I took my millionth look at what Woody had sent. I’d screenshot it and couldn’t stop myself going back to it, despite how much it hurt.

Hey Hol. Hope you’re having THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER. Thought you’d like to know Elle isn’t into someone else—she’s into me. Got a date today.

At first I didn’t believe him, but he’d followed up with a screenshot of her message she’d sent him yesterday, so I knew he was telling the truth.

You free tomorrow? I can come to you. E.

So that was why Elle couldn’t talk to me. She was busy with Woody. And was that why she’d challenged me to “snag a hot Christmas kiss under the mistletoe,” so she could move in on Woody guilt-free? I really thought I’d been getting to know her the last few weeks, that in real life, she was even better than online. But clearly she’d just been taking me, and all my friends, my family, for a ride to win this stupid challenge.

I’d messaged her again telling her we needed to talk, urgently, but like the whole world, she was ignoring me. I really thought Elle wouldn’t have gone there—not after Ruby filling her in. I’d made Ruby admit she’d told her the other day. And wasn’t Elle with Logan anyway?

Guess she was as bad as Woody.

Fred must never find out—he’d be heartbroken. EURGH.

It was such a massive mess. One thing was for sure though—Elle clearly never meant me to find out. If I’d thought we were becoming friends, at least now I knew I’d been very much mistaken.

It wasn’t just her brother that was good at secrets after all.

I thought after our chat yesterday about what he’d really been up to, things might have changed between Nick and me—but this morning, even though we were meant to be having Christmas pancakes together, he’d disappeared, again. Maybe he was just like Woody after all? Maybe I was only good enough until something better came along. And even more bizarre, in the living room, a Christmas tree had appeared (which I’d already named Spruce Willis due to its stocky action-heroesque branches). Jess and Pete had brought a spare one home and said they didn’t want my decorations to look lonely.

It was like the world was all upside down.

But what problem to sort out first? I let them all whirr around my head as I watched Dominic have his mane washed. Never had one reindonkey looked so happy. But I had to dash back to make my call with Fred.

When we got home, Nick had reappeared and was watching Gremlins in the living room. He was impossible, even if he did look all sorts of cute under his Christmas blanket.