The Town With a Christmas Name
Basically another Give and Take from @Ferryman.
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Winterset sounded like it would be an idyllic Christmas retreat. That one small town, where everyone was perfectly perky and the adults as crazy about Christmas as the children and believed in that holiday magic. And it was.
Not to mention, the town could make a block party of decorating town square. Because the snow hadn't hit them in two years now.
Violet had made plans-- with Mom's approval-- to spend Christmas with her "club," being something of a clique.
To trade Secret Santa gifts and to swap stories.
Of when that city boy had lived among them for a year.
And that party was tomorrow night. And it was exactly seven minutes on foot from her house to this one where he used to live.
Where it currently sat empty in an unsettling respect, for all that had gone on.
Violet nuzzled into her pink and white plaid coat, starting the trek home.
Being welcome with hot chocolate by her sisters and girl talk. A very sympathetic kind. Somehow they still convinced themselves she and Abel back then had had actual feelings.
No matter how many times she'd explained it was a lie of convenience that made sneaking around, their voices in whispers all too easy.
Because what had settled inside her wasn't heartache. But the grief of the one friend who'd somehow understood her when she spoke in thorns or wound someone around-- because her own mouth couldn't control itself.
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Okay not counting this section. But it was basically born because I decided on an epilogue for Winterset in my story The Winterset Conspiracy. Feel free to check it out.