~Thanks for the support and all the reviews, inboxes and tweets. I'm glad you're still with me, sorry for the wait. If you miss Christmas like I do then these next few chapters will be great for you. If not, this chapter is the most Christmas-y (?) SO it wont be too bad… Ok, I'm going to stop talking now.
Here we go, Christmas party. Enjoy. ~
LAUREN
It was freezing outside and I was more than happy when I walked up the steps and into the warm office building. Kenzi and my mother were right behind me and we all took a moment to defrost before moving. The place used to belong to an old newspaper and the publishing company didn't change a thing when they bought the building. There were three floors. The first was a functioning bookstore. The second floor used to be an old newsroom and still felt like one too; the creative team, proofreaders, and literary agents ruled the second floor. The Editors, Publisher, and Editor in Chief occupied the third floor. The marketing and finance teams worked from the conference rooms on the second floor or from a different location. We were headed to the second floor; it was the biggest floor and my personal favorite. It had a few empty offices that they filled with big chairs and blankets so you could get comfy and read. When I was still in high school every once in awhile I would come and do homework there. I haven't been here in a long time, even when I was living at home I didn't come very often. I used to spend a lot of time here freshman year of high school but I don't think I've been here since then. I was excited to finally be at one of the "secret adult parties".
"This place looks great." Kenzi said, unbuttoning her coat. I nodded in agreement looking around at the foliage mixed with red and gold ribbons, strings of light draped from the ceiling. It made me think of Bo's dorm room and I instantly wished she were here. Mental note; I should text her when I get settled upstairs. The three of us opted for the stairs instead of the elevator.
"Lauren, your father is going to be so happy you both decided to come." My Mom called down to me as we climbed the small staircase.
"Wouldn't miss it Doctor Lewis." Kenzi answered genuinely, I smiled up at the small girl.
"Holy Christmas Batman." Kenzi said when we stepped out of the stairwell the click of our heels coming to a halt.
"You can say that again." I said, sharing in her amazement.
"Holy Christmas Batman." I grinned at my best friend and Mom shook her head at us.
Our coats were taken by an adorable old man with the coolest Christmas sweater I'd ever seen.
"Enjoy the party ladies." He said after we thanked him.
There were three Christmas trees that I could see right off the bat, all sharing in the burgundy and gold theme. Classic Christmas songs were playing in the background and the whole place put a smile on my face. It was warm and cheerful and a welcome feeling after the long and stressful semester I'd been through.
"I'm going to look for your Father." My mother said turning to me
"Okay, we'll be around." I said as she walked away, waving to one of my Dad's bosses.
"So what first Lo?" Kenzi asked turning to me
"I see a hot chocolate fountain." I said not surprised at how fast Kenzi had taken my hand to tug me towards it.
"This is the sweetest hot chocolate I've ever had. That means a lot coming from me, I've had a lot of hot chocolate in my time." I laughed at my best friend as she raved on and on about the warm drink in her hands. I reached around her and picked up a napkin to hand to her
"What?" She asked finally taking a minute to breath
"You've got choco-stache and although I find it very attractive…" I said laughing at her frantically wiping at her mouth.
"Shut up nerd." She said rolling her eyes
"It wasn't that bad honest, it's just when you're around hot chocolate you seem to get it all over you." She glared at me playfully and I prepared myself for the sarcastic comeback but it never came. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around
"Hi, you're Lauren Lewis right?" I shot a confused look at Kenz before turning my attention back to the girl in front of me. She seemed to be a few years older than me, a few inches taller and very pretty. She had light brown hair and grey eyes that looked familiar to me.
"Uh yeah I am, why?" I said still not sure as to why she looked so familiar to me
"You don't remember me?" She asked and I suddenly felt embarrassed. I gave her an apologetic look
"I'm sorry, do we go to school together?" I said guessing at how she would know me
"No, my Dad works here too. We used to hang out together while our Dad's worked." She said while running a hand through her shoulder length hair.
"Oh my god, Hannah!" I said putting the pieces together in my head. We shared a hug and I noticed how much she had changed in the years apart.
"Yeah, I look a lot different from the last time we saw each other." She said, relieved that I had recognized her
"You look great, not that you didn't before but, I, it's just been a long time… I'm sorry I didn't recognize you." She shook her head and we both laughed at the awkwardness
"Thank you, and no worries it's been what four years?" She asked. I nodded after taking a second to think about it
"Yeah, wow seems like a lot longer than that." I said
"It does."
"You wanna introduce me Lo, or should I leave you two alone?" Kenzi said reminding me she was there
"Oh, sorry! Kenzi this is Hannah Larson, her dad is beard Guy." the two shook hands
"Beard guy?" Hannah asked looking between Kenzi and I
"He had a really nice beard when I first met him, it kind of stuck." Kenzi said casually
"Makes sense, I'll have to tell him that he'll love it." I smiled and took a sip of my drink
"Anyways, I came over to invite you to the "kids" party." Kenzi and I both looked at her in confusion
"After a few years of attending these you learn that after the first hour they get dull. A group of us started sneaking away to have our own party. We all grab a bottle or tray of food and have some fun. Since I don't think I've ever seen you guys at these event I thought I'd invite you."
"Sounds like fun." Kenzi said looking at me
"I don't see the harm in it." shrugging my shoulders and smiling at Hannah
"Cool, I'll come get you guys later. It's really great to see you Lauren." She smiled at me and walked into the crowd.
"Hannah huh?" Kenzi asked her voice just a little too high pitched to be considered normal.
"Yeah, that was Hannah." I said walking away
"Hannah? The Hannah you used to be obsessed with freshman year of high school? First major girl crush Hannah!?" she asked excitedly
"One in the same, let's please not talk about it." I said feeling the blush reach my cheeks.
"Wow she wasn't what I was picturing." Kenzi said as we walked around a desk
"She looks different now, so much older, everything about her has changed. Except her eyes." I said before I could stop the words coming out of my mouth
"What did she look like before?" Kenzi asked curiously
"She used to have blonde hair, she lost weight, or gained muscle? She looks happier somehow… Her eyes used to be angry or sad, they look clear now. She's just changed, in a good way though." I stopped myself, realizing I had gone into more detail than I wanted to. I hoped Kenzi didn't notice my rambling.
"She sure is beautiful." Kenzi said surprising me
"She's always been beautiful, I think she'd the kind of person who will always be beautiful." I had a bad case of word vomit; I couldn't keep my thoughts to myself. Kenzi tugged my arm and pulled me into an open office. She looked me in the eyes and I stood there feeling guilty under her stare.
"Are you alright? If I remember correctly this is the same Hannah that broke 14 year old Lauren's heart." I bit the inside of my lip; it was a long time ago.
"That was years ago, and I don't even think she knew she was breaking my heart." The dark haired girl stared at me looking for any signs that I was lying.
"Do I need to be worried?" She questioned, her voice low and filled with concern
"Why would you need to be worried?" I asked trying to make her back off
"I'm just asking if I should be."
"No you don't need to be worried about nothing. It was years ago and a classic case of falling for a straight girl. I've been over it for years." I said confidently
"Sorry, I just want to make sure your head is clear." I looked into her blue eyes and knew she was just being a good friend.
"Thank you for the concern and I didn't mean to ramble on about how pretty she is. It's not me developing another crush on her. I haven't seen her since I was 14/ 15 years old, you'd act the same way if you saw your first serious crush." I said remembering how she was obsessed with a boy named Liam for almost a year.
"Okay, I get it." She said smirking at me clearly remembering Liam too.
"No need to worry, I'm sort of in love with Bo. Remember her? She's gorgeous, you left your pants in her room?" Kenzi rolled her eyes at me and playfully punched my arm.
"Hannah took me by surprise is all." I said feeling the need to further defend myself
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry for making a big deal about it, but that's my job as a best friend." I pulled her into a bone-crushing hug
"I love you Kenz."
"Yeah, yeah I'm awesome." We laughed and returned to the party.
"I wish Bo was here to see how pretty the room looks." I said looking around the big room, spotting my parents
"You miss her?" She asked as we made our way to my Mom and Dad
"More than I thought I would." She nodded understandingly and we stopped in front of my parents.
"Come here girls!" My Dad said opening his arms for us. We both suffered through the tight hug and pulled away with smiles.
"I'm happy you two are here, and you look so lovely." My Dad said, his arm around my mother's shoulders
"Thanks for the invite dude." Kenzi said earning a laugh from Dad
"You're welcome. There should be some announcements coming up shortly, so I'm going to go see if Bruce is sober enough to start them." We all nodded knowing from all the stories that Bruce was almost always too drunk to make any announcements.
"Are the two of you having a good time?" Mom asked
"Yeah, haven't gotten to look around the whole place yet but it's nice." I said setting my now empty cup down on a silver tray.
"He's happy you're here." She said looking at Dad with love in her eyes.
"Ew gross stop looking at him like that and go follow him. We are going to get some food." I said pushing my Mom in the direction of my Dad. She laughed at me and happily said goodbye. Kenzi and I exchanged a laugh and hurried over to the buffet of food.
I was sitting by the window looking out at the snow-covered street. Kenzi had been talking to the older man who took our coats. I didn't question it when she told me; she's weird that way. One time she ditched me at a college tour to go get coffee with a 70-year-old woman who was walking around in a cat shirt and neon green pants. I took the opportunity to hide away at the back of the office for a moment of silence. I missed Bo, and wanted to call her, and then I thought I shouldn't be so clingy and then the snow distracted me. Then I couldn't help but wish I were talking to Bo. I unlocked my phone and went to call her but was interrupted.
"Hey, Lauren." I looked up to see Hannah.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked putting my phone down. She pointed over her shoulder
"The fun is about to begin, thought I'd come find you." I smiled and stood up from the cozy chair.
"Let me get Kenzi." I said turning to go get her; I was stopped with a hand on my arm.
"No need, I already told her." I thanked her and followed her lead.
We very casually slipped into the stairwell and headed down, and down until we reached the basement. She smiled at me and pointed to the doors.
"After you Lauren Lewis." I opened the doors and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I'd never been in the basement because I didn't think there was much down here. Turns out I was wrong. There were a few couches and a handful of desk chairs, as well as a single table that was empty at the moment. There were festive decorations and everything. I turned to Hannah,
"Wow, this is actually pretty nice for a "kids" party." She laughed at me and led me through the room.
"The couches and chairs were already in here but Nick and Sammy brought the table and decorated the room for us." She explained gesturing at the Charlie brown Christmas tree and string of lights that hung from the ceiling.
"Nick and Sammy those are whose kids again?" I asked not being able to remember
"Brian Hall's, I think your friend called him Tots dude?" Hannah said leading us to the crowed couches.
"Right. They did a good job." She smiled at me
"Lo, you made it! I've been here for like 20 minutes already." I thanked Hannah and joined Kenzi
"You enjoy your chat with that old guy?" Kenzi rolled her eyes at me and nodded
"I did actually, he was telling me about his wife and how they met, it's an interesting story." She stated
"Hey K-Star, come here!" I looked at Kenzi with my eyebrows raised
"K-Star?" I questioned
"Shut up. I was down here alone I had to make friends." I looked up to see Nick Hall. I recognized him from the yearly Christmas cards. He was over six feet tall; he had black hair and glowing green eyes. He came and wrapped his arm around Kenzi's shoulder.
"I told you there'd be a lot of people here, didn't I?" He said enthusiastically
"You were right, now calm down jolly old Saint Nick." She rolled her eyes at him but I could tell she wasn't annoyed.
"Lauren Lewis?" Nick said looking at me
"That's my name." I replied. He smiled big and hugged me
"It's been awhile, how you been? I was beginning to think you'd never be old enough to be invited to a party." he teased
"Whatever old man. I've been good, how about you?" I asked as I paid close attention to how Kenzi was acting.
"I've been really good. I'm graduating this semester and my parents are about to go on a month long vacation without me." I laughed, I remembered Nick now. He was a high school football star with a heart of gold. He's always been really kind to me, even when we were kids. He's the same age as Hannah and always kept me entertained when I was forced to come to the office with Dad.
"Why are your parents going on vacation without you a good thing?" I asked
"Because I can do whatever I want. You've been to the house it's perfect for parties. AND, the month they chose to leave is the month I'm home from school. Merry freaking Christmas to me." Kenzi and I both laughed
"You two totally have to come hang out." He said looking mostly at Kenzi.
"Sure thing Father Christmas. Where's the alcohol I was promised?" Kenzi said giving a small smile and batting her eyelashes at him. I was pretty sure she liked him, which is weird considering they met like 20 minutes ago. It usually took Kenzi way longer to decide she liked a guy.
"You still don't trust me huh? Casey is bringing it down right now, so stop your worrying or you'll get wrinkles cutie." I watched as Kenzi got angry at his teasing, she totally likes him.
"Kenz, I'm gonna go say hello to someone else over somewhere." I said winking at her and going to sit in one of the available swivel chairs.
"Everyone relax the alcohol is here!" I looked towards the door at a short, pretty girl with blonde hair. She entered with a box of bottles in her hands. Everyone cheered and clapped as she made her way to the table. I watched as Hannah went over and kissed the girl on the shoulder before the two emptied the box and began setting up. That's a plot twist. Maybe 14 year old me was onto something. I knew I liked girls my entire life, but the thing that made me realize I didn't like boys at all was my crush on Hannah. I was naïve back then and she was older than me and really pretty and she paid attention to me, how could I not have had a crush on the girl. When I realized she was straight, or at the very least not into me I was heartbroken. I was fourteen, and it was just a crush so it wasn't real heartbreak, but I thought it was back then.
"Lauren?"
"Yes- wait, hi…" I looked up to see Hannah staring at me with a concerned look on her face. Of course I zone out thinking about her and she appears in front of me.
"You okay?" I nodded that I was
"You're sure? Because this is the second time tonight I've caught you staring off into the distance." She was right; we both knew it.
"Finals really fried my brain. I was just zoning out." I said reassuringly
"Come get a drink and relax you're on vacation." She said taking my hand and pulling me toward the crowded drink table. She grabbed two cups of champagne and handed me one.
"I wasn't expecting to see you." I said suddenly, surprising us both.
"I could tell, especially when you had no clue who I was upstairs." She took a sip of her drink and I did the same, letting the bubbly drink sit on my tongue for a few seconds before swallowing it.
"You look different, older, healthier, happier. I look the same so you were at an advantage." I said earning a laugh from her. We headed to the empty couches and took a seat. Someone had started playing Christmas music and everyone got excited about that and crowed around the speakers.
"You've changed Lauren, you're taller, and more beautiful."
"Thanks…" I said awkwardly.
"I didn't mean that in a weird way, just returning the compliment." We both sat uncomfortably for a moment. I wished for Kenzi to appear and save me but she was on the other side of the room playing a drinking game with a crowd of people.
"I feel like I should apologize." Hannah said after another moment
"For what?" I asked. We had only been talking for two minutes, what one earth could she feel the need to apologize for? I didn't think I took her compliment that poorly, awkwardly yes, but not that she had to formally apologize to me. Right?
"Back in high school, I kinda led you on." I nearly choked on my champagne at that
"We don't need to talk about-" She put her hand up to stop me from going on
"I'd like to, unless you'd really rather not. But, I think it would be nice to clear some things up." At that moment a Ping-Pong ball landed right in my cup, surprising us both. We looked to our left to see a very tall guy in a ridiculous Christmas sweater heading towards us, the group behind him in a fit of laughter.
"Sorry about that, can I get you a new drink?" He said, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. I smiled at him and shook my head no
"I was pretty much done with it. Nice shot." He grinned as I handed the plastic ball to him. Kenzi waved to me and I waved back. I looked back at the girl next to me, prompting her to continue.
"My parents went through a nasty divorce when I was in high school. They were so focused on fight each other and hating each other that they didn't pay any attention to me. So when anyone else gave me attention I did everything I could to make sure they kept paying attention to me. You liked me, and I knew you did. You were a kid and I was too but I was older, I knew I was leading you on. I'm sorry Lauren." If you told me three hours ago that Hannah Larson and I would be having this conversation I would have said you were crazy. This was unexpected, and I told her that.
"I wasn't expecting you to say that." She shrugged her shoulders at me
"It was a long time ago but I still feel guilty about it. You clearly had a crush on me and led you on. I flirted with you, and I used you. I'm sorry." I felt my entire body heat up.
"Oh, uh, yeah… Well, you see I was- I had just, but I mean I didn't know but I was figuring out, and it's not. I guess it was but that's- cool." Hannah smirked at me, finding my rambling and inability to form a sentence, amusing? I was freaking out on the inside.
"Sometimes my brain stops working but my mouth doesn't get the memo so it just keeps going until I make a complete fool of myself." I said wishing I had let that guy get me a new drink when he offered.
"I've already forgotten it happened." She replied
"Awesome… So you knew?" I asked her
"Yeah, you weren't as subtle as you thought you were." She teased me
"Darn, I thought I was smoother than that." She smiled at me with her eyes and I grinned back
"No hard feelings about all of it?" Hannah asked
"Of course not." I said standing up and offering a hug.
"You're a pretty cool person Lauren Lewis." Hannah said, as we separated
"Yeah, I am." I said, excusing myself to the bathroom promising to say goodbye to her later on.
I stepped into the hallway and smiled at the surprising turn of events so far. It was nice to hear that your first crush wasn't all in your head. I hadn't thought about Hannah in years, but it was nice to see her and be able to think of that time in my life without any sadness or embarrassment. The sound of stilettos behind me put a smirk on my face.
"Come to interrogate me?" I asked, feeling Kenzi's arm wrap around my shoulders.
"Of course not… But what was that about?" I nudged her with my elbow and she grinned at me.
"We were reminiscing. Lets have some fun now?" I asked enthusiastically Kenzi agreed immediately.
"The point goes to the boys!" Half the room broke into cheers, the other half booing the ruling. Kenzi and I were playing the Ultimate Christmas Game against Nick and Christmas sweater guy, whose name is Chris. It had started off as a challenge between Kenz and Nick who were arguing over the correct lyrics to "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", which then turned into a contest of who could sing "Frosty the Snowman" the fastest. That then turned into a challenge to see who was better at Christmas. Being a great best friend I was happy to join the fun, shortly after Chris teamed up with Nick. Soon enough the entire room was invested in which team won, people picked sides and there were even judges to keep things fair. There was an old white board that was pulled out of retirement at the front of the room. One half of the board had the rules and the half was the score.
Our judges, Austin and Sammy made up the rules.
Each team must create a buzzer noise
You must buzz in before answering a question or your answer will not count
Answer correctly, get a point
Answer incorrectly, take a drink
No phones- cheating is so not merry OR jolly
What the judges say is law
Judges will come up with questions
Austin is cooler than Sammy
45 seconds to answer then it goes to the other team
First to 25 points wins
Winner gets bragging rights and decides what the losers punishment is
Treat everyday like Christmas
There's room for everyone on the nice list
The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear
"In 1946, "The Christmas Song" was recorded by Nat King Cole. Sing the opening verse." Sammy asked. Kenzi and I nodded at each other knowing we both knew the answer.
"Quack! Quack!" Kenzi yelled at the same time as Chris mooed like a cow. We all looked at the judges to see who buzzed in first
"Kenzi got it a second before you Chris, girls your time starts now!" Kenzi began talk-singing the lyrics
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols- uhh." She looked to me for help and I jumped in not wasting any time
"Being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos!" I said quickly.
"Correct! Point to the ladies." Austin said enthusiastically.
"What gifts did the three wise men bring to baby Jesus?" Austin asked
"MOO!" Nick and Chris shouted the second the question was over. Kenzi and I glared at them
"Gold, frankincense, and oh! Myrrh!" They got a nod from Sammy and she added a point to their score.
"Suck it Kenz!" Nick exclaimed earning a laugh from everyone in the room
"It's just a point calm down before you hurt yourself." She sassed back. We were all comfortably buzzed and the energy was flowing. Sammy cleared her throat and refocused the group.
"Name all of Santa's reindeer."
"Quack!"
"Moo!"
"Guys got it first." Austin said, avoiding my glare.
"Dasher, Donner, Blitzen, Dancer, Comet, Cupid- Wait. Is cupid a reindeer?" Nick turned to Chris frantically.
"I don't know dude! I always forget one of them, shit. Maybe, but also I don't know. Crap we're running out of time."
"Damn it, I forgot which ones I said already."
"Time is up… No points given, girls you time starts now." Austin said to a frustrated Chris and Nick
"Quack. Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dasher, Prancer, Vixen, Dancer, Donner are the original, and then later comes Rudolph." Kenzi answered for us scoring two points. One for the correct answer, the other a bonus because when she answered she got so excited she accidentally knocked a glass of champagne off the table and then CAUGHT it with one hand before any could spill. It was very impressive. Sure, she knocked it over in the first place but she did it so gracefully that we all clapped.
The questions continued, the boys were in the lead for a while but Kenzi and I caught up. At 24 points each we had a final question to decide the winner. Sammy and Austin were coming up with our final question. Meanwhile, Kenzi and Nick were bantering back and forth keeping everyone entertained.
"Yeah but why wish for snow and fog on Christmas eve?" Nick asked Kenzi
"Why wouldn't you want a white Christmas?" Kenzi asked like she was offended
"How would Santa be able to see anything and bring you presents?" Nick returned
"Please refer to the classic song, "Rudolph" my friend. I win." She said triumphantly. We all laughed and I gave Kenz a high-five for that tone.
"Everyone settle down! Players, you must write your answers down on the decorative paper snowmen we have provided for you. You will have 5 minutes to hand in your answers. Pay attention for one more minute and we'll give you your question." Austin spoke loudly as everyone in the room was getting excited. Sammy continued for him
"Make sure you're confident in your answers, speed is important but accuracy is more important. Nick and Chris could hand in their answer first but they could be wrong. In the case of that happening we will check Kenzi and Lauren's answer and if they get it right they are the winners. Got it? Good."
"Ready for your question? It's got two parts, answer both." Austin said handing the question over to his girlfriend to read
"Part 1, what did my true love give to me for the 12 days of Christmas? Part 2, how many gifts in total would you get in the 12 days of Christmas? You have five minutes, go!" The room exploded in a buzz. Kenzi and I huddled together brainstorming and talking it through.
"I already know the answer to the math part, because I'm a freaking genius!" Kenzi said to me excitedly. I rolled my eyes at her
"Write it down then. The 12 days, that's easy right?" I said, thinking out loud.
"What is after the stupid swans? WE only need two more. THINK!" Kenzi whisper-shouted at me. We had two minutes left and neither team had handed in their answers yet. We were stuck on two days, the 8th and the 11th.
"DON'T you dare raise your whisper like that! Lets sing it again." There were shouts of encouragement from the crowd of people that were paying attention. A lot of people had left to refill their drinks or go to the bathroom. I think a group of people went upstairs for a minute to make sure the adults hadn't noticed we had gone missing.
"I got it!" Kenzi yelled grabbing the pen and scribbling down the answers. I took the paper from her and nearly threw it at Austin who looked slightly frightened. Chris and I had gotten up at the same time and I was forced to jump over a chair to get my snowman to him first. I crashed into Austin and Chris crashed into me, it was pretty funny.
"Son of nutcracker." Austin said after we all separated grins on our faces.
"Lauren you were first so give Sammy a minute to return with the group that went upstairs and we'll look at the answers." I ran back to Kenzi and gave her a high-five.
"WE OWN CHRISTMAS." Kenzi exclaimed, earning a laugh from us all.
"Alright we don't own it, but we own this game!" She corrected. Five minutes later the room was silent waiting for the judges to return. The door opened and Austin and Sammy entered with neutral expressions painting their faces.
The quiet chatter had stopped and everyone paid close attention to the two. "Jingle bell rock" played softly in the background.
"Chris, Nick, Lauren and Kenzi are you ready to find out who has won the Ultimate Christmas Challenge?"
"DOes an ELF love sugar Austin!?" Chris yelled covering his mouth with both hands immediately after
"He does!" Kenzi chimed in
"Sorry, got a bit excited." We all laughed and after another moment Sammy nodded to Austin.
"It was a jolly good game. You all did great, but there is a winner. Drum roll please." Austin said, the drum roll sounding loud in the room.
"Please give it up for KENZI AND LAUREN!" Sammy announced. The room exploded with excitement. You would have thought Kenzi and I had won something important, like the lottery or The Amazing Race. Kenzi and I hugged and everyone cheered and laughed. We hugged our opponents who were sour but still happy to have played. We couldn't think of a punishment for the boys so we told them they would owe us one.
The rest of the night was just as fun. It felt like winter vacation finally and I was happy. I was relaxed. I missed my girl.
Kenzi made plans to see Nick in a few days, they flirted for most of the night and I was pretty happy about that. Nick was a nice guy, but he was also really funny and fun, and he loved to eat. Perfect match for Kenzi. Hannah told me to come visit her at the local coffee shop. She was working there until she started her new job. I told her I would stop in before I left for school. We made a few friends and promised to go to one of Nick's upcoming parties. I had no idea this is what went on at my dad's boring work parties, but I looked forward to the next one.
My parents hadn't even noticed we had disappeared for close to three hours. Probably because when all the kids returned to the main floor the adults were drunk. They were drunkenly singing Christmas carols. We all had a good laugh before retrieving our respective parents and heading home.
"Good morning girls, see you in the morning." My Dad said to us as soon as the car dropped us off at home. We laughed and followed him and Mom into the house.
Kenzi was already passed out in my bed by the time I brushed my teeth and changed into my sweats. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was 4 in the morning. I unlocked my phone and sent a quick text before I passed out from exhaustion.
L- I had a really fun/ interesting night.
-Kenz & I are now the winners of the first ever Ultimate Xmas challenge. Its kinda a big deal, you'd be proud.
-I miss you a lot, and want to talk to you for like 12 hours straight
-is that weird? probably not.. maybe a little
-I'm maybe a little drunk- not a lot but like a little
-I hope I'm not waking you up with these texts
-It doesn't help that I keep sending them does it?
-haha silly Lauren, go to sleep. I just wanted you to know you're girlfriend rules Christmas and misses you very much even though it hasn't even been a week and also..
-I don't remember what else I had to say
-Good night- morning?
-hehe all right, bye. 3
BO
I stretched my arms over my head and sat up. It was late, maybe noon. I got up and brushed my teeth. Sawyer had left a note to say she'd gone home but wanted to go to the movies tonight. I got dressed in jeans and V-neck. I threw on a sweatshirt and went to the kitchen to make something to eat. I picked up my phone and smiled as I saw I had 11 text messages from Lauren. I sat with a cup of coffee and read her texts while waiting for my toast to be done. I laughed at every one of them; she was funny when she was drunk texting.
After I ate I went on a walk even thought it was freezing outside. It was more peaceful here than it was at school; so I liked to enjoy myself when I was home. I replied to Lauren before putting my sunglasses on to leave the house.
B- you are hilariously cute.
-Ultimate Xmas what now? I miss you too, and it's maybe only a little weird that you want to talk to me for 12 hours straight. Call me when you wake up and catch me up on your night?
~ How was that? Okay I hope. It's been a while since I update so for some reason I'm a little nervous. This chapter might be crap, OR maybe not… I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I'm very tired but wanted to post asap.
You WILL NOT have to wait long for another update. I'm back and won't be waiting months to post again. There will be loads of BOLO next chapter, because I miss those two nerds interacting with each other. Until next time my friends.~