She leaped to her feet, grinning wildly, the moment she saw the small gray car trundling its way towards her along the dusty, snow-sprinkled road. Her cozy spot on the farm porch was immediately abandoned, and only six seconds later she found herself yanking open the passenger side door.
"I'm so glad you finally- Wait… where's Lindsay?"
Trent winced and rubbed the back of his neck, casting an anxious glance over his shoulder, and Beth followed his gaze. Tyler sat slumped over, alone and miserable in the backseat. "She, uh… She couldn't make it."
A long sigh through the nostrils and up along the roof of the mouth. "That's okay. I understand. I guess since this the fourth time I've tried getting her to hang out with me, I really shouldn't be too surprised."
"Listen, Beth. If you wanna cancel the shopping trip because Lindsay can't be here, Tyler and I won't be offended in the least."
"No, that's okay."
"I mean, you were the one who offered to bring us with you, after all."
"I'm good."
"We're really-"
"Everything's fine over on the Beth side of things."
"Seriously, if you're going to be uncomfortable about-"
"Of course not!" Her smile was back in an instant, and Beth scrambled into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her. "You guys drove all the way out here to pick me up. You're great friends! This'll just be like a big double-date or something, except without the double part. Or the dating part. And with Christmas shopping."
"Yeah…"
"Boy," she remarked as Trent U-Turned his car, "you won't even believe how many calls I've been getting from everyone! Ever since Cody's parents agreed to let him throw that holiday party next week, everybody's been asking me nonstop what they should get for everyone else."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Well, I guess it has something to do with that trivia thing that was going on right at the end of last season? You know, how Duncan ran through all those challenges that I just got to skip? Yeah, since I know lots of random facts about everyone, I guess they all just assumed that I know what people want. Which - heh heh - I totally do. Oh, turn left at that stop sign, okay?"
Tyler finally raised his head. "Uh, but the map says-"
"It's a shortcut. Trust me - I'm the one who lives here, after all."
Trent shrugged. The dirt road was completely empty, but he came to an absolute stop and waited for a good six or so seconds before he spun the steering wheel and made the turn. Beth opened her mouth to compliment him on his driving skills, but cut off abruptly when the cell phone in her hand began to ring.
"Hello?"
"Beth? Hey! It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
She pulled the phone away and whispered, "It's Bridgette," to the others, then said, "A long while? Heh. Maybe for you, but to me the weeks just seemed to fly right by, you know?"
"And now we're already midway through winter. Where did summer go, right? Seems like yesterday school was right around the corner. Ha… Yeah… Listen Beth, I have a few questions for you. Do you mind?"
"No, of course not! I don't mind at all. Lay 'em on me, Bridge!"
"You know that holiday party that Cody's family is going to be throwing next week?"
Beth said yes, as she did indeed know. In fact, she had heard about it nearly nonstop for the past six days.
"Well, I was really hoping to bring presents for everyone so I didn't make anyone feel left out and… Well, I got something for Geoff already and something for Leshawna and something for Gwen and for Ezekiel and Owen and Harold and Justin and some of the others, but then I started to get a little stuck. Do you happen to know what I could get for Katie and Sadie?"
"Well, sure. Let's see…" Beth glanced out the window and pointed Trent down another street. "Ooh, I have an idea! They just love having sleep-overs together, and they'd probably really like it if you got them some new movies or fancy popcorn buckets or maybe even some sleeping bags."
"Huh. I don't think I ever would have thought of that. Thanks, Beth. I think that sounds like a great gift."
"Any time."
But not really any time.
"I don't suppose you have any idea on what I should get for Eva, do you?"
That one took a little more thinking, which was fun. Beth pulled her legs onto her chair and sat tapping on her knee for a moment or two. "Okay, so Izzy dragged Eva and Noah out to Zeke's farm this one time - not real sure why - but anyway, Zeke told me later that she really likes soft things. Clothes, I mean; especially stuff that's made out of sheep wool. She'd probably be all over a scarf or mittens. Not that she'd ever admit it, of course. Ooh, or maybe a headband or something, sorta like Tyler's." She glanced over her shoulder as she said that last part, but Tyler was occupied with staring at the window and did not react to hearing his name.
"I… .never would have guessed that either. Wow. Okay, I really hate to bother you-"
"Not a bother at all, Bridgette. That's what friends are for."
"-but is there any chance you know what books Noah hasn't read yet? I haven't a clue what to get for him either."
"Well, I don't know about books, but if you just hand him a bag of candy corn then he'll love you forever."
"Um. Well, all right then."
"Oh, sorry Bridge. Did that last part sound kinda creepy?"
"Maybe just a little bit, and I'm pretty sure the stuff is out of season this time of year anyway. Anyway Beth, thank you so much. You're a great friend. See you at Cody's party."
"See you there, Bridgette," she replied, and ended the call. "Okay Trent, there's one last turn in just another few miles, which will take us back onto the real road, and by then we're practically there in, like, twenty more minutes."
"I guess you weren't kidding when you said everyone's been calling you for gift ideas. What was that thing you were saying about the sheep wool?"
The shopping center was small, the thin parking lot crowded, and Trent drove in aimless circles before a spot finally opened. Beth leaped out of the car excitedly, but Tyler was a little hard to convince. He was clearly depressed about Lindsay's change in plans, and so Beth grabbed his hand in one of her own and took Trent's with the other.
"My mom used to take me here all the time. I know all the best places for finding cool stuff for everyone! I've always wanted to go on a girls' shopping trip. Although… I guess this isn't really the same thing, huh? Well, you guys will just have to do anyway. Come on!"
They allowed her to drag them inside. Trent began getting excited when Beth pointed out that every ninth step on the escalator had a yellow stripe on it, and even Tyler cheered up a bit when she insisted that they stop to browse the sports equipment in case they found something they wanted to get for Eva.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Beth looked at the screen, then twisted her left forearm to examine one of the many phone numbers scrawled across it. "It's Gwen," she reported, then said, "Hello?"
"Beth, it's me again. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out earlier, but honestly I got stumped again. What exactly do you get for someone who is unenthusiastic about everything? Well, everything other than books, but I never bothered to ask him what he likes to read or anything."
"Assuming that you're referring to Noah, I'd tell you to get him candy corn."
"Candy corn?"
"He loves candy corn. Almost as much as Courtney loves dairy-free toffee. Cody even joked once that it resets his brain."
Trent mumbled, "That wasn't entirely a joke, Beth," into his scarf.
"Okay then, candy corn it is. Thanks again, Beth."
"My humble pleasure." Smiling, Beth faced Trent and Tyler again. "Okay, I think one of you should get Eva some new tennis balls and the other can get her another soccer ball. I think Noah's dog chewed on her old one. Or Owen's dog. One of them, at least, and I'm planning to get her a nice hat."
Trent snatched up three tubes of three tennis balls each, holding them high and proclaiming, "Nine, yes!" while Tyler dropped the soccer ball on his own head. It bounced away, and when he lunged for it he tripped over his own feet and skidded into a shelf full of squirt guns- all of which then fell on top of him.
"Nice thinking, man," Trent said, helping him up. "Izzy'll love getting one of these blasters. And, she's not likely to kill anybody with them, which is always a bonus that we shouldn't have to consider but unfortunately do."
And speaking of Izzy, she was the next one to ring Beth up, a full six minutes later.
"Um… Hello?"
"Okay, okay, so I'm, like, somewhere out in Manitoba or something now, and I was sitting on Courtney's roof when she came out to yell at me, and then I started thinking about what I was gonna be bringing to Cody's cool party and all, and I was wondering if I could ask you something, okay, yeah? Yeah, okay, okay, so, like, do you think you could tell me where exactly I'd be able to find 'twelve lords a' leaping'? I mean, I have like looked and looked and I've already collected everything else from that legend, including 'eight maids a' milking'- Real funny story about that one, as a matter of fact-"
Not long after that it was Leshawna, wondering if Beth knew what she should get for "that string-bean bookworm boy" and where to find "anything that Izzy isn't likely a' pulverize anybody with". Then, in the bookstore, she received a call from Geoff.
"'Sup, dude?"
"Oh, just doing some holiday shopping, heh heh. I'm, uh, actually 'chilling' with Trent and Tyler right now, too. Say 'Hi' to Geoff, guys!"
"Sweet! Party on, dudes! Yeah! So Beth, can I ask ya somethin' kinda random?"
"Sure, Geoff. Anything you want."
"See, I've been doing a bit of this holiday shopping stuff too, and I came across this pretty silver locket necklacy thing I want to give to Bridgette. I was thinking of putting a picture of me on a surfboard on the inside. Think she'd like that?"
"Um." Beth tugged at the collar of her shirt and glanced over at Trent and Tyler, who stood hovering by the entrance of the store, rubbing their shoulders. "I know that the two of you are officially together and all, but giving her a picture of you in a locket might come off as a little too… cocky? I mean, if there's one thing I've learned from being a part of Total Drama, it's that cockiness can really, uh, put a knife in a relationship, you know?"
There was a pause before Geoff spoke again. "So what you're saying is that you think she won't like it."
"Just, maybe. I mean, dating Brady has taught me that relationships can be unpredictable too, so maybe you… Well, on second thought. . .No, I just. . .I think you might be better getting her a friendship bracelet with a surfboard charm on it or something, you know? Or something that she can wear a lot but won't have to worry about losing in the water. Something other than that locket."
"You sure?"
She nibbled her lip. "Well, uh, I'm pretty sure."
Another pause. "Really, really sure?"
"Um… Oh, what's that, Trent? Sorry, Geoff- I've, uh, really gotta go now. Tyler, uh, just fell down the escalator. I'll see you at the party next week! 'Bye!"
Thankfully, neither Trent nor Tyler questioned her when she clicked the flip-phone shut and scampered over to join them. As she bought the silly little trinkets and gag gifts she'd carefully picked out for Katie and Sadie, Trent said, "So, Beth. What's the ninth store we visit going to be?"
"Hmm. Well, we've been shopping for almost an hour and a half now. Winter or not, I say that we all go and get ice cream!"
"Heh, yeah!" Tyler cheered, punching the air. "The T-Man is all for that! Woo!"
So Beth led them both back down to the first floor and, after several minutes of clever arranging with the sizes, mixes, and toppings, their total cost came to nine dollars and eighty-nine cents; Trent then threw in an extra dime purely for the sake of reaching his "triplefied lucky number".
They sat together at a table surrounded by books and sports equipment and all sorts of other things too. Tyler accidentally stabbed himself in the eye with his spoon, but he was quick to recover. Honestly, she had some of the strangest friends, but that was why she loved them, and even if it stung between the eyes, she wouldn't trade them for anything. Not for a million dollars, not for all the world.
The incessant ringing came again. She ignored it the first time. Then, replacing her ice cream bowl on the table, Beth fished her phone from her pocket and stuck it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Beth! How ya doing? Hi! It's, uh, me again. You know, Owen? From the show?"
Yes, she knew Owen.
"So I was thinking about Cody's awesome party coming up next week, and I really want to get something special for my little buddy Noah-"
"Candy corn," she said, and hung up.
Trent exchanged a glance with Tyler. They wrestled with their eyes for several seconds. Then he bailed. "Dude, Beth, are you feeling okay?"
"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just… I don't know. Hey, if all those calls are starting to stress you out or something, I'd be happy to take over answering duty for you. That's what friends do, right?"
"No, I'm good," she insisted, and began inspecting her wrist. "Hey, do either of you happen to know Harold's number? I think I lost it sometime between my last mud-bath and this morning."
They didn't know, so Beth returned to her ice cream. She was just starting to perk up again, until she received the call from DJ. She… Well, she sort of lost it a bit after that, and once she had picked his number out from a spot near her right elbow, she had him on the phone in under six seconds.
"Hello."
"Noah, I want you to give me an updated list of absolutely everything that you want for Christmas. And no, I will not accept candy corn as an answer this time."
"And what would your reaction be if I told you that my family doesn't celebrate Christmas?"
She found her answer a moment later. "Apparently I'd fall onto the floor in shock. And then Trent and Tyler would stare at me." Pulling herself back into her seat, she stumbled over, "Wow, I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas before. You really don't? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for bringing it up and making things awkward and… and… Geez, friendship bracelet?"
"No, my family actually does celebrate it. Break the hearts of my nieces and nephews if we didn't." She heard him clink a mug down on the counter, and she found herself wondering if he'd traded his typical red sweater out for a slightly more festive one. "I was simply curious to know what your reaction would be if I told you otherwise. Why the inexplicably random call?"
Beth sat back on her seat, smiling sheepishly at Tyler and Trent. "Uh, no reason, really."
Noah snorted. "So if you called me up for no reason, then you won't mind if I-"
"Wait, wait! Before you hang up on me, can I ask you something? Um… I-is it okay if I just get you, say, a bag of candy corn for Christmas this year?"