Ben: I hate you so much right now.

Me: I'm sitting here all alone watching the snow fall. Looking back at the days we threw them snowballs. I can't believe I'm putting the tree up by myself. I need you and nobody else. And I'm sorry if I pushed you away. 'Cause I need you here. And I want for you to know... Oh-oh... And I don't care if I don't get anything. All I need is you here right now. And I'm sorry if I hurt you. But I know that all I want is you this Christmas... This Christmas... This Christmas... All I want is you this Christmas... (I'm sorry...) This Christmas... (if I hurt you...) This Christmas... (But I know that...) All I want is you this Christmas...

Ben: Oh Dear God. Not this gay faggot again...

Me: And I never wanna do this alone. Baby, I just need you to be here; here for the holidays. Yeah. I just wanna know if you feel the same way. Because I'm lonely, baby. Want you to hold me, baby. And I'm sorry if I pushed you away. I just want you to know I miss you. And I want for you to stay... And I don't care (eh) if I don't get (eh-eh) anything. All I need is you here right now (eh eh eh). And I'm sorry (eh) if I hurt you (eh-eh). But I know that all I want is you (eh eh eh) this Christmas... This Christmas... This Christmas... All I want is you this Christmas... (I'm sorry...) (eh) This Christmas... (if I hurt you...) (eh-eh) This Christmas... (but I know that...) (eh eh eh) All I want is you this Christmas...

Ben: *gags me* She owns nothing. Hopefully, this won't be happening again. ENJOY!

Ben was just silent for a long while. Nothing on his face gave away any hint of what he was feeling. He just sat there, still and mute, creating an awkward and suspenseful vibe that hung in the air like Spidermonkey would to a tree. Gwen and Kevin waited in apprehension for a reaction. Something along the lines of "I'M GOING TO KILL THAT FUCKING BASTARD!" But there was nothing.

"Ben? Ben, are you OK?" Gwen asked when Ben had been silent for about five minutes.

Ben didn't respond. His emerald green eyes were blank and unblinking.

"Tennyson?" Kevin asked worriedly.

Ben still didn't respond.

Without warning, Kevin slapped the younger boy across the face, in an attempt to bring him back into reality.

"Kevin!" Gwen admonished, glaring at her boyfirend with her hands on her hips.

"What? Do you have a better idea?" Kevin challenged.

Ben didn't react to the slap either, causing Gwen and Kevin to worry even more.

"Why isn't he saying anything?" Gwen fretted, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She began to shake her cousin lightly. "Ben? Ben? Can you hear me? Ben, please answer!"

"I don't think that's working, Gwen," Kevin observed.

"What's going on here?" Ben's doctor asked, entering the scene.

Quickly, they explained their predicament to the doctor. When they finished, the doctor stood there, looking thoughtful, before walking over to his patient.

"Benjamin? Can you hear me?" he asked. Ben remained still and unmoving. The doctor turned to Gwen and Kevin.

"I'll have to run some tests on him to find out what's going on. You two leave. I'll let you know if we've found something," he said.

"But...," Gwen started to protest.

"Go, he'll be fine," the doctor promised.

"No! I'm not leaving my cousin!" Gwen spat.

"Gwe, please. Listen to him. He knows what he's doing," Kevin reasoned, placing a hand on Gwen's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

Gwen whirled around to snap at Kevin, then hesitated.

"You're right. Let's go," she said before she and Kevin turned to leave.

"Don't worry. Ben will be OK. I'll make sure of it,' the doctor called after them.

"Oh, Kevin, this is all our fault!" Gwen cried as soon as they were in the hallway. "We just made Ben's condition even worse! Julie was right when she said that it would be too much for him to take in while he was still recovering from the car accident. Why didn't we listen to her?"

Kevin couldn't find the words to comfort his girlfriend. How could he when he was just as scared and upset as she was? He would never forgive himself if his best friend was stuck this way forever. It was his idea to tell Ben in the first place. The guilt was eating him alive. If Ben never made it out of this he'd probably kill himself, if the guilt and heartbreak didn't kill him first...or if Julie didn't kill him first. How the heck were they supposed to tell her that they pretty much broke her boyfriend by breaking the promise that they made to her? And what about Ben's parents? How were they supposed to tell them about Ben's current predicament? It would be too much for them to handle.

"How are we gonna tell Julie and Uncle Carl and Aunt Sandra?" Gwen echoed his thoughts.

"I...I don't know," Kevin admitted.

"Oh, I just feel so terrible! We just gave Julie one more thing to worry about! And I do not want to see what Alison's reaction will be."

A feeling of dread washed over Kevin as he thought about how depressed the poor little eight-year-old girl would be. She was crying her eyes out when they found out about the car accident.

"Come on, Gwen. It's late. We should go home and rest for school tomorrow," Kevin told his girlfriend.

"I'm not going home until I find out what's wrong with Ben!" Gwen snapped.

"Honey, please. You're exhaused, and so am I," Kevin pleaded.

"I'm not exhausted," Gwen argued, and then contradicted herself with a loud yawn. Kevin couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

"I believe my point has been proven," he said, smirking a bit.

"Well, whatever. I'm still not leaving," Gwen replied stubbornly.

Kevin sighed, knowing this could take a while. He didn't blame Gwen, though. She and Ben have always been more like brother and sister rather than cousins.

At that moment, Kevin heard his cell phone ring in his pocket. He got it out and saw Julie's number on the screen. An ominous feeling crept into him as he answered it.

"Hello?" he said while thinking, Please don't ask about Ben. Please don't ask about Ben.

But what Julie said next was much worse than that.

"Kevin, you and Gwen have to come over. Someone's taken Alison!"

Ben: Do you two seriously have to do the evil plot twists?

Me: Wrapping gifts without you, babe. It's like mid-December and there's no call. I can't do this on my own. Whoa-oh-oh. Whoa-oh-oh. Oh-oh... I've changed my ways. Won't be running back and forth again. I'm here to stay... Yeah... And I don't care (eh) if I don't get (eh-eh) anything. All I need is you here right now (eh eh eh). And I'm sorry (eh) if I hurt you (eh-eh). But I know that all I want is you (eh eh eh) this Christmas... This Christmas... This Christmas... All I want is you this Christmas... (I'm sorry...) (eh) This Christmas... (if I hurt you...) (eh-eh) This Christmas... (but I know that...) (eh eh eh) All I want is you this Christmas... Eh... Eh-eh... Eh eh eh... All I want is you this Christmas... Eh... Eh-eh... Eh eh eh... All I want is you this Christmas... Eh... Eh-eh... Eh eh eh... All I want is you this Christmas...

Ben: Somebody kill me.

Me and Ben: MERRY CHRISTMAS!