'Cause it is my favorite holiday

 What was she doing here? Brick just about fainted when he came home to see Lily at his grandmother's house. She was staying with them for the holidays.

"But why?" He might have sounded all of a testy seven-year-old in a stomp in his grandmother's kitchen. This was his Christmas with Izzy.

"Oh, she wanted to see her grandmother, but I think they are having trouble with the house after the wind storm, so I said she could stay with us," his grandmother shrugged. "Aren't you two still friends?"

"Not really," Brick looked at her alarmed. Of course, Lily was as precious as she always was. As he recalled, it had been her idea to break up when she moved. He winced hard, this was a horrible mistake. "How..how could you just let her stay?"

"Well, I wouldn't leave anyone in the cold," his grandmother shrugged. "Her grandmother is my best friend. They are practically family."

"Family," Brick only sighed. When had he ever had a cozy family, as Grand Betty implied? He'd never felt it was quite as simple as everyone said. He felt trouble brewing. The doorbell rang. It was Izzy and guess who answered the door?

Casey hesitated feeling out of place, but it was Charles who'd gotten ahold of him. He told him that Lynsey needed him. Of course, Casey first said, "Oh, I couldn't."

"Why couldn't you?" Charles asked back. "You're on the phone with me. It's Christmas. Your family needs you."

So here he was, angry mostly with himself. Suddenly, it felt Lysney had her own family and he wasn't included, yet Charles told him he was. Casey was after all Erro's father.

Even now, he didn't know what to say to Lynsey. After all, he knew he was the one who made her feel the most awful about the past. He handed over the gifts. Perhaps this way they wouldn't have to hug. Maybe he wouldn't have to say anything, but the apology came so suddenly. He wasn't even sure what he was saying.

"I know I hurt you," he said. "I don't know...if you'll ever forgive me." He had tears in his eyes. Honestly, he hated to be the one wrong. That was always how it had been. He was certain now that he was more like his father than he really knew. So ridged that he never wanted to admit a mistake. 

Of course, she said nothing, but she let him in. She led him to Erro. As if was, the baby had not forgotten him.

Oh, this was the Izzy that Brick's grandmother told her about. They'd had a long discussion about Brick over hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. Lily, didn't know if she could handle it. After all, it had been an awful year. She'd hoped it would have gotten better, but things had changed since moving to Chicago.

She didn't have the friends there that she grew up with. Yes, she'd taken to social media and somehow, she wasn't as brave as Brick might have remembered. She'd somehow ended up in the psychic ward for a weekend.

Yes, it was a surprise to everyone. Especially, her mom and step-dad. Her Dad even came. It was all a miserable sort of thing. Truly, she'd let everyone down just because of a boy at school. Why had she let him mislead her? Brick would have never done anything so horrid. He'd always been a friend. He might not be her boyfriend, but he'd been a true friend. Not someone building you up and then tearing you down. Making you feel as if you were nothing, to begin with.

Of course, it hurt that Brick had moved on. And Izzy was just as pleasant and good as Brick's grandmother said. "Oh, I've heard a lot about you." Lily smiled with a handshake. "How's your Christmas?"

"Not bad," Izzy smiled back. 

"I'm just a friend of the family," Lily told her. For the first time, Lily felt she was letting go of Brick. She couldn't help but like Izzy. She could see Izzy was good for Brick and that was all she ever wanted.