

"There's no way!" She pushed him powerfully, forcing him to take a step backwards.

"Yes way! Look." He handed her a twelve-inch by twelve-inch sheet of semi-transparent film.

She inspected it by twisting and pulling it. "How did you?"

"Well since we're on break, I spent last night re-coding it. I remembered everything we did right before Skye smashed it, and now... Ta Da! 58 percent!"

"Yes!" She jumped on him. It caught him off guard and knocked him to the ground. "I knew we'd do it."

He fell onto his back with her on top. They were nose-to-nose on the floor.

She nodded toward the ceiling.

"You know, there's mistletoe above us.".

Cole peaked and there it was.

"And it's tradition to kiss," she said, hesitantly.

Her soft warm body pressed against him. This was different but he welcomed it. "Yes. It is," he said.

She leaned in closer to kiss him.

"Congratulations!" His mom entered the room from the kitchen. "Where are you guys?"

They were hidden behind the couch. Hope flew off him like a scared kitten, landing on her feet. She flushed red with embarrassment.

He bounced up too.

"We're right here." He shouted.

Hope straightened her dress.

"There you are." Her joyful face changed to a quizzical gaze. "What were you doing?"

Hope blushed, "Sorry, I was so excited that I knocked him over."

"Yes, Cole texted me you' made it to 58%."

"That was very nice of him," Hope glowered at him.

His mom had been sad since his dad left and he did it to make her feel better.

"Let me see this sample."

She repeated Hope's tests and said, "Nice work you two. Although, I'm surprised it took this long. You still have to keep improving it to stay ahead of everyone. Have any of the other students passed 50% besides Ansh and Sai?"

"Not yet," Hope said.

"You look lovely Hope."

Hope grinned, "Thank you. I've been hearing that a lot."

"You both look nice. Take a picture together before you two mess up your clothes."

He moved closer to her and placed his arm around her. They held each other differently. They used to throw their arms aimlessly around each other. This time, he grabbed her around her hip and pulled her closer. The same way he did with Skye.

His mom said, "Say cheese."

They fake smiled. The light flashed.

Hope said, "I love Christmas!"

Cole said, "I used to love it but, now I see it's a way to force people to buy way more than they should."

"That's not why I like it," Hope continued, debating him. "Everybody decorates their houses with shining lights on dark streets at night, sing Christmas songs, spreading cheer, spending time with family and friends and it forces most of the planet, to be nice to each other. What's wrong with that?"

"Fine, Hope. I love Christmas too."

"Do not patronize me."

His mom used to give her two cents about Christmas, but she stared off into the distance. An alarm sounded from the kitchen.

"Oh good, my cookies are ready." His mom announced.

She hurried out of the room.

He placed his arms around Hope and gazed into her eyes the way he did with Skye.

She beamed at him.

Is this what he wanted?

"You two need to get over here and help me make more."

"Yes, mom."

They broke their gaze and went into the kitchen.

"You!" She pointed at Hope. "Wait for these to cool, then frost them."

"Cole, you make more."

"By the way, I agree with Hope. I still like Christmas," said his mom, "This year's going to be rough but..." she changed her frown into a smirk.

"Incoming call from dad," his viewer announced.

He tried to think a reason to get out of answering but could not.

"Answer call."

A hologram of his father appeared in front of him. "Hello, Cole and Hope... and Julie." He hesitated when he spoke her name. "I am calling to wish everybody a Merry Christmas."

He said to Cole, "I miss you and I will pick you up for tomorrow night. You're going to spend the night with me.

"The whole night?"

"What about Hope? We're always together."

"Yes. You are, well, if her parents are OK with it, she can spend the night with us. Or I'll drop her off late at night. I'll contact them."

"This is getting weird, fast," Cole stated.

"I think I see your mom's sugar cookies." His eyes opened wide, and he continued, "I hope you save some of those for me."

"Name Jinx!" Cole shouted.

He rolled up her sleeve and pinched her skin. He did it harder, knowing they were on vacation.

"Ouch! Dammit!!"
She smacked him in the back of the head.

"You can't hit me back," he said, arguing.

"Sorry, you never pinch me that hard."

She massaged her arm.

He smirked. "I wanted to see a return of Summer Hope."

"Not yet, maybe when we win."

"Well, we need to wrap this up and say goodbye," his mom interrupted, "Also, if you want sugar cookies, ask your new tramp to make them for you."

Cole ended the call before that spiraled out of control.

"Sorry," his mom stated, "you two should not have seen that."

They worked in silence making cookies, potatoes, ham, and bread for their Christmas dinner.

Cole ate one of the sugar cookies that Hope had been waiting for them to cool. Warm, moist, crunchy, and sugary.

"Mmmmmh." he moaned, "These are great!" He mumbled through his mouthful, trying again, to cheer up his mom.

"You're eating the wrong ones," his mom stated.

She gestured at the tray in the middle.

"These have already been frosted."

"Hope, do not let anybody else eat those."

Hope nodded.

Cole grabbed a sugar cookie shaped like a tree with green frosting on it from the correct tray.

They continued helping his mom in kitchen until Hope's parents arrived.

They knocked on the door and entered. A chilly draft surged through the house.

"Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas!" Hope's father bellowed. He was wearing a red Santa Claus hat with a fake long, curly, white hair, and matching beard.

"Ho Ho Ho," he continued. He stomped the snow from his boots, and they paraded into the family room. Like Santa Claus, he carried a red bag of presents, over his shoulder to their tree.

Both Hope and Cole's house have Christmas trees. Before Christmas Day, each family would lay their presents under their tree. Then on Christmas Eve, they would bring their presents over and open them together. They rotated which house hosted each year.

Cole was anticipating their arrival because that meant he could quit working in the kitchen. He followed them into the living room with Hope.

Hope's dad placed his bag next to his tree and Hope's mom helped him remove the presents and lay them in openings. They had an artificial seven-foot tall, tree covered in red and white globes. It also had large white snowflakes, and a large white star at the top.

"So, this is awkward without your dad," Hope's dad said to Cole.

"Yes. It is. I spoke to my dad, and he wants us," he motioned at himself and Hope, "to go to his place, tomorrow."

"Oh, is that why you're flustered again?" Angie embraced her best friend.

"Yes."

"Everything will work out." She caressed her hair. "You are strong, and I will be with you whatever you need."
They hugged for a couple minutes.

"Well, I will not let that son of a bitch ruin our Christmas," his mom declared.

"Me either," said Angie, "Do you need help in the kitchen?"

"Follow me."

They rushed into the kitchen. Cole sat and relaxed on the love seat in front of the tree. He placed his feet up on the ottoman, enjoying his moment to rest.

Hope sat next to him.

His parents had been fighting for weeks and he did not believe his father would give up. So, he put blinders on to focus on getting to Mars with Hope.

Hope and Cole sat this way every year, but there was a heightened electricity to them being this close. He felt her soft and warm body touching his; it sent chills down his spine. She grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers and holding on.

"Who wants hot cocoa?" His mom shouted when her and Angie re-entered the room. They carried two trays with Christmas decorated mugs. Each one was different and had their names on them. She asked rhetorically because everybody would get one.

Steam rolled off the tops of the mugs and the cinnamon and chocolate aroma filled the room, making his mouth water. Each cup also had a candy cane hanging over the edge and marshmallows sticking above the top.

"You would have to be a fool to turn this down." Hope's dad grabbed his mug off the tray and said, "Thank you."

"That's that truth," said Angie.

Everybody else took theirs.

His mom pressed virtual buttons on her viewer and music played through the house speakers. A male voice sang:

Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

"So, who want to go first?" Hope's mom asked.

Hope's hand shot in the air.

Her mom gave her two sparkling green wrapped boxes with red bows on them.

Cole said, "I have a present for you, too. Can you hand me your viewer? "

"Take it," she said with her hands full.

She read the note on it, "This is from Mom and Dad."

"Do you know what we need?" his mom interrupted, "To spike the adult cocoas."

Julie started to get up, but Hope's mom said, "Don't worry, I'll get it."

She ran into the kitchen and returned with a tall clear bottle of Peppermint Schnapps. They let them taste it last year and it was disgusting.

They poured it into the adults' cocoas and placed the bottle on the coffee table. Then they tapped their mugs together and sipped it.

"Much better," Julie said.

"Can I continue?" Hope questioned, while holding up her unopened presents.

"Sorry Hope. Go ahead," Julie said.

She read the note on the front. "We are very proud of you! Merry Christmas!"

She ripped the paper off to reveal an official tournament grade chess board.

"I love it," she said.

Her dad got up and embraced her, "Well you kept telling us how much you liked it and leaving other hints around the house."

Her mom said, "We know most people play virtual chess. But these will be excellent for back up in places where you might lose electricity like Mars." She kissed her on the cheek and said, "Merry Christmas."

"The second present is from Julie." She held it in the air.

Then, she tore off the paper to reveal a new laptop.

"Yes. It's state-of-the art and you will need a new one for Mars."

She left it in the box and went to his mother, "Thank you, mom."

"Merry Christmas." They embraced.

"OK. Wait, it's my turn." He leaned behind her and seized her viewer. Then he pressed a few virtual buttons on hers and shouted, "I'm adding your new celebrity notifications. Let me call you to test it." He held out his viewer and announced, "Call Hope."

His viewer announced, "Calling Hope."

The hologram of Maria appeared over Hope's viewer and said, "My name is Maria Gonzalez and Hope Anderson is my number one fan." She gave her million-dollar smile and held up her index finger. "You have an incoming call."

"Oh, My God. Hope burst out laughing and put her hands over her face.

Maria appeared again and repeated. "My name is Maria Gonzalez and Hope Anderson is my number one fan." She smiled and held up her index finger again. "You have an incoming call."

Maria started for a third time and Hope roared, "Turn it off! This is so embarrassing."

"I don't think I can." He rolled around on the couch in hysterics. Hope reached over trying to grab his viewer to stop it. He rolled on top of it to protect it from her.

The fourth time Maria began, Hope tried to turn it off using her phone. She pressed the X to cancel the call, but he had programmed it to not stop. Maria's hologram repeated.

She climbed on top of him and screamed, "TURN IT OFF!". She punched him repeatedly. He ended it but did not give her the secret code.

Hope sat back down, bent over, and grabbed a one-foot by one-foot box with Frosty the Snowman wrapping paper from under the tree. It had a tag on it that said, "To: Cole.". She handed it to him and said, "Since I bought you the Betrothed / Mars or Bust wristbands, "She modeled her band and grinned, "I never have to worry about getting you a good gift. Regardless, I keep finding things that I think you need. Anyways, I found this and figure it was perfect for you." She sat back down.

It was moderately heavy in Cole's hands. He said, "I tried to guess what it is, but I could not." He ripped off the paper and threw it on the floor. His gift was in another Christmas box. He removed the top and still did not know what it was because it appeared to be her face. He removed the plastic and held up a very long and wide sheet. It had a picture of Hope and him from when they graduated the summer program and got accepted to Bettencourt Prep School. They were both on an enormous picture in full cap and gown from the Graduation Ceremony. "

"It's a bed spread with matching pillow covers." She nodded toward another box still on the floor.

"Awh! Thanks Hope. This is exactly what I always wanted." He shook his head indicating he meant the opposite. He leaned over and embraced Hope and pressed her body against his like earlier.

She beamed and said, "Now, if you ever wake up sad because I'm not there, you'll only need to look down."

"OK. I'm next," Cole's mom declared.

Once they finished distributing the rest of the gifts, Hope's dad turned to Cole and said, "Merry Christmas, Cole. How do you think the second semester will go?"

Cole stated, "We've been training every day and I'm confident we'll take the top spot in Petrov's class, on our first day back."