"Play this one." Mackenzie handed his father a CD he had grabbed from the bottom shelf.

"Do you know who this is?"

"Um..." Mackie stared at the cover and squinted his eyes. "Um...no. Play it!"

"Okay." Walker took the CD from the excited 4-year-old and played it. "Hey, Mackie, let's turn the volume up so that your mommy can hear it."

"Yeah!"

White Christmas blared from the speakers and filled the house. "This is Elvis Presley."

"Elvis. I like him Daddy."

"No! Dad! Not the Elvis Christmas collection again!" Isaac strolled into the living room covering his ears. "If you're gonna play Elvis then play his good stuff please."

"I happen to think that this is good stuff. It's Christmas Eve and we're playing Christmas music."

"Ike, Daddy says that we turn the music up so Mommy can hear it."

"Oh, I think she can hear it. It's only on volume 2000. Our neighbors 5 blocks down can hear it."

"Was that the doorbell?"

"What Dad?"

"The doorbell. Did you hear the doorbell," Walker yelled over the crooning Elvis.

"I don't know!" Isaac shut the CD player off. "You can just turn this down and find out."

Walker opened the door to find Mrs. Miller weakly smiling back at him.

"Hi, Walker. Is my daughter here?"

"Yeah. I think she's in the boys' room with Taylor and Zac. Can I get you something to drink? A soda?"

"No thank you. I guess you noticed that my husband would have likely taken you up on that offer. Only he would have wanted something stronger."

"Look, Audrey, that's really not my place to..."

"Thank you for being so understanding."

"Please, come on in." Walker led Mrs. Miller into the living room. "Ike, go get Leigh-Ann please. Tell her that her mother is here."

"Sure, Dad." Isaac headed for his room. He found Taylor, Zac, Jessica and Leigh-Ann in the middle of Outburst. "Hey guys. Leigh-Ann, your mom is here."

Leigh-Ann sighed. She was hoping that her mom would forget about her again so she wouldn't have to face her. "Fine." She gazed at Taylor longingly.

"Um, I'll come with you," Tay finally said.

She smiled as she got up and left the room. Tay followed closely behind, not sure of what was about to happen.

"Thank goodness you're okay." Mrs. Miller kissed her daughter's forehead. Leigh-Ann didn't say a word, but sat silently on the couch next to her mother. "Taylor, I'm glad you're here."

Tay swallowed hard. "You wanted to see me?"

"You know that I think you're a very nice boy and you have been a good friend to Leigh-Ann. Right now, our family is going through a bit of a crisis that, well, Leigh's behavior hasn't helped. I don't mean to blame you, but it has only been since she's been hanging around you more that she's been acting this way. Normally, I would say fine. You two are teenagers and you act out sometimes."

Taylor couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stared wide-eyed at Mrs. Miller, who continued her lecture.

"But we can't handle this right now. I'm sure that you understand that. That's why I'm sure you'll also understand when I ask you not to see my daughter anymore."

"Mom!" Leigh-Ann scooched away from her mother on the couch.

"Audrey, they're friends."

"Walker, I can't justify letting her act this way anymore."

Taylor didn't know what to say. He tried to think of all the words that could make this better, but nothing came to him. He gazed at Leigh-Ann, who was sadly looking right back at him.

"Come on. You can't really think that Taylor is the cause of..."

"Walker, I've made up my mind."

"Look, I don't mean to pry, but your husband..."

"Then don't pry." Mrs. Miller grabbed her daughter's hand and got up off the couch.

Taylor looked desperately at his father, hoping he would do something. "Dad," he begged.

"Audrey, wait." Walker got up and followed her to the door. "I think you're making a big mistake. You're taking away her best friend, probably at a time that she needs him most."

"This is none of your business. This is my family. I think you know that." She turned and pulled Leigh-Ann out the door.

"Cheer up, will ya." Jessica snatched a candy cane from the tree and started to suck on it.

"Whatever." Taylor lied back on the couch with his arms folded across his face.

"It's Christmas Eve."

"No, really," he mumbled.

Jessica jumped on the end of the couch and pushed Tay's legs away.

"Go away, Jess."

"Get over yourself, Tay. I wanna watch Home Improvement." She grabbed for the remote.

"I'm dying here. Can't you understand. My life is falling apart into a miserable puddle of ooze."

"Why don't you just call her. I'm sure her mom calmed down."

"Are you nuts? You didn't see Mrs. Miller's face. And to think that poor Leigh has to spend another night in that house."

"Here, sit up." Jessica pulled her brother's arm. "What you need is a good dose of holiday cheer."

"Really," he sneered.

"Don't be that way. I'm trying to help you." Jess placed Zac's santa hat on the top of Tay's head. "You get to be Santa this year."

Tay ripped the hat off. "No, thanks."

"Come on." Jessie quickly stuck the hat back on his head. "It will make you feel better. Tomorrow morning, you will get to be Santa and you get to hand out all the presents. That's the best job."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yes."

"Thanks for the thought, Jess, but I don't really feel much in the Christmas mood." Tay got up and left Jessica alone with the discarded Santa hat.

"Hi, may I speak to Ginger, please." Ike leaned up against the tree in their backyard with the cellphone in one hand and his notebook on his lap. "What? Oh, okay. Um...tell her Merry Christmas from Isaac then...in case I don't talk to her tomorrow." He sighed and shut the phone off.

"Hey, I was looking for that phone." Zac fell down to the ground next to Ike.

"Why?"

"I needed to make a private phone call if you must know."

"We have our own line in our room." Ike began to scribble in his notebook. "Who were you gonna call?"

"Nobody."

"Manda?" Isaac gave Zac a sly wink.

"No. Just somebody. Not Manda."

"Sure. Okay, whatever you say."

"Who were you talking to?"

"I was trying to call Ginger, for the millionth time today. But she's always 'busy.'"

"Maybe she's avoiding you." Zac leaned over Ike's shoulder to read the notebook.

"Hey, get away." Isaac pushed Zac down. He paused for a moment. "You think she's avoiding me? Why?"

"Bad date."

"What? But we had a good time."

"Sure. All good dates end at 7:30."

Isaac heard the screech of the screen door opening. He looked up and saw Ginger standing on the patio. "Your Dad let me in."

"Hi." He smiled, showing the full spread of his braces. "Um, Zac..."

"Yeah, yeah. I have something to do right?"

"Yup."

Zac rose to his feet. With a spurt of energy, he hopped and did a cartwheel. "That's my exit!" he yelled as he shut the screen door.

"I tried calling you."

"Yeah, I know." Ginger took Zac's place next to Issac against the tree.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why would you think something is wrong?"

"Because you didn't return my phone calls." The moment he said it he realized how desperate he was sounding. Isaac looked down at his notebook full of funny looking cartoons. He quickly shut it.

"I'm here aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are."

She gazed up at him and moved closer. "Isaac, did I ever tell you that I think you're really handsome."

"No. I don't think you have," he whispered. Before he could speak another word she pressed her lips on his. She tried to lean in closer. Ginger grabbed the collar of his shirt and pushed him down. Isaac pulled her hand off of his shirt and moved out from under her.

"Woah, Ginger. What was that?" He scooted away.

"What's wrong?"

"Just that...aren't you moving a bit fast?" He rubbed her lispstick off his lips.

"I thought you wanted to kiss me?" She looked confused.

"I did...I do. But," he struggled to find the words, "my parents could walk out here at any moment," he whispered.

"So? Don't you want to take chances?" She slyly smiled. She lunged forward again and kissed him, this time with more intensity. Isaac turned his head and moved further away.

He had never seen this side of Ginger before. She had seemed so innocent and sweet. "Look, I want to kiss you. Your a very good kisser, but that wasn't just a...I mean we've only been on one date. That was definately not a one-date-kiss. That was a..."

"It was what you wanted." She swept her fingers down the side of his arm.

"What's up with you?"

"I don't understand."

"I try calling you all day. You don't take my calls. Then you come over and try to...I don't know what you're trying to accomplish. You're just not acting like yourself."

She laughed. "I can't believe you're actually rejecting me."

"Who said I was rejecting you? I was just surprised, okay. You caught me way off guard. I just wasn't expecting that from you."

"Yeah," she frowned. "Nobody does." Ginger gathered herself and stood up.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

"Home, I guess."

Isaac got up and tried to grab her hand. She pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Really. I'm not mad or anything." She feigned a smile.

"Why don't we just forget this happened, 'kay?"

"I...I guess we could do that." She turned around and started to walk back into the house.

"Ginger, wait," he took her hand and this time she didn't pull away. "You wanna do something after Christmas?"

"I guess," she gazed up at him and for the first time that afternoon looked like the Ginger he recognized.

"I'll call you, okay? And this time you'll take my phone call?"

"Yeah," she grinned.

"Merry Christmas, Ginger."

"Merry Christmas, Ike." She turned and left him alone in the yard, discouraged and confused.