Author's note: These are my characters, so I don't have a problem there! Jewel Thorton ends up being Diana's roommate in college, however, in this story it is her senior year of high school, so she doesn't know Di yet. Jewel lives in a town in upstate New York. Thanks to Mary for editing this.

Anne

Jewel Thorton lay on her bed in her room, all the lights out except for the electric candles burning in the windows. Jewel jumped at the sudden blast of music that came from her eight year-old sister's room.

"Didi, could you shut that off?" Jewel shouted. She did not want to listen to music while she was in this mood, especially not Jennifer Lopez. The music shut off and Jewel heard her sister go downstairs. Silently, Jewel slid off her bed and pressed her ear against her bedroom door.

"--she like that?" Didi's voice floated up the stairs. She must be talking about me, Jewel thought, listening harder.

"Just the way---right now--she'll get over it." Jewel heard her mom say. Then she heard—

"Deirdre Thorton! How many times do I have to tell you not to touch the cookies while they're cooling?" Jewel decided not to listen anymore. Quietly, she crawled back on her bed and lay down again. Presently, the phone rang. I could get that, but I don't want to, Jewel thought as the phone stopped ringing on the second ring. Someone must've picked it up.

"Jewel, phone." Didi called up the stairs, "It's Sharon."

"Tell her I don't want to talk right now," Jewel called down. Sharon Kelster was Jewel's best friend. A couple minutes later, Didi called up the stairs again.

"She says it's important and will you pick up? I wanna have some of the cookies Mom made."

"Okay." With a sigh, Jewel rolled over on her side and picked up the phone on her bedside dresser. "Hi," she said unenthusiastically into the phone.

"Jewel, listen to me. What is the matter?" Sharon said, wasting no time with greetings and getting down to business right away.

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked, turning over onto her back.

"What do I mean? What do I mean?! You've stayed in your room for a week now, you haven't dyed your hair holiday colors yet, you said you aren't going to the Holiday dance. Where is your holiday spirit, Josephine Thorton?" Sharon basically shouted into the phone.

"I don't have any," Jewel answered, sullen because Sharon had used her real name.

"Well, we're going to find you some," said Sharon decidedly. "I'm going to be over there in three minutes, so get ready. You’ll need to bring money."

"But how?" Jewel asked. "You'd have to borrow your dad's car and it must be late, because it's really dark out."

"He'll say yes because my parents have been worried about you. And it’s only five o’clock; daylights saving time ended in October, remember?" Sharon said impatiently.

"Well....ok." Jewel sighed. "Bye." She hung up the phone.

After Jewel had dressed, she stood in front of her full-length mirror, studying herself. She was wearing denim flares, a purple sweater and high black sneakers. She put on pink earrings with a long black coat and a black velvet hat to finish the look.

"Jewel, Sharon's here," Jewel's mom called upstairs.

"Coming," Jewel answered, grabbing her mouse purse and heading downstairs.

***

"Okay, so what's going on?" Sharon asked later as she and Jewel sat at a table in a small cafe, sipping hot chocolate.

"Well....." Jewel looked at her best friend; Sharon's strawberry-blonde hair was pushed back, revealing cat-eye contacts on worried eyes.

"You know that little African girl with AIDS that I was supporting?" Jewel asked, deciding to tell. Sharon nodded. "Well, she died." Jewel said flatly.

Sharon's eyes got big. "Oh....,"she gasped. "That's terrible. Gosh, I'm real sorry." Jewel nodded.

"I got a letter from her mother. She sent me this." Jewel pulled a pin, richly decorated with colorful beads, out of her mouse purse, and laid it on the table.

"That's beautiful," Sharon breathed, touching the pin. "Who made it?"

"The girl's mother," Jewel said, putting the pin back into her purse.

"Everything's going to be okay Jewel," Sharon said.

"Yeah, I guess," said Jewel. "It's just that...things are so bad over there and all...and people are dying. Dying." Her voice shook. "The poor kids....." She stared down into her hot chocolate.

"You did what you could," Sharon said gently.

"But it wasn't enough," Jewel said bitterly.

"You knew she might die," Sharon told her, "but you still helped her. Why don't you try it again and help someone else out?" There was a long silence as Jewel thought that over.

"I guess I could," she said finally.

"Good, that's a start. Now let's go get some clothes and get your hair done."

"Clothes, hair?" Jewel looked at Sharon as if she were crazy.

"Sure," Sharon said cheerfully, digging out her car keys. "You need clothes for the holiday dance and you must do something about your hair. I'm not used to seeing it so plain!" Sharon grinned.

"Oh, all right," Jewel sighed. "Let's go."

***

Several hours later, Jewel sat in the passenger seat of Sharon's dad's car. In the backseat there were several shopping bags filled with clothes for the holiday dance. And Jewel’s hair was now done in the colors of a candy-cane; red and white striped. "Where are we going?" Jewel asked, realizing that they weren't headed in the direction of home, but rather to the center of town.

"You'll see," Sharon said, glancing at her. Jewel gasped as they got in view of the park. She had completely forgotten that lights had been put up in it. Then she realized that the phone lines, stores, everything was decorated. Sharon put a Christmas tape into the tape player and slowly drove around town. Jewel settled back into her seat, looking at all the lights reflecting on the snow.

 

 

Si-lent night, Ho-ly night! All is calm, All is bright,

The tape played. And sudden Jewel felt, for the first time in weeks, peaceful and calm. She knew know that everything was going to be all right. As Sharon left the center of town and started home, Jewel slowly began falling asleep, but not before she promised herself that tomorrow she would bake cookies and get into the holiday spirit. Tomorrow....

The End

Author's Note: No, Jewel and Sharon did not leave the cafe without paying, they simply paid when they received their hot chocolate. The Christmas song I used was Silent Night and I have no clue on who wrote it. AIDS is fast growing problem in Africa, today. Please try to help and keep the less fortunate in your prayers during the holidays. Have a Happy Holiday, Everyone!

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