Banner by FallenKitsune.

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Chapter 27: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

One by one, strips of construction paper fell off school-crafted chains used for the mere purpose of counting down to Christmas Day. The line of rings was now down to ten loops and I still hadn't gathered up the energy to go Christmas shopping. I figured that if I waited too long everything that was worth buying would be off the shelves, leaving only the crappy rejects for procrastinators like myself to pick up.

I had a bad case of Shopper's Block, if that was even a thing. As I strolled through the crowded mall, I honestly couldn't think of anything to get anyone. The only thing I really made a decision on was that I was going to get gifts for the boys, including the ones that I already "eliminated." They sort of just pushed their way into my circle of friends, which was okay because it wasn't huge to begin with. Most of the people who sat at our lunch table were friends with Luke, not me.

I decided to start with Dad, because I could give everyone else their gifts after break, or at least after Christmas. I couldn't exactly put off Dad. I saw a fishing rod in the window of an outdoor recreation store. I entered it, and with the help of a knowledgeable sales associate, I came out a hundred dollars poorer. I would pop by the bait shop and get him a gift certificate. Then he could fish until his heart's content.

I bought Mr. and Mrs. Chandler matching mugs. I got them couple's items each year and they never complained. I thought it was cute and couldn't wait until I was married to buy adorable, pointless junk that would eventually clutter my home. They never complained to me about it; not to my face, anyways.

The guys I no longer had a romantic relationship with—and Tyler—were easier to shop for. I made a frog at Build-A-Bear Workshop for Beckett as a sick yet humorous reminder of our awful dissection and clothed it with a stylish pair of hipster glasses. I got Alec—err, Maddy, his daughter—a pink baseball jersey.

I wracked my brain for gifts to give Ian and Tyler, but I found the task next to impossible. The problem with Ian was that he had money and could buy whatever he desired and the only thing I really knew about Tyler was that he liked sex and motorcycles. The thought of sending them both prostitutes to satisfy their dry spell crossed my mind, but the process of finding suitable ones sent goosebumps up my spine. I wouldn't even know the first place to look, let alone the cost of one. Besides, a seventeen year old girl hiring two prostitutes is sort of odd and probably illegal.

I settled on getting something crude for Ian. That seemed to be his thing. I would have to order something online using my dad's credit card since there were no places in the mall that sold the kind of thing that I was looking for. I hoped Dad wouldn't look at the descriptions too closely otherwise I'd have a lot of explaining to do.

I recalled Tyler saying something about pirates, so I went to a toy store and bought him an eye patch, a fake but still realistic looking treasure map, and a package of plastic doubloons. It was stupid and he probably wouldn't use it, but I found it somewhat meaningful and silly.

It took half an hour of my time and the surprising reveal of my negotiating skills that were in fact existent, but I had crossed the barrier that was Luke's parents. I was quite proud of myself and I couldn't wait to get his present.

I wasn't the only person who was at the Addison Animal Shelter today. It seemed that many of the residents of Addison adopted pets during the holidays.

I looked at the whimpering dogs that surrounded me and couldn't help but feel a sense of compassion and sympathy for them. Most were on their hind legs, scratching at the fence that separated them from us.

Many of the dogs were potty-trained by their previous owners, so that was a plus. There were only a handful of puppies left and I decided earlier that I wanted to give the older dogs a chance to find a home. I was searching for a dog that would serve as a companion for him. I crossed any "girly" dogs off my list because there was a chance that it would hurt his ego or whatever. I needed something manly, but a dog that didn't play too rough, because let's face it: Luke's not exactly a tough guy.

I found him on the left. He was a beautiful Golden retriever with the royal name of Prince. He had a smile that could warm even the coldest person's heart and looked like he could outsmart Luke. Prince let out a strong bark that put a smile to my lips. I wondered why he hadn't been adopted yet, but was grateful that I had found him.

I knelt down and gave a small wave. "Hi, Prince," I cooed, stroking his fur through the fence. He licked my hands happily.

A loud, high-pitched giggle came from behind me. I winced, turned around, and shifted my gaze upwards to see two familiar faces.

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked with a pleasant tone to his voice.

I gestured to Prince and laughed. "Isn't it obvious?"

He smiled sheepishly and scratched the nape of his neck with his free hand. "You're making me feel stupid, Charlotte." He laughed nervously, bouncing Maddy gently.

I shrugged and said as apologetically as I could, "Sorry."

"It's okay."

"So you're looking for a dog?"

He nodded. "Actually, we've found one. Prince over here has caught little Maddy's heart." He looked down lovingly at Maddy, who was babbling happily and pointing "I think he'll be a great addition to our family."

A wave of disappointment coursed through me. I couldn't help the gloom that was seeping into my voice. "Oh." I realized quickly that I was probably making Alec feel bad and cheerful cried out, "That's great!"

Alec nodded slowly. "Yeah, it is."

I smiled awkwardly, tugging at the hem of my shirt. "So..."

"Do you want to go for a hot chocolate or something?" he asked suddenly.

"For hot cocoa?" I clarified.

"No caffeine for me and I thought it would be weather-appropriate. You can have coffee if you want to."

I shook my head. I wasn't really a coffee person. "Don't you have a dog to adopt or something?"

"I'll just tell them I have to take Maddy home first and come back for Prince later. I already signed the paperwork."

As horrible as it sounded, I hoped that all the Luke-able dogs wouldn't already be adopted. It was unlikely, but it could happen.

Alec dropped Maddy off at Liz's, who was glaring at me from the time her front door opened to the moment where it slammed shut. Even then it seemed like she was peeking out the window so she could stare at me with great disdain. I wasn't going to lie to myself; she intimidated me and she honestly scared the bajeebers out of me.

"How did you get her knocked up?" I wondered aloud. I quickly wanted to take back my words because I might have offended him. She was the mother of his daughter, after all.

He looked at me for a second, laughed quietly to himself, and then let out a sigh. "Oh, my dear. I planned it."

"You're joking. Please tell me you're joking. Why would you want to get someone pregnant? Are you on drugs or something? Alec--"

"Chill, Charlotte. I am joking. I forgot how gullible you are. I really missed that."

I made a face and got out of the car and into the café. I ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings because I thought it was so sophisticated. I didn't even know if sophisticated people drank hot cocoa, but if they did, it would be with whipped cream and topped with decadent slivers of chocolate. In a weird way, it was sort of like an ice cream sandwich. You'd have to have a twisted view of it, though...

Alec didn't get chocolate shavings.

When the waitress delivered our beverages, I couldn't help but take a lick out of the foamy cream.

"You're so cute, Charlotte," Alec commented. "You're sort of like a bunny."

I wasn't sure if he intended for that to be a compliment, but I would take it as one. "Err—thanks?"

"Hey. No problem."

Apparently it was.

"So are you and Luke together now?" Alec brought up casually. If he was a girl though, I would have suspected he might be dying to know in the inside. He might be, but I doubt it.

"No."

To be honest, I didn't know what kind of relationship Luke and I even had anymore. I didn't even know what Tyler and I were or what Ian and I were. In a weird, twisted way, I was sorted of dating them, but I wasn't. I guess we were all in that "talking" phase that people were always rambling about. For the most part, talking eventually led to a) dating or b) an awkward friendship. If I was lucky enough, I'd end up with both.

"Oh." He seemed disappointed in the lack of gossip I was providing.

"What about you? Are there any new ladies in your life?"

He took a swig of his cooled hot cocoa and gulped it down. "There is a lady, but she's not new."

Please don't let it be me, I begged silently. I guess I never actually let him know that he had been "eliminated" or cut from the game, but I thought me storming out of his house was a pretty obvious clue. I wasn't exactly up to breaking the news to him right now.

"Oh? Who is it?"

It had to be me. Who else would it be?

"It's Liz," he admitted, smiling stupidly. "I guess I've always had feelings for her, but we've been spending more time together as a family now that Maddy is old enough to know who her mom and dad are. I believe that the mom and dad should be together to raise a child, but that's just my philosophy. I don't mean to offend the single parents out there because they're strong individuals who are great."

I laughed, thinking of my dad. "Alec, I got it."

"It's just that we have the choice to be together, and Maddy deserves that."

"All that matters is that you're happy, Alec."

"I am happy." He sounded content and at peace. "I guess I sort of needed to get all that stuff out of my system before I could really enjoy my life, you know?"

"Sure, Alec. Sure."

While the player exterior of him was shedding and basically gone, he still held onto his everlasting charm that I hoped my future son would have. It was a great quality that honestly still made me swoon a bit. I mean, come on. I know we had a "thing" for a while, but there was no way I would ever build up immunity to that.

"I'm blessed, Charlotte."

"All right, Alec. Now you just sound like a nun."

"Sorry. That might be all the cheesy, soul-touching movies Liz has been making me watch lately. Anyways, do you know what dog you want to get?"

I sighed. Not anymore.

We made our way back to the shelter, where we parted out separate ways. "It was nice catching up with you," Alec said before he went in to sign adoption papers.

I nodded and smiled. "You too," I replied back.

I looked around the shelter once more, attempting to soak up the hope that was radiating off the dogs. After about twenty minutes of debating, deciding, and weighing the pros and cons, I settled a two-year old female pug named Tinkerbell. I know that I crossed anything girly off my list, but aside from the name, she was perfect. Besides, he needed a Tinkerbell in his life.