It's almost Christmas!!!! Who's excited? Hopefully this story will put you in the Christmas spirit!!
Enjoy!!
Toni's POV:
We had arrived at the Royce house and the only thing that was going through my mind was, why? Why did we have to come? Why did we have to bring the boys? Why, why why!
Oh well, I guess I should stop pouting and get it over with, cause just then their butler opened the door.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Ditello and family, welcome," he said with a drowsy, stereotypical "butler" voice.
"Oh why thank you Hugo," my mom answered in the most polite manner. I could hear the boys behind me sniggering and had to laugh myself. This was going to be an interesting night.
We entered the entrance hall where Hugo took our coats while we gazed in amazement at the interior design of their house. The floors were pearly white and the walls had a shine to them that I could see my reflection in them. Which Soda had figured out that if you stand it the right spot, the walls made you look either extremely fat and short or really tall and skinny. This kept the guys laughing until the dreaded sound of nails on a chalkboard interrupted our amusement…oh nope that was just Angie's voice.
"Hello everyone, so glad to see you all again!" She eyed all of us kids in the back before going to my mom and dad to greet them.
"Oh, Mrs. Ditello, what a lovely dress this is. May I ask where you got it?" Ugh, she made me want to puke.
"Thank you Angie, I got it from Macy's, before we moved to Tulsa," my mom smiled wide and her face lit up when Angie admired her dress.
"Mr. Ditello, very nice of you to come, and Michael, my you look more like you father every time I see you!" The usual hit on my brother always came before the not so excited greeting for me.
"Hello, Toni, nice to see you again," she greeted, rather smug. Her attention was elsewhere, my friends.
"And who might these fine young gentlemen be?" she reached forward and shook each of their hands before turning to my brother, "friends of yours, Michael?"
"No ma'am, these guys are Toni's friends, but we've become fairly close," he replied with a smile and wink over to me.
"Angie, this is Darry, Sodapop and Ponyboy Curtis and this is Johnny Cade," I pointed to each one as I said their names.
She gave me a look that was a mixture of jealousy and surprise.
"My Toni, you sure do know how to pick them," she was generally looking at Soda of course, who was showing no interest at all to her, he was fascinated by the decorations. Good job Soda, just like I told you, no eye contact. Haha, try to steal them from me tonight, Angie Royce!
By this time my parents had made their way into the den where we would start out with the meats and cheeses. I had to quickly remind the boys about etiquette. I waited until Angie had had left the room.
"Alright guys remember, please and thank you, but of course you're already very polite. Don't gobble your food down, and please, please chew with our mouth closed, Soda, I'm talking to you! I know how you like to eat and talk at the same time, but being multi-talented in this house isn't polite."
"Ok, jeez I won't show them my talents, I'll just sit in the back corner and look sad," he said with a smirk.
"You do that, anyway, also no…"
"Giving a lecture, Toni?"
I turned around and at the foot of the stairs stood the tall, handsome Tommy Royce. His light brown hair was neatly combed, but tussled just so it looked acceptable for a dinner party. His eyes were the brightest of greens and were so mysterious and, may I say, they added that dangerous, sexy look to him. His smirk of a smile always melted my heart. He walked towards us in his dress pants and sweater. Though he looked like a soc, he sure didn't act like one. He was kind to everyone, no matter who they were. He was the only reason I was glad we came.
"Hey, Tommy! No, I was just messing around. So, how have you been?" I asked blushing.
"Pretty good thank you. Who are your friends?"
I told him who was who, they shook hands and then he turned back to me.
"Shall we?" he offered his arm and as a lady is asked of, I took it looked back at the boys and nodded my head to follow. I could hear Soda making more smart remarks as we left the hall.
"Shall we, Ponyboy?"
"Oh, stop Soda," but I could hear the laugh in his voice.
The den looked a lot like a cozy home away from home. It had a fireplace, a couch, a loveseat and one rocking chair. They also had a mini bar in the den, which had lights strung up around it and a mini Christmas tree on the counter.
More introductions were given as Mr. and Mrs. Royce made their late entrance. We ate and laughed, then When Mr. Royce had finished his story about his trip to Italy, Tommy asked me and the guys if they wanted to go to the ballroom. I said yes right away, the adults were starting to bore me.
Whenever I was over this house when I was younger I always remembered the ballroom. This was where the kids usually played during parties.
We entered through the wooden doors and were greeted by the smell of pine and wood. The ballroom floor was just as shiny as the entrance hall, even though it was made out of wood. The giant windows gave you the glimpse of the outside, snow had started to fall, again and the trees were perfectly covered. It was like a winter wonderland.
"So, who's up for a dance?" He looked at us with a big smile.
I turned the guys and each one of them looked at me and plastered smiles on their faces too.
"Go on Toni, we won't keep you waiting," Darry was the first to speak.
"Oh alright," I took Tommy's hand and he first led me to the record player, put a song on then wisped me out on the floor.
We stood in the proper ballroom position while we waited for the music to start. I saw the boys sitting in the corner all smiles, except Johnny, he just looked nervous. Maybe he thought he was going to dance, that would be a sight to see.
Then the music started and we were twirling and swaying to the music. I was in heaven, in the arms of a perfect man, during the perfect Christmas.
The music had stopped and we received applause. I then heard the sound of one pair of hands clapping slowly. Who else would it be, but Angie.
"Very good, Toni, so do any of your friends know how to dance?"
Soda's hand shot up in the air, and I let out a moan. Then I relaxed, realizing that Soda wasn't a very good dancer, especially not in ballroom. He was going to make her look like an idiot. Oh I could see it now. We would be clapping for him, when he takes his big bow at the end.
The music started, so did the humor. We were laughing so hard I was crying. Soda had proven to be the only thing that could reel Angie in, and spit her back out again.
She was completely amazed by Soda's, clumsy dancing, that she just walked over to one of the chairs around the room and sat there, with a pouty face. Oh, I was going to thank Soda so much when we leave!
"Hey, Johnny, why don't you get up and have a dance with Toni?" Pony asked him.
"Well, I guess, but I'm not very good at it," he said shyly as he stood up.
"It'll be better than Soda's I can tell you that!"
Pony was right. Of course he wasn't a champion ballroom dancer; he stumbled a little at the beginning. For someone who has never danced ballroom before, he was able to get the hang of it before mid-song.
When we finished he bowed and I curtsied. Everyone clapped, except Angie, but I could care less. I have a wonderful time dancing with Johnny. Actually, it was very fun. I saw Johnny in a different way at that moment. His big smile and glowing eyes as everyone clapped for him changed my whole view.
He was no longer the friend that would tackle me in backyard football. No longer the opponent in our peanut butter sandwich eating contest…
Whoa…why do I have these feelings for him? No, they aren't feelings, I…I just felt happy for him. Yeah that was it, I was happy for his good dancing. He can't be more than a friend. Just because I tell him my secrets and go to him when I have a problem, doesn't mean he's more than a friend.
By the time I was done thinking to myself, my parents had walked in a announced that we were leaving.
We all said our goodbyes, and Tommy even gave me a kiss on the cheek. Which sent my heart soaring! See Toni, you like Tommy, not Johnny. Man what was I thinking before? I crack myself up sometimes.
That night though, the only thing, or person rather, that I could think about was Johnny. my head was swimming with images of his dark, brown eyes and grease backed hair.
When I finally fell asleep, I realized that it was Christmas Eve tomorrow, and my mind went elsewhere.
Christmas Eve morning I was awoken by Soda, Pony and Johnny all jumping onto me while Darry stood by the door laughing his head off.
"Wakey, wakey Toni, its Christmas Eve day! We go ice skating today, and you get to show us how. We want to get a good start!" Soda's voice was extremely loud in the morning.
"What did you eat chocolate this morning?" I said with a yawn. I shoved them off me and rolled out of bed.
I had promised the boys that we would be ice skating almost all day. So I got a quick shower, dressed and was pulled out the door by a five year old acting Soda.
When we got to the ice rink, I got our shoes and showed them how to put them on and how tight they should be.
"Hey Toni, we're not going to break anything are we?" Johnny asked when he got his shoes on.
"No, Johnny, you'll be fine, promise," when I told him I'd promise him safety, he smiled and looked down at his shoes.
"These really hurt my feet. Pony are yours tight?"
"Oh stop your complaining boys. Listen to Toni and you'll do fine," Darry said, without giving Pony any room to speak. He skated out to the ice with ease.
"There yea go, the voice of reason. Now stand up and follow me," I pulled Pony and Johnny to their feet and we headed out onto the ice.
They were so nervous to do it themselves they clung to me for about ten minutes before trying it themselves.
Pony and Darry got it almost right away, but Johnny and Soda were falling all over each other. Part of it could be that they have no balance, or they just couldn't stop laughing enough to stay on their own two feet.
"Toni, this isn't working!" Soda yelled with laughter.
"I don't know what to tell ya! Here let me help," I tried everything I could, Soda was a lost cause. Johnny on the other hand kept trying and trying. He was so determined, it was quite adorable.
The rest of the day was dedicated to bruising and me showing off the few moves I knew.
Soda eventually got it and was so excited he didn't watch where he was going and ran into a couple of girls. Which was I think on purpose, because the rest for the time he skated with them and even got one of their numbers, typically Soda.
Since we were out for most of the day, when we got home we conked out after a glass of hot chocolate.
I woke up later around eight at night. I made my way down the stairs and in the living room sat my mom, dad, Michael and Darry. Pony, Soda and Johnny were still sleeping.
"Well hello sunshine, do you want some cookies, Darry helped me make them," my mom asked handing me the plate.
"Oh, well if Darry made them then they must be good," I said with a smile to Darry.
"Thanks Toni," he replied with a smirk.
Michael stood up from the couch and walked over to me, "Johnny told me to tell you he went down to the lake. He said if you want to come down you can."
Why was he at the lake?
"Okay, did he say anything else?"
"No, but he looked excited about something, maybe he saw a moose or reindeer. You know I think he was carrying some mistletoe with him too," he told me with a sly look on his face.
"Shut up Michael, he probably wants to show me that he can skate well or something," I retorted.
"Yea or something."
I gave him a shove, grabbed my coat and hat and headed outside.
I reached the lake in five minutes. It was surrounded by evergreen trees and mounds of snow. The quiet location was perfect for getaways. I remember all the other vacations out here I would spent hours drawing pictures or just sitting around watching the trees swaying in the breeze. The air was light and smelled like sweet pine. Tonight it had a different atmosphere, almost magical.
I made my way through the snow covered path that leads straight to the lake. The trees opened up to a small opening, and in the middle of the lake was a wobbling Johnny. I stood there and waiting for him to spot me.
Johnny's POV:
I wanted Toni to come down to the lake so we could hang out together, just me and her. I like talking to her, because she's a great listener and also gave good advice too.
I admit it, I like her.
I've liked her since I first laid eyes on her. It was something about her that kept me hooked. She was kind and sweet. Toni was all I thought about. What really bugs me is how shy I am around her. I haven't been able to tell her that I like her because every time she looks at me, I get butterflies and forget what I was going to say.
I was practicing my skating while I waited. I was determined to show her how good I am. Then maybe we could skate together, just like we danced together, arm in arm.
Man does she make me giddy…
I heard the sound of a twig snap, and my heart skipped a beat. I froze in place and hoped to God it wasn't a bear.
I turned around and saw Toni standing on the edge of the lake, far from a bear. More like a graceful doe. Her long skirt brushed the snow as she swayed on the spot. Her beautiful, brown curly hair fell all around her face and shoulders under her maroon, knitted hat like a curtain. She smiled when she saw that I knew she was there. I smiled back and almost lost my balance. I could hear her giggle as she called out to me, "Hold on, I'll come out to you!"
She stepped onto the ice and I held my breath, ready to race to her if she fell. It's not like I could save her in time, but it was worth the shot. She gracefully stepped her other foot on and started skating towards me. She used me as her way of stopping. She clung to my shoulders and giggled again through chattering teeth.
"So, why are we out here Johnny?" she looked me square in the face, and I melted like I always do. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her green eyes sparkled in the moonlight.
"Oh, um…honestly I don't know," I laughed breathlessly and she gave me a curious look.
"Okay, well do you want to just skate around? I know I need to burn off the cookies I just ate," she laughed to herself, then turned to skate away.
"You're fine as you are," oh God did I really just say that?
She turned swiftly around to look at me, and lost her balance for a split second. She straightened herself out and I realized that I surprised her with my comment.
"Um, I mean…" what was I going to say? 'Never mind you could use a few pounds?' No, that would be rude, so I just stood there, embarrassed and cold. I felt like such an idiot. Maybe this was a bad idea.
"You know Johnny, you're one of the sweetest guys I've ever met," she said in a matter-of-fact way.
I started laughing hysterically. What was wrong with me? I was laughing at her comment.
"What's so funny?" she inquired.
"It's just…you…you think I'm like a gentleman or something. You really do give me more credit than is needed."
She seemed almost hurt by my words. I was confused, why was she upset?
"Toni, I didn't mean that in a bad way, I just…"
"Yes you did Johnny," she cut me off. Great now I was in trouble.
"Johnny, you…you put yourself down all the time, and honestly, it bothers me," she admitted. She skated back my way and grabbed my hands. I felt myself blush, out of embarrassment and nervousness.
"I think you put yourself down because of what your father has done to you. I know it's a sore subject, but Johnny, you're here, with me. With people that love and care for you. We're here for you and every time you open your mouth, out comes a personal let down."
I was suddenly getting angry, why did she have to bring up my father.
"I pushed her hands out of mine and turned around. I faced the trees and I could feel hot tears running down my face. I quickly wiped them away before she could see.
"Toni, I…you don't know how it feels. Every day of my life, before I met the guys and you, I was insulted and put down for the stupidest things. Now that I do have people that care, I don't know how to handle all the…the…"
"Love?" she finished for me.
"Yeah," I turned to face her again, and this time I was the one who held onto her for balance. The cold was making my knees shake; I found it difficult to stand. Our faces were inches away and I could feel her hot breath on my face. I could smell cinnamon on her breath and I started shaking even more.
"Johnny, I have to tell you something," she started, but I didn't let her finish.
I pulled her closer to me, and as I did so I lost my footing and we both fell to the ice. I heard her give out a half yelp half laugh as we fell.
I lied on the ice, flat on my back and let out a groan at the realization of the situation. My nervousness got the best of me. I ruined it.
Toni giggled and I felt her move next to me. I kept my eyes shut.
"Johnny you okay?" she asked. And she laid her hand on my chest. I hoped she didn't feel my heart beating through my coat.
I opened my eyes and saw her sit up. I followed suit and looked her right in the eyes. Her lips curled up into a shy smile; it was the first time that I made her shy by just looking at her. She looked so vulnerable. I slowly reached my hand up and moved her hair back to how it was. She blushed deeply when my hand brushed her cheek. I was curious as to how long she would let me keep this up. I fixed another strand starting from her forehead to her chin, she shivered and I smiled. I used my other hand to put behind her head. I pulled her in ever so softly, letting her know that I was being careful and respectful. She didn't refuse. I moved in closer and our lips brushed each others. Again, she didn't refuse. I could hear her breathing faster the closer I got.
I held that position as the tension mounted. Then chapped lips met soft ones as I softly kissed her. The butterflies exploded and I was in heaven. I felt her arms wrap around my waist and she pulled my body closer to hers. I could feel her warmth radiating off her body and I stopped shaking. I could feel her clutching onto the back of my coat as she kissed me back. We pulled apart and smiled at each other. I pulled her head in again, but this time I rested my forehead to hers.
"I love you, Johnny Cade," she softly whispered.
This truly was a perfect Christmas.
So? What did ya think?
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!!
