"Cat don't forget to buy me a present this year." Jade reminded her. "And I don't want another pair of shoes made out of your chewed gum."
"But you said you loved them." Cat said with a sad expression that made Jade feel bad. It was Christmas and everything was hectic with school. They had all been busy but had decided against secret Santa this year much to Jade's dismay. It was bad enough for her to buy one present for someone, but buying one for everyone was asking a lot from her. It was also nauseating thinking of what monstrosity Cat was going to buy her this year. Last year Cat had her for secret Santa and had wrapped a size four pair of shoes made purely out of different flavour gum. It had impressed Jade enough that she had thanked Cat for the present instead of letting her know how terrible it was and that gum-shoes had no place in existence. It did not match up to the gift where Cat had given her a pair of scissors from the Scissoring the previous year.
Jade had other worries. She didn't have the slightest clue what to get Cat as they hadn't talked about what happened at Halloween. Jade had less than a week before they intended to exchange gifts and she had only managed to buy gifts for Beck and Andre so far. There was still Robbie, Tori and Cat to buy for.
But Cat would be harder to buy for than anyone else. Jade still felt awkward about the kiss with Cat and felt desperate to keep the memory that faded more and more as the days passed. What sort of chapstick had Cat been wearing? That was Jade's main problem trying to remember what it was, especially as it had made her feel so comfortable. Cat had drunk alcohol before and after the kiss and that worried Jade. Maybe Cat wouldn't even remember they kissed? Or worse, maybe she did remember but maybe she didn't like the kiss. These thoughts had been bubbling around Jade's head ever since that night.
"Tori." Jade turned to Tori, her frenemy. "I want us to go shopping together."
"Shopping?" Tori said with a sense of fear. Flashbacks of everything creepy and scary Jade had ever done to her had returned and left Tori with an uneasy pit in her stomach.
"With Cat and I." Jade raised her eyebrow. Tori let out a small breath. She was sure that Jade wouldn't do anything cruel or crude to her while Cat was around.
"Um, yeah." Tori thought for a moment before repeating herself with more enthusiasm. "Yeah, okay!"
"When?" Cat asked.
"Well I was thinking-" Jade started but stopped when she realised that Cat had lost focus when a butterfly had landed on her arm. "Cat?"
"Look how pretty she is!" Cat exclaimed.
"Yeah, yeah. She's beautiful." Jade muttered but she hadn't even wasted a second to look at the butterfly in any detail. Instead her eyes had rested on Cat. The beautiful, kind girl with fiery red hair and amazing pipes with such an amazing aura that a butterfly would grace landing on her. Perfection.
Jade shook herself out of this mind-frame for a second. She didn't like Cat. Not like that. She couldn't. Cat was Cat, she was the complete opposite to Jade and they would never work. The Halloween party was just a tipsy fluke. Cat probably didn't even remember it so why should Jade continue to think of it?
"Sorry." Cat finally snapped out of it. The butterfly, realising the change in the atmosphere, fluttered away.
"No, it's okay." Jade said. "So tonight? I can drive us up."
"Sounds good." Tori said. The bell rang and the three of them dispersed to their lessons. Jade hung back for a moment and watched Cat and Tori walk in the opposite direction. They had continued talking for another few seconds before turning into different classrooms.
Jade picked up Tori first and then Cat, and it was already six o'clock by the time they reached the mall. Jade dropped them off while she found a parking space. To be honest, she needed a moment to think. They had spent the entire drive up talking about a dream Cat had the other night about a family of pink and purple fluffy bunnies visiting their ginger kitten cousins for Christmas. It was entertaining in a sweet way but it had made Jade feel uneasy when she made a joke where Cat had burst out laughing and put a hand on Jade's knee while she giggled. Jade, at the time, had to slow the car slightly and focus on not crashing the car.
She had met them up in the mall a few minutes later. They were just looking talking nonchalantly while looking at some magazines. Both of them had taken out of the stack fashion magazines and flicked through them, reading up on the highlights while making general comments about them.
"Hello children." Jade said but regretted it immediately when it came across as creepy rather than friendly.
"So where should we start?"
"I don't know what to get Trina." Tori shrugged.
"I don't know, how about talent?" Jade said coldly. Cat laughed quietly, trying to hide it from Tori. Tori noticed, however, and decided to wander off to search for herself as Cat and Jade were going to be no help at all.
"No gum shoes, Cat." Jade warned when Cat happened to glance over at a rack of assorted gum.
"How about-"
"No." Jade cut her off, knowing what she was already going to say.
"But-"
"No." Jade said firmly.
"Ugh!" Cat growled before trying to stomp about but came across as looking silly. Jade watched her go again and wished that she could act like a normal person for once in her life and not to make Cat get upset with her. She was probably going to look for Tori and the two of them were going to spend the rest of the evening with each other and will only return to Jade when they need the lift home.
Not today.
Jade walked around the rest of the store before finding them hiding behind two sunglass racks.
"Cat-"
"Are you going to be mean to me again?" Cat asking, looking up to Jade with her big brown eyes.
"I was just trying to tell you that I don't want another gum present."
"Why not?"
"Because it's dumb."
"No it's not!" Cat crossed her arms. "Next you're going to say teddy bears are dumb."
"They are dumb." Jade said before she could stop herself.
"What's wrong with teddy bears?"
"They're for children." A part in Jade's brain was screaming for her to shut up but she just couldn't. "And I am not a child."
"Too far!" Cat shouted. Tori looked around awkwardly, not wanting to get caught in the cross-fire.
"Well I'm not wrong!"
"Yes you are!" Cat shouted, not caring who was listening.
"Ugh!" Jade said loudly.
"Ugh!" Cat said back. The two of them glared at each toher before walking in opposite directions. Tori continued to stand in the same spot and pulled out her phone and dialled for Beck.
"Yeah, they fought." Tori said when Beck picked up. "Yeah, can you pick Cat and I up?"
They hadn't spoken in days and it was now Christmas eve. They were sure that the other one was going to concede. Finally, Jade did. They had given the others presents at different times and had kept the present that they had gotten each other in their personal care. It was absolutely pelting it down with rain and hail, and questionable snow, but Jade was determined that she was not going to apologise over the phone. Phones are too awkward, and it wouldn't have the same affect. Besides, Jade still had to give Cat her present.
"Cat, I'm so so sorry and-" Jade desperately when Cat opened her door. Cat cut her off though when she flung her arms around Jade and embraced her in a warm hug. Jade was absolutely drenched from the ice cold rain and hail but Cat didn't even seem to notice.
"Come in, we have hot chocolate." Cat said when she pulled herself away. She took Jade's hand and pulled her inside. Jade liked how warm Cat's hand was and how it gave her butterflies in her stomach but she played it off with her trademark bitch-face. Cat's house was much more inviting than her own home. Everything was warm and bright and friendly. Nona sat by a fireplace, which shouldn't be there in the first place knowing Cat and her brother, but she flicked through a magazine with one hand and holding a homemade cookie with the other. A small Christmas tree stood in the centre of the room but it was still taller than Cat and Nona. At the bottom of the tree were dozens of presents. They must have been expecting someone tomorrow.
"I, uh, got you something." Jade said uneasily when she realising the Cat's present had to also withstand the outside elements and was most-likely also completely drenched and frozen.
"You've got to get out of those clothes, honey." Nona changed the subject just as Jade was about to sit down on their nice sofa.
"Sorry." Jade said before standing upright.
"Cat, your brother will have some nice clean, dry clothes that she can borrow." Nona said, emphasising the word clean. Cat nodded before skipping away. A few minutes she returned with a pile of clothes and in another room was her brother shouting something that didn't quite sound like he was speaking the same language as them.
"It's a Christmas miracle!" Cat exclaimed. She handed the clothes to Jade and Jade began to riffle through them, examining them before doing the sniff test. They were clean.
"You can change in my room." Cat said, once again grabbing Jade's hand and dragging her into another room. She had been in Cat's room before but it was different now. There was less colour and less pink. It wasn't the like main room, this room was more toned-down with a severe lack of posters unlike the last time Jade was in Cats' room.
"It's different." Jade said and the began to pull off her wet boots and socks.
"It was childish." Cat said after a moment of thought. Dread filled Jade.
"You didn't do this because of what I said, did you?"
"Well-"
"No!" Jade stood up. She wasn't as tall without her boots on but she was still taller than Cat. "You can't let me get to you!"
"Jade-"
"No-" Jade tried to run her hands through her tangled wet hair. "I shouldn't have come. We shouldn't be friends."
"What?"
"Look at this room!" Jade suddenly shouted. "This is me tainting you. I can't taint you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm poison, Cat." Jade looked down sadly. Her voice was much sadder. She was miserable. Everything she touched was tainted.
"Maybe I want poison." Cat said dumbly but didn't realise how alarming it had sounded. "Maybe I want you."
"What?" It was Jade's turn to be confused.
Cat didn't say anything, instead she pushed Jade so that she was sitting upright on Cat's bed. Cat learnt down and held Jade's chin and lifted it up slightly so that Jade had to look her in the eyes.
"Cat," Jade said softly before looking down at Cats' lips.
"Shhh-" Cat said as she did before. Cat leaned in and kissed Jade again. The kiss began to warm Jade up even though she was still wearing her soaking clothes. The two of them continued to kiss each other gently for another minute before Nona shouted from the main room "What's taking so long?"
The two of them pulled apart and Jade began to change but suddenly became aware that Cat was watching her.
"Can I have a minute?" Jade asked. "Getting wet jeans off isn't going to look pretty."
Cat nodded her head and rejoined Nona while Jade began to struggle to get her jeans off so that she could put on Cat's brothers oddly skinny grey joggers. Jade had to go braless as that was the only thing Cats' brother didn't have. Jade did find comfort in wearing one of his shirts though. It was completely black with rips at the end of both of the sleeves.
"Thanks." Jade said and the reentered the main room with an armful of wet clothes.
"I'll put those in the wash." Nona said as she took them. Jade tried to tell her that it was okay and she'd just wash them when she got home but Nona had none of that and put them in the wash. She told Cat to put it in the dryer when it came out as she was going to bed.
"Here." Cat said as she sheepishly handed over a familiar bag. Jade handed a different bag that was the same size and had the same logo on the front.
"Oh my gosh!" Cat shouted when she pulled out a red rabbit from her bag which was from a store where you can design and build your own bear.
"That's great." Jade laughed when she pulled out a black and white giraffe from her own bag. It had a green stripe in its mane just like Jade did.
"This is the best Christmas ever!" Cat shouted as she jumped onto Jade's lap and hugged her tightly. They were alone and Jade was glad of that as she didn't want Nona to see Cat begin to kiss her cheek and then her lips again.
The two of them continued in this warm embrace for quite a while in front of the roaring fireplace.
