Cheers

A Christmas Special by Elli.

She faked a laugh along the others as they ridiculed him.

The nerd that she thought deserved better. The guy she thought was funny and smart. The boyfriend she knew that people wouldn't understand. She knew he had to take it all—without other people knowing at all.

She already told him that she was ready to give up her popularity just so people would stop making fun of him. He knew she had to take a risk, he didn't want that. He wanted her to be happy. He smiled and shook his head. He left without a word.

The next day, she saw him. Alone on the bench, reading a novel of his liking, he sat there. She smiled and approached him. A quick tap on the shoulder and he turned to her, his eyes wide with confusion. She without thought sat down beside him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She had already decided.

People looked at them; their shocked eyes betrayed them as they smiled at her. They could not believe it.

She smiled, turned and gave him a peck on the cheek and he blushed. He turned towards her and murmured his concern. She did not listen to him; she read the novel over his shoulder.

Weeks passed and Christmas was near, she went out in the cold and searched for a gift.

Shops after shops she turned down and passed, she finally saw one that sought her interest. She gasped and hastily ran inside, grasping the object in her hands. A string attached at its back, she smiled and paid the woman behind the counter.

In her home, she waited with bated breath for his call. Excited and weary, she wondered if he'd like her gift. She plopped herself down on the soft mattress of her bed and sighed, looking at the doll she had just bought.

A wolf, brown and fluffy, stared back at her with its glassy eyes. She turned it over and remembered the string. It protruded towards her and she obliged, pulling it out.

It squawked and she squealed. She had forgotten one thing; a message it soon will bring.

Christmas has come and he was there, waiting for her at their usual meeting place. He waved happily, a gift in hand. She waved back with equal vigor and shouted his name, the doll peeking from her bag.

She reached him and she smiled as he handed her the gift. Wrapped in pink and white, she tightly held it in her arms and smiled. She wasted no time and drew out her gift; the little wolf looking at him through the beady eyes he had.

He chuckled and hugged her. He told her he loved her but she only giggled in return.

Confused, he asked if she didn't love him back but the only thing she told him was, "The answer is in your hands."

He quizzically looked at the wolf and it stared back, unblinking.

Dejected, his fists whitened with anger. He told her he loved her and she didn't even say she loved him back. He turned his back on her and ran away. She called to him, puzzled, why he ran away. She ran to catch up on him but didn't notice a pair of lights flicker. She turned her head and slowly realizing, the bus didn't stop for her.

He didn't hear her shouts of pain and her life slowly fading, but he continued on and ran towards the place where they first met. He sat down on the swing, sad and lonely. He was ready to throw the doll away when he noticed a string dangled on its back.

He hooked his finger on the clasp and pulled softly. The wolf barked.

"I love you Syaoran. Merry Christmas."