GWEN POV
I looked into the big box. Inside, the Christmas ornaments were all wrapped up by themselves. This surprised me. It seemed like a very gentle, careful thing to do. My own dad just threw all our decorations into one box without wrapping anything.
I didn't feel the need to start decorating yet. So, I walked over to the large, soft couch and sat down. I just stared at the glowing red bits of fire. A strange, warm feeling came into my chest and slowly spread out.
It took me a moment to understand what this feeling was. It was a feeling of comfort and safety.
All the stress from my life started to melt away in the cozy warmth. The worries about money, my school grades, taking care of my father, and even the big worry about sleeping with my friend's dad—it all disappeared. I leaned
