From the author to you fabulous reader,
As always, thank you for your support and well thought out comments, and critiques. I certainly appreciate the help!
At first I thought taking on Jamie's POV would have been hard and annoying because I'd have to take on the tone of a normal teenager, yet for some reason I had way to much fun typing this out.
I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it.
As always, I encourage critiques, questions, comments, concerns. I'm eager to hear how you think I can improve this story, and my writing.
-This story has been disclaimed, yo!-
The pinkish hews of the sunrise peeked over the landscape and threw a cascading display of lights on the tops of the walls of his room. On any other day, it would have merely been the same old sight of a sunrise in his room, but on that day, after the events of the night before, everything was as though it was being viewed through rose colored glasses. Jamie receded deeper into his womb of cozy blankets and pulled them close around his chest, knowing that he would have to stay covered and warm if he didn't want to get sick over the holiday break. After a night like that, after who he had been kissing. That would be miserable indeed to get sick after such a great thing. He sighed and touched his fingers to his lips, remembering the kisses he had received last night. The kisses he had given. If he concentrated, he could conjure the memory of Jack's lips.
He release a hot sigh and curled his legs up to himself, watching the displays of pink shift to red, then to orange as the morning went on. He was certainly kicking off the holidays with just the right attitude. In a few minutes he would get up and scuttle his way downstairs to get some food; in a few minutes. Just a few more. He was so comfortable, he didn't want to leave the confines of his blankets. He wanted to stay there all day, wrapped up in his happy visions of Jack and their perfect night.
He could have had a prefect morning too, had his sister not seen him so content. She peered in through the crack of his door and pushed it open, eyeballing him and his goofy grin. "What's got you so smily and dopy looking this morning?"
Jamie wiggled further in his blankets and mumbled something through the fabric. Not even he was sure what he was saying; he thought it sounded like: 'go away and leave me to my world of perfection.' Sophie ignored him and stepped into his room, barging in on his domain and looking around. "Have a good dream or something?" she said. She was a world class snoop, and a jabber jaw too. Like any girl, she was hardly able to keep a secret, so Jamie didn't want to let her in on anything that had happened to him in the previous hours.
She must have thought she was a detective or something, because she walked slowly around his room, examining his things. She kicked his wet clothes around the floor, then turned to look out his window. She tip toed closer and leaned on cill, peering out onto the roof and tree.
"You went sneaking out again last night, didn't you?"
Jamie mumbled and turned his back to her; he was wrapped in a prefect moment, couldn't she just let him be? "Sophie," he whine quite pathetically.
"You're a big 'ol sneak. Who did you go off to see? Girlfriend?" she paused and got a sneaky smile on her face that made Jamie's gut churn. "Boyfriend?"
Jamie was fairly sure his sister knew a lot more about him than she let on; her games of pretending were merely for show. He never could understand her even on the best of days. Jamie pulled his blankets over his head and let out an exaggerated sigh into his pillow.
"Oh Jamie; you don't need to be ashamed. You can tell dear 'ol Soph," she said as she pranced forward.
From beneath his blanketed sanctuary, Jamie peered out at her. "It was just Jack. He came last night to visit," he said and Sophie screamed.
"Shut up!"
"And you didn't come to tell me? He's my friend too," she said very sternly. Jamie could care less. Jack would come again and Sophie could see him then; though, he was unsure if he would be willing to share his attention now that he had gotten right where he wanted it to be. Sophie came stomping towards him and smacked him lightly/ "Why try to be all secretive about it; if it's just Jack. Woopide-" she paused, and a little fire light in her eye. She shut her mouth and her lips pressed into a neat little line as something clicked in her funny little brain.
"You put the moves on Jack, didn't you?" she asked.
Jamie's face seemed to catch fire as his cheeks burned with a blush. He sat up, throwing his blankets off of him.
"Don't even try to lie; you're laying in bed with that dorky face. You put the moves on him, didn't you?" she defended before he could even open his mouth.
Jamie felt like his stomach was being pumped full of air, like he would burst at any moment. His stomach rolled and flopped off into some corner of his body. "Go away!" He stuttered as he pointed at the door. Sophie waved him off. She was not intimidated by her older brother, she left, not because he had told her so, but most likely because she had grown bored of the lack of knowledge that Jamie was willing to share.
It was going to be a long winter break now that Sophie had gotten wind of some juicy information. Jamie scrambled a hand through his hair and continued to grumble. It wasn't that he didn't want his sister to know; okay, yeah: he didn't want his sister to know. He didn't want it to be let out that he had fallen for a guardian; essentially, he had fallen in love with a spirit, a myth, a ghost. A boy no less. He didn't know what he feared worst.
It wasn't that he was ashamed of himself; more that he was a bit confused as to how he was to tell everyone without first being laughed at, then second be tossed into the loony bin.
Rather than focusing on the anguish, though, Jamie decided to shuffle out of bed and go downstairs to get some of that breakfast he had been promising himself. Sophie, thank God, was not downstairs when Jamie had gotten there. His mom was in the kitchen. She was flipping through her recipe books, looking for the dishes she wanted to use for Christmas dinner no doubt.
"Morning; or I guess afternoon, now," she said as she looked at the microwave clock. It wasn't quite noon, only 11, but Jamie didn't care much to argue. He covered a yawn and grabbed for a box of breakfast pastries from the cabinet. If he was going to be any kind of functional on the first day of break, the he would need the proper amount of sugar. Maybe he would inject it straight into his veins and ride off on that high for the remaining part of the morning and use it to charge him while playing video games. He couldn't say for sure. He hadn't planned the prefect day yet.
He tore into the silver package like some wild savage and shoved the faked pastry into his mouth. Sophie had come into the room in that moment and glared at him. Jamie merely responded by shoving more of the breakfast treat into his mouth so he would have the excuse to not talk.
His mom tutted him and snatched the wrapper from his hand. "You're being gross; act like an adult please," she said as she tossed the empty wrapper into the bin. Jamie mumbled and a waterfall of crumbs fell from his mouth. Both Sophie and his mother looked at him with a confused look, mixed with horror and disgust. Jamie sighed as his mom cleared her throat, recovering from Jamie's chipmunk reenactment. "You kids are going with me and your father to the Christmas Stroll tonight, right?"
Living in a small town meant that there were communal gatherings every every so often. It was good for the community spirit, good for the local shops, venders, and merchants. Practically the whole town would shut down just so that everyone could gather and walk up and down Main Street and see into all the perfectly decorated shops. There would be food venders, and hot chocolate stands; all of this would be lined up downtown after the stars had come out.
Jamie shrugged his shoulders and swallowed the last bits of his soggy food. He didn't want to say why he wanted to stay home, just that he did want to stay home. What if Jack came back to visit him? He didn't want to miss him, but he also didn't want to make mention of it. He knew if he said no, his mom would ask why and then Sophie would find it her rightful obligation to open her mouth wide.
He could hear it and see it pan out in his mind: 'Jamie's got a date!'
'Oh who is she? That's so sweet; just invite her with you, Jamie.'
Jamie swallowed and sunk low in his chair. Sophie looked at him and practically dared him to say no.
"Of course I'm going with you, Mom." Sophie was shocked, but she nodded as though Jamie had made a wise mood in chess or something.
His mom clapped her hands. "Good; there's supposed to be a marching show tonight. Something new that the high school band is putting on."
Though he was listening, he just wasn't caring. He waved his hand and turned away from the counter. "I'm going to go use the TV," he said as his mom chatted on. He left Sophie high and dry to sit and listen to their mother talk. He snickered and plopped down in front of he screen, fully intent on being useless for the remainder of the morning.
The day crept by; lunch came and went and Jamie was yawning back in his room, dressed and presentable for the day. His father had come home and kicked him off of the TV, showing him away and muttering something about doing more productive things than just play 'his weirdo elf games.' Jamie leaned back in his desk chair; the sun now bid its goodbys to his sleepy town and sunk low in its cradle beyond the mountains.
His stomach noted as he stared out the window, hoping to catch sight of a certain white haired boy, floating around languidly about the sky. It would soon be time to leave, and he feared so much that Jack would come and go upon seeing his vacant room. Maybe he could fake being sick, but at what risk? His sister would see straight through that and open her flapping lips. Jamie groaned and slumped over his desk, defeated and upset. He pouted and stared at the dying light of gold and orange.
He was waiting for his impending doom. From downstairs, his mother called and Jamie pushed away from the desk, looking out to the darkening window one last time. He grabbed his things: wallet, jacket, gloves, hat, scarf and made his way downstairs to march downtown for the Christmas festivities and joyous times, or at least for everyone else's joyous times. At that point, Jamie was far too gone in his self pity and misery. He shoved his hands in his pockets and drug his feet as he followed his parents down the snowy stretch of main street.
Children danced around and his sister laughed along, nudging him to only sour his mood. "You've been moping all day. Still mad about this morning? Okay I retreat. You've slain me and defeated me. I wont make any more mention of your and Jack's little love secret," she said as she crossed her heart and stuck her tiny, pink-polished pinky in her eye.
Jamie groaned at the very mention of Jack's name. Around him the world filled with Christmas cheer. The shops glistened and twinkled with the sprawling lights that threaded about in their display windows. Shoe shops, toy shops, clothes stores, bakeries. Main Street had it all, but it wasn't enough for Jamie. Sophie snorted and pushed on him. "Did you want to see him again tonight or something?"
Jamie nodded and Sophie twisted her arms behind her back. "Must be rough. You can't even text him," she said, making him feel worse. His face twisted and he looked at her.
"You're not helping."
"I'm trying to get you to see how stupid you're being. Look around; you're lucky. Your boy toy is all around you. How do you think we got this snow?" she asked as she bent and scooped a pile of it into her mitten. She held it up for Jamie to see and blew on it so some of the crystallized flakes scattered towards him. Jamie laughed as went down the front of his coat and touched on his bare skin. Maybe she was right, his grumpy attitude wasn't helping and it was time to enjoy the night. The smell of sweet coca misted the air, and fluffed and stuffed Santas stood around and handed out candy canes.
Sophie dropped the pile of snow and received two candies from the nearest Santa. Wishing Jamie a merry Christmas, she handed one of the twisted, sweet sticks. Jamie smiled, and accepted her gift gladly and cheered up. His sister may have been rotten, but he did love her.
Their mother turned and snapped a picture from her camera phone. "Look at how adorable my children are being, Walt," she said as Sophie and Jamie clanked their candy canes together in a cheers.
She touched her hand to her bosom and fluttered her eyes in a dramatic display of love and affection.
Jamie turned and hid his hot cheeks from his mother; his sister wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
Off in the distance, the sound of pounding on hallowed plastic could be heard. It was obnoxious and demanded the attention of the strollers. The crowds of people parted, gathering their dogs and children into their arms to give room to the lines of marchers as they quick stepped down the icy street. It was a rhythmic chaos, organized by the leaders of the band, the drum majors, with their bells an whistles. Rather than having fancy metal harnesses with expensive drums attached, each student had a brightly colored gallon bucket strapped to some rope and tossed around their shoulders. They marched in straight lines and beat on their poor man's drums with gusto and excitement. Their beats echoed off of the buildings around and filled the air as the crowds cheered louder to match their noise.
They moved in unison, shimmied to the left, then to the right. It was always the band's job to show off. It was what they did best, and now that football season had ended for the school year, they could be the brightest. The drum majors sang a familiar tune and the plastic drums merely quieted to let their voices carry off into the crowd who all recognized the notes and slowly echoed the tune. It was surprising how the sound of hitting on plastic buckets could be so fun. The beat they set made the masses want to wiggle and shake. Sophie, obviously, could not contain her eagerness and jumped up and down excitedly and moved in small little circles. "You're being embarrassing again," Jamie said as he nudged her.
He was sure she couldn't hear him. He rolled his eyes, not really minding her display of happiness. Something caught his attention off in the distance, and in that moment, he captured a glimpse of white in the corner of his eye. There on the roof, just on the edge of the drummer's sound, sat Jack, leaning over and peering down at the curious scene. Or was he looking at Jamie?
Between the time it took him to register that Jack had been there, to the time to react with a smile, Jack had gone, vanished from the roof. Jamie spun around. Maybe it had just been him getting his hopes up?
Jame stared out towards the crowds of faces that stood across the street from him and he saw it again. A tuft of white hair moving through the people. It was Jack. Jamie smiled, but remained calm, not wanting to embarrass himself. Jack parted through the people easily, no one noticed him. A few children looked to him, but paid no extra attention to it. Who would pay any mind to a boy in a blue sweatshirt? He seemed like another boy. Jack crossed the street and wiggled between the people. Jamie smiled as he felt him press near in the crowd.
Sophie turned in her little circles and noticed the new figure standing with them and screamed again. Thankfully, the drummers had been right next to them so that her ear piercing scream was muted by something equally as loud. She grabbed onto Jack and hugged him.
She turned her attention away from the two boys, happy for the crowds of singing people. She joined in on Whoas and Ahhs of the song and continued to march to her own pace.
Jamie, too, barely able to contain his own excitement swayed to the beat of the plastic drum's. In that moment, with his friends and family, Jamie felt the most alive. If only to make this moment prefect; Jack reached down and grasped onto his gloved hand and laced his fingers with his own. Jamie held his hand gladly and stood beside his dear friend. He found his voice and sang along too.