I watched as the last of my dorm mate moved her holiday pack into the SUV parked right in front of the hostel. Heaving a not so silent sigh, I wished inwardly for a family to go home to too.
It was holiday break and everyone must be with their respective family by now having a great time since they all took the next ticket home after our examinations and here I was on some cheap baggy sweat pants and tank top spending yet another holiday back in school just because my parents won't tolerate each other and live under one roof as one big family.
Ding
A notification from my phone brought me back to my boring reality. I dragged myself from the window where I have been staring at the yard full of snow as white as my skin right now. I need nobody to tell me I was that pale and thin. Its been a while I ate good food. Since non of my parents cared to check on their 19 years old daughter, I have longed stopped hoping they will.
'I'm hosting you for Christmas! And you can't say no!'
Reads a text message from my bestfriend Sheilla.
'We are 30 minutes drive away, you better be ready before we arrive Came a second message all in a row under a minute.
Typical of my best friend to plan my day without my consent. Even though I whine sometimes about how domineering she is, Sheilla is still the only good thing in my life right now. She has become my support system over time that I feel like without her I might just finally breakdown.
Realizing that time was fast ticking and I needed to get ready, I dashed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get groomed.
Well, what was supposed to be a quick shower took up to ten minutes because somehow I started to feel better as I transitioned into festive mood. I guess the music I was playing while bathing played a huge role.
Soonest I heard another ding, not on my phone this time but on the front door and I knew it was time up even though I just started to put on some make-up.
Over excited Sheila lunched on me for a bear hug upon opening the door.
'Hey, girl' was all I could utter as I tried to balanced my feet to be able to stand her weight.
'Did you miss me?' She asked.
I just rolled my eyes as I turned to acknowledged her cousin, Roy, who accompanied her. Obviously Roy drove the car here because Sheilla couldn't drive to save her life.
'What's up with the mandatory invite?' I asked with my voice reeking of sarcasm.
Instead of answering with words, she stuck her tongue out as she made her way to my cookies. I just shook my head and turned to give Roy a polite smile before going back to get ready. Thank goodness I hadn't worn my simple but elegant dress because Sheilla was not at all dressed. Looking at her in a pair of bum shorts and simple top, I was glad I ended up picking my black denim shorts too. Since it was a family occasion, I leveled up the look with a blazer. Adding finishing touches to my make up, I picked my favorite set of sapphire stoned jewellery I have not worn for years now and slid them on.
'Alright guys, I'm ready.' I announced.
'How do I look?' I swirled round feeling excited and positive about the outing.
Roy gauged my outfit from head to toe slowly and mouthed an inaudible 'beautiful!'.
I smiled and turned to face Sheilla who was munching away on my last box of cookies.
'Well?' I encouraged her since she kept eating the cookies and inspecting my outfit with an uninterested look in her face.
'You are good.' She said flatly with a thumbs up showing her approval.
'Great!' I said sharply as I grabbed my box of cookies from her catching her unawares.
'Let's go!' I said placing the cookies back in the Refrigerator and motioned for the door.
Knowing she has had her full, Sheilla stood up without complaining, dusted her hands, and picked her bag. She made a swift turn to her side where Roy was and grabbed his hand to lead him out.
As they stepped out I looked round to check if all was right in the room. Spraying my perfume in the air and walking through it to the light switch, I put off the lights and stepped out. Though the cold outside was freezing, I felt warm and grateful for the gift of friends and a chance for a fun holiday after a very long while.
THE END.