"Guys I am so excited! I love this time of year!" Serena shouted as she carried four bags of Christmas decorations.

"God Meatball Brains, if only you had this hard working drive through out the whole year..." Ray scoffed sarcastically. "You would be competing with Amy for top student." Raye winked at Amy as her head popped up. She too was carrying an outrageous number of bags with decorations.

"Really though Sere, what you are doing for these kids, you are going to make their year!" Lita smiled at Serena as she carried her bags so effortlessly.

"And we are so glad you are letting us be apart of it." Mina butted in.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Make little kids smile and be with my best friends." She peaked over bags and they could see the smile in her eyes.

"Don't get sappy on us now Meatball Head!" Raye shouted.

"Gosh what a Scrooge. You could at lease say you love me too!"

"In your dreams." Raye stuck her tongue out as she turned the corner to enter the arcade. She used her finger to grab the door.

Before she could open it just enough to squeeze herself in, Andrew came running over to grab the doors.

"Ladies why didn't you call me I would have come out to help you. Or Darien would at least held the door open."

"No I wouldn't have." Darien said without looking up at his books.

"We didn't need you anyways." Serena said placing the bags on the counter. "Andrew thank you soo much for letting us use the arcade for the Kids' Elves' Fest."

"No problem. Glad to help."

"And you are sure we can do our White Elephant game after?" Serena asked with a smirk.

"Geez, Drew." Darien's head looked up from his book. "Did you promise her a little blue box too?"

"Gosh. What has your panties in a bunch?" Mina asked as she started sifting through her bags. "It's Christmas! Try not to show too much excitement. Okay?"

Andrew laughed.

"Whatever." Darien shook his head and looked back into his book.

"How can you be studying. There is so much going on around you? So much happiness?" Serena tried to reason with him.

"Pshhhh fake happiness."

"What a Scrooge you are!" Lita crossed her arms and looked over at Andrew with a disapproving face.

"What I am Scrooge, because I am telling the truth?" Darien shut his book. "All these people waling around pretending to care. Smiling at each other. Faking happiness. Spending all that money on useless junk and then convincing children that an old man, who is probably a million years old mind you, is able to travel the world in one night to deliver every child a gift." He scoffed. "Please the whole season is fake. Especially 'Santa'"

Just then a gasp was heard behind them. They all turned around to see a little girl standing behind them. She was holding a quarter about to play a game.

"My mommy said Santa is real!" She argued.

Serena came around the counter and kneeled to the little girls level. Darien watched as she stroked the little girls hair.

"Oh sweet heart of course he is real!" She smiled at her. "You just need to remember and you just need to keep believing right in here." She pointed at her little heart.

"Then why did he say that he wasn't." The little girl asked with a sad face.

"Well honey... he, unlike you, keeps making the naughty list. And to hide his disappointment." She shot a look at Darien. "He pretends Santa is not there. But we know the truth right...?"

The little girl looked up at Serena and smiled. She then nodded.

"Now why don't you go play some games." She winked at the little girl.

"Okay." But before she could walk away. "Mr. Naughty List?"

Darien looked up at the little girl, who was smiling back at him. "You still have some time to make the Good List."

Darien looked at her confused.

"Santa counts every good deed." She then hopped away towards the game she wanted.

Serena got up off the ground, back to her bags.

"Good save Serena!" Raye put a hand out to high five her.

"Good save?" Darien scoffed again. "She just prolonged a lie!" He threw his hands. "Last time a checked a lie is a lie."

The rest of the group just shook their head.

"On another note!" Andrew tried to break the ice. "We have two days, well 1 and a half days to get everything ready." He clapped both hands together. "What do you need us to do?"

"You only have a day and a half left to take care of all this stuff? Typical Serena, waited until the last minute. This is going to be a shit show!" He laughed.

Serena was about to fire back, but Andrew interrupted her. "As I said what do you need us to do? We have so much to do and so little time. How can we help you?"

"We? Don't lump me in this? I didn't volunteer!" Darien argued right away.

"You really are a Scrooge, you can't even take a couple minutes to help children have a better Christmas?" Lita scolded.

"Whatever."

Serena started to delegates the tasks for everyone and they all started on their little jobs. Lita started baking cookies. Ray and Amy started on the Christmas tree. While Andrew and Mina started cutting up snowflakes.

Serena was working away untangling lights.

"Are you sure you even what you are doing Meatball head?" Darien sipped his coffee. "You look like you are about to get yourself stuck and tangles in those things!"

"Shut up Darien!" Serena shouted.

"My. My. That doesn't sound very Christmasy does it?" Darien looked at Andrew with his usual grin. Like he won.

"Come on Dare lay off. She is doing a really nice thing. And she working really hard."

"Pshhhh. Serena and working hard are not something that ever go together."

"Hey play boy lay off her before I start laying one into you!" Lita stopped serving the mix and threw her hand up in a fist.

"Woah. Woah what did we just walk into?" A voice came from behind Darien.

Raye peaked around the tree.

"Oh. My. Wow." Lita said under breath.

Andrew got up off the stool he was sitting on. "Guys! You made it!" He shook the two guys hands. "Ladies, these are my two good friends. Jed and Ken."

"Nice to meet you!" Raye shouted.

"Guys what are you doing here?" Darien asked.

"Andrew asked us to come help...and how could we say now? Jed shrugged his shoulders.

"So where do you need us?" Ken asked.

"I can use help with cookies!" Lita volunteered within seconds.

"And I could use help with the star on the tree!" Raye jumped up.

"The star is the least of your worries!" Darien judged."It looks like an ornament maker exploded on the tree. It is a mess." He laughed slapping Jed's arm.

Nobody else laughed.

"Come on where is jolly Christmas cheer." He did a little punch "Why is everyone so serious? Don't forget this is still an event Serena planned. It will be a huge failure."

"For the last time shut the hell up!"

"Lita calm down." Andrew tried to keep the peace.

"Me?" Lita was confused. "You friend is a kill joy!"

"Guys come on. Let's just focus on this event." Serena smiled. " Don't let him ruin the most wonderful time of the year."

"You must be Serena." Jed talked up to her shook her hand.

"Andrew has told us a lot about you." Ken shook her hand after. "You are full of light!

"And clumsiness." Darien added.

Ken and Jed ignore him as they headed to their stations. The group started to get their jobs done ad eventually the comments that Darien made were being forgotten. Ken and Lita were making little jokes about the cookies, as Jed helped Raye with the star on the tree. Serena worked her way around with the lights. Greg eventually came and he and Amy helped her.

"Guys I need one more things of lights please!" Serena stuck her hand out.

"Serena I think we're out?" Amy said digging through some bags.

"What do you mean I bought tons of them!" She got down from the ladder.

"I don't think you got enough." Greg dug through another bag.

"Are you serious?" She asked looking through the bag closest to her.

"Yeah...how many feet did you measure for?" Amy asked pulling another bag closer to her.

"Ummm." Serena started to scratch her head.

"You did measure right?" Darien butted in again. "With an actual measuring tape...not estimating with that little brain of yours."

Serena stated to frantically dig through another bag.

"Ha!" Darien shouted and clapped his hands together. "She didn't actually measure! What a surprise. Typical Meatball brains, not doing enough planning."

Raye, Mina, Lita and Amy all stood up and looked at Darien.

"Dare come on..." Ken said suggestively. "A tad harsh there."

"Harsh or telling the truth. I told you guys this party is a waste of time." He started to pack the book he was reading up."Especially one done by this bozo." He pulled out another book.

"That is it!" Serena yelled. But it was yell Darien was not familiar with and she had yelled at him many times. "You have been nothing but critical, judgmental, and all together a Scrooge! First almost crushing Christmas for that little girl." She started to get so mad tears started run down her red face. "Then you insult everything that everyone has done! Amy has never said anything mean to you and you just ripped her decorating apart!"

"Serena honey. You are getting so worked up." Raye started to walk towards her calmly.

"No Raye! This is the happiest time of the year and he is just trying to crush everyone's happiness!" She started to hyperventilate.

"Sere please calm down." Lita started to put water. "Have some water"

"I don't water. I want him to leave! He has been nothing but a thorn in this happy time. I want him out!" Her breathing became more irregular.

Darien had never seen her this way.

"Dare...please leave." Andrew asked.

"What?"

"He doesn't want you here!" Serena jumped in. "Nobody wants you here! You are like a vortex that sucks the happiness out of everyone. No wonder you are so damn lonely and your only friend is Andrew." She looked him up and down.

For once he had nothing to say.

"Darien. Just go." Ken suggested.

He just stood there.

"They said leave!" Serena shouted. "We do not want you negativity here. Nobody wants you here. I hate you!"

And with that Darien packed his bags and left the arcade. But before actually walking away he looked once more into the arcade to see everyone trying to calm Serena down. They have had their share of fights but the pain on her face, showed a combination of anger and defeat. He just shook his head and walked away.