When I talk about "Santa" it's a tradition in my family for someone to dress like him for the little kids…
Chapter 7
Christmas Eve
Kayla woke up and looked around. The clock read 6:30. Why am I up so early? She thought to herself. Her family members wake up around 7 the earliest. She was on the floor. She smiled to herself remembering the night before. Bradin's family came over and hung out with hers. Nikki made friends with Katie and Derrick was hanging out with her cousin Bobby. She ended up falling asleep on the floor in the living room because she let her Aunt and Uncle have her bed. It was late when all the kids went to bed and Bradin and Nikki ended up staying over and Johnny carried Derrick home. She smiled at Bradin sleeping peacefully next to her. Nikki was on the other side of her cousin Katie who was lying right next to her. She put her head back down and closed her eyes. She wasn't tired; she just didn't want to wake anyone up. A couple of minutes later she felt Bradin's arm go around her. She turned over and faced him. He was awake. "Good morning." She whispered. "Good morning to you too." He kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled at him. "Hey do you have room on your side to roll over?" She asked him. "Yeah." He said rolling over. She rolled over next to him and sat up. She quietly stood and Bradin did too. She made her way slowly to her room, and grabbed her clothes off of her chair. Bradin got him clothes out of Jake's room and went back to his house to shower while Kay showered at home. When she got out, she got dressed, rubbed her hair until it was practically dry, then sat outside and brushed it while it air dried. Bradin came back over and they sat on the beach together. "We are going to be so tired after today and tomorrow." Kayla laughed. "Not tired, just full." He said smiling. "You're right. We'll be tired when my family goes back home." She laughed. "Why's that?" Bradin asked. "Because I promised all of my cousins we would do stuff." She laughed. "Good morning kids." Kayla's mom said as she walked out onto the porch. "Good morning mom." She smiled. Her mom walked over and sat on a chair with them. "You guys are up early." She said. "Yeah I woke up right after Kayla." Bradin said. "Well everyone is starting to wake up now, all of the kids are lining up for the shower." She laughed. "Except me. Unless Susannah and Aunt Ava miraculously woke up this early." Nikki said as she walked out. They laughed. "I'm going to go shower at home, I'll be right back." She said and she ran back to her house. "Well you two I'm going to go back inside and make breakfast." She said as she walked in the house. Apparently Katie was the one up next and got the shower first because she came out five minutes later. "Hey Kay, hey Bradin." She smiled. "Hey Kate." They said at the same time. "So when are we going to surf?" She asked anxiously. "How about right now?" Kay said. She was wearing her bathing suit on underneath so she just took her clothes and put them on the railing. She grabbed her surfboard. Katie was big enough for it. "Ok well first, you paddle out to a spot far enough away." Kayla said. Katie was lying on the board and Kayla swam out with her. "Here is good. Now wait for a good strong wave to come." Kayla said treading water. "Ok here it is. "Now start paddling as hard as you can, and once the wave catches your board, get on your knees, then quickly hop onto your feet. Make sure you bend!" Kayla yelled as Katie paddled. It took her a few tries, but Katie finally caught a wave. When she did she hopped onto her knees, but didn't make it to her feet when she fell off. "Wait let me watch you do it a few times." Katie said. "Ok swim back and stay with Bradin on shore. I don't want you out here by yourself." She said, and waited for Katie to get to shore. She saw the perfect wave come. She paddled as hard as she could and she caught the wave. She quickly hopped onto her knees and her feet in 2 swift motions. She was doing well until her board completely flipped over sideways. She went under, and something was holding her under. When Bradin didn't see her come back up, he ran into the water to get her. When he got her he kept trying to pull her up, but something, was trying to bring her down. When he finally pulled her hard enough to get her free, he swam back fast. When he got to shore, he put her on the sand. He gave her CPR; they teach and review it in health every year there. She coughed up water and started breathing heavily. He looked out to see no one other but Sarah in the water with scuba gear on. Katie was freaking out and started to cry. So Kayla hugged her and told her she was all right. While Katie calmed down Bradin went to Sarah. "Sarah, you bitch!" he screamed, "What the hell is your problem?" he yelled with anger in his eyes. "She is!" Sarah screamed and pointed at Kayla. "Ever since she came around you don't want to hang out anymore!" She yelled. "That's not true, I stopped hanging out with you before I went out with Callie and it's because I don't like the way you are, OR what you DO!" He yelled back. "If you ever touch her again…" He said and swam off. Sarah went home. "I'm sorry Katie." Bradin said as he sat down next to the girls. "It's ok. What is her problem?" She said angrily. "She's jealous of Kay, I used to date her, but then we broke up, because she did drugs, and got into trouble, and got me into trouble." He said. "Oh. Well now that she's gone can we go back out?" Katie asked. "Of course. Let's go." Kayla said and all three went into the water this time. It took her a few times but Katie finally got up on the board. "You were great out there Katie, a natural!" Nikki said. "Thanks." She said and they ran back out to the water. This time everyone was out, and Callie and Lucas came over to hang out. Kayla, Alex, Lucas, Callie, Bradin, and Jake all hung out on the beach and by the water. Eventually, Kayla's cousins Heather, Melissa, and Danny came to hang out too. It was around 3 o' clock when everyone went inside to get ready for Christmas Eve. Kayla's father and her uncles got out the ornaments, decorative lights, etc., while Kayla's mom and Aunts did the cooking. The kids all got changed into their Christmas Eve outfits, Kayla's being the dress she got from Callie. "Come on Kay! We want to see the dress you got!" yelled her cousin Jen from downstairs. Ms. Gregory, Bradin, Nikki, and them were there. Bradin sat with her cousins waiting for her to come down the stairs. When she walked down Bradin's jaw dropped. He picked it up quickly though. He walked up to her when she got to the bottom of the stairs. "You look more than beautiful, I don't even think there is a word." He said to her. He kissed her. "Kayla you look so pretty!" Nikki said. All of the girls agreed. She looked at all of her cousins and smiled. "You guys have no idea how much it means to me that you're here. I've missed you so much!" She said as a tear fell from her eye. Bradin wiped it away. "I keep my promises, I'll always catch them." He winked. They all just sat around and talked about the memories they shared together. They all talked about what was going on at home. They all decorated the tree together. They put their presents underneath. Then they sang Christmas songs until Santa came and handed out the presents to everyone. When that was done everyone just hung around and talked. The kids played with the toys they got, and the older kids just hung out. It was 2 minutes before midnight and everyone was asleep but the adults, they went to bed way later. Kayla couldn't sleep so she was just sitting on the couch reading a book when she heard a small knock on the glass door. She looked out and Bradin was standing there. She walked over and went outside. "Hey Kay." He smiled. "Hey, what are you doing out here? It's almost midnight!" She smiled. "I came," he looked at his watch, it read midnight exactly, "to say Merry Christmas." He said handing her a small box. She opened it, and it had a small, silver ring. "Bradin it's beautiful!" She said. "My mom gave it to me last Christmas, it's a promise ring." He smiled at her. She kissed him. She ran inside and grabbed the presents she got for him. "Wait, open this one first. Save the best one for last." She smiled. He opened it. It was a watch. He kissed her then opened the second one. It was a photo album. On the front it read, "These photos will fade, but the memories will last forever, but I left some space, to add new ones anyway…Kayla." He flipped through it. It had pictures of him and his parents, his friends in Kansas, and here, and them together. He smiled and kissed her. They sat on the hammock and talked about everything they could think about until they fell asleep together on it.
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