I heard faint 'pink!...pink!..' sounds on my window. The sounds I had been straining to hear for at least 15 minutes, waiting anxiously.

      I jumped off my bed quickly and grabbed my nearby coat that was in a mass on the floor.

      I threw it on before opening my window and getting nailed in the forehead with one of the small rocks.

      I put my hand to my forehead and rolled my eyes. Great aim, Sorain.

      Ignoring the slight pain of my upper face, I climbed out the window and down the tree branch to the clubhouse, slightly illuminated by a muffled lantern.

      I landed quietly on the wood planking of the floor.

      Sorain was sitting on a bean bag chair, bundled up in a heavy jacket and a sleeping bag.

      She tossed me the spare sleeping bag at her side.

      I quickly unzipped it part of the way and slid in before zipping it back up.

      She handed me the thermos that I hadn't noticed she was carrying until now. I untwisted the dark green cap and took a sip of the liquid. Hot Chocolate poured down my throat in a soothing coating.

      "So.." She spoke, steam clouds coming out of her mouth from the chill in the air and the warmth of her breath. It reminded me of the catepillar in 'Alice In Wonderland' that breathed the colorful smoke from the pipe in words.

      "Chewie and Animal are going to the party?" She asked.

      "Yeah." I studied her in the lantern light. Her strawberry blonde hair fell around her shoulders in silky cascades, and her violet eyes seemed to have hidden depths to them. Depths that stored away all her secrets and memories. She had beautiful eyes.

      And she was definately different from anyone else that I had ever known. Her sarcasm could catch you off guard at times and yet she was friendly. She never really went over the line. But she was incredibly stubborn and refused to admit when she was wrong. She would just dismiss it as irrelevant and move on. She was definately a bundle of fun. Plus, she could play the piano like nobody's business.

      "How did Zac get Diana to go for that?" She asked, raising her eyebrows in interest. That was another thing about her. Her expressions were always insights on what she was feeling. Her face could never decieve anyone, you always knew how she was feeling.

      "He didn't. Ike did. Zac was a bit upset at how leash-guarded he is. Isaac helped him out." I explained.

      "Oh..I see. Why didn't you go?"

      "Coz I didn't want to go." I answered, knowing that I was being a little dishonest with that one.

      "Give me a break Hanson. I know that you wanted to go. Why didn't you? Because I was out here? You should have gone." Another quality I had overlooked. She was straight-forward.

      "I'd rather stay and talk to you then smooze with a bunch of people who have absolutely no clue who I am anymore. I mean, yeah, a lot of those people are my friends. But you and I both know that spending an evening partying with my brothers and the guys is a total waste of my time. The same thing happens every year. It get's kinda boring Sorain." I answered.

      She rolled her pretty eyes in the lantern light.

      "Then why didn't you go, Ms. Hot-Snot-On-A-Silver-Platter?" I teased.

      "Taylor, you know I don't care for superficial people drunk on spiked punch. Especially not at Christmas with all that damn mistletoe."

      I gritted my teeth at the way she accused a good 3/4 of my friends of being superficial in one blow. She didn't even know them! Not half of them anyway.

      I ignored the remark and hoped that she didn't make it again. Sorain KNEW that I hated it when she did that. And I hated having arguements with her. Both of us were entirely too stubborn to let the other one win when it came to that.

      Instead of commenting, I just nodded.

      We were quiet for a moment, Sorain staring at her hands and me staring at the lantern light.

      This was one of our first Christmases since MMMBop made it big in which we were in Tulsa for most of December. We almost didn't know what to do with ourselves. Ususally we would be making sure that ALL our clothes were ALWAYS clean so that we could pack them back up quickly. But this time, we could afford to let the mass accumulate in our floor and the dirty socks once again overcome the closet.

      "So what do you have planned for Christmas?" I finally broke the eerie silence that surrounded us like the night.

      "Not much. Just the usual. Wake up early with Jon and open his gifts before eating breakfast and going back to bed. Then writing a huge mass of thank you cards and going to church in the evening before thanking everything above that Christmas only comes one time a year." She summed up quickly. Jon, her little brother, was definately an early riser. Especially on days like his birthday or Christmas or Easter. I pitied her. At least Mackie and Avery and Jessie waited til a decent hour like 9 or 10. Not 4 AM.

      She made a face as she obviously thought over what Christmas was going to be like.

      I was about to invite her to the New Year's party we were throwing this year when we heard Sorain's mother, Mrs. Michigan, call to her.

      "Sorain!! It's time to go to bed. Get out of that Hanson boy's tree-house!! Taylor, tell her it's time to go!"

      Mrs. Michigan could have woken the dead with that holler. I hoped that Mom and Dad didn't hear that one.

      Sorain hurried down the branch and into her own yard next door before waving and going inside.

      I waved back breifly before scampering down the branch into my own room and turning off the lights.

      I shut my eyes and faked sleep just moments before my mother opened the door to check on me. Now is that some good timing or what?