Well, here we are again. Sorry for being MIA. Various reasons for that. But here's your gift. Happy Holidays!
I have to say, that little cupcake float stunt had to be right up there with one of the most dangerous things I ever went through. Yerba was pretty scary too. But knowing how zany our teacher was, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up in another weird situation. Speaking of Sikowitz, I asked him why we didn't have the float towed to the parade. He said it would have ruined the air of adventure. And then Jade agreed with him, but I was pretty sure it was only because she wanted to miss the parade. Well, she got her wish. We missed it by a lot. I frowned at the memory of our failed night, and suddenly, I got an elbow to the ribs.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, rubbing at the offended area.
"What's with the sudden sad face? Shouldn't you be all cheery like everyone else around here?" Jade questioned, taking a drink of her daily coffee.
"I'm allowed to feel sad. Even if it's almost Christmas," I responded.
"Then what's up?" she asked next.
"It's just…I feel like we put that float together, put all that work into it, for nothing. We didn't even get to be in the parade," I told her. She seemed to be thinking for a moment before she answered.
"True, we put a lot of work into it only for it to essentially go to waste, but we spent time together working towards a goal. That should account for something, right?" she reasoned. Wow. Jade being positive and trying to make me feel better. It was a Christmas miracle. I grinned and playfully knocked into her.
"Awww," I began. Instantly, her frown appeared, and she scoffed.
"Whatever. Just be lucky there wasn't anyone important there to see us all in dumb footie pajamas. Being giant walking, talking food was enough," Jade said. I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. We walked into Sikowitz class and headed to our usual seats.
"Alright lovers of learning and short pants," Sikowitz greeted as he came in the other door and climbed up on the stage.
"I do love short pants," Cat commented.
"Yeah, guess what I love?" Jade asked her as she passed to plop in her seat.
"What?" Cat responded.
"Slapping perky redheads," Jade answered, blunt as ever. Cat started laughing until she looked down at her hair and realization struck. The look of fear on her face caused Jade to smirk. I looked away before she could catch me staring.
"Now, Jade, don't be a Christmas grunch," Sikowitz spoke up. Jade didn't seem to care.
"Ha ha, grunch. That's my word," Rex piped up, earning a glare from Jade. Andre shifted next to me and I looked over at him.
"Are you still bugging about that grade?" I wondered. His scowl all but confirmed it.
"Look, just calm down," I began.
"I can't calm down," he refused.
"It's not the end of the world!" I told him.
"Yes, it is!" he insisted.
"You still have all next semester-" I tried to reason, but he spoke over me.
"I don't care. I'm just going to give up music!" he decided.
"No, don't do that!" I exclaimed.
"Just forget it! Forget everything!" he settled, raising his voice. I fell silent, and only then did I realize that the whole class was looking at us. Our quiet conversation must have gained volume steadily as we argued. Robbie, dressed up as Santa, turned around from his seat in front of Andre. He attempted to cheer him up, but Andre wasn't having it. I could see it in his upset expression.
"No, Andre-" I tried to say, but he was already out of his seat and knocking Robbie out of his own by throwing over his chair. The boy went flying to the floor and Andre sat back down.
"You did it," I muttered, shaking my head.
"I bet that jingled his bells," Jade remarked indifferently. I fought to keep back a chuckle, but an amused quirk of my lips slipped through. Jade caught my eye and an identical expression was found on her lips too. We were brought out of our little world by Robbie getting to his feet with a pained squeak, Rex complaining right along with him.
"I'm sorry, but all of you can keep your Christmas spirit to yourself," Andre stated for the class to hear.
"Andre, you got a beef with Christmas?" Sikowitz asked him, walking forward.
"I love Christmas beef! Every year, my brother steals a chuck roast and then rubs it with-" Cat started to ramble, but Jade was quick to cut her off.
"Cat!" she shouted, effectively scaring the talkative girl into silence. Beck jumped in his seat next to her, yanked from the impromptu nap he was currently taking. Our teacher noticed.
"Hey, you woke me up," he mumbled, slowly straightening in his seat.
"Oooh, sorry Beck. Certainly wouldn't want to keep you awake during my class!" Sikowitz said, moving to right the knocked over chair. Robbie had already moved to the other side of the room. For his own safety, I'm sure.
"Thanks, you're the best," Beck replied, curling up on the back of the chair and getting ready to go back to sleep. Sikowitz let him and moved on to why Andre was in such a mood. He sat down facing him, waiting for an explanation. I looked to Andre and so did the rest of the class. Even Jade was slightly curious.
"I don't really wanna talk about it," he refused. He couldn't avoid it forever. So, I got up to do it for him. I rested my hands on his shoulder to comfort him as I spoke.
"Andre wrote a Christmas song for his creative music class. And it was a really great song. But his teacher gave him a-" I started to explain, speaking over his pained groans.
"Don't say it out loud!" he shouted. I halted to look at him.
"Okay," I conceded, perfectly fine leaving it alone if that was what he really wanted.
"A 'D'! Ah! I said it out loud!" he suddenly yelled. Cat and Robbie looked concerned, but Jade looked at him like he was crazy before rolling her eyes and taking a drink of her coffee.
"A 'D'?" Sikowitz repeated, disbelieving.
"I've always gotten A's in music. How does a person go from an 'A' to a 'D'?" Andre questioned.
"Happened to me in eighth grade," Jade remarked in an offhand way. Robbie and Rex laughed. Cat seemed to catch on and laugh afterward. I raised a brow at her, discouraging, but she smiled back innocently.
"Well, I'm sorry, Andre. Now…" Sikowitz said, getting up to wander over to Beck. He leaned down and yelled right next to him. With a jolt, Beck was awake again.
"Why Becky so sleepy?" he asked, sitting down on the step in front of him.
"There's a stupid cricket in my RV so I can't sleep 'cause it chirps all night long," he explained. Jade's brows furrowed as he spoke, concerned.
"So just call one of those bug murderers," she suggested. Murderers?
"Uh, they're called exterminators," I corrected her.
"Why sugar coat it?" she retorted, turning to me. Well, I guess she had a point. I sat back in my seat, not knowing how to respond to that. The door opened and we all looked to see Sinjin in the doorway.
"Hey Sikowitz," he greeted.
"Yes, what is it, boy?" Sikowitz answered.
"I have your Hollywood Arts Secret Santa assignment," Sinjin said. Sikowitz brightened and hopped up to prance over.
"Oooh, who am I buying a gift for this year?" he sang, stopping to take the Pear Pad from Sinjin. His smile dropped as soon as he had the device in his hands.
"Courtney Van Cleef! No, that kid's a freaky little weirdo!" he exclaimed. It was Sinjin's turn to frown.
"She's my sister," he said.
"I know. I dunno why your parents didn't stop with you," Sikowitz said, as plain as day. Sinjin was shocked, and to be honest, so was I. Although, I have been guilty of using jokes like that on Trina. Jade covered a chuckle in a cough and quickly busied herself with her coffee. But I could see the amusement in her eyes. Sikowitz shoved the Pear Pad into Sinjin's chest and pushed him out the door, shutting it and leaning back.
"Can I please switch Secret Santa assignments with someone?" he whined. The class fidgeted, looking away from him.
"Come on, please! Tori!" he begged, running to me.
"Sorry, I didn't sign up for the Secret Santa thing," I admitted.
"Yeah, none of us did," Andre said.
"Why not?!" Sikowitz exclaimed, appalled.
"Because it's stupid," Rex answered.
"Why should we buy gifts for random people we don't care about?" Jade supplied. The class seemed to mumble agreement at that.
"All right! You kids need a big fat dose of Christmas spirit rammed into your teenage hearts!" Sikowitz yelled as he walked through the class. Beck jumped awake once more and Jade scowled at our teacher.
"So, there-such, as your teacher, I require you to participate in Secret Santa!" he announced. Instantly, the class was in an uproar.
"No ad lib complaining!" Sikowitz yelled over us. We quieted down.
"I'll text you all your Secret Santa assignments and I expect you all to give very good, very creative gifts," he told us.
"And what if we don't," Jade spoke out. Of course, she had to be the only one to defy the assignment. Sikowitz marched over to her and leaned in really close, until Jade was leaning back to escape the intense staring and lack of personal space. She clearly looked uncomfortable but Sikowitz didn't let up until his point was made clear.
"Whoever gives the worst gift…" he started, finally stepping away to return to the stage.
"Will have to join me on Christmas Eve for Christmas Yodeling," he said, striking a pose. I have never heard of such a thing. The class grumbled their disgust, but I was left in the dark. It couldn't be that bad, right? So, I raised my hand.
"What's Christmas Yodeling?" I wondered. A chorus of unhappy students, Jade the loudest among them, yelled at me all at once. My question seemed to be Sikowitz's cue to give an example. The sounds that came out of him was not pretty. Everyone complained and covered their ears while Cat laughed and clapped along. Well, at least she was having fun. I, on the other hand, have learned my lesson. I covered my ears and exchanged a sheepish grimace with Jade's scowl across the room. She only shook her head at me. I shrugged.
Setting up our
MECHANICAL SANTA CLAUS!
(He's chubby and cute!)
Feeling: Kringly
I never thought I would one day regret putting up that mechanical Santa. I'm still convinced it was trying to kill me. Oddly enough, Trina saved me. Which was a good thing because our parents were out on vacation. I was happy to get a text from Sikowitz telling me that I got Andre for the Secret Santa assignment. A part of me kind of wanted Jade, but I knew Andre more so it shouldn't be too hard to think of something. Maybe I could get Jade a gift anyway? We were friends, after all.
Trina coming home was just the start of everything going downhill, because instead of waiting for our parents, she went and got a tree anyway. And it wasn't any ordinary tree. Nope. She went and got a huge goliath of a tree. It was so big we spent hours trying to get it in the door. I don't even want to know how she got it home in the first place. After that harrowing experience, I left her to clean all the pine needles it dragged in and took a shower. As nice as the giant plant smelled, getting sap all over the place was not appreciated.
~Jade~
Could my day be anymore ruined than it already was? I woke up this morning to a text I ignored yesterday. It was Sikowitz with my Secret Santa assignment. And it was Vega. Of all people, I had to get her. Why? Not only did I have to find a good gift that she would like, it also had to satisfy Sikowitz or I would have to deal with yodeling for hours on end. I made my refusal known as soon as I got to school. Beck saw my determination and hurriedly fell in step next to me, resting a hand on my arm in an attempt to calm me down. It wasn't going to work. I spotted our dear teacher entering ahead of me and caught up with him. He seemed to know what I would say with just one look at me.
"I'm not giving you a different Secret Santa assignment," he told me firmly.
"Why not?" I demanded.
"I have chosen who I've chosen for reasons and they shall remain so," he stated dramatically, turning away to push open the door. What did that mean?
"Just give me anyone else!" I shouted at him. He spun around to face me, and we stopped in the hall. Beck's jittery movements next to me barely registered.
"Jade, you're Tori's Secret Santa and that be that," Sikowitz said.
"Why do I have-" I tried again, but Beck interrupted.
"He said he's not going to change it so why don't you just deal with it? Why don't you just deal with it?" he babbled, eyes wide as he bounced in place. His strange condition drew my attention to him. Sikowitz pulled him closer and put a hand to his chest.
"His heart is vibrating. How much coffee have you drunk?" Sikowitz asked.
"A lot. Like, a lot. I dunno, maybe like seven cups. A lot! Is there a problem?" he spat out so fast I almost had trouble keeping up with him. Sikowitz let him go with a sigh.
"He's drinking coffee to stay awake at school because the stupid cricket that's keeping him up every night," I explained, gesturing to Beck who looked like he was bouncing along to some beat no one but he could hear. He was starting to look a bit like Cat.
"Lot of coffee!" he shouted. Sikowitz nodded.
"I can see that," he said.
"Look, I don't want to be Tori's Secret Santa," I tried once more.
"Too bad," he responded, taking off down the hall. I watched him go a moment then looked at Beck.
"Stop bouncing!" I ordered, grabbing his hands and dragging him down the hall.
"I can't help it!" he answered. I knew he couldn't, but he was usually the calm and collected one. He was my rock. His jitteriness was doing nothing but make me more nervous. I stopped at my locker to exchange some books and noticed Vega talking to her sister across the hall. Trina looked reluctant to stick around but Tori insisted. She had a red gift bag in hand, and she pulled out a small guitar. What was that made of? Plastic? Ceramic? Trina didn't look like she approved.
Tori started to pretend to play on it and I watched, wondering how I could find her antics embarrassing but oddly cute. Trina backed away slowly, eventually leaving Tori. I laughed, my eyes going to Andre and Cat. She was offering him her brother's Christmas beef. I wouldn't touch that if I was him. He refused and dropped it back on the plate, a hand on his stomach. Cat frowned at whatever he said. It probably had to do with her brother's Thanksgiving creation. I heard it affected a lot of people. Tori caught up to them and started to give Andre the red bag, but out of nowhere Robbie made a grand entrance.
"Cat Valentine! Calling Cat Valentine!" he shouted through a megaphone.
"I'm Cat Valentine! Who's calling?" she replied, overly excited.
"Your Secret Santa!" Robbie announced, stepping forward. Cat let out a loud gasp and dropped the plate of beef.
"Oh my God, yay!" she shouted happily. I glanced at Vega and noticed her awkwardly standing there, worry slowly starting to work at the smile she had plastered on. What was going through her head?
"And your Christmas present is…your very own cotton candy machine!" Robbie presented, gesturing to a man in uniform wheeling forward a bright pink cotton candy machine. Cat went absolutely nuts. In fact, the happier Cat became, the sadder Vega was.
"That's right. This man, Larry Stine, will follow you around all week and give you all the cotton candy you want!" Robbie said. Cat rushed forward, showering the nerd in praise. Heck, he even got a kiss on the cheek. That made his day. As if no one knew yet, Cat announced to the whole hall what she was given. She poked and grabbed at Larry's sleeve then darted off, expecting him to follow. Reluctantly, he did, struggling to hall the cart up the stairs after Cat. That poor man. I kind of almost felt sorry for him. Hopefully he had gotten paid good for dealing with Cat. Vega and Andre exchanged some words and then Vega made herself scarce. She looked frazzled. Perhaps she was rethinking her gift for Andre? Maybe I could use that to my advantage.
~Tori~
I groaned loudly to myself and leaned back on the couch. Why was it so hard to find a good gift for Andre? This should come easy to me. Was I overthinking it? I stared at the open laptop in front of me and tried to think of something else to type in the search bar. I heard rustling behind me and looked back to see Trina rappel down the tree. She mentioned something about getting the star on top. I leaned further back to see the bent tip of the tree hitting the ceiling. The start sat nestled somewhere close to the top.
"Now help me decorate it," Trina ordered.
"No, I have to figure out-" I tried to refuse.
"I need help, okay? And Robbie's late," she pressed, unclipping herself from the rope.
"I can't think about anything until I figure out- Robbie?" I halted to question her.
"Yeah," she answered nonchalantly.
"I invited him over to help decorate the tree," she said, taking a drink from her mug.
"Since when are you and Robbie friends?" I asked her.
"Ugh, we're not. I'm just making him do things for me," she responded.
"And why would he agree to that?" I wondered.
"'Cause I'm pretty," she enunciated. I shifted my eyes away from her, having nothing to say to that. I didn't feel like dealing with Trina at the moment should I say anything to agitate her. The doorbell rang just then, interrupting even if I did have something to say.
"It's open!" Trina yelled. Robbie came strutting in, trying to act cool but actually looking like a strutting rooster. He tried greeting us, but Trina immediately ordered him to get the ornaments from the garage. He mentioned a promise of pizza but Trina shot it down and informed him that the plans had changed. He readily agreed while Trina left to relieve herself of the beef Cat's brother had made. It was a good thing Andre cautioned me not to eat it. I warned Robbie that Trina was using him, but he already knew. The motivation behind helping came from the hope that she might hug him. That poor, poor boy.
"That's so sad," I commented. He let out a long sigh.
"Yeah," he agreed. And yet he did nothing about it. The sadness cleared from Robbie's face when he saw something outside. I stood up to check, knowing it was our weird neighbor. I warned him that my dad already told him he couldn't be out there, but he only waved me away with a grumpy grunt. Whatever. At least he was gone. I fell back on the couch and set the computer back on my lap. Now, where was I?
~Jade~
I spread out on Beck's bed and closed my eyes. Wow, that stupid bug had to be holed up right under his bed. Specifically, right under his head. It was so loud. I could see why he hadn't been able to sleep for a month. I reached over to nudge Beck's shoulder with my foot. He was busy digging around under the bed, trying to see if he could find the nuisance. He moved something and the chirping stopped. He froze, waiting, but then it started up again. I nudged him again and he finally abandoned his search.
"What?" he asked, sitting up to give me his attention. I got a good look at him just then. His hair was rarely out of place, but here it was doing just that. His face reflected just how tired he was. He was minutes away from crashing now that the caffeine was on its way out of his system. I made him stop hours ago after I bought him the biggest cup of coffee at Jet Brew and he said it wasn't enough. It couldn't be good for his health. He wasn't nearly as used to it as I was.
"Take a break," I told him. He huffed out a breath but complied, leaning back on his bed.
"What did you end up giving Robbie?" I asked him, curious.
"I hooked him up with this girl who used to bully him in elementary school," he answered.
"Good one," I laughed.
"Don't be mean. Remember how he always said he wanted to tell her off?" Beck mentioned.
"Yeah?" I responded, waiting for him to continue.
"Well, I gave him that opportunity," he explained.
"Did he man up and tell her off?" I inquired, highly doubtful.
"She wasn't the beefy mean-faced bully of his youth anymore. She grew up, and apparently to Robbie, she's hot," he said.
"So what? Did he tell her off or not?" I asked again.
"Nope. He couldn't. Instead, they went out on a date," Beck answered with a smile.
"Boys," I scoffed. He chuckled.
"How much you wanna bet that date didn't go so well," I joked, sitting up to look at him. He seemed like he wanted to chastise me again, but in the end, he had to concede.
"I'm not betting against that. We all know Robbie's track record. Especially if he brings Rex anywhere," Beck pointed out. I nodded and idly looked over the scissors Cat got me for the Secret Santa assignment. It wasn't just any pair of scissors. They were special scissors. The ones Tawny Walker Black used in my favorite movie The Scissoring. That girl could be so scatterbrained, but she knew me. I could only imagine how much they cost. There were only a few set pieces available to the public. I wouldn't be surprised if her brother got his hands on them somehow.
"It's scary how in love with those you are," Beck mentioned, watching me with a playful smile.
"Hush, or I'll use them on that fluffy hair of yours," I lightly threatened, smiling a moment later to let him know I was only joking.
"So, I didn't miss the compliment you gave Tori," he remarked. I raised a brow at him.
"But did you really have to scare her while complimenting her?" he asked. I spun the scissors around my finger as I had done before.
"It wouldn't be me if I left it at a compliment, now would it? Besides, it's not my fault she can't prioritize what she's feeling," I replied like it was obvious.
"Of course," he repeated knowingly with a sigh. He was aware that I wouldn't openly compliment her so I hid it, knowing it would distract her from what I really meant.
"But I'll make it up to her with my gift," I amended. He looked intrigued.
"You have an idea now?" he questioned.
"She's been complaining about what to get Andre. My advice will be my gift to her," I explained.
"That's not really a gift…" he reasoned.
"Too bad," I snapped.
"Alright," he said, raising his hands. It would have to do.
~Tori~
I want to say that fixing the mechanical Santa wasn't my only achievement, but then I would be lying. I've been sitting here agonizing over the perfect gift for Andre and I still haven't come up with anything. I grabbed my phone to post an update.
Grrrr! WHAT do I get "a certain
person" for Christmas?!
Feeling: UnMerry
As if that will help. I tossed my phone aside and got up to head downstairs. Trina and Robbie were getting ready to flock the tree. I had no clue what that meant until Trina explained it to me. Who even came up with that word? What did fake snow on a tree have to do with the word flock? I guess I would never know. The doorbell sounded and Trina ordered me to answer it. I left them to it and answered the door. I would have never expected it to be Jade.
"Jade," I forced out, unable to say anything else.
"Correct," she replied.
"What are you here for?" I asked, curious but mostly confused.
"You," she answered simply, holding my gaze a second longer before entering. I let her through and shut the door. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. Yes, Jade and I have gotten along well recently, but just in case.
"Wait. Do you have your new scissors with you?" I asked her. Jade appeared offended.
"No," she responded, sounding honest enough. I narrowed my eyes at her. She seemed to catch on to my distrust so without a word she raised her arms. For a moment I didn't understand what that meant, until I realized she wanted me to check. I would have to be in close contact with her. Suddenly, I was more nervous about that then possibly being mauled with scissors. With a sigh to calm myself I walked over and started with her arms. The glint of an interesting ring briefly caught my eye, but I couldn't be distracted. Not when my hands were sliding over her toned arms, her eyes on me, watching as I moved to her waist.
"Don't be shy," she teased, smirking slightly when catching her gaze made me avert my own. Gosh, I hope I wasn't blushing. I forced my hands to slide down her sides to rest on her waist. I quickly found the scissors tucked away and carefully pulled them out. I snipped them in the air and narrowed my gaze accusingly at her.
"Those are my old scissors," she clarified, arms crossed, voice even but laced with stiffness, like she was trying to seem uncaring. I hoped she was just as affected by the situation as I was. I tossed the scissors on the couch.
"Okay, so what do you want?" I asked, trying my best to move on to why she was here.
"Merry Christmas," she said, crossing her arms.
"You're my Secret Santa?" I questioned.
"Yeah, don't expect Christmas cheer from me," she quipped.
"Sooo, what's my gift?" I questioned.
"An idea. For a present to give to Andre," she revealed.
"You have an idea?" I said, hopeful and relieved.
"A perfect one," she confirmed.
"Awesome. Tell me," I requested, waiting. She looked me over, contemplating something. I fidgeted under her studious gaze. Suddenly, her eyes locked with mine again.
"Beg me," she demanded, as if it was a simple exchange. What?
"Come on. If you have an idea-" I began to refuse, but Trina and Robbie cut me off when Robbie got a whole face full of flock. He asked Trina for some assistance cleaning him off and the two left to the bathroom, leaving Jade and I alone. Almost as if they took the tension with them, Jade relaxed. She dropped her arms and gave me a searching look.
"It would have been nice to hear you beg but I guess you don't have to," she said after a long moment. She sat down on the couch and I took a seat next to her.
"I really do need an idea. Thinking about it non-stop everyday has been driving me crazy. So, if you could please help me out, I'd be grateful," I pleaded. She smiled reluctantly and let out a quiet chuckle.
"Begging kind of suits you. I like it," she confessed. I blushed and looked down, seeing Jade's hand resting between us. The interesting ring caught my attention again. Without thinking I took her hand in mine and ran a finger over the smooth surface.
"This is nice. When did you get it?" I asked, looking at her. She stared at our connected hands a second longer before meeting my eyes.
"Remember that time you helped Robbie with his surgery?" she mentioned. I rolled my eyes and dropped our hands to the couch but didn't let go.
"How could I forget? I had to donate three times!" I recalled, feeling a little frustrated just thinking about it.
"Well, Robbie was responsible for part of it," she said.
"Yeah, and the incompetent hospital staff was responsible for the other part," I supplied.
"Yes and no," Jade revealed. I stared at her, feeling like I was missing something.
"Elaborate," I requested, needing to know.
"I misplaced the first donation-" she started to say.
"What? That was you?" I gasped, feeling hurt. I moved to pull away but she caught my hand before I could.
"I didn't think you would have to donate again after that, but Shapiro proved me wrong," she hurried to explain, something like guilt in her tone. I slipped out of her weakening hold to cross my arms.
"So then why did you do it?" I asked her straight out. She shifted uncomfortably.
"It's complicated," she muttered.
"Well, uncomplicate it," I demanded. She hesitated a second but nodded.
"I didn't want to be upstaged by you in the play," I admitted.
"I knew it," I mumbled, frowning.
"But that wasn't all. It was just the part of me that couldn't accept that you were just as good of an actor and I had to get over that. I mean, I'm pretty much over it now. But back then I wasn't. I felt threatened by your talent, and just…you," Jade struggled to explain.
"What does that mean?" I questioned her, allowing my hand to be taken by hers again. She gripped it tighter than before.
"Just that," Jade allowed, unwilling to say more. Something within me knew what she meant, but I left it alone for now. It could wait.
"Anyway, what gives the ring its red hue is actually your blood," she continued, saying it so casually I almost didn't believe her.
"I'm sorry, did you just say that my blood is in your ring?" I repeated. She nodded. That was strangely weird but also touching. It was Jade showing me that she cared in her own way. That had to account for something.
"I don't mean to freak you out or anything…" she murmured, looking away. I tugged on Jade's hand to get her attention.
"I think it's sweet," I told her.
"You do?" Jade questioned, shocked.
"Yeah. It's almost like you customized your own friendship ring," I elaborated. Jade seemed to relax and smiled shyly.
"Does that mean I get one too?" I asked, hopeful. I could tell that my question caught her off guard, but she quickly rebounded.
"Um, yeah, sure. If that's what you want. I could talk to the guy and have one made for you," she agreed. I nodded, weirdly comforted by having a piece of Jade with me at all times. Maybe that was how Jade felt.
"But with your blood of course," I reminded her. She smiled.
"Well, it wouldn't really mean much if it was your own," she pointed out.
"Exactly," I agreed. We took some time to comfortably sit in silence while I absently played with Jade's hand and she let me.
"So, what was the idea you had?" I asked her. She broke from her thoughts to give me her attention. The look in her eyes was serious, drawing me in.
"Beck told me that my idea wasn't really a gift," she remarked.
"It's okay. Without you I would be lost. Don't worry about it," I assured her. She shook her head.
"No, he's right. I want to give you a tangible gift. One that means something," Jade insisted, shifting closer and pulling her hand out of mine so that she could hold mine instead. People always joked that Jade was cold, but with my hand carefully cradled in hers, all I could feel was warmth.
"Okay, but you don't have to-" I began, stopping in my tracks when Jade's lips halted my words. It was brief, but long enough for me to memorize the experience. She pulled away slowly, our noses brushing. She held still a second, staring into my eyes, before removing herself completely. All but our hands were touching again, hers resting lightly on mine between us on the couch.
"Merry Christmas, Tori," she whispered, smiling softly.
"Thank you," I blurted out. She laughed and I turned beet red.
"You're ever so welcome," she drawled.
"Will you stop doing that?" I inquired, trying to get passed my embarrassment.
"Never," she answered fondly. I let out a sigh but smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Jade," I returned, laughing along with her. The moment between us passed once Trina and Robbie came back. Jade shared her idea and we started planning it out. This was going to be fun and I was sure Andre would love it.
OMVG! Jade just gave me the
BEST IDEA ever!
Feeling: Very Merry
~Jade~
It took a good amount of preparation and some help from both Robbie and Cat, but we had everything ready by the time we were let out for break. Vega, Cat and I got in our costumes while Robbie was sent to bring Andre's teacher to the hallway where we would be staging the performance. Luckily, Andre was already here, so we didn't have to find him. It took a few minutes, but Robbie showed up with Andre's teacher. Vega told Cat and I then we rushed into formation. Vega got everyone's attention, introducing Anthony and the situation. Andre looked upset at the mention of his bad grade, but he seemed interested when she mentioned everyone getting a chance to hear and decide for themselves. We followed the choreography we had practiced and sung along to the lyrics Andre wrote. It wasn't hard to get a copy when Andre was so intent on throwing it away. Only after the song was over and we were all exchanging celebratory hugs in honor of Andre's grade change did I wonder if Vega and I were a little obvious in our playful behavior during the performance.
It took a lot for me to show Vega how I felt. We hadn't talked about it since, and I was okay with that for now. I didn't want things to change just yet and Vega understood without me having to say it. That included anyone finding out. Except for Beck. I told him over the phone as soon as I got home. He was happy for me despite falling asleep halfway through our conversation. It was a good thing Andre's gift to him was catching that stupid cricket. In the end, we all got and gave great gifts. Sikowitz was the only one to fail at his own challenge. So, while Sikowitz was out Christmas Yodeling with crazy strangers, we were all at Vega's house hanging out. And even though I didn't want anyone to notice, I couldn't resist accepting her request when she patted the space next to her. It helped that Beck sat on the other side of me. Andre was the only one to raise a brow at our shared space. I didn't know how much longer I could stay away from her, because every time I looked at her, I couldn't help but fleetingly wonder when I would get to kiss her again.