Holidays mean family, friends, presents—and extra doses of drama! But for three girls, the one gift they weren’t expecting may be everything they ever hoped for…

Shopping for My Boyfriend by Earl Sewell

When Jeremy, Anna’s longtime crush, asks her to be his girlfriend, it’s a yuletide surprise she never saw coming. And in order to get him the perfect gift, she will have to do a total 180 from shy girl to outrageous reality-show contestant. But to discover what Jeremy truly desires for Christmas, Anna will have to get close and risk her heart.…

My Only Wish by Caridad Ferrer

Claudia Abreu knew her family was doing more than hiding presents and heating up Cuban cider for her holiday homecoming. Just her luck—her childhood friend, who has been invited as her New Year’s Eve party date, is athletic and popular…pretty much everything she’s not. But David Levy hopes he finally has the chance to show Claudia that they really do have enough in common to make both of their dreams come true…together.

All I Want for Christmas Is You by Deidre Berry

Bree Calloway’s holiday is off to one very un-merry start. First, her boyfriend, Lance, is keeping secrets. Second, getting the lead in The Nutcracker means facing off with a dance-diva-from-hell. And third, the chemistry between Bree and her know-it-all ballet partner, David, is sparking way too hot. Now Bree has one chance to straighten out this tangled tinsel—and make her Christmas truly bright.

Boyfriend Shopping
Shopping for My Boyfriend
Earl Sewell
My Only Wish
Caridad Ferrer
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Deidre Berry

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Title Page

Shopping for My Boyfriend

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

My Only Wish

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Epilogue

All I Want for Christmas Is You

Dedication

Letter

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Copyright

SHOPPING FOR MY BOYFRIEND

Earl Sewell

one

It was early Friday evening and a wintry November wind baptized my face with its coolness. I hustled across an illuminated parking lot arm in arm with my friend Lauren Alexis. We had come to hear the choir and band perform at the annual Thornwood High School holiday concert. When we reached the building, I attempted with all my might to pull open the heavy metal door at the auditorium entrance, but a blast of wind snatched the door from my hand and slammed it shut.

“Come on, Anna. It’s freezing out here.” Lauren’s breath formed cloudy white puffs of air that lingered like steam from a hot bowl of soup. I vigorously tugged on the door against the unforgiving pressure of the wind. Once I was able to pry it open wide enough, I pivoted my body, got on the other side and leaned into it with my shoulder.

“Go ahead,” I said, feeling my eyes tearing. Once Lauren was in, I trailed behind her, smearing away the wetness on my cheeks with my mittens.

“I have never been in weather like this.” Lauren’s cheeks had turned crimson and her shoulders had risen up toward her earlobes.

“You can relax now. We’re inside and you’ll warm up in no time.”

“Relax? Are you freaking kidding me? When we leave we’ve got to face that frigid air again. I can’t believe how cold it is outside.”

“Oh, it can get much colder than this.” I smirked. “Wait until it drops below zero.” This was Lauren’s first experience with the Chicago winter weather. She was from South Carolina, where the temperature stayed relatively mild. She’d transferred into the school a few weeks ago and, like me, was in her second year of high school. She and I both modeled and had recently met through the agency we worked for. Lauren was tall, thin and wore a size four. She had a cute smile, beautiful white teeth and an infectious personality. She had also managed to catch the interest of Sheldon, one of the cutest guys in school. He was handsome and a little shy, but Lauren’s outgoing personality balanced out his reserve. My romantic life was in the dump and the time had come for me to move past my most recent failure and give a new relationship a try.

“I don’t know if I can take this weather. I feel like my bones have iced over.” Lauren hugged herself in an attempt to heat back up her body.

“You’ll get used to it,” I assured her. I saw my reflection in the glass of a painting that hung on the wall and straightened the red-and-white Santa hat I had on. I wanted my look to perfectly complement the festive mood I was in. My hat matched well with my Christmas green turtleneck and blue jeans. Lauren, whose favorite color was pink, had fashionably dressed up in a pair of jeans from Delia’s, a pink sweater and a matching pink-and-white Santa hat. She had on a garnet-colored toggle coat but she had forgotten her gloves.

“I can’t believe how frozen my fingers are.” Lauren cupped her hands and blew her warm breath into her palms.

“You shouldn’t have left your gloves at home. Even though it’s only a ten-minute walk from your house to here, it can feel a lot longer in this weather. You can get some hot chocolate from the concession stand. The heat from the cup should warm your fingers up quickly,” I said.

“Well, let’s go get some,” she said as we continued down the corridor to a table where a volunteer was waiting to take our tickets.

“Did you remember the tickets, Anna?” Lauren asked.

“Of course.” I snapped open the small purse I had carried with me. I presented our tickets and we were allowed to continue onward. We made our way over to the concession stand and Lauren ordered a hot chocolate with marshmallows like I had suggested. She took a quick sip of the warm liquid and I could tell by the way she sighed that it immediately made her feel better.

“I hope Jeremy comes like he said he would.” I searched the hallway, which was becoming more crammed with concertgoers.

“Well, if he isn’t, you can catch up with him next week.”

“No. I need to catch him tonight. The school holiday dance party is just around the corner and I need to make sure he understands that he needs to ask me to go with him,” I remarked as I scanned the area again.

“I hope Jeremy is nice and nothing like that Carlo dude you told me about.”

“Please don’t bring him up. I don’t even remember what I saw in that guy. Falling in love with him nearly killed me, literally.” The moment I tried to forget about Carlo, my conscience replayed the events in my mind, like a video that reminded me of the bad choice I had made. It began with the difficult time I had with the transition from junior high to high school. I had gone from being popular and the class valedictorian to the cute but nerdy freshman girl who no one noticed. I had trouble making friends and fitting in, and it didn’t take long for depression to settle in. My grades started falling, which disappointed my parents and caused problems for me at home because I wasn’t living up to their expectations. Then my cousin Viviana came to live with us, adding all types of new and unexpected tension in the house. In the middle of the chaos is when Carlo entered my life. He was an upperclassman and I felt fortunate to have an older guy take an interest in me. I didn’t have a clue as to how relationships were supposed to work. Heck, I wasn’t even supposed to be dating as a freshman. My parents said that I couldn’t date until my second year of high school, so I knew very little about romance except what I saw on television. I didn’t know what to say to guys or how to act around them. When Carlo came around, I felt clumsy, as if I talked too much. However, Carlo had a way of making me feel less awkward and before long I opened up to him about the issues I was having at home. He listened and I really enjoyed the attention that he was giving me. One day while I was visiting with him, I took some candy out of a dish when Carlo walked out the room. I ate it and suddenly felt ill. I went home and passed out on the floor. When I woke up, I was in the hospital and found out I had survived a drug overdose. What I didn’t know was that Carlo was selling drugs that were packaged as candy. Thankfully I made a full recovery, but afterward, I placed distance between myself and Carlo.

I exhaled loudly because thinking about that previous chapter of my life always caused me a little bit of anxiety.

“I still can’t believe that he had drugs in his house,” Lauren said.

“Huh? What? Oh, neither could I,” I said, realizing I had momentarily gotten swept away in my past and had tuned Lauren and everything else out like a dropped phone call.

“I mean, I would have totally freaked out if I had gone through what you had.” Lauren held her cup with both hands and took another sip.

“Well, I’m thankful that episode is behind me now,” I said, no longer wanting to relive the wasted history between myself and Carlo.

“So what’s so special about Jeremy?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve known him since sixth grade,” I said. I reached into my purse and removed a tissue to dab at a spot of moisture that had formed on my nose.

“Really? You didn’t tell me that part.”

“Are you sure? I thought I had.”

“No, you didn’t.” Lauren appeared to be saddened that I had not shared more of my history with Jeremy with her.

“Come on. I’ll tell you about it once we find a seat.” The auditorium had three large seating sections—on the right, center and left side. The stage was shaped like a hexagon, which meant that no matter where we sat, the view would be excellent. Since seating arrangements were not assigned, we were free to sit wherever we wanted. We decided to sit in the center section in row fifteen, which was right in the middle of the section. We took off our coats and draped them over the backs of our seats. Once we were situated, I looked around again for Jeremy. I heard a chorus of conversations that hung in the air as more concertgoers entered the auditorium, but I did not spot Jeremy.

“Do you see him yet?” Lauren asked.

“No, not yet,” I said, frowning.

“He’ll show up.” Lauren sensed that I had grown impatient as she settled into her seat.

“I hope so. I really want to get his attention. I really want him to notice me,” I said, wondering if I was foolishly setting myself up for a big letdown.

“Sit down and finish telling me about how you guys met in sixth grade.”

I sighed and then sat down. I uncoiled my scarf from around my neck and placed it across my lap. I recalled the many changes and interests that began to bloom like tulips in the spring when I was in junior high school.

“In sixth grade, I suddenly found boys to be fascinating. I found that I wanted to be around them and be treated like a girl instead of one of the guys. Jeremy was cute and he was a star on the basketball courts. Everybody loved him. He was funny, he dressed nicely and he didn’t smell like funky sneakers.” Lauren reached over and touched my hand, which caused me to pause.

“What?” I asked, feeling as if something was wrong.

“It’s funny that you mentioned guys and smells. It brought back a memory for me. When I was in sixth grade, there was a boy who liked me. His name was Mark and he smelled like a skunk.” Lauren’s expression soured like milk that had curdled.

“Really? It was that bad?” I asked.

“Girl, every day he came to school smelling like he had peed on himself or someone had peed on him.”

“Gross!” I raised my eyebrows into an expression of disbelief.

“I’m serious. Nobody wanted to sit next to him because his body odor was so foul. Anyway, he had the audacity to approach me one day on the school yard. When I saw him coming, I cringed at the sight of his square head, chapped lips and goldfish eyes. He also had bushy eyebrows that reminded me of Frankenstein. Creepy was his first name and Weird was his last.”

“Gross!” I said again as a visual of what he looked like formed in my mind.

“What did he want?” I pried more than I really wanted to.

“Girl, to ask me if I thought he was cute.”

“Seriously?”

“That boy didn’t have any sense whatsoever,” Lauren said.

“What did you say to him?”

“I was really mean. I told him that I thought a dead animal on the highway was cuter than he was.”

“That was mean, but funny,” I said.

“I’m sorry. I threw you off track. Finish telling me about Jeremy,” Lauren apologized.

“Well, he was nothing like Mark, that’s for sure. Jeremy sat next to me in class. One day he asked for permission to go to the bathroom. Once he’d stepped away I wrote him a note, folded it up and placed it on his seat.”

“What did your note say?” Lauren leaned close to me so that she wouldn’t miss a word I said.

“It said, ‘Do you think Anna Rogers is cute? If so, fake a cough when you read this,’” I explained.

“Did he cough after he read the note?”

“Like he smoked cigarettes every day,” I said proudly. “Anyway, after school I lingered around to see if he would approach me.”

“Did he?” Lauren asked. I could tell that she was analyzing everything I was telling her.

“Yes,” I answered.

“What did he say?” Lauren hung on my every word.

“He asked if I had left the note on his seat. I told him yes, and he then asked if I thought he was cute.”

“Duh! That’s why you left the note.” Lauren added her own commentary to the moment.

“I will admit that was a dumb question for him to ask, but I didn’t give him a hard time about it. Then I asked him if he would like to kiss me.”

“You had to ask? He didn’t just do it?” Lauren asked.

“No. He wasn’t that kind of boy. He had to be coached. I liked that about him,” I said.

“I see.”

“Anyway, he said that he wanted to kiss, but not out in the open where everyone would see us. So we walked behind the school, out of sight from the teachers and other students. I will admit that I didn’t know much about kissing. The only information I had in my head was what I had seen on television. I couldn’t wait until I got my first kiss from a boy who wasn’t my father or grandfather. They always kissed me on the cheek or forehead. Anyway, when the big moment came I improvised. I tried to act like a mature girl, but not like a girl who did this sort of thing all the time. I pressed my back against one of the rear doors of the school and clutched my books to my chest. I didn’t want him to get carried away and attempt to feel my breasts, which was something boys were notorious for at my school. I shut my eyes tightly, puckered my lips and waited. He pressed his lips against mine and moved away so quickly I wasn’t even sure if I’d been kissed. The kiss felt like the padding of a fingertip pressing against my lips. When I opened my eyes, he had a strange expression on his face as if he was trying to figure out a difficult math problem. I don’t know what I expected when I opened my eyes, but I’m certain it wasn’t the confused expression that I saw.”

“What happened after that?” Lauren asked.

“The bewildered look on his face freaked me out. I thought something was wrong with me. I pushed him away and ran.”

“Wow,” Lauren said.

“It was a really weird moment.”

“Didn’t you see him again at school?” Lauren asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“What did he say?”

“He said that it was the first time he had ever kissed a girl who wasn’t his mom and that he thought he’d done something wrong because I closed my eyes tight like I was expecting a punch. He said that he thought once our lips met, my eyes were supposed to open, and when they didn’t he thought he’d messed up the kiss. He asked for another chance but it was too late by that point. I told him to forget the kiss ever happened. When I rejected him I knew that I’d hurt his feelings, although I could tell he was trying not to let it show. Anyway, by eighth grade, enough time had come to pass since the kiss and he and I became friends. We hung out a few times and even went to a school dance together, only as friends, though. When he had questions about girls, I gladly answered them and even told him which girls I thought would be perfect for him,” I said.

“Did you still like him during that time?” Lauren asked as she took a sip from her cup.

“I still liked him, but more like a good friend.”

“So why do you want him after all this time?”

“Because he is the only real guy friend I’ve ever had. We can talk about anything and he makes me laugh. I like a guy with a sense of humor. When I got sick from the accidental overdose, he brought flowers to my house and talked to me nearly every day. It was at that point that I began to realize how much he meant to me. I know that I’m the perfect girl for him. He even told me I was.”

“So why didn’t you go for him then?” Lauren asked.

“Because I felt stupid about chasing after Carlo and didn’t have the nerve to confess my true feelings. Jeremy and I both know that we’re good for each other. Now is the time for me to be a little bolder and encourage him to ask me out on a serious date. We’re meant to be together because I like the way he smiles at me, and I like the way he’s always been there to wipe away my tears when things don’t go right. I like the way he makes me laugh. Hell, I like how good-looking and popular he’s become. He knows me and I know him. I never really stopped liking him as more than a friend. I put him in the friend lane and lied to myself about how I truly felt about him. Am I making sense or am I babbling?”

“You make perfect sense to me. You’ve always cared for him but you were afraid to let him know. Now you’ve found the courage to fight for his heart.”

“Yes, and once I have it, I’ll give him my heart as well, and we can stop pretending that our feelings are only on the friendship level.”

“Okay. So what’s your plan?” Lauren set her empty cup in the cup holder and shifted in her seat.

“I’m going to invite him out for a bite to eat after the concert. While we’re eating, I’ll drop him some serious hints. I also want you to keep saying, whenever you can, that we make a cute couple.”

“What if he doesn’t get it? You know how guys can be totally clueless.”

“He’ll get it. I’ll make sure of that. You just keep mentioning how perfect we look together.”

“You got it,” Lauren said. I continued to search for Jeremy and finally spotted him walking in. He was headed toward the seating on the right side of the theater. I rose to my feet and waved my arms, hoping he’d see me, but he didn’t.

“Jeremy!” I called out his name, but he didn’t hear me over all of the chatter.

“Jeremy!” I yelled louder, but he still didn’t hear me. I was about to call to him again, but felt Lauren tug on my clothing. I turned and looked at her.

“Why don’t you go over there? I’ll hold your seat,” Lauren suggested.

“Good idea,” I said. Just as I was about to do that, the houselights dimmed and the curtains began to open. The show was about to start.

“I’ll wait until the show is over,” I said, sitting down.

“Well, at least you know that he’s here,” Lauren said.

“That’s true,” I said and inconspicuously reached for one of my coat pockets. I pulled out my cell phone and sent Jeremy a text. Then I took a deep breath and waited.

two

Once the stage curtains had fully opened, the stage lights came up and I saw that the edge of the stage had been lined with poinsettias. Several microphones were strategically positioned and there was a black piano situated at the center of the stage. The choir stand formed an arc directly behind the piano. The audience began clapping as members of the choir walked onto the stage.

“Go, Tina!” I heard someone shout out from behind me.

“Let’s go, Nicole!” someone else screamed out from the left side of the auditorium.

I felt my cell phone buzz and took a peek. A text from Jeremy had arrived.

What’s up?

@ the concert. There is an empty seat next to me. Come over.

2 dark. I don’t wanna trip over people.

Now I am sad.

Why.

You need to be near me.

LOL U sound like a pouting girlfriend.

Maybe I am.

Stop playing Anna.

What if I am not playing?

Yeah right. I thought Carlo was your type.

I made a bad choice.

I tried 2 warn u about him. Remember?

Yes. I remember. It was cute the way you acted like a jealous boyfriend when u found out about Carlo. Remember that?

I wasn’t that bad.

Yes you were.

I was trying to protect you from disaster.

I know and I should have listened to u.

Yeah but u didn’t.

Meet me in the hallway when the show is over. I need 2 talk 2 u bout something.

About what?

Something. Just wait 4 me. I will find u.

Ok.

After I put away my phone, the choir began to sway from side to side. They launched into a brilliant rendition of “Jingle Bells” and gave the audience more than they had bargained for. When that song was complete, a girl named Bernita Gilmore, who I once considered to be my friend when we were in eighth grade, came onto the stage. Our friendship ended when I learned that she had told other girls at school that I had allowed a boy to get to second base. I had only let the guy squeeze my behind a few times. When he tried to touch other things, I slapped his hand away. He eventually transferred to another school and I lost contact with him. I had told Bernita about it during a sleepover one weekend, months after the guy had transferred. She was the only person I had told, so I knew that she’d shared my secret and I could no longer trust her. After that secret was set loose, a number of guys at my junior high school perceived me as a fast girl who would allow any guy to touch me anywhere. For weeks, guys would walk past me and gesture as if they were about to smack my butt. Jeremy had come to my defense and had told as many guys as he could that I was a sweet girl. I’d never told him that Bernita was the source of the rumor. He didn’t have to defend me, but I appreciated his effort. Bernita and I hadn’t spoken since.

Bernita was wearing a black gown that was sleeveless and had a scoop neck. It was the same dress that all of the girls in the choir had on. Although I didn’t like admitting it, she looked really good. Bernita was a light brown girl with silky wavy hair that was cut in a style that angled sharply around her cheekbones. Bernita was also blessed with the type of skin that was flawless and glowed like a velvety fabric. She reached the microphone and began to sing. That was another thing about Bernita; she had a beautiful voice that was equal in power and depth to Jennifer Hudson’s. Bernita sang “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and when she finished, the audience clapped and cheered loudly. I waited for her to exit the stage and was stunned she remained for several more songs. It was then that I realized Bernita was the main attraction and the choir was her backup. I was floored by the fact she led all of the songs as if the entire event was her personal Christmas concert. I held on to my praises because I still hadn’t let go of my grudge against her.

At the conclusion of the concert, Lauren and I walked out into the hallway and stood near a staircase. As the flow of people exited the auditorium, I eagerly searched for Jeremy. When I spotted him I felt elated.

“Jeremy, over here.” I waved so he could see me. When he spotted me, he meandered through the crowd to where Lauren and I were standing.

“Hey, guys.” He leaned into me and gave me a hug and then hugged Lauren. The cologne he was wearing smelled intoxicating.

“Come closer to me.” I pointed to the spot where I wanted him to stand. He did as I asked and I embraced him once again so that I could enjoy the scent of him just a little longer.

“Anna, what are you doing?” Jeremy chuckled as he pulled away from me.

I smiled and said, “I like the cologne you’re wearing. It smells really exquisite.”

“It’s called Eternity by Calvin Klein. I borrowed it from my big brother,” Jeremy explained. “So what’s up? Did you guys enjoy the concert?”

“It was decent,” Lauren said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

“It was okay,” I said, smiling sweetly and looking deeply into his beautiful brown eyes. Jeremy stood around six feet tall and had a dimpled smile. He had chestnut-toned skin, an athletic build and curly hair that framed his handsome face. I reached out and took Jeremy’s hand and rubbed the back of it with the tips of my fingers.

“That tickles. What’s up with that?” Jeremy smiled at me.

“I’ll give you two a little privacy. I’m going to go get more hot chocolate.” Lauren pointed toward the concession stand before she stepped away.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Jeremy asked.

“I need to ask you something,” I said, placing the tip of my index fingernail between my teeth.

“What is this about?”

“It’s about—”

“Excuse me. Can I speak to you, Jeremy?” Bernita said, appearing from somewhere within the crowd of people surrounding us. I shot her a look that could have withered an evergreen, but Bernita looked back at me with a stone face as if she could not have cared less about the unspoken hostility I had directed at her.

“Give me a second, Anna,” he said as Bernita tugged at his arm.

“Seriously?” I looked at Jeremy, trying to not let my hurt feelings surface and form a wounded expression on my face.

“I’m sure that this will only take a second.”

Bernita rested her back against a nearby wall and pulled Jeremy close and spoke purposely in his ear, all the while keeping her eyes on me. When she finished, she stepped away from him and exaggerated the sway of her hips as she walked away. Jeremy looked at her as if the words she had whispered in his ear had cast some type of spell on him. When the spell had broken, he came back to me.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

“I’m going to hang out with Bernita and some of her friends.”

“Jeremy, why do you think I asked you to meet me?” I asked with fire in my voice as I tried to fight off the feeling of disappointment. Jeremy froze, his face reflecting the fact that he wasn’t reading between the lines very well.

“I just thought you wanted to talk about something real quick. At least that’s the impression that I got.”

“I do but...” I paused, looked into his eyes again and became lost. We’re so perfect together is what I wanted to say, but I somehow couldn’t get the words out.

“Are you okay? Did something happen? Is Carlo bothering you?” Jeremy rested his hands on my shoulders like a concerned brother.

“No, and would you please stop bringing up Carlo?” I said, wondering how I could get him to open his eyes and see me in a more romantic way.

“Sorry. I’ll never mention him again,” Jeremy said. He then reached out and tenderly swept my hair away from my eyes.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, sincerely wanting to fix whatever my issue was.

“I’m fine. I was hoping that we could hang out tonight,” I blurted. It was a gamble. I hoped that he would choose to hang with me and Lauren so I could execute the plan that I had worked out in my head.

“I already made plans with Bernita. I’m sorry. If I had known sooner—” I put my hand up to interrupt him. I didn’t want to hear about his plans with Bernita any more than I wanted a knife in my heart.

“I guess I’ll catch you later, then.” He was about to turn and run after her.

“Wait a minute. When did you and Bernita, you know, hook up?” I asked, feeling my disappointment snaking up my spine.

“It’s not like that, Anna. She’s just a friend, just like you are.”

“Yeah, right.” My lips formed a hard and unforgiving line because I didn’t believe him. “You’d better watch your back with her,” I warned.

“It’s not like that, Anna,” he said once again.

“You may think it’s an innocent friendship, but she has plans for you. She wants to hook up with you. I can tell.”

“Anna.” He looked at me as if I had blown the situation out of proportion.

“I’m not trying to cause you any drama. I’m just saying, as your friend—” I hated hearing myself say that when I had the desire to be more “—she is a snake and if you’re not careful she’ll bite and poison you. I’m warning you just like you tried to warn me about Carlo. Remember?”

“Bernita is harmless,” he tried to assure me.

“Do you like her as more than a friend?” I asked.

“No, Anna.” He smiled.

“What if you found out that she likes you as more than a friend? Would things become different?” I asked questions my heart did not want to know the answers to, but my mind needed to know.

Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means that I don’t know.”

“Okay. If you had a choice between her and a girl that you knew was perfect for you in every way, who would you choose?” I asked.

“The girl that was perfect for me. You know that. I’ll catch you later, Anna.” He smiled before disappearing into the crowd.

three

I walked to the concession stand and joined up with Lauren. She was toying with her cell phone and didn’t notice me until I spoke.

“Come on. Let’s go,” I said.

“Where is Jeremy?” she asked.

“He’s not coming because he made plans to hang out with Bernita,” I said, feeling as if I had been scalded by a curling iron.

“Why does he want to be with her? From what you’ve said about her, sounds like being friends with her is like trying to hug a porcupine.” Lauren met my gaze and waited for me to provide her with a reasonable explanation.

“I don’t know. I warned him about her, though.”

“Do you think something serious is going on between them?” she asked.

“I hope not, but if there is, there’s nothing that I can do about it.” I sighed sadly.

“Did you ask if they were dating each other?”

“Of course I did, and he said that they were ‘just friends.’” I made the little quotation-marks gesture with my fingers.

“So what are you going to do?” Lauren asked.

“I don’t want to think about that anymore. I’m sort of confused right now. Let’s just go and get something to eat,” I said.

“Do we have to walk outside for a long time?” Lauren asked, shivering at the thought of staying out in the cold weather longer than necessary.

“We don’t have that far to walk. Here. Take my gloves. They’ll keep your hands warm,” I said.

“Then yours will get cold,” Lauren said, shaking her head.

“No, they won’t. I’m used to chilly weather,” I said and shoved the gloves in her hand as we moved toward an exit.

* * *

Lauren and I arrived at Chili’s a short time later. The hostess gave us a booth near a window. As soon as we were seated, I noticed that Jeremy, Bernita and some other people who had sung at the holiday concert were with them.

“OMG! I can’t believe we’re at the same restaurant,” I said.

“What are you talking about?” Lauren asked, confused.

“Bernita and Jeremy are here.” I tilted my head and pointed my gaze to where they were sitting. Lauren, as inconspicuously as she could, repositioned herself so that she could look over her shoulder at them.

“I’m sorry, but they don’t look all that cute together.”

“Well, apparently he sees something in her,” I said, wishing that I had a car so we could leave and go someplace else. Jeremy must’ve sensed that someone was staring at him. He glanced up from the menu and looked at me. He acknowledged me by waving hello. I waved back and then buried my face in the menu.

“Hey, Anna, how are you doing?” I looked up from my menu and saw that Sabrina and her boyfriend, Mike, had entered the restaurant. The hostess was carrying their menus and waited for them to continue following her.

“Hey, my friend Lauren and I are about to eat. Have you guys met?”

“No,” said Sabrina. “This is my boyfriend, Mike, and I’m Sabrina.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Lauren said with a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, as well,” Sabrina said as she removed her hat and gloves.

“How did you guys get here?” I asked.

“Keysha and Wesley are out parking the car. We all decided to come out together,” Sabrina said. “We’re just waiting for them so that we can sit together.”

“Actually, do you guys mind if we sit with you? Keysha and Wesley are arguing in the car,” Mike said.

“That’s fine with me. Are you cool with that, Lauren?” I asked.

“Of course,” Lauren said as she scooted closer to the window to make room for Mike to sit. The hostess left their menus and then went back to greet the other guests.

“Cool, because my big sister gets on my nerves sometimes,” Mike explained.

“You don’t like your sister?” Lauren asked.

“Yes, I like her a lot. It’s just that sometimes she gets a little bossy, which is why she’s in the car arguing with her boyfriend,” Mike clarified.

“Oh, I know how that can be,” I chimed in. “My sister, Maya, is the queen of bossy.”

“Wow. I can’t believe Bernita is here,” Sabrina said disgustedly.

“Where?” Mike quickly turned around and scanned the room until he located her. “Yo. That chick there has some serious issues.”

“What are you talking about? Did you used to date her or something?” I asked.

“Oh, hell to the no,” Mike said as if I had just poked him with a fork.

“Bernita is crazy,” Sabrina said coldly.

“Did you guys get into a fight or something?” Lauren asked.

“We almost did, but Mike held me back,” Sabrina admitted.

“What did she do that made you so mad?” I asked in search of another reason to place in my grudge bag against Bernita.

“Something real sneaky and mean.” Sabrina jabbed the tabletop with her index finger three times.

“I got to give it to her. She has a real twisted way of seeing things,” Mike said.

“Hey, guys.” Keysha and Wesley walked up to our table with smiles on their faces. I guess they kissed and made up with each other. Lauren and I said hello to them.

“Well, Mike and Sabrina, I see that you don’t care to have dinner with me and Wesley, so I guess he and I will just get our own table.” Keysha made a smart remark under her breath before she turned on her heel and followed behind the hostess.

“Later,” said Wesley as he trailed behind Keysha and the hostess.

“Okay, Mike, tell me why you think Bernita is twisted,” I asked.

“I’ll let Sabrina tell you,” he said as he slouched down in his seat. At that moment our waiter appeared with glasses of water for us. I told him to give us a few more minutes to look over the menu. Once he had stepped away, Lauren and I looked at Sabrina and waited for her to share the details of her rivalry with Bernita. Sabrina took a sip of water and then began talking.

“It happened earlier this year. I accepted a Facebook friend request from a guy named Shawn. I didn’t think anything of it because friend requests pop up all of the time. Next thing I knew, Shawn started posting stupid comments on my wall as if we had hooked up.”

“What!” Lauren said as she leaned in closer to Sabrina.

“You heard her correctly,” Mike chimed in.

“So what does Shawn have to do with Bernita?” I asked.

“Wait, it gets better,” Mike said and then waited for Sabrina to continue.

“Next thing I know, Mike sees the posts from Shawn and calls me up shouting at me.”

“I thought she was playing around on me,” Mike said.

“I had to tell Mike to calm down before I gave him a real reason to be mad. Anyway, I explained to Mike that I didn’t know Shawn personally and told him that I would delete him as a friend. Well, I didn’t get around to it right away and Shawn posted another comment talking about the birthmark that I have on my back and how he loved kissing it.”

“What!” I said. “If you didn’t know him, how does he know about the birthmark on your back?”

“That’s what I wanted to know. Because when I saw that comment, my anger went into a sprint and I was ready to crack both of their skulls,” Mike broke in again. I glanced over at Lauren, who had just taken a sip of her water.

“Will you let me finish, Mike?” Sabrina had grown tired of his interruptions.

“Mike is all ticked off because he truly thought that Shawn and I had a thing going on behind his back. So Mike decides to come over to my house to confront me about it.”

“I wanted to see her in-box on Facebook and her cell phone so that I could read the messages.” Mike jumped in once again.

“Do you want to tell this story?” Sabrina snapped.

“I’m sorry, babe,” Mike apologized.

“When Mike came over, I told him that I didn’t have anything to hide. I let him go through my Facebook in-box and my text messages. When he didn’t find anything, it left us both curious as to who Shawn was, so we sat at my computer and did a Google search. We saw another Facebook profile show up with the same picture, but the name was spelled Shaun with a u instead of Shawn with a w. I clicked on the link and sent a friend request to the real Shaun. When he accepted my friendship, Mike and I both saw that he was friends with Bernita. In fact, he was Bernita’s cousin.”

“Wait a minute. I’m confused,” Lauren said.

“Bernita created a fake Facebook profile using her cousin’s name and then acted like the fake Shawn and Sabrina had been hooking up. You get it now?” I said to Lauren.

“Wow. That ain’t right. Why did she do that?” asked Lauren.

“That’s what I wanted to know, so I confronted her,” Sabrina said.

“Ooh! I know you wanted to beat her down,” I said, feeling my dislike of her boiling up.

“Yeah, I did, but I really wanted to know why she did it,” Sabrina said.

“Did she even own up to your assumption that she’d set up the fake profile?” Lauren asked.

“Yeah, she owned up to it,” said Mike.

“Really? Wow!” I said.

“So when I saw her, I asked her why she did it. She gave me a smart-ass answer of ‘why not,’ which really wasn’t an answer at all. I was about to slap her, but Mike stopped me. That’s when she started saying a bunch of bull about Mike being too good for me and how she wanted to break us up so that she could get with him. And blah blah blah.”

“Oh, hell no.” Lauren leaned back in her seat and glanced over at me with a hollowed look of disbelief in her eyes.

“That’s exactly what I said to her,” Mike added.

“So, that’s why I don’t like Bernita. She’s bad news and will do anything to get a boyfriend. My grandmother used to tell me about girls like Bernita. The ones with a pretty face and ugly ways,” Sabrina said.

“She’s crazy,” I said as the waiter reappeared. We all took a quick glance at the menu and placed our orders. I made a mental note to myself to shoot Jeremy another text message, warning him of how treacherous Bernita could be.

four

On Saturday evening I was in the family room lounging in my favorite chair with my laptop. I was watching the YouTube channel of a girl at my school named Allison Rivers. Allison’s mom is a local television reporter named Angela Rivers, who had come to our school for career night last year. Allison took it upon herself to create a reality video blog about life at our high school. A lot of kids relished the idea of having a brief starring role in the happenings at Thornwood High. She had posted various videos of her friends doing obnoxious things like scribbling a smiley face with a Magic Marker on the cheek of a student who had fallen asleep on a school bus. Another video showed a bunch of students dancing while waiting for the school bus to arrive. I had seen several of those students around school, and one of them was even in my psychology class. I clicked the link to another video and watched as Allison videotaped her boyfriend at a local park going down a sliding board on his stomach. When he got to the end of the ride, he inadvertently tumbled off of it. I could hear Allison in the background laughing as he pretended to be injured.

“Hey.” I looked up from my computer screen and saw my cousin Viviana, who now lived with me, my sister and my younger brother, Paul.

“Hey,” I said back and noticed how great she looked wearing a patchwork denim top with matching jeans. “Where are you going?”

“Out with Red,” she said, stepping into a nearby bathroom.

“Are you guys dating now?” I asked. I knew that Red liked her, but I wasn’t sure that she was all that crazy about him.

“Yeah, we’re dating. We made it official a few days ago. He’s not such a bad guy. I’m glad I took a chance and got to know him. Maya, Misalo, Red and I are going out to a movie. Would you like to go?”

“No. I would be the only one there without a boyfriend. I don’t want to be the fifth wheel of the group,” I said, feeling awful about being single.

Viviana exited the bathroom and said, “It’s okay. We won’t make you feel awkward.”

“No. I’m cool with just hanging out at home. Say, are you going to the holiday dance at school?” I asked.

“Of course. Everyone is going. In fact, now that you’ve said that, I need to send myself a reminder to pick up Red’s Christmas present.” Viviana removed her phone from her back pocket and typed in a reminder notice.

“What are you buying him?” I asked.

“You know where the T-shirt place at the mall is, right?” Viviana asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m having his and hers T-shirts made with a photo of us.” Viviana smiled proudly.

“That’s so sweet.” I felt my heart swell with envy. “I hope he likes it.”

“Sure he will. Red likes everything I do for him.” Viviana laughed. I heard a car horn blow, followed by the voice of Maya calling for Viviana.

“Viviana, Misalo and Red are here. Are you ready?” Maya called out from the top of the staircase.

“Yeah. I’ll be right there,” Viviana said.

“Have a good time.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come along?” Viviana asked sympathetically.

“I’m positive,” I assured her and clicked the link for another video. I watched several more of Allison’s videos. One was about how to make up with your best friend after an argument and another showed her stopping random guys and asking them why they think girls are more attracted to drama than guys. One boy said that he believed it was because girls felt that if they didn’t have drama in their lives, they would die. That’s a real dumb answer, I thought. Another guy said that girls like drama because they’re complicated.

“Anna, can I ask you a question?” Paul, who was in eighth grade, sat down on the sofa near me.

“Yeah, what’s up?” I asked. He turned the bill of his baseball cap in the opposite direction so that it was at the back of his head. His eyebrows, which were thick like my own, were knitted in frustration.

“I want to buy something for this girl at school that I like, but I don’t know what to get her,” he said.

“Wait, you have a girlfriend?” I asked, utterly shocked that he pulled himself out of skateboarding and video games long enough to notice a girl.

“Something like that. I really like this girl and I want to do something nice, but I don’t know what girls are into,” he said sincerely.

“Well, what does she like?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” He slouched back against the sofa and placed his feet on the nearby coffee table.

“Have you asked her?”

“No. Then it would seem like I wasn’t paying attention to her,” he said.

“Well, were you paying attention?” I asked.

“No, but I don’t want her to know that. Come on, Anna, help me out here. If you had a boyfriend, what would you want him to get you for Christmas?” Paul wanted me to give him a quick answer to a complex question.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“What’s what supposed to mean?” He looked confused by my question.

“You said if I had a boyfriend. Do you think that I’m not cute? Do you think that guys aren’t interested in me? Are you making fun of me because Maya and Viviana both have boyfriends?”

“Wait. I thought we were talking about my issue and not yours,” Paul said cautiously. He then shrugged his shoulders and turned the palms of his hands toward me.

“Get her whatever you think she’ll like, Paul,” I said. I was done talking and listening to him. I wasn’t mad at him; I was just trying to navigate the thoughts and feelings that came with not having a boyfriend to share the holidays and spend time with.

“Geez.” Paul stood up and headed back upstairs. “Why are girls so complicated?”

* * *

A week had gone by since I had last spoken with Jeremy for any length of time. When I saw him at school, I wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with him about Bernita and what I had heard about her. But she seemed to have Jeremy radar because the few times I got to see him passing in the hallway, she’d magically materialize like a witch appearing from behind a cloud of green smoke. She’d come over and try to act friendly with both of us, but I could see right through her phony ways. Jeremy was totally oblivious to the tension between Bernita and me. He actually suggested that we all hang out sometime. When he said that, I thought, Are you freaking kidding me? Please tell me you’re not that blind. Bernita and I are two totally different types of girl. Heck, we’re not even in the same universe. When he made his suggestion, Bernita and I both offered up phony smiles and blatant lies. I would have preferred to spend time cleaning out dog cages at the local animal shelter before I spent time around Bernita. Although we never officially declared war against each other, Bernita and I sensed that we were competing for the affections of Jeremy. After I realized that I couldn’t chat with him at school without Bernita appearing, I decided to give him a call one evening.

“Hey. What’s up?” I said when he picked up the phone.

“Drama.” His answer caught me off guard.

“Drama?” I sighed. “Who is bringing you drama?”

“Bernita,” he answered.

“I told you that chick was no good.” I jumped all over the opportunity to bad-mouth her. I told him that Bernita would never be the type of friend that I am to him. I told him that she was sneaky and malicious.

“Whatever.” He brushed off my comment like it was an uninvited fly at a picnic.

“What did she do?” I tried a different approach to get him to open up to me.

“First of all, she sends me text messages constantly.”

“So she’s a text-message stalker?” I laughed loudly.

“She sends me, like, fifty text messages a day. She knows my every move. I don’t know how but she does.”

“That’s your boo thang,” I teased him and was secretly happy that she had gotten on his nerves.

“She’s about to be fired,” he said.

“About to be? When did you hire her and why can’t you just do it now?” I pushed him to make a decision at that moment.

“I told her that I didn’t like her acting like a stalker and that I’m trying to give her another chance,” he said.

“Another chance? Did I miss something? Are you guys officially dating?” I closed my eyes and waited for his answer to punch me in the gut like a cold fist.

“I don’t know what we are. Right now she seems too needy to me,” he said.

I exhaled. There is still hope, I thought. “Well. Again. That’s the chick you decided to hang around,” I said, hoping my comment carried enough power to break the spell that Bernita cast so that he could see her the way I did. My comment didn’t work because he avoided acknowledging it and changed the subject.

“So what are you doing this weekend?” he asked.

“Just chilling out. What about you?” I asked, feeling a bit disappointed.

“About the same. Do you want to hang out this weekend? Maybe we could go bowling,” he suggested.

I smiled so hard my cheeks ached but I still gave him crap because I knew he had a good sense of humor. “I don’t know. Will your stalker girlfriend let you?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said.

“That’s what you say, but I’m sure she thinks of you as her boyfriend.”

“So can you hang out or not?” He jumped right to the point.

“Well, if you’re not afraid that Bernita might catch you, I guess I can hang out with my friend,” I said jokingly.

“Ha, very funny, Anna. Have your mom drop you off at the bowling alley around 8:00 p.m. Saturday.”

“Wait. You’re not inviting Bernita, are you?” I asked, fearing that his judgment was still clouded.

“No. It will be just you and me. I need a break from her. I want to hang out with my girl,” he said. I liked the sound of that. I only wished he had said “girlfriend.” But at least I knew that I still had a fighting chance.

“Okay. I’ll see you then,” I said.

five

I arrived at the bowling alley ahead of Jeremy. When I went inside I discovered that it was cosmic bowling night, which meant there were dancing lights, hot new music, glow-in-the-dark lanes, pins and balls. It was so cool to step inside and suddenly notice how everything glowed. I sat down in a common area and sent Jeremy a text.

Where u @?

I will b there in a minute.

Ok.

A short time later Jeremy arrived and joined me.

“Are you ready to have some fun?” he asked as he gave me a hug.

“Yeah.” I smiled. We rented red-and-blue bowling shoes and got our lane assignment. We each searched for the perfect bowling ball before beginning the game.

“Do you want some food?” Jeremy asked.

“I’m not hungry right now. Maybe we can get a sandwich later,” I said.

“You’re really cool to hang with, Anna,” he said with the cutest smile, and his eyes seemed to make promises that his mouth refused to admit.

“You’re just now figuring that out?” I laughed over my words and playfully punched his shoulder.

“Ha-ha,” he answered with sarcasm. As we bowled, I noticed that he kept checking his cell phone and it was more annoying than walking into a spiderweb.

“Are you going to pay attention to how I am kicking your butt or are you going to fumble with your phone all night?” I asked.

“You’re my friend, right?” he asked.

“Of course I am,” I said, hoping my agitation didn’t come through.

“Check this out. Bernita sent me a text message and asked where I was. I didn’t feel like any drama, so I told her that I was at home. She just sent me a text message saying that I’m lying and sent me my exact location. She’s been doing that for the past few days and I can’t figure out how she’s doing it.”

“Let me think for a moment,” I said. Sitting down on a nearby chair, I pondered how Bernita was pulling off her trick. “Did you give her your cell phone recently or let her keep it for a while?” I asked.

“No. Wait. She sold me her iPhone 4S because she noticed the screen on my iPhone 3 was cracked. She used some of the money I’d given to her to upgrade to the iPhone 5.”

“Let me see your phone,” I said and held out my hand.

“Here,” he said, handing it to me.

“Does this thing have cellular service?”

“Yeah, I had it switched on when she gave it to me,” he said.

“She’s tracking you somehow,” I told him as I searched through his apps.

“Now, that’s creepy.”

“I told you that Bernita was bad news. Has she given you anything else that she could be using to track you with?” I asked.

“No,” he assured me.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Seeing if she downloaded something to your phone,” I said.

“I’ve already checked. I don’t have any new apps.”

“Oh, really. Then what’s this?” I showed him the tracking app that she had downloaded and hidden within one of the folders of another application.

“What? Are you kidding me?” he said as I gave him back his phone.

“Bernita is stalking you.”

“What the hell!” Jeremy said angrily as his thumb rapidly tapped on the screen of the phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Deleting this app,” he said. I wanted to tell him that he needed to also delete her, but that wasn’t my place to say.

“Can we bowl now?” I asked, wanting to move on and enjoy our evening together.

“Yes,” he answered. At that moment his phone rang.

“Dang, boy! Turn that thing off.” My voice was intense enough to spark a fire.

“It’s Bernita,” he said and picked up the phone. He told her that he knew about the tracking app that she’d downloaded to his phone and how he wasn’t cool with what she’d done. He listened as she gave some lame explanation and then finally told her not to call him anymore.

Yes, I thought and tried to contain the urge to do a happy dance where I stood. It made me smile when I heard him remove her from his life. Now there would be room for me to get extra close and work on getting him to see me as the girl of his dreams.

six

Lauren and I decided to go to the boy’s basketball game at school the following Friday. I didn’t care so much about the game as I did about watching Jeremy play. We had just sat down on the bleachers with popcorn and bottled water. Our school was playing our rival team, which meant that the die-hard basketball fans at my school came out in strong numbers to show their support.

My school’s team had just come out of the locker room to warm up. The pings of multiple basketballs being dribbled wafted through the air. I spotted Jeremy with a red, white and blue basketball. He dribbled like a professional NBA player and made handling the basketball look effortless. He dribbled toward the basket, did a spin move and then a smooth finger-roll layup.

“He is so cute,” I said to Lauren.

“And from what I can tell, he looks like a pretty good ball player, too.”

“He loves the game. He’s been playing it since he was a little boy.” I had recalled a conversation we had once a few years back about how much he loved the sport.

“Look. There goes Allison with her camera.” Lauren directed my attention to the left edge of the bleachers.

“What do you think about her doing all of the videotaping she does?” I asked.

“I think what she’s doing is cool,” Lauren said, shrugging her shoulders.

“She looks just like her mom. Have you ever watched her mom on TV?”

“A few times. I’ve seen her mom interview professional athletes and celebrities. I think that is really cool,” Lauren said.

“I imagine that it must be exciting to have a mom who has those types of connections,” I admitted and then turned my attention back to the basketball floor. The cheerleaders from our rival school came out and did a few cheers for those who had come in support of their student athletes. Once they’d finished, the Thornwood High cheerleading squad stepped out on the floor, wearing our colors of blue and gold. They fired up the crowd with cheers and acrobatics. There were constant screams of support from the bleachers for the cheerleaders. Once they were done, the starting lineups of the visiting team and my school were announced. When I heard Jeremy’s name called, I shouted at the top of my voice.

“Dang, girl! Do you think you screamed his name loud enough?” Lauren had placed her hands over her ears.

“Maybe,” I said, hearing how my voice had gone gravelly.

“Yeah, you definitely did,” she disagreed with me.

“Let’s go, Jeremy!” I shouted out again just before the referee blew his whistle and started the game. On the very first play Jeremy stole the ball, pushed it up the court and did a windmill dunk that drove the crowd into a frenzy.

“Yeah! Jeremy!” I rose to my feet and shouted at the top of my voice.

My school ended up winning the game. Jeremy scored twenty-three of the sixty-three points that our team put up. After the game I said goodbye to Lauren and waited for Jeremy. When he came out of the locker room, I gave him a big hug and told him how awesome I thought he was.

“Thanks for coming to watch me play,” he said. He looped his arms through the straps of his backpack and moved toward the exit.

“Where’s Lauren?” he asked.

“Her mom came just before the game ended. As soon as it was over they left.”

“Do you have a ride?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

“Why didn’t you get a ride with Lauren?”

“Because I wanted to see you. Duh.” I punched his shoulder as punishment for not realizing why I had waited on him.

Jeremy smiled at me. “I’ll walk you home.” We exited the school and walked in the direction of my house. The night air was cool and I could see white smoke puffing up as my warm breath hit the cold air.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“A little,” I admitted. Jeremy then reached out and pulled me closer to him. I liked being in his arms. I felt safe and cared for.

“Do you know what you want for Christmas?” he asked. I wanted to say I’d love for you to be my boyfriend, but I didn’t.

“No. Do you?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t think of anything I really want this year,” he said.

“Are you sure you have everything you want?” I said and hoped he’d think about his romantic life or lack of it.

“Yeah. I’m sure,” he said. I was disappointed with his answer.

“I see,” I said drily.

“Are you going to the holiday dance?” he asked. His question caught me off guard, and I immediately perked up.

“I’m just waiting for the right guy to ask me,” I said and bumped my hip against his. He stumbled.

“What was that for?” he asked, smiling at me.

“Because I felt like it,” I said sweetly.

“What do you think about us going together?” he asked. I pulled away from him and stopped walking. I positioned myself directly in front of him so that I could see his face and look into his deep brown eyes. I studied every feature of his face. His brown skin, his lips and his expression. I wanted to make sure that I would remember every detail of the moment.

“Really?” I asked cautiously and hoped that the tone of my voice didn’t come across as a rejection.

“Never mind. It was a dumb idea.” He believed my comment was unfavorable.

“No. I don’t mean it like that. I would really like to go with you.” I hurried up and told him what I was trying to say so that he would not misunderstand me.

“Cool,” he said and looked at me. He looked into my eyes deeper than he ever had in the past. Then slowly I watched a smile form on his face just for me. I loved his smile because the joy extended past his lips and into his eyes. And his dimples only encourage me to kiss his cheeks.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yeah,” he said. He didn’t take his eyes off me. The way he looked at me made me feel special. I tilted my head slightly and took his hand into my own.

“Are we going as friends or as a couple?” I asked and prayed that I didn’t frighten him off with my question.

“Kiss her, fool!” I heard one of his teammates shout out as he ran past and out into the night. Jeremy was about to make a wisecrack to his friend, but it was too late.

“Where was I?” Jeremy paused. “Oh, yeah. You want to be my girl?”

“Seriously?” I asked, wanting to be extra sure.

“Yes. I’m asking you to be my girl, Anna.” When he said those words my heart went into a sprint. I stepped into his embrace and hugged him tightly.

“I am perfect for you. I’m going to be the best girlfriend that I can be to you,” I said as he lifted my chin up and placed his hands on my cheeks. He kissed me tenderly, and for a moment time stood still. I wasn’t cold. There was not a sound. There was only the stillness of the moment, which I wanted to make last forever.

“Y’all need to take the lovefest indoors,” said another teammate who zoomed by and teased Jeremy.

“Man, mind your own business,” Jeremy yelled.

“Well, it certainly took you long enough to ask me to be your girl,” I said as I stepped back for a moment to take in the fact that I had finally caught the tall, handsome and popular guy who I’d been crazy about since grade school.

“I was afraid you might run away again,” he said, bringing up our first kiss that we’d shared so many years ago. I can’t believe he’s still carrying that awkward moment around as if it happened yesterday, I thought.

“I’m not running,” I assured him. The last thing I wanted was for him to be available again.

“Good.”

“There is one thing that I have to tell you that I will not put up with,” I said as I placed my hand in his and continued on.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t like to share. If I’m your girl, I had better be your only girl. So if you think you’re going to be a playboy and try to date both me and Bernita, I’m telling you now, I’m not cool with that.” I stood firm on that and let him know that cheating would be a deal breaker. I also wanted to make sure that he and Bernita were never a true couple.

“You don’t have to worry about Bernita. There was never anything going on between us. I thought she was good people, but learned that she’s a drama queen, and I don’t have time for that.”

“Good,” I said, resting my head against his shoulder as he walked me home.

seven

When I got in the house I rushed to my room, shut the door and crash-landed on my bed. I picked up my cell phone and called Lauren.

“Oh, my God, Lauren! You will not believe what happened tonight.” The words rushed out of my mouth faster than I could form them.

“Calm down, Anna. You sound like you’re hyperventilating,” Lauren said.

“Okay,” I said and took several deep breaths before I spoke again. “Jeremy asked me to the holiday dance.” I squealed like he had asked me to marry him. I imagined Lauren had pulled the phone away from her ear to prevent her eardrum from bursting.

“That was sudden. How did it happen?” Lauren asked once I calmed myself down.

“It was so romantic. He walked me home and asked me if I was going to the dance. I gave him a big hint by saying that I was waiting for the right guy to ask me. He picked up on it and asked me,” I said, feeling as weightless as a snowflake.

“That’s wonderful,” Lauren said.

“Wait, there is more. Girl, I asked if we would be going as friends or if we would be going as a couple.”

“Oh, my God! What did he say?” Lauren screeched. I could tell that she was sitting on the edge of her seat in anticipation, waiting for my response.

“We stopped walking, looked at each other, and then he asked me to be his girl,” I squealed.

“Are you for real?” she asked.

“Yes. And it was such a romantic moment. He kissed me and it was perfect,” I said.

“So you guys are official now?” Lauren asked.

“Yes.”

“Cool. You should update your relationship status,” Lauren suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” I agreed with her.

“So what are you going to wear to the holiday dance? It’s only two weeks away,” Lauren said.

“I have no idea, but I’ll figure something out,” I said confidently. Before Lauren could say another word, I was notified that I had an incoming call. “Hey, Lauren, let me call you back. I have Jeremy on the other line.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later,” she said and hung up. I clicked over and answered Jeremy’s call.

“Hey,” he greeted me.

“Hey to you, too,” I said, shaking hair out of my eyes and feeling butterflies prancing in my tummy.

“My older brother and his girlfriend are going ice-skating downtown at Millennium Park tomorrow evening. He told me that if I had a date he’d let me tag along with him. So, I was wondering if you’d like to go.”

“Um. I’d have to ask my parents, but I’m sure they would be okay with it,” I said, peeling back the bedcovers.

“Good. We can pick you up around six o’clock,” Jeremy said.

“Wait. I don’t have any ice skates and I don’t know how to do it. Do you know how to ice-skate?” I asked nervously while I took off my earrings and placed them in the jewelry box on my dresser.

“Yes. I know how to ice-skate. My brother taught me how. He used to play hockey and his girlfriend is a figure skater.”

“Wait. How old is your brother now? I vaguely remember him going away to college when we were in eighth grade.” I opened up my drawer and removed a pair of purple pajamas.

“He just turned twenty-one and he’s a senior at the University of Colorado,” Jeremy explained.

“So, are you going to teach me how to skate?” I asked.

“I’m going to try.”

“You can’t let me fall. I hate falling on my butt,” I said. I exited my bedroom and walked down the hall to the bathroom so that I could take a shower. I was thankful that no one was in there. I turned on the shower to give the water time to warm up and drew the shower curtain closed so that water wouldn’t spill on the floor. Realizing that I had left my house slippers in my bedroom, I walked back to retrieve them.

“I’ll hold on to you.”

“You have to promise to hold me close,” I said, recalling the scent of his cologne from the night of the school holiday concert.

“I will,” he agreed. We talked for a little while longer before saying good-night. Once I ended my call with him, I went back to the bathroom and took a shower and prepared for bed. When I was done I came back to my room, rested on my back and smiled. I looked forward to cherishing every moment with him.

The following evening we arrived at the ice rink. It was located on Michigan Avenue in the heart of downtown Chicago. The trees along the sidewalk near the oval ice rink were decorated with white Christmas lights. Skaters were leisurely gliding around the rink. There were couples holding hands and parents teaching toddlers how to keep their balance. Holiday music was being played and I suddenly felt the spirit of Christmas fill my heart as I sang the words to “This Christmas.” We went inside the ice-skating facility and rented skates and then sat down to put them on. Jeremy’s brother and his girlfriend were eager to get out on the ice and raced ahead of us.

“Are you ready to do this?” Jeremy asked.

“Yes,” I said as I stood up and nearly fell flat on my butt.

“Take your time,” Jeremy coached me as I stepped onto the ice and held on to the rail. I felt as if I was going to twist my ankle because I had trouble balancing.

“I will because I have no idea what I’m doing,” I said, struggling to stay upright.

“Look at me.” Jeremy positioned himself in front of me. “You have to trust me, okay?”

“In this situation, that is easier said than done, but okay,” I said and continued to clutch the railing.

“Stand still and get your balance,” Jeremy said. I looked down at my feet and tried to do as he said.

“Don’t look at your feet. Look at me.” He tilted my chin up so that I would focus on him. I looked into Jeremy’s eyes and read how they promised to take care of me and not allow me to fall.

“Breathe and relax,” he said. I followed his instructions and focused on him. I briefly looked at the more advanced skaters as they whooshed by.

“They make this look so easy,” I mumbled.

“It is once you get the hang of it.” Jeremy reached for my free hand, the one that wasn’t clawing the rail. “Now give me your other hand.”

“I’m not ready, Jeremy. I’m going to fall,” I said, filled with fear and dread.

“No, you’re not. I have you,” he assured me. I reluctantly gave him my other hand.

“Oh, my God,” I said as I wobbled.

“Breathe,” he reminded me again.

“Okay,” I said as I inhaled and exhaled a few times.

“Good. See. You’re standing,” he said. I laughed cautiously as I squeezed his hands. I was holding on to him so tightly that I thought for sure I’d crush his fingers into a fine powder.

“Okay. Just stand like that,” Jeremy said, and the next thing I knew we were moving, albeit slowly, as a feather floating on air.

“Oh, my God!” I wanted to scream but instead I closed my eyes. Jeremy seemed to love the idea that I was totally green at this and got a kick out of having to teach me.

“Open your eyes or you’ll miss everything.” His voice sounded sweet but I was done listening to him for the moment.

“I’m afraid,” I admitted, feeling a bit foolish.

“Come on. Open them up,” he said as I could feel my legs wobbling and threatening to buckle. I slowly opened my eyes and realized that Jeremy was towing me along the edge of the rink at a very measured and unhurried pace. I mustered up the courage to gaze at the urban beauty surrounding us. The tall buildings and bright city lights were picturesque. I could hear Nat King Cole singing “The Christmas Song” in the background.

“You’re doing great,” Jeremy said. His encouraging tone brought back the memory of my dad cheering me on when I was first learning how to ride my bike without the training wheels.

“No, I’m not. You’re doing all of the work,” I said, hoping I would not inadvertently trip over my feet.

“You’re doing great because you have the courage to trust me,” he said.

“Uh-huh,” I said as I continued to look around.

“Anna,” Jeremy whispered.

“Yeah,” I answered, feeling panicky.

“Look at me,” he said. I turned my attention back to him. Jeremy leaned into me and kissed me tenderly. Time always seemed to slow down just a little when he kissed me. That was a feeling that I hoped would never disappear.

“What are you doing to me?” I whispered softly.

“Trying to be a good boyfriend,” he said as we slowed down.

“You are the perfect boyfriend for me,” I said as he reached out and drew me closer and hugged me.

* * *

The following weekend Lauren and I hitched a ride to the Orland Square Mall with her mom and her aunt. We were both excited about spending the day shopping for dresses and accessories for the holiday dance. When we arrived at the mall it was difficult to find a parking space because, judging by the amount of cars already there, the mall was packed with holiday shoppers. After circling around for fifteen minutes, a spot opened up. We all exited the vehicle and headed toward the mall entrance. Once inside, we merged with a slow but steady movement of shoppers. Grandmothers had taken over the sitting areas and were placed in charge of keeping an eye on the shopping bags while the rest of their families continued on. Young mothers were pushing wailing babies who were strapped tightly in their strollers or dealing with random temper tantrums of toddlers who couldn’t get a toy that they wanted.

Lauren’s mother told us to check in often and keep in touch through texting and phone calls. Lauren gave her mom and aunt a hug and I did the same. Afterward, Lauren and I maneuvered our way through the throngs of holiday shoppers. Soon we came across a gathering of people standing outside of a music store. They were listening to a girl about our age singing “Jingle Bell Rock” on a karaoke machine. She had on brown snow boots, blue jeans and a red holiday sweater. She was very energetic and got the crowd to clap and sing along with her. Before we realized it, Lauren and I decided to be silly by spontaneously dancing to the music. This triggered a wave of excitement and caused little kids and their parents to get in on the fun. That was one of the things I loved about Lauren: she was a blast to hang out with. We eventually laughed and giggled ourselves onward toward one of the department stores. We entered through the cosmetics area, where there were people sitting in chairs and allowing sales associates to apply makeup.

“I want to come back this way so that I can look at some makeup,” Lauren said.

“I’m cool with that.” We made our way over to the escalator and took it up several levels to the dress department.

“May I help you find something?” asked a sales associate as soon as she saw us.

“No, thanks. We’re just looking,” I said to her.

“Well, what are you looking for? Maybe I can help you find it.” She was determined to be helpful in some way.

“I’m not sure, but we’ll know it when we see it,” I said, hoping she would pick up the hint and move on.

“What do you think about this one?” Lauren had moved over to where the dresses were located while I was busy getting rid of the help.

“That’s cute,” I said as I touched the material. Lauren held the dress up to her body.

“Hmm,” I said.

“What? Be honest,” Lauren insisted.

“I’m not too crazy about the color.” I raised my eyebrow and twisted my mouth a bit to indicate that the shade just wasn’t right for her.

Lauren and I moved on to several other smaller stores. Eventually we ended up at another large department store that had a selection of dresses that suited both our tastes. I let Lauren try on her dress first while I waited. She had picked out a red velvet scoop neck and draped flowing skirt that fastened at the waist with a black patent belt. When she emerged from the fitting-room stall, I was there to scrutinize how the dress fit and looked.

“That looks so hot on you,” I complimented her. “Turn around so I can see the back.” Lauren turned and looked over her shoulder at me to gauge my reaction. I smiled.

“Do you really think it’s nice?” she asked again.

“Yes. You look perfect,” I said.

“So you think I should get it?” she asked.

“You would be crazy not to.”

“I’ll have to find some shoes and earrings to go with it,” she said.

“I know the perfect place we can go,” I responded, thinking of one of my favorite shoe stores that was on the other side of the mall.

“Go try your dress on. I’ll wait out here for you,” Lauren said. I took my dress into the fitting room. I had picked out a classic A-line sheath dress. If it fit well I planned to purchase a silver heart locket and some silver star earrings that dangled. I would also need to double back and get the red high-heel pumps with the silver bows adorning the heels that we saw at another store.

When I stepped out of the fitting-room stall in my dress, I caught Lauren’s attention. When our eyes met I could tell something was wrong right away.

“Does the dress really look bad on me?” I asked, feeling self-conscious. Lauren walked closer to me, looped her arm through mine and pulled me away from the fitting-room stalls into another area where the mirrors were.

“What’s going on?” I demanded to know.

“Shh.” Lauren quieted me. Once we reached a safe distance she began to speak softly.

“Anna, Bernita is here, trying on dresses,” Lauren said.

“What? Where?” I asked, taking a quick look around.

“She’s in one of the stalls. She’s here with that girl over there.” Lauren nodded her head in the direction of a girl with luminous eyes and pale skin. I didn’t know the girl personally but saw her often around school.

“Bernita is looking at the same dress that you have on,” Lauren said.

“Geez, of all the stores she could be shopping in, why did she have to come to this one?” I wasn’t expecting Lauren to answer that question. It was just a thought that had run across my mind and rushed out of my mouth.

“Well, I just wanted to let you know,” Lauren said.

“Thanks and I’m glad you did. How do I look?” I asked.

“I think you look great.” Lauren smiled.

“Come on, let’s move back closer to the fitting-room stalls. We left our purses in there and I wouldn’t want someone shady like Bernita to see an opportunity and run with it.” We headed back toward that area and then stood in front of a large trifold mirror that allowed us both to look at ourselves from various angles.

“Do you think it’s too formfitting?” I asked Lauren as I tugged on the dress, concerned that it was making my behind look bigger than necessary.

“Why are you looking for something to be wrong? That dress fits you perfectly and Jeremy’s eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you in it.” Lauren swept away a loose strand of my hair that was on my shoulder.

“Oh, no, you don’t have on that dress!” I looked in the mirror and saw Bernita.

“Yes, I do and I look fabulous in it.” I put my hand in the air for a high five from Lauren, who gladly gave it to me.

“You might as well put it back because you look fat in it. Your friend just doesn’t have the heart to tell you the truth.” Bernita’s low-as-a-cockroach personality emerged.

“Who invited you into our conversation?” I said, allowing a frown of annoyance to tug at the corners of my mouth.

“Seriously. Real talk. You don’t have enough cleavage up top to really rock that dress like I do.” Bernita made a gesture around her boobs like a hand model displaying a product.

“Why are you even over here by us? There is another mirror over there.” Lauren waved her hand dismissively.

Bernita scowled and looked at Lauren and me as if we were small. I could sense that Bernita was intent on getting in the last word. “You know, after seeing how ugly you look in the dress, I think I will put it back.” Bernita paused to gauge our reaction to her biting comment, but Lauren and I could not have cared less about the nasty remark she hurtled at us. Seeing that her words had no effect, Bernita flipped up her middle finger and thundered out of our area and back into the dressing-room stall.

“Ooh, I can’t stand that girl.” I felt contempt flowing through my bloodstream.

“She seems like a bratty version of Scrooge to me,” Lauren said.

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s about time that Scrooge receives a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.” I smirked and turned back to the mirror to look at myself again.

“Thanks for having my back,” I said.

“It was nothing. I know you’d do the same for me in a similar situation,” Lauren said. I stepped toward her and we embraced.

“So should I be on the fence about this dress?” I asked, pivoting from side to side and second-guessing myself about whether or not to make the purchase.

“Anna, you need to buy that dress so that you can rock it at the holiday party. If you don’t, I will choke you.” Lauren jokingly reached out with her hands positioned like two jaws ready to clamp around my neck like a vise.

“Okay, I’ll get the dress. There is no need for theatrics,” I said, chuckling, before returning to the dressing-room stall to change back into my street clothes.

eight

I was standing in the family room near the festooned fireplace with Maya, Viviana, Keysha, Wesley, Red and Misalo. We were all dressed impressively and posed for camera-phone pictures, which were instantly posted on Instagram and Facebook. I was waiting on Jeremy to be dropped off by his parents so that we could catch a ride with my cousin Viviana and her boyfriend, Red.

“I want a photo with just Maya and me,” said Viviana, who looped her arm around my older sister. They smiled and took a few selfie photos with their camera phones and then posed for my dad, who took a few more with his iPad. Viviana and I took a photo together and so did Keysha and Maya. My mom, who was blurry-eyed with happiness, asked all of the ladies to gather together so that she could take a photo with us. As the photo was being taken, I heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ll get it,” said Paul, who earlier had been complaining that he wished he could come with us. Paul escorted Jeremy into the family room, where everyone was waiting. Jeremy had purchased a white wrist corsage for me and he handed it to me the moment he saw me.

“It’s pretty,” I said as I opened the clear plastic container it was in. I easily slipped it onto my wrist. I held it up to my nose and inhaled the fresh scent.

“Smart move. You don’t have to worry about sticking her with a pin,” I heard Red say.

“Yeah. It’s definitely easier this way,” Jeremy agreed.

“Take a picture with Anna, Jeremy.” My mother came over and moved him next to me. He threaded his fingers together in front of him and tried to look relaxed. I could tell by the way he stood like a soldier on guard that he was doing his best to appear trustworthy and responsible in front of my parents. Once the photo was taken, I leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear.

“Relax—you’re not about to be court-marshaled.”

“Do I look uncomfortable?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah, you look stiff like some cartoon character has blasted you with a freeze gun,” I said and poked his side. Jeremy flinched but only loosened up slightly by standing with his hands at his sides.

“Oh, they’re so precious.” My mother got a little emotional, which was embarrassing.

“We’d better go. The dance began a half hour ago,” said Keysha. We all headed for the door and from there got into cars and headed to our destination.

The high school gym was decked out with holiday decorations. There was an artificial Christmas tree in one corner and giant empty gift-wrapped boxes in another. There were snowflake and snowman cutouts pasted on the walls, and the fragrant scent of pine filled the air. There was a makeshift stage in the center of the gym for the DJ, and a sizable strobe light and a multicolored disco ball that spun around casting various shapes and colors on the walls and ceiling hung from above.

“This is so cool,” Jeremy said as he began to pop his fingers to the music.

“Now you loosen up,” I teased him.

“Just a little bit,” he said and maneuvered around my body like a trained dancer.

“Do you like this song?” I asked, thinking that he wanted to dance.

“It’s cool,” he said, but instead of leading me out to the dance area, he led me toward the back wall, where there were round tables draped with red-and-green tablecloths and chairs. As we moved toward the tables, we came across Lauren and her boyfriend, Sheldon.

“Oh, my God! You look so awesome.” Lauren spoke purposely in my ear as she leaned in and gave me a hug.

“No, girl, you’re the one who is looking fabulous,” I said.

“Hey, Sheldon,” I said before giving him a hug.

“What’s up, girl?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Oh, Sheldon, do you know Jeremy?”

“I’ve seen you around,” Jeremy said as he offered up a handshake. The two of them shook hands and then Jeremy hooked his arm around my waist. At that moment Allison and her friends came over to where we were standing.

“Hi, guys,” she said. We all greeted her with cheerful smiles.

“Merry Christmas,” I said to her.

“Merry Christmas to you, too. You guys know why I’m over here, right?” Allison asked.

“We see you have your iPad with you,” Lauren answered.

“Absolutely. Have you guys ever watched any of my videos?” Allison asked.

“I’ve watched them and you have some funny episodes. I really like the one where you and your grandmother did a video together,” I said.

Allison laughed loudly. “Oh, yeah. I got my seventy-year-old grandmother to lip-synch a song and dance around with me while my dad shot the video.”

“It was really cool to watch you guys dancing around your backyard. Your grandma actually has some smoking moves,” I said.

“When she was younger she was a professional dancer and taught dance for years at several performing-arts schools,” Allison said with pride.

“It sounds like you guys have a blast together,” I said.

“We do. Anyway, I wanted to let you guys know that I’m doing a Christmas video blog and I’m asking couples here at the dance a few questions about what the holidays mean to them and wanted to know if you guys would like to participate.”

“Yes, girl,” I said as I pulled Jeremy closer to me.

“Great,” Allison said, holding up her iPad to record. She asked us to talk about what Christmas meant to us and what our family holiday traditions were. We answered the questions and afterward Allison thanked us and moved on.

I heard a song that I really wanted to dance to, so I pulled Jeremy out onto the dance floor. We found a spot and I got lost in the music. Jeremy danced rhythmically and I moved right along with him, making sure that he noticed the look in my eyes and how connected to him I felt.

“You are so much fun,” he said as we danced together.

“Of course I am. I’m not boring.” I spoke loud enough for him to hear me over the music. When that song ended, the DJ put on a romantic slow song. It was Christina Aguilera singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Jeremy raked his fingers through his hair before he pulled me in close to him. I fit easily into his embrace and rested my cheek against his and stroked the back of his head.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” he whispered as we swayed back and forth.

“I am so happy that you picked me,” I said as I sang a line from the song. I didn’t have time to breathe, think or blink before Jeremy placed my cheeks in his hands and began kissing me. His supple lips sent electricity through every part of my body and I felt my legs threatening to buckle. He must’ve sensed it because he held on to me tighter. I sighed as my mouth opened a bit, and the kiss deepened. I completely surrendered to him and lost myself in the moment. I couldn’t think of anything except the taste of his lips and the warmth of his body. We slowly turned and rocked side to side in a small space. He took a moment to pull away from the kiss. He looked so deeply into my eyes that I trembled.

“You look so pretty,” he whispered and drew me close again. I closed my eyes and allowed the magic of his words to dance around in my mind.

“Every time I hear this song I’m going to think of you,” I whispered. This time, I pulled back and looked at him. I noticed how smooth his lips were and how his eyes flashed at me. It made me hunger for another kiss, but instead of moving in for another one, I bit my lip and tried to contain the swell of butterflies that were fluttering around deep inside of me. Trying to control such strong emotions was impossible and I stopped fooling myself. I closed my eyes, kissed him again and allowed myself to feel the strength of his hug.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Bernita boldly stood next to us and poked Jeremy on the shoulder. Flames quickly ignited in my eyes and I felt a surge of contempt swell in my heart. I looked into her eyes as if she’d just stepped on my foot with her high-heeled shoe.

“Excuse you,” I snapped, clutching on to Jeremy tighter. There was no way that I was about to let him go.

“Jeremy, we need to talk,” Bernita said as if there was some urgent matter she needed him to attend to. That was when I noticed it. Bernita had the audacity to purchase the exact same dress that I had. This chick has copied my style and wants to step into my shoes. I heard a thought come from somewhere deep within me.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you. We’re a couple now and I’m not going anywhere, so you need to respect that and move on.” I shooed her away like a snotty-nosed brat. I positioned myself so that my back was to her and tried to recapture the euphoric moment that had been stolen from me.

“Seriously, Anna.” Bernita smacked her lips as if I had wronged her.

“Bernita, I don’t have time for you.” Jeremy finally spoke up, which made me happy that he had finally put her in her place.

“See, he doesn’t want to talk to you.” I turned around and directly faced Bernita. I was ready to take off my shoes and remove my earrings and handle my business if she wanted to go there. Jeremy stood behind me with his hands resting on my hips. I could feel him tugging me closer to him.

“Are you really sure that you want bones, Jeremy, when you can have something that’s more filling?” Bernita asked as she jutted her cleavage in his direction. Anger struck me like a thunderbolt and I began removing my star-shaped earrings.

“I know I don’t want a control freak who stalks me.” Jeremy’s words rumbled like a shotgun blast, but Bernita fired back angry words of her own.

“Oh, so she’s got your nose open like that?” Bernita looked past me as if I were invisible. I popped my fingers in front of her nose and caught her attention.

“Excuse you! Can’t you see that he has better things to do than talk to you? I’m going to tell you one time and one time only. You’re not me and you never will be no matter how much you try to duplicate my style. I’m an original, and a substitute like you will never be good enough. He doesn’t want you. He chose me, so go bother someone else before you get dealt with.” I waited, prepared to go to whatever level Bernita wanted to take things to. Bernita’s girlfriend appeared from somewhere in the crowd and began to push her away from me.

“Come on, a teacher is coming. She’s not worth it, Bernita,” her friend said as she pushed Bernita farther and farther away. I was thankful that nothing serious had happened because I really didn’t relish the idea of ruining my holiday spirit by getting into a shouting match or fistfight at a Christmas party.

nine

Paul, Maya, Viviana and I were in the family room watching reruns of a reality television show called Fear Factor. It was a show where people did outrageous stunts that were designed and supervised by professionals. We all liked it because we got a charge out of watching people who boasted about being tough and unshakable wail like the siren on an emergency vehicle or puke when they were asked to eat something really gross, like live scorpions. We had just watched a lady who had tried to eat African cave-dwelling spiders. The spiders were brown, had long legs and tiny claws. They were on a table and scurried around in search of someplace to hide.

“Eww,” said Maya, who cringed at the sight of the insects rushing around. “Oh, God! I would never eat a spider for any amount of money.”

“I would,” Paul said, who didn’t seem to be bothered by the grotesque spiders.

“What about you, Viviana?” he asked.

“Oh, no, I’m with Maya on this one. I couldn’t do it. What about you, Anna?” she asked me.

“If my life depended on me eating one, I would,” I calmly answered.

“Really?” Viviana was surprised by my answer.

“I guess,” I said as I watched one of the contestants, a female, pick up one of the spiders by its hind legs.

“Oh, God,” Maya said as she covered her face with her hands. She tried not to look, but curiosity got the better of her. The contestant pinched her nose just before she bit into the insect.

“Eww.” Viviana cringed, then began sweeping her hands over her arms as if something creepy or slimy had just crawled on her.

“Paul, would you kiss a girl who ate spiders?” I asked.

“No. Eating spiders is right up there with eating boogers, in my book,” he said, then flinched as another contestant ate one of the spiders.

The next challenge involved snakes. The contestants had to agree to be strapped to the inside of a coffin while two dozen snakes were poured over them. They had to sit still for three minutes. If they freaked out they would lose their chance at the prize money.

“Now, that is something that I would refuse to do. I don’t like snakes,” Maya said. One of the contestants, a guy, got inside the coffin, wearing goggles. Once he was strapped in, he told everyone he was ready. A man came out with a black bucket filled with snakes and dumped them on the face of the guy in the coffin.

“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Viviana squealed, who was sitting on the sofa with her legs tucked under her.

“Geez, Maya! There is a spider on your shoulder!” Paul, who sat next to Maya and liked to pull pranks, lightly touched the back of Maya’s neck with his fingertips. Maya leaped up, slapped the back of her neck and screamed. Paul began laughing hysterically.

“That’s not funny, Paul.” Maya flung one of the sofa pillows at him. Viviana and I got a good laugh out of Paul’s prank, but warned him not to pull one on us because we’d beat him down together.

The television program ended and Paul went upstairs to grab something to eat. Maya, Viviana and I continued to watch television. An automobile holiday commercial came on and reminded me that I still had shopping to do and time was running out. I knew what I was getting Maya and Viviana. Maya was into music, so I planned on getting her an iTunes gift card. Viviana was into clothes, so I had plans to get her a nice sweater. I knew that a gift card to Paul’s favorite sporting-goods store would satisfy him, and my parents’ gift would be coming from all of us. We’d decided to purchase them theater tickets to go see a play at the Goodman Theatre. I knew that Lauren wanted a pair of red, heart-shaped earrings from LuLu’s. The only person left on my list was Jeremy, and I had no idea what I was going to get for him.

“Viviana,” I said.

“Yeah,” she answered while clicking through channels with the remote.

“What are you buying Red for Christmas?”

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.