Hi, everybody! So sorry for the late update! You're lucky this chapter is even here at all, because my computer crashed a few days ago and I lost everything! =O But thanks to my wonderful dad he got everything out and hence this story can make its grand finale!
Anyway, enjoy the story!
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Olette's POV
It's shortly before Christmas. And I can't wait! Our family is going to our cousins on Boxing Day and come back December 30th. It's gonna be so hot! Pence and his family went away to their holiday house with their whole family, lucky things. So it was just me and Hayner for the first week of Summer Vacation.
It was the 24th, Christmas Eve morning, and Hayner and I were at the usual spot, boiling our brains. I was wearing my necklace, too. In fact, I'd worn it everyday since I'd got it. I knew Josh didn't like it though, just because Hayner gave it to me.
"Hayner, didn't you say last summer we were going to get jobs the minute vacation started?" I ask.
Hayner smirks. "What, me? I didn't say that!"
I laugh. "There's gotta be a way to cool down."
"We could go to the beach."
I wince. I'm not up for drowning again. I haven't been since that day.
"Oh, C'mon, Olette!" He says, jumping down from his spot. "I won't let you drown this time; I promise."
"Hmm…" I ponder. I knew Hayner would protect me. And it would be fun…
"Have we got enough for watermelon?"
"Well, we have enough for pretzels." Hayner shrugs. I giggle a bit.
"Okay, as long as we have enough for ice cream afterwards!" I jump up.
So first we head to Hayner's house, where it's just Hayner's dad at home. Hayner's mum and Ellie had gone shopping.
"Dad!" Hayner calls out as I shut the door behind me.
His dad walks around the corner, and a big smile spreads across his face. "Olette!" He says, and walks over to me. To my surprise, he gives me a hug.
"Haven't seen you in months! How have you been?"
"Dad…" Hayner whispers. He lets go, still smiling.
"Hey, hey, so this is the lucky charm Hayner got you…" He says, getting quieter as he spoke, looking at my necklace. "Aw, he picked out a good one, didn't he? And it suits you!"
"Dad!" Hayner says at last. I giggle. "Thank you, Mr. Leslie!"
"Oh, you can call Ian!" He winks. Ian? What, am I married to Hayner now? Not that I'd mind, really…
"Dad." Hayner says firmly.
"Yes son?"
"Can we go to the beach, please?"
"Sure, go ahead, kids! Have lots of fun! Oh, but don't get into too much trouble!"
I laugh, but Hayner crosses his arms. "I'll just get my stuff, Olette."
"So Olette, looking forward to Christmas?" his dad asks.
"Yeah! It's going to be great fun!" I reply, grinning. He chuckles.
"You really will do well for Hayner." He says.
"Huh?"
"Oh, I heard you helped Ellie get over her monster phobia."
"Oh, yeah!"
"Thank you so much."
"Oh, it's no problem!"
He chuckles again. "Hayner was especially astounded. You know what he said?"
"No, what?"
He leans in closer, and whispers, "Just between you, me and the gatepost, Hayner thinks you'd make a great mother someday."
I let my mouth gape open. Hayner? Called me a good mother? HAYNER?
He chuckles again. All these thoughts are spreading through my head. Why would Hayner say that? That's the complete opposite of anything Hayner would even think! … He thinks I'll be a good mother one day…
He pats me on the head just as Hayner comes down with a small bag full of beach stuff.
"Dad, what are you doing?" He asks.
"Oh, just chatting with Olette! Have fun now!" He says, and leaves without another word, into the kitchen, whistling.
I didn't notice that I was blushing.
"You okay?" Hayner asks. I shut my mouth and smile half-heartedly.
"Uh, yeah. Let's go." I say.
So then we walk all the way to my house.
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Hayner's POV
Dads are so annoying… even when you miss them, when they come home, they are so annoying… I wonder what he said? Olette's hardly spoken the whole way to her house.
We're just outside her front door now, and she opens it up. I can see her mum at the dining table, setting it out for Christmas with a table clothe.
"Hello, sweety! Oh, hello Hayner! Off to the beach today?" She asks, noticing I'm dressed in beach stuff.
"Yeah! Can I go, please?" Olette asks.
"Sure, oh and Hayner, ask your mother if you want to come for dinner tonight. A special family Christmas Eve dinner!" She cheers.
Dinner at Olette's? Wow, I guess it's a good thing our parents are best friends.
"Oh, yeah, I'll let her know." I smile. I can't wait. Although, Josh might come to be a problem.
"Wait there, Hayner, and I'll get ready." Olette says, and runs up the stairs.
As I sat and waited for Olette to grab her stuff, I noticed on the table that Patricia had filled her coasters mum gave her with photos. So I looked at them.
The first one was a picture of Olette and Josh, about 2 years ago. The next one was a family portrait of the whole family. Then I saw the next one. Oh my god…
It was a picture of Olette… and me… like, this year! Pointless to say, my cheeks burst into utter blushness. Where did she get this picture from? Pence and his bloody camera.
"Don't you and Olette look so sweet in that photo, Hayner?" Patricia asks. I look up and smile.
"Aw, thanks." I say, scratching the back of my head. Patricia was really nice. If only Josh was that nice to me.
I look at the next one as Patricia sits down. It's Olette, Pence and I on our first day of high school. We look so funny!
"I think it's just darling that you 3 are such good friends." She continues.
I smile, and look at more photos. There's one of Olette and Josh when they're little, and another of Olette and her mum.
"Hayner," She starts up again, "I'd like to thank you for the gorgeous gift you bought Olette."
I blush slightly. "Aw, it was nothing…"
"No really, it's beautiful, and she loves it. She's always holding it in her hand as if it'll fall off if she doesn't."
I blush a lot more. I scratch the back of my head and smile, and she smiles back. "I'm glad she likes it so much…"
She was about to speak again when Olette came racing down the stairs.
"Ready? Let's go!" She says, holding her orange beach bag over her shoulder.
"Bye, Mrs. Hanson." I smile.
"Bye, mum!" Olette shouts.
"Have fun, you two!" She grins.
And now we're off to the beach.
So… Do I tell her, or not?
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Olette's POV
Similar to last time, except not nearly as busy, we're at the beach. Everyone must be with their families for Christmas Eve, but there's still a fair amount of people there.
Before we hit the water Hayner starts acting strangely, though.
"Hayner, you coming?" I ask, about to take my t-shirt off so I can swim.
But he's looking over across the beach, down where it ends and the bushes start growing. It's a dead end.
He turns around, with a big grin on his face.
"Olette, follow me." He says, and starts running towards the bushes.
"Huh?" I say, but he's running away, so I run after him.
"Where are we going?" I yell, huffing and puffing to catch up with him. He slows down so that we're running together.
"To a special place!" Hayner smiles, almost laughing.
I slow down, my mouth gaping. He stops too, and turns around.
"Olette?"
"… Our special place?" I ask quietly.
Hayner smiles. "Yeah, our special place. The place that I showed you when we were 5. We can get rid of the vines, and go back there!"
I smile. I remember now. We used to always go there when we went to the beach. Our little cove, our hideout.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" I yell, and start bolting for the thicket of mass greenery.
"Hey, wait up!" He laughs, chasing after me.
Soon we reach the wall of vines, and stare at it.
"What now?" I huff.
Hayner puts his hands in the middle of the vines and tears them apart. It looks hard, and he's grunting, but he gets them apart wide enough for us to fit through.
I smile widely and jump into it straight away. I blink a few times, taking in the view.
Nothings changed at all.
The little sheltered cove… our little place was still here. The cool sand that we escaped the hot sun from. The palm roof that sheltered us so our ice creams wouldn't melt. And that rock we used to sit on, it's still there! And the tiny bit of water, kind of like a little pool, is still here. It's slightly smaller, or maybe we just grew?
I hear Hayner jumping in behind me.
"Hayner, it's all still here!" I squeal, running around the place, and sitting on the rock. It used to fit the both of us on it, but now I can barely fit on it!
"This is great!" Hayner exclaims. He walks around for a bit. "Do you remember that game we used to play in here, every time?"
I ponder for a moment. A game… a game…? Uh…
"W-What game?" I ask.
He crosses him arms. "Do you remember a little thing called 'The dizzy game'?"
The Dizzy game? … of course! The dizzy game! We made it up, right here! And we played it every time we came here.
I smile. "The Dizzy game. Yeah, I remember it. We always played it here. Well, we can't break the record then, can we?"
I get up and look up at the roof of palms, and start whirling myself around and around. Out of the corner of my eye, I can Hayner starting to whirl around too. The green roof turns into a whir of flashes and I start feeling really dizzy. I'm about to fall!
I start laughing, and so does Hayner, and just as I lose my balance I fall right into Hayner, and we both thud hard against the soft sand. Laughing, I roll off and we're both on our backs, trying to stop the world from spinning.
I try to hold onto the earth, but the grains run through my fingers like an hourglass, and I breathe heavily as the roof starts to slow down. Now I remember why this was so fun!
Then I feel something else. I thought it was a bug, but Hayner's fingertips brushed against mine, and then un-expectantly grabbed onto mine. He clutched my hand tight as if doing so would stop the dizziness. Then before long he hops up, dragging me up with him. I'm still dizzy, and I fall against him, still giggling.
Then I realise he's holding me, tightly, so I don't fall. I feel myself blushing and steady myself. My hearts thumping faster than ever as I stare into his auburn glimmering eyes.
The world keeps on spinning, with or without the dizzy game.
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Hayner's POV
After playing the dizzy game, we went for a swim in the water and got some pretzels afterwards. Then after a while we decided we'd had enough fun and went home. What a day. But I kinda blew it.
Man, why didn't you just tell her!? It was the perfect time when you were hugging after the dizzy game! Why didn't you just kiss her?
Well anyway, right now I'm at home getting ready for the Christmas party at Olette's house. Ellie is really excited, and I am too. But Josh will be there. And he'll be throwing daggers at me the whole night.
"Mummy, daddy, hurry up!" Ellie calls out, waiting with me at the front door.
"We're coming!" Dad calls out.
As fun as it'll be, I'm kind of nervous. See, this'll be the last time I get to see Olette before she goes away with her cousins. I have to tell her. Tonight. Or I'll have to wait til next year!
"Okay, let's go!" Mum said, who came out in a cheesy Christmas top she bought last week. We all piled into the car and drove for Olette's house.
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I shut the car door and catch up with the rest of my family as mum knocks on the door. The front of Olette's house is lit with lights on the roof, and candy cane glow lights in the front garden. It opens up and the sound of Christmas music can be heard from inside. Patricia stands there, in a top matching my mums, and she welcomes us inside.
When we enter the table is loaded with Christmas ribbon, ornaments and decorations. In the living all their Christmas cards are hanging on a piece of tinsel over their fireplace, and the Christmas tree is laden with tinsel and baubles.
"Tea will be ready soon, so make yourselves comfortable! Oh, and Hayner, Olette's just in her room if you want to go and get her. She's taking a while to come down." Patricia added.
"Okay, thanks Mrs. Hanson." I say, and start heading up the stairs. And no sign of Josh!
I knock on Olette's door. "Come in!" I hear. When I open it up I can see Olette looking through some little boxes.
"Hey, Olette. What are you looking for?" I ask. I notice she's untangling some jewellery.
"I can't find my necklace anywhere. The one you gave me." She said, almost in a mumble.
"Really? Where'd you leave it?"
"I hardly ever take it off. I took it off after we got home from the beach to have a shower, and now I can't find it! Oh, where did I put it?"
"It doesn't matter, Olette. Come and enjoy the party!" I insisted.
"But Hayner, I always wear it. I need to find it!" She said worriedly, scampering her hands through every nook and cranny in her room.
I grabbed her hand. "Come on, Olette. It won't be Christmas Eve without you."
She turns crimson, and sighs in acceptance. "Okay…" She says, but turns around for one last look before we walk down the stairs.
As we walk down I can smell the scent of turkey floating through the air.
"Dinner's ready!" Patricia calls out.
We sat down for dinner. I sit next to Ellie, and across the table from us are Josh and Olette. Which is annoying because he's giving me that look. Mum and Dad are on the other side, and Patricia across from them. Olette's dad works long shifts. That's why I hardly ever see him, and why he isn't here yet. He works early in the morning til late at night. He's due home soon, though.
The dinner was absolutely delicious. Patricia was a really good cook. Needless to say, I was completely bloated afterwards.
Yet through all the laughing, eating and happiness, Josh was glaring at me the whole time. I wish I knew what his problem was.
Afterwards, Ellie joined the adults in the living room to watch some T.V., and I went up to Olette's room with her to help her finds her necklace.
"Where could it be?" She kept on saying, looking in all the same places as before.
"Olette, it really doesn't matter…"
"But it does! You gave it to me…" She trailed off, looking away, opening the drawers on her little jewellery box.
"Olette, I don't mind… I mean, it's just a necklace."
She shuts her eyes. "It's not just a necklace…"
I came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "What's more important, having fun with your family friends, or a necklace?" I say softly.
She sighs, and turns to me, smiling. "Alright, but the minute I stop having fun, I'm looking again."
"Don't worry, you won't." I smile.
As we walk out, I see Josh walking into his room and shutting the door. I wouldn't be surprised if he took it.
We walk down the stairs and sat in the living room with the adults. A few times I saw Olette reach up to her chest where her necklace usually was. It meant that much to her?
Okay, now how am I gonna tell her? Tonight was gonna be the night… but how do I say it? Just turn to her and say "Hey Olette, I love you!" In front of everyone? No.
Josh comes down the stairs with a sly grin on his face. He comes towards Olette and I, who are sitting in the 2 seater, and squeezes in between us. "Don't mind me." He says.
"Josh!" Olette whines, trying to push him off.
Just then everyone hears shuffling outside the door. Josh and Olette turn to each other quickly and say "Dad!"
It was almost like was Ellie and I do. They raced to the door and when their dad walked in, Olette gave him a hug and Josh patted him on the back. "You're finally here!" He said.
Their dad just laughed as he came in. "Am I too late?" He says, walking into the living room.
Just as Josh comes in, I see something glittering from his pocket. It falls out, and nobody notices. It's near the entrance of the house.
I get up, say hi to Olette's dad, and walk past him to get to it. It's shimmering from the Christmas lights.
I kneel down and pick it up. This is Olette's necklace! So Josh took it? I really wish he'd get over the fact that I'm his sisters' best friend. Or more… gah, what am I saying? That's never gonna happen unless I do something about it.
I shove it in my pocket before anyone sees and sit back down with the others. After some more laughter and the carols by candlelight nearly finishes, it's just about time to go home. Times running out.
Before we leave we decide to watch the Twilight Town Christmas Eve Fireworks Display. You can see it from everywhere in Twilight town.
"Come on, Hayner! It's better from outside!" Ellie says, trying to drag me along.
"Nah, I'll just stay in here, with Olette. You go get the best view!" I cheer.
"Oh, okay!" Ellie finally says, and runs out the door with the rest of the family.
It's just Olette and I inside. I have the perfect way of telling her.
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Haha, sorry for the cliffhanger, the next (and final) chapter will come really soon, I promise. It will also be in Normal POV. How can I do the finale from just one perspective!
For the 2nd last time, press the magic 'review' button and tell me what you think!