Winter break rolled around soon after Marc Dimmond's party, and the polaroid photos fell into the back of my mind as the McCormacks prepared for their annual trip to Lake Murray. Every Christmas since we'd all been little kids, Sarah and Lewis had rented out a house only a few minutes away from the lake, and almost three hours away from Beaufort. Sometimes, if I was lucky, my parents would let me go and stay with them whilst my mom and dad went out on benders with their friends.

This time though, I was going as part of the McCormack clan. Dallas and Jazmin were coming along for a couple of days too, before heading back to spend Christmas with their own families.

Whilst I would never admit it aloud, I was kind of excited. My previous four Christmases had always been spent at random parties or by myself watching festive movies. I hadn't spent the holidays with family in a long time, and the McCormacks were as close to family as you could get.

"Mia!" Sarah shouted from a few feet away, startling me. "Hurry up! I told you to pack your suitcase days ago!"

Mia bad been rushing around frantically shoving everything she could get her hands on into her suitcase when I had walked by her bedroom about five minutes ago. "I'm almost ready, if you'd stop screaming at me I'd be finished by now!"' Mia called back, and I flopped down onto the sofa to wait for her, holding in a chuckle.

The sound of a door opening caught my attention, and I turned to see Brooks and Lewis making their way back inside from loading the car. Brooks immediately walked past me to the fridge, grabbing out two bottles of water and throwing one to his dad.

"Are we just about ready to go?" Lewis asked, unscrewing the cap from his water.

Sarah sighed and gestured towards the ceiling. "We're all ready apart from Mia. She must be packing her entire wardrobe!"

Brooks scoffed. "No surprises there."

We waited a few more minutes until, eventually, Sarah threw her hands up in frustration. "You lot go and get in the car, I'm going to see what's taking that child so darn long."

She stomped up the stairs, yelling a string of frustrated one-liners at Mia on her way. I stood up and pulled my handbag over my shoulder, following the boys out to the car. I pulled the back door of the four wheel drive open just as Lewis placed his hand on my shoulder. "Savannah, do you think you could occupy the middle seat? Mia hates being rushed and is going to be in a cranky enough mood as it is, I don't know if seating her beside her brother for two and a half hours is really the best idea. Lord knows I can't stand another episode of 'if you cross this line of the seat I get to pinch you'." Lewis' face was so disgruntled that I couldn't help but laugh a little. Mia was the sweetest person I knew, but she got bored way too easily not to become a pain on long journeys.

"Sure, Lewis. I'll make sure she's on her best behaviour." I offered him a little salute and climbed up into the car, buckling myself into the small middle seat. Brooks took the spot to my right a few moments later, followed by Lewis, Sarah and, finally, Mia. Her hair was sticking up every which way and her cheeks were blotchy, and when she slammed the door shut behind her I could tell Lewis had been right. She was pissed.

"Really, Mia, if you'd have just been a little more organized then we could have avoided all of this nonsense." Sarah said disapprovingly as Lewis pulled out onto the road.

Mia crossed her arms, pouting so deeply that lines appeared on her forehead. "I told you I was almost ready! You didn't have to come in and chuck all my stuff in my suitcase for me! Now everything will be wrinkled!" Mia whined like a little kid, her voice sliding between three octaves. I glanced down at my hands and bit my lip to keep from laughing, and when I felt Brooks' shaking slightly beside me, I turned and found him cradling his head in his hands clearly trying just as hard to control his amusement.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and a second later we had set each other off, both unable to stop ourselves from laughing manically.

Mia stared at us, gaping, before sighing dramatically. "Yeah, laugh it up you two, go ahead. But when we're all starving and we try to go out to a nice restaurant to eat and they won't let us in because I look like I skinned a little old man and turned him into an outfit, you can all blame mom for making you starve."

Brooks and I laughed even harder, clutching onto each other for support. It was only when I caught Sarah's smug, pointed gaze in the mirror of her sun visor that I realised I was practically sitting in Brooks' lap. My laughter subsided and I pushed myself gently back into my seat. Brooks seemed to have just noticed our position too, because he cleared his throat and scooted a little closer towards the window, turning his attention to outside.

A silence fell over us as we settled in for two and a half hours of driving, Brooks now avoiding my gaze. Sarah reached over and turned the radio on, and I leant my bead back against the seat and closed my eyes.

Christmas with the McCormacks. This was going to be interesting.

Hey guys! Hope you're all having an amazing week/day! Also hope you're enjoying this story, please don't forget to vote if you are!

Meg xxxx