the force is with you

Well, Kyle was being a downer as far as Cory was concerned. Maybe it was winter setting in or the frustration he just couldn't find the right gift for Amanda.

"I could lend you some cash if it would help?" Cory offered even though he'd rather be trying to figure out Grand Theft Auto 4. Roger was off with his Dad to Christmas shop, and Roger didn't always like playing video games with Cory. They'd get in disagreements that tended to usually pan out, but Roger didn't want to take his chances to spoil the holiday mood.

"No. I don't want your money," Kyle didn't want to play the video game, either.

"What is going on with you? This have something to do with Amanda?" He'd hate see them breakup during the holidays, but he'd noticed Kyle was being awful quiet lately as if he were hiding from something. "What happened?"

"Nothing has happened," Kyle snapped. "Everything is just fine." But Cory didn't see it being fine with his face scowling a bit. He looked as if he might be in pain.

"What did she do to you?" Cory stared at him. "Spill it."

"Did you know I had a sister?" Kyle sighed.

"No." Cory shook his head, couldn't imagined what he was talking about.

"Yeah." Kyle nodded while he opened a Red Bull to think on this a little. He got one for Cory too in his little cooler that was pretty much a treasure chest of candy and lord knows what.

"OK." Cory was waiting for more of the story. "So is she older?Younger? What?"

"Older." Kyle shrugged. "She might be in thirty."

"Woo, that's old."

"Yeah, my Dad was fifteen when she was born." Kyle said rather dull as if it was something left unsaid. Usually.

"How old was your Mom?"

"That was way before my Mom was around, all right."

"I see. So you know her, or anything?"

"Nope," Kyle shrugged setting himself down on the futon, staring at the TV screen. "My Mom tried, but you know. First my Dad acted all surprised and what not. I was like not born then. And they got into it and my Mom was gonna leave him. It was tough. She says, anyway. Then they had this last ditch effort and I came along."

"So you feeling bad about not knowing her or something?" Cory wanted to ask him to make his point, but he didn't.

"I don't really care. Never thought about it until now." Kyle looked as if he was about to cry.

"Of course you care. You probably wonder if she's around. Its Christmas. That's what Christmas does to you." Cory told him.

"Its not Christmas doing this to me," Kyle shook his head. "My Dad was fifteen when he had his first kid." Kyle cleared his throat and hugged himself then.

"It'll be all right, man," Cory looked back at the video game wondering if he should start another game or not. "You'll see. It'll work out. It will."

"I'm beginning to think I'm probably the worst thing that ever happened to Amanda, and I don't know what to do about it." Kyle could have been talking to himself.

"Well, maybe you two should just stop having sex," Cory sighed.

"I know."

"It might be a little late in the game, but you know, maybe its about time you find out what Amanda's all about. Other than the sex stuff. You better start thinking positive before you ruin everything. You are not your Dad, keep remembering that." Cory went back to his game then.