It was very close to Christmas in my small town in the North England. The snow fell with the serene beauty only matched in fairy tales. Snowflakes clung to my hair as I walked down the path home from school. The scene, although filled with children of all ages, seemed oddly quiet. Something seemed wrong. No, no it couldn't be right. There was snow all around, at least three inches, and he hadn't showed up anywhere. This was his domain, torturing me was his domain. Then, as if on cue, a snow ball hit me square in the face. Surveying the area I found my attacker, a smirk plastered on his near frozen face.

"This is getting old you know!", I called to him. My self proclaimed arch enemy hurtled another snowball at me in reply, this one missed.

"Great aim, magnificent really, you should try out for the baseball team.", I responded sarcastically. If there was one person to get under my skin it was him. Luckily I was in a good mood, the one snow had always put me in.

"Why Alexandria, what a pleasant surprise.", said the boy sardonically, side note: I hate my full name.

"I'll bet. Aren't you getting a bit old for snowball fights?", I said walking towards him. I was up for a good battle of wits, however one sided it may have been.

"Never.", Jeremy retorted with yet another snowball.

"I hoped you would act your age not IQ." This snowball thing was taking all the fun out of winter.

"That hurt, Alexandria."

"For the last time, Jermie, never call me that, or I will be forced to tell your friends over there about the time when you were four and you....", I started through gritted teeth. We had grown up side by side, practically bred to be the best of friends, but you see how that plan worked. I had the misfortune of his mother being the best friend of mine, but this arrangement had some advantages.

"You wouldn't.", he interrupted, eyes narrowing.

"Wouldn't I?", I challenged. Did he know nothing about me? Hell hath no fury.

"Fine, fine. You would think this one would succumb to my irresistible charm already.", he said in mock sincerity to a friend. Charm is merely a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question, as my Grandma said.

"If it hasn't happened in sixteen years it never will.", I rolled my eyes. His ego was the size of the Good Year Blimp. It didn't seem to register in his puny brain that he wasn't God's gift to the world.

"I know, the world would need to come to an end. Come on Andria, lets go.", my friend Abby came up from behind and dragged me away, but not before I got a word in. As soon as our dear friend Jermie turned around I pelted him with a snowball or two.

"Ugh, that kid gets to me so much, I could just...Ugh.", I fumed strangling an invisible person.

"Jeez, Andria calm down. I thought I told you not to go within a hundred yards of him?"

"Well, he threw a snowball at me and I couldn't not say anything."

She shook her head and sighed, "Do I have to keep an eye on you every minute? As long as I've known you, you have been a nice passive person, with one exception. Jeremy. Why is that?" There was some undertone in that I couldn't pick up on.

"Years of exposure. His being a major jerk, to put it nicely. Maybe he repulses me to my very core?"

"Or the fact that your marriage was announced before you were born.", she laughed. Huh! That wasn't something to laugh about! Even if I think our mothers did plan our lives before we took our first breaths.

"You are sick Abby."

"Thank you."

"Only you would view that as a complement.", I deadpanned.

"Yup. Now how 'bout we stick to the one hundred yard rule?", she smiled.

"Gladly."

However gladly her direction may have been followed, fate and mother had other plans. When I got home that day, not long after leaving Abby, she was waiting for me. Don't get me wrong I love her to death but sometimes she is too much. Today was one of those times.

"Hi Mom.", I greeted coming through the door. She was spread out on the living room floor wrapping all of the Christmas gifts. The only thing I could think of then was that we had a lot of relatives.

"Hey Andria. Oh before I forget, I have some news."

"Really? Shouldn't you wait for dad?"

"Oh he knows already. Anyway guess where we are going Christmas Eve?", my mother said brightly.

"Grandma's?", I guessed to appease her. Grandma was, although very eccentric, one of my favorite relatives.

"No. No, that's Christmas day.", she dismissed, biding me to guess again. Dread was the only emotion that registered. It couldn't have been any other family member, we lived to far away, and Christmas Eve was usually reserved for friends.

"Eh... I don't know Mom, who?", I asked awkwardly, not wanting an answer.

"Melody Graham invited us over, she says Jeremy is..."

"Mom! No! Do you hate me that much?", I exclaimed. At that point I was panicking. Maybe it seemed extreme to others, but at that moment I despised that kid so much that anything was possibility. The reason for my animosity towards him even I didn't understand, but the little I did was set in stone.

"Alexandria! You are to stop this infantile behavior this instant. I don't know what you're problem is with Jeremy, but we're going and it's final.", my mother fumed, which wasn't like her. She was usually the passive understanding parent. I knew I had done it now.

"My sanity is at stake here you know that right?"

"You, dear, lost you're sanity a long time ago, move on. And while we're on the subject, I expect you to be on you're best behavior at Melody's or at least refrain from hurting a certain member of the family.", she said sternly, but I could see the amusement in her eyes.

"I'll try, but I make no promises."

"Yes because God forbid you be civil to that boy once in your life."

"I'm civil!", a sudden rush of indignation rose in me.

"Huh! Honey, even when you were a baby you would fight with him.", she snorted.

"He started it by pouring sand in my hair!", I argued. My mother only laughed and continued wrapping the presents. I went into the kitchen to fix myself some hot chocolate, which was desperately needed to calm my nerves. Just as I sat down to drink it I heard my mother curse under her breath from the living room. I wandered out of the kitchen to see what happened.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to pick up a present for someone and I don't have time to go out and get it.", she replied evasively, biting her lip.

"I'll go get it, whose it for?", I volunteered, I had to get back in her good graces, after all.

"No honey it's all right, I tell your father when he comes home.", she dismissed, failing to give me anymore information.

"He could be hours, trust me I'll do it." I wasn't taking no for an answer.

"If you insist, it's your funeral. Go to the store and pick up something for Jerem...", she started tentatively.

"What!"

"None of that, go get Jeremy's present, take Abigail if you want."

"But..."

"No buts you volunteered, oh good Samaritan you. No backing out." I reluctantly walked to the phone to call Abby. She would have a field day with this. Maybe I could get something very...memorable.

"Oh and no prank gifts!", she called to my retreating form. How does she always read my mind like that?

I called Abby, who, after five minutes of laughing, decided to come with me. Her house was so close she arrived within minutes.

"So much for the hundred yard rule huh?", my so called friend smirked.

"Ha, ha. Funny Abs. Mock my situation."

"Okay I will. Andria I really don't see why you're so upset I mean, you realize largely over fifty percent of the school's female population would die to be in your shoes right now."

"And that kind of talking is what makes him such a self-centered egomaniac.", I glared at her. Since when was she one of his groupies. She laughed, yet again, at my plight, something that lasted until we got to the mall.

"So where to?", she asked. I had no answer, because that's when it struck me. What in God's name would I get him?

"Uh...that's a good question."

"Shouldn't you have known before we came?", Abby teased.

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but I didn't.", I said quickly. I'm odd, I know, so no one needs to tell me.

"Andria, think, what would he like?", she said slowly.

"What do I look like his stalker? I don't know, but I'm not spending all my money on that..."

"How about clothes?", Abby interrupted with a suggestion. I shook my head, I didn't know his size.

"Cologne?" Another suggestion shot down.

"He's smart, why not a book?"

"Smart? Sorry, I'll keep my comments to a minimum. I can tell you're getting impatient so a book it is.", I submitted upon receiving her death glare. Fine, I'll admit, he was at the top of the class, just under me actually, but a book wasn't a bad idea. It might give him some common sense.

"Finally, so next task. What book?", Abby said as we entered the book store. I looked over the rows and rows of books. What I needed was something to make him actually think for a change. Something to make him see the error of his ways. I browsed through the books along the far wall when one stuck out at me. I picked it up to show Abby.

"The Fountainhead?", she knitted her eyebrows in skepticism.

"Yea the guy reminds me of him, he's an arrogant, egotist and...", I started to explain.

"I've read the book Andria, but for one he is the hero and two do you realize what else the book is about?", she interrupted in amusement. What was that supposed to mean?

"Of course. What are you getting at?"

"Leaving out the Oprah Book Club like discussion, you realize a large part of the book was based on the women hell bent on destroying him?", she tried to explain, very poorly might I add.

"Anyone in their right mind would want a selfish man like that to fail."

"A women who consequently is in love with him, but acts in all ways as if he is her enemy.", Abby continued to bait me.

"Your point?", I was utterly at a loss for what she was getting at. I had always thought Ayn Rand was a bit of a nut.

"Andria, Andria obviously you can't follow the parallels. You know what get the book and figure it out later."

I paid for the book, still weary of Abby. Constantly kicking myself for bringing her. Now her words would haunt me until I figured out the riddles she was talking in. I hate that all the way home she had this knowing look on her face. It was starting to freak me out. You have no idea how grateful I was to be home and rid of her.

"Hi Mom, done wrapping?", I asked while coming through the door.

"Not quite. What did you get him and will it explode in his face?", she questioned cautiously.

"A book.", I answered simply.

"Not any of the 'Idiots guide' type things, right?"

"No mom, a full fledged book.", I smiled tossing it to her.

"I'm impressed.", she replied looking it over.

"Ye of little faith."

"Well with your track record doubt was evident."

"Are you sure you need me there tomorrow?", I asked taking one last shot at the unavoidable.

"Hum let's see... insult my dearest friend to indulge my daughters unfounded animosity, or keep my best friend of twenty years. What to chose? Sorry you lose, thanks for playing.", she responded sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and announced I was going to bed.

"Aw, party pooper. Come on!", she called after me. Sometimes she acts like a five year-old, not that I'm complaining.

"Goodnight!", I called back down sweetly.

I became an insomniac that night. I stayed up at least another hour cursing my bad luck and wishing that I could've seen Jermie's face when he found out. That was what put me at ease that night. Simply knowing that he would hate this as much I as I did. To dwell on the negative of the situation was pointless, so I sought to find the good. The good would be his discomfort, which he usually displayed in sarcasm or, as he had earlier, snowballs.

The next morning I awoke cheerful and refreshed, something my parents were not expecting.

"Morning Mom, Dad.", I greeted, taking my seat at the table and pouring myself some cereal.

"Good morning.", smiled my father. My mother wore a puzzled look, as if she expected me to come down in a fit of rage.

"Don't worry I've made my peace Mom."

"Really? How does that work?"

"He'll be just as uncomfortable as I am, and we all know I enjoy making him uncomfortable. It's empowering.", I smiled sweetly in reply to her cynicism.

"And how are you so sure he has a problem with you coming to his house? You've grown up together remember.", she shot back. I observed my father watching amusedly

"Remember we grew up together, I know my enemies well enough to know what discomforts them."

"Well then if it keeps you happy and keeps him alive.", my father spoke up. My mom glared in his direction, obviously not agreeing to 'adding fuel to the fire' as my mother put it.

"Sarah, if it helps us to survive the night and keeps her from arguing with him all through dinner like last time, it's a welcome change.", he explained. I had a feeling he actually enjoyed our bickering, during dinner last year, as he mentioned, I caught him letting out a laugh or two.

"At least it's progress.", she conceded.

The next few hours we spent diligently putting the gifts in the car, getting dressed, and then double checking that we hadn't missed a present, person, or purse. All to soon it was time to drive a long mile, note my sarcasm, to the Grahams. Don't take my attitude towards Jeremy's family the wrong way. I love his family, and they love me, and my family, including my Grandmother, aunts and uncles, all love him. I guess we are the misfits in all this. Every since we were baby's there has been this blinding tension, hate as I now recognize it.

"We're here.", my father announced as we pulled into the driveway.

A/N: All right don't ask what I was thinking with my Fountainhead referrence, which by the way I claim no rights to, I've just been reading it and it stuck in my mind. It's short, I know, maybe a bit over done and probably not the best I could do, but I had to write was driving me nuts. I have more written but I wanted to see if I got a reaction out of this before I wnet on so please review, for my sanity, which I have a low level of. :-) Enough of my wierd rantings, thank you, whoever you are, for reading.

¤Kari¤