Lost In Purple
Chapter 32: Christmas Eve (Part 2)
Melanie's POV
With a swift twist of the doorknob, the door swings open, banging against the door stopper and making a loud thud. "We're baaaack," I sing aloud.
After setting down a couple bags of food onto the kitchen counter, I notice the Christmas decorations that now beautifully present themselves along the walls and furniture. Many of the tables, countertops, and doorways are adorned with garlands that have rainbow lights on them. Wreaths are placed perfectly on several of the doors, and notice that there are leaves of mistletoe hanging from a couple of them. There are even a couple little decorative signs placed on the walls or on top of surfaces that are Christmas themed. My Mom must have found a bunch of these in the attic or something because I don't remember seeing these in my childhood.
Johnny and Javier walk in and notice all the new homely scenery, looking shocked at how fast it changed. "Are we going insane or was this not how the house looked earlier this morning?" Johnny asks.
"No you're not crazy, I think my Mom had Chip and Bruiser help decorate so that might be why all of this happened so fast," I answer while taking some of the grocery bags out of their hands.
"Well, at least Bruiser didn't end up 'accidentally' destroying the place. Now we know that we can keep him at the ROR house all alone," Javier adds.
What? That sounded suspicious, almost as if they came along to test him. "Are you implying that you were seeing if he would destroy the house when left alone?" I pry.
"N-no. Lo siento dama de la luna, I didn't mean to make you think that," Javier stutters.
"...You know, I think I'm instead more interested in knowing why you call me that and what it means," I reply while crossing my arms.
Javier's posture becomes stiff, and his face is laced in embarrassment. "I-It doesn't matter. Do you by chance know where Chip and Bruiser have gone off to?" He asks while walking into the dining room. As he continues searching by looking out the windows, he finds them and exits the house through the back door, leaving me to again wonder what he was saying.
"Lady of the Moon," Johnny says the moment he leaves.
Oh. That's actually kind of cute. I wonder how he decided to call me that though considering the fact that he's called me that since the moment I met him. He knew nothing about me, or how I acted, so that was incredibly lucky that that name ended up sticking.
"As for why, who knows," Johnny says with a smirk, "But it is fitting."
"W-Huh?" I stammer, uncrossing my arms.
"Don't 'Huh' me, you're as beautiful as the moon," Johnny says keeping that smirk on his face and walking to the back of the house and exiting.
Even though we've been dating for a couple months at this point, it still catches me off guard when he says something like that. I can't help but feel that tingly, 'butterflies in the stomach' kind of feeling. I shake my head and follow them outside to see that my mother has Chip and Bruiser on ladders, putting more garlands up along the edges of the roof. I stand next to Johnny, causing him to put his arm around my waist as he watches.
"Oh, Mel! Does it look alright? Should we move it up or down or… somewhere else?" Mom asks excitedly.
The decorations look like how they always do, so I don't really think there's a reason to move them. "Yeah they look good," I smile.
"Oh yay! They worked so hard, I wish I could have them around all the time!" Mom squeals while shaking me around for a few seconds.
"Mom, you can't just use them for every little thing you need help with," I chuckle.
She runs over to Johnny and gives him a surprisingly tight hug. He holds his breath as she says, "Aww but they're so strong and fearless." She then hops over to Chip and kisses him on the cheek, "Diligent and reliable." Then over to Bruiser to grab his cheeks and squishing them while saying, "And adorable too! You're so lucky you get to stay with them next semester!"
"Wait, how'd you know that? I haven't told you that yet," I question in surprise.
She starts becoming overly excited to the point where I could no longer understand her. "They told me this morning while you were still sleeping, I can't wait to tell your father, he's going to be sooooo proud of you, andnottomentionthatyou'regoingintoadvancedclassesthissemesterwhichmakesmesohappythatIcou-"
"Woah woah, Mom, calm down. You're speaking in tongues, I have no idea what your even saying anymore," I interrupt while watching all the boys laugh collectively.
"But Mel I'm sooooo proud of you all! Can't a mother be happy every once in a while?" She whines.
"Yes, but not while we're outside, in the cold, with people over. We also have dinner that we need to cook, so just, calm down," I conclude while starting to laugh with everyone.
"Oh! Yes! You got the ham right?!" She exclaims while putting the side of her head against mine.
I nod aggressively with wide eyes and look at Johnny in slight fear. He gives me a genuine smile, showing off his large canines a little more than he normally does.
"Good girl, come on, I refuse to let everyone go hungry tonight," She professes with narrowed eyes.
With quick reflexes, she vanishes into house, leaving even Johnny flabbergasted. Bruiser looks around as if she's supposed to be around, but quickly gives up, looking at me as if he wants me to explain what just happened.
"I love her… SO much," Johnny chuckles while pointing to the house with his thumb.
"Sí, she's one of a kind," Javier adds.
I see Chip rub his cheek while looking at the ground. "I'll say," he mumbles.
"Yeah, sorry," I wince, "She has days where she can be a little much. It kind of makes me wonder if she has a stash of sugar hidden within the house because she's become more hyper over the years."
Chip and Johnny both shrug only to say, "Meh, could be worse," at the same time. I agree because I could have Johnny's mother who's never around, or Chips mother… who is no longer with us. I guess I should start appreciating her personality a bit more than I should.
"Come on, let's join her in the kitchen," Johnny says opening the back door, waiting for me to go first.
I nod my head in agreement, smiling at him as I enter the house and feel the warm aura of the house. I should really refrain from going outside, it's become unnecessarily cold this winter, and I feel like I've been close to getting hypothermia several times over these past few weeks.
"You're helping me cook all this, right boys?" Mom says with a raised eyebrow and hands on her hips.
"We would gladly cook with you Ms. Everett," Johnny responds while also putting his hands on his hips, and giving her a big grin, "Who wouldn't want to considering your a literal culinary genius?"
Mom laughs as she begins unpacking the turkey. "Good, cause I haven't cooked a Turkey in a looooong time," She admits.
"You haven't cooked a Turkey Señora?" Javier asks.
Mom shakes her head as she takes out all the materials needed for its creation. "Nope, it's only been ham's since Melanie was born," She replies, "Now what else did you buy? Pie?! Vegetables?! What are you two planning?" She says pointing to the two seniors.
They both put their hands to the back of their heads with guilty smiles painted across their faces. Can't say I didn't warn them that it would be considered too much. "Oh, you know, just a dinner that could instead be called a feast," Johnny replies.
Mom starts clapping in enthusiasm as she starts taking everything out of its packaging. "Yaaay, I haven't made a meal at this scale since I was a teenager! What do you boys want to make?" She interrogates.
"Since it's been a while since you've done something like this, we'll take care of the hard stuff. We'd like to make Bacon-Wrapped Oven Roasted Turkey, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow, Apple and Strawberry Pies, and Crudités. We also bought that Apple Cider for holidays sake," Johnny states.
Mom gasps in amazement. "So fun!"
"We normally do something like this back on campus, but with… a lot less calories. We can afford to splurge out this time though," Javier admits.
"Ok good, cause around here, cutting back on calories doesn't exist," She laughs in a somewhat sadistic manner, "So how exactly are we making the Turkey Bacon wrapped?"
Johnny explains how he plans to make the Turkey to her in great detail. There's apparently this technique he learned when he was little where he cross-hatches the bacon to make it look like it's wrapped in a quilt. Totally doesn't sound complicated or anything, but my Mom seems to understand it to its entirety. The next few hours consists of Mom, Johnny, Javier, and I messily preparing all the food. Mom takes control of her Honey Glazed Ham, while Johnny focuses on the Bacon-Wrapped Turkey, and Javier focuses on the Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow. I take control of the Apple and Strawberry Pies. I actually end up throwing in some Cinnamon with the Apple Pie, and mix in some raspberries with the Strawberry one to make things a little bit more tasty… although all of that might have happened because I'm obsessed with fruit. Hopefully it won't be too much for everybody else.
Mom observes both Johnny and Javier intensely, actually teaching them a couple of things here and there. I finish my pies first, setting them both on top of the oven since we're going to have to bake all of them at once. Javier finishes the Casserole, and puts some plastic wrap over it to keep it from going bad. He joins Johnny in creating the culinary masterpiece once he sets that on top of the oven. My mother finishes her job, and places it on top the oven, moving over to help the boys, and eventually finishing it. I'll admit, that Turkey looks like something only a corrupt politician could eat.
"Ok, we'll throw everything in there all at once, but we'll cook the pies first at the lower temperature, then the casserole, and then the Turkey. Everything should be done at around… mmm… five/five-thirty," Mom explains while looking at the clock, and putting everything in the oven with Johnny's help.
"Muy Bien Señora Everett, I'm sure everything will be delicious," Javier beams.
Mom wraps her arms around Javier, making him look like a stick. "Oh I'm sure it will too, you boys did such a good job!"
Javier and Johnny both blush. They're obviously not used to being praised for their actions which is most likely because they both grew up in broken homes. It's not like I blame them or anything. "You all can go relax, I'll keep an eye on everything. Although I will need your help again Mr. Worthington for when the Turkey is done," She assures.
Both Johnny and Javier bow their heads to her, making her blush back and feel like royalty, just like they told me back at the grocery store. Johnny grabs my hand and pulls me along with them back to the living room where Chip is on his phone, and Bruiser is snoring as he drapes himself on the couch like a cartoon character.
"Oh wow, you four finally finished?" Chip asks keeping his eyes on his phone.
"Yep. Evelyn says everything should be ready around five thirty, so that will beeeeee…" Johnny responds, holding that last syllable until he checks his phone, "Five hours."
Bruiser snores loudly, causing me to jump. "Geez, scared the shit out of me," I laugh.
"Yeah, you should hear him at night. I can hear the snores through the walls some nights," Chip mentions, "Anyways, is there anything else your mother needs help with? I'm willing to help since it seems like their is a lot to do."
"No, she's all good," I reply.
He starts typing on his phone, probably texting some of his friends or one of his family members. "Cool. Can't wait to meet your family Melanie, heard you have like 3 uncles and many cousins."
"Oh yeah, I hope the house won't be too crowded since you guys are used to…lots of space. I guess it's better that my grandparents won't be coming over until tomorrow as well," I divulge.
"We can adapt," Javier chimes in, "Even if it does get crowded, I would rather be surrounded by your familia than the JOX or some other dumb drunk students."
A bit a relief flows through me. "Well that makes me feel a little better. I wouldn't want you all to feel out of place."
"With you around, we could never," Chip discloses.
Why are all these boys so charming? It almost feels like I could do no wrong whenever I'm around them. It also feels like nothing will go wrong in general when they're around. With all that stress now released from my body, I take the time to relax on the couch for a few minutes. I tune out the conversation that Johnny, Chip, and Javier have with each other in order to look through my phone. I end up looking through my school email and see an email about my upcoming semester. It seems that they recommend tutoring for students in several of my classes which were recommended by Professor King. My Vocal Study class and Light Avoidance class seem to be one of those classes that sideswipe people, but I think I'll be fine since my studying habits and photographic memory have helped me pass all my classes with ease. Realistically the only class that I feel like I might have trouble with would be Scaring 102 since I have yet to master my ghostly appearance and scaring abilities.
I hear Johnny say my name soon after. He ends up asking, "I have to fetch something from the car, would you come with me?"
I nod and follow him as he exits the house for the third time today. I feel the cold hit my body once again, which sends a shiver up my spine and causing Johnny to notice my sudden shift in mood. "Too cold?" He asks while stopping before we go too far.
"Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to worry you," I respond.
He pulls me close as the wind picks up. I can feel a fairly severe wind chill factor as it pushes against me. "We'll be quick. I'll be sure to get that blanket of yours when we come back," Johnny states while picking up the pace.
I smile at him as he brings me to the back of the car. He opens the trunk to reveal a large red bag that has a tied ribbon at the opening. When he picks it up it makes a bunch of hollow thuds, and then a couple more when he swings it around his shoulder. I can deduce that it's full of presents that will be given out tonight since all of the RORs are spending Christmas with their families. "In case your wondering, I got you quite a couple of things," He foreshadows.
"Wait really? Oh John, you didn't have to do that!" I exclaim while being unsure if I should thank him by embracing him or scolding him for spending even more money on me than he should have.
"When will you accept that fact that you deserve the best? Like how can I not get things for you when you make me as happy as you do?" Johnny questions.
As much as I love it that he thinks about me, I can't help but think I've unintentionally caused him to develop a bad habit. "I appreciate it John, I really do, but wouldn't you rather spend all that money on your fraternity brothers? What about your Mom and Dad? Grandpa even?" I counter.
"Oh, I got them all things as well. I just had several ideas for you and couldn't decide what was the best option, so I just got them all. Simple as that," He responds with a smug expression. He then playfully growls at me while pushing me back towards the house and shutting the trunk. "Now you will accept these gifts, and like them!"
"Ok fine, your highness! I just hope this means I don't have to get you anything, because I don't think I'll be able to afford something of your caliber," I reply with a snooty attitude.
"Nah," he chuckles, "You being my best friend is enough."
I feel my ears drop and my tail start wagging uncontrollably. I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck, causing him to use his free arm to carry me back inside the house. I realize that that wasn't the brightest idea because I could have totally sent him flying into the ground, but luckily, he was ready for it. When he sets down the red bag full of presents by the Christmas Tree, he traverses up to my room and grabs my pink blanket for me to warm up with. It would be an understatement to say that I love him and what he does for me. For now, the only thing left for me, and the rest of the RORs to do, is to wait for my family to show up. Only then, can Christmas Eve truly begin.