-Chapter 7, Party Plans Turn to Work-
Finally, it was winter. Still cold, still wet. But something about the holidays makes it all okay. I was born on Christmas Eve and I hate it for two reasons. One, everyone is more focused on the holidays than my birthday. And two, my parents use my birthday as an excuse for buying my "Birthday" presents the day after. That's right kids, no extra presents. My room is too small anyway. I already knew what I was going to give Kyle as a gift. I had been working on our portrait for the whole month of November. It was all sketched out and ready to be painted. I smiled at my work. It was perfect. I let it rest in my closet for later. I had nothing to do since it was holiday break. While everyone else traveled to Hawaii or Spain, I stayed home and drank peppermint tea. Kyle had taught me how to make it. I looked out the window and saw a few kids from my class having a snowball fight in the street. They were screaming and laughing and running around. I decided to go out and enjoy the weather. I would also return Kyle's Necronomicon that had kept me awake for 3 nights straight.
I grabbed my snow dress and the parka that matched. In Alaska, I wore these things all the time. I had knee-high furry boots, mittens, and ear muffs. All colored light grey with white fur lining them all. My black hair and green eyes made me look pale. My lips and cheeks were pink from the cold. I grabbed the book and headed downstairs. My mother spotted me before I left the house.
"You look like an angel," she smiled,"A snow princess."
"Thanks," I smiled back. I thought it was sorta weird that my mother didn't hand me a five dollar bill like she always did before I left anywhere, but I didn't ask her for it. She locked the door behind me as I headed out. I slowly walked down the stairs, trying not to slip on the ice that had formed on them and quickly ran through the snowball fight. Yo, the girl in my class at school, spotted me.
"Rima!," she called. She ran over to me, admiring my outfit. "Your dress is soo pretty and fuzzy and puffy and cute!" I sighed. I really didn't like dressing like this, my mother forces me to.
"Isn't she? I find her to be quite, lovable myself," A familiar voice added. I turned around and saw Sigmund looking down at me. I held my breath. Yo clapped her hands.
"Your lucky Sigmund likes you Rima,"she whispered to me,"His magic is ten times better than Kyle's!" I pushed her out of the way, quickly turned around, and walked away as fast as I could from Sigmund. He followed behind me closely.
"Leave me alone!," I yelled. He laughed.
"I just want to talk with you," he replied. I started running. Secretly, Sigmund scared me. I really didn't like the way he looked at me. The boots I was wearing gave me a slight advantage, they were made for this weather so I ran with ease. There was only one problem, he had magic. He poofed himself in front of me. I hid behind the Necronomicon. Sigmund laughed again.
"Is that Kyle's book?,"he asked. He snatched it away from me.
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK! IT'S MINE TOO!GIVE IT BACK!," I shouted. I sounded like a three year old. He leaned in close to me.
"Sure,"he flirted,"I'll give it back to you darling, but only if you pay me with a kiss." My eyes grew. This guy was a total FREAK!
"NEVER!,"I growled. He reached for my hair but I slapped his hand away.
"Why are you so protective of yourself?,"he asked. I snapped a furious look at him.
"Because I don't like you! I have a boyfriend already!"
"Really? Is that so? Whom?," he asked.
"WHY ARE YOU ACTING SO STUPID? YOU ALREADY KNOW WHOM!"
"Wait! So he wasn't lying?," he asked. He busted out in laughter. "Kyle? The Constipator?"
"NO! The CONJURER!," I yelled. I punched him in the stomach as hard as I could. He clutched his stomach and dropped the book into the snow. I grabbed it and ran to Kyle's house. I didn't look back once. I rapidly knocked on Kyle's door and rang his door bell. He opened the door with an annoyed look on his face. I pushed him him in and closed the door behind me.
"What's going on,Rima?," he asked. I handed him the book and collapsed to the ground to catch my breath. I pulled off my scarf and mittens to let out some heat.
"Your stupid old classmate, Sigmund! He has a thing for me Kyle!" He ran over to his window and moved the curtains. He looked to the left, to the right, and then to the left again. Then he closed the curtains and pulled me off the floor.
"He tries to ruin EVERYTHING for me!" He felt my hands. "Your very cold, Rima. Come hither, let's make some tea to fix that." It's kinda funny how one minute, he was super angry with Sigmund and the world and the next minute, he's happy again cuz we're gonna make tea. Kyle, such a complex guy. We headed to the kitchen to make some tea. I put the stove to the perfect temperature and grabbed everything we would need. Kyle smiled at me.
"You don't seem to need my help,"he giggled. I smiled back at him.
"Yeah, I know. I've been making this alot,"I replied,"My parents really like it too. And it reminds me of you." Kyle blushed and hid his face behind the Necronomicon. The book laughed.
"KYLE! DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THE FIGHT YOUR GIRLFRIEND JUST GO INTO?," the book remembered. We grabbed a glass and sat in the living room to listen to the story.
"She ran faster than I've ever seen anyone run. But then, Sigmund grabbed a hold of me and they were shouting at each other. Then she did the unthinkable, she PUNCHED Sigmund and I fell in the snow. She grabbed me and know here we are!" The Necronomicon went on and on about how brave I was and why Kyle couldn't be as brave as me. Kyle actually seemed interested to listen.
"You punched Sigmund?," he asked me. He had a huge smile on his face. Although Kyle always smiles around me, I've never seen him look this happy.
"Yeah, I sorta did," I replied.
"Where?"
"Huh?"
"Where did you punch him?" The Necronomicon interrupted.
"RIGHT IN THE GUT!" Kyle bursted out in laughter. He pulled me in a hug, almost making me spill my tea.
"Your my hero," he whispered. I rolled my eyes.
"Thanks...I guess." My eyes suddenly fell on the corner of the room. Kyle had a small Christmas tree that had one red tree ornament and a gold star on top. It looked sad and empty. I set my tea down and walked over to it. Kyle followed behind me.
"Oh...my tree,"he laughed,"It's nothing special."
"I can see that!," I replied,"That's a sad excuse for a tree."
"I was thinking...," Kyle stammered. He played with his fingers.
"What is it?," I smiled. Kyle's eyes sparkled with an idea when he looked up at me.
"I was thinking, and well I thought it would be a good idea to have a party. A holiday party of some sort. But know that I hear my idea aloud, I find it to sound stupid and rather childish."
"That's a FANTASTIC idea!"
"Really?"
"Really!" Kyle frowned.
"But your birthday, isn't it coming up? I know how you just hate holiday fuss."
"Don't let me be a bother,"I replied,"This will be more fun anyways."
"Let's make a list then!," he cheered. We ran to his study and sat at the desk . We wrote down all the things we would need for the party and who was gonna be invited.
"Oh! Don't forget desserts!," I said,"And cocoa would be nice too, the ones with those little marshmallows!"
"Who's coming?"
"The whole class!"
We spent about 15 minutes planning the party. And we both agreed that Fanboy and Chum Chum were NOT on the guest list, which made Kyle very happy. I grabbed my parka and a copy of the list and headed home to get some money. I was going to buy the invitations and give them out. The party was going to be the 23rd, a Friday for us. It was perfect! I got inside and immediately called for my mother.
"MOM! Can you come here for a second?" My mother skipped out of the kitchen mixing a bowl of frosting. She was baking ginger bread cookies. Her hair was lightly coated with flour.
"What is it honey?," she asked as she continued mixing.
"Could you lead me some money?," I asked. I smiled my cutest smile, which usually works.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry but I need a few bucks for Christmas shopping." I frowned at her.
"But mom, Kyle and I are planning a party and I need money to buy invitations." My mother's eyes lit up.
"Today, your father and I drove past that store yo and your friends love to go to!"
"The Frosty Mart?," I asked. She nodded.
"There was a help wanted sign in the window. Maybe you can go make some extra bucks there!" I sighed but didn't let my mother see the disappointment on my face.
"Good idea," I replied,"I'll go now!" I grabbed my cellphone from my room and dialed Kyle's number as I headed out again. I had never called him before and for some reason, I felt sorta nervous.
"Hello?," he answered in a grumpy voice. I giggled. His tone suddenly changed,"You got the invitations?" I sighed. I knew he wasn't gonna like what I was about to tell him.