Dear Santa Claus - 14 Short Stories Until Christmas

12th December - Oh, Christmas Cookies! (1)

Mr. Jefferson shook his head. "You two" he lifts his head and faces the two students, sitting in front of him. Their faces and clothes were spraints with colors and ink. "Again." The headmaster got up and started to pace quickly up and down behind his chair.
"How many times have you been here now! How many times did we have to send you in detention because you two can't stop messing with each other!" 

'52 times', answered Kate in her mind to the principal, '53 if you are counting now as well' But she figured she'd get into more trouble if she answered Mr. Jefferson. Instead, she lowered her beanie, leaving another yellow color trace of her hands. Then she side- glanced Josh, who sat on the chair next to her. When he noticed her look, he grimaced. Mature like she was, she grimaced back.

"Cut it out, you two!", Mr. Jefferson yelled, forcing them to sit straight immediately. He must have noticed them. His eyes gleamed furiously at his students. Kate knew, this time they have really ripped his patience. She wouldn't have been in all this trouble if it wasn't because of Josh Hunter. He was always the reason why she got into trouble. Kate felt the rage pushing up her chest again. She took a few deep breaths and slowly felt the knot to fade away.
Mr. Jefferson had his hands on his hips. Thoughtfully, he watched them. Not Kate nor Josh dared to move. The headmaster's head dropped and moved slowly from side to side.

"I don't know what to do anymore. Kate", Kate jolt up straight. Alertly, she looked at him. "Your behavior disappoints me the most. One of our top students coming for regular visits now. I thought you'd know better than this." He continued while circling his finger in the air, pointing out all the paint on them. Josh chuckled next to her. Mr. Jefferson let out a sharp laugh.
"Don't get me started in you, Mr. Hunter!" Josh looked at him unimpressed, but then he leaned forward, folding his hands and rested them on the principal's desk.
"Mr. Jefferson", he started, his voice calm and mockingly. Kate clenched her jaw. "We all know how this will end. In Detention." A sly, but charming grin, appeared on his jock face. "So why don't we get to the point and we all can leave."
Mr. Jefferson stemmed his fist on the desk, leaning forward to Josh. "Because this time, Mr. Hunter", he said every word clearly "It doesn't end in detention."
A smile crossed Josh's face.

"The better." The brown-haired guy leaned back in his chair. Mr. Jefferson put his hands back on his hips. "This time, I'll assign you to charity work." Josh's smile dropped as quickly as it appeared.
"Our school is selling cookies at the local retirement home. Partly the money will go to the home, the rest will go to a youth-cancer hospital. I want you to bake cookies and spend some time together over the weekend. On Monday, you'd going to sell them and Tuesday morning, I want you to hand in an essay about the other, what you've learned about them and in which ways you appreciate each other. Questions?"

Kate and Josh instantly started to protest loudly. But Mr. Jefferson just smiled at them, content with his solution.
"Great!", he exclaimed, sitting down again. "Go back to your classes. I don't want to see any of you today anymore, got it?"
"Got it", Kate murmured. Josh groaned, grabbed his backpack and left the room. Kate waited for him until the door closed.
"Mr. Jefferson", she called him carefully. The principal looked up from his paperwork. "Is there another problem, Kate?"
'A problem?', how could she be content with Mr. Jefferson's punishment. Of course, she had a problem! Her weekend was her only days where she could escape Josh Hunter. He ruined that for her.

"I- I-", God, how much she hated it when she started to stammer again. "I was just wondering, if...if we rather could get detention... because," She thought carefully how to put her next words. But she didn't need to.
"Because you don't want to spend you weekend with Josh?" That's not how she would have phrased it, but it was exactly what she thought. Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Katie, please sit down.", Only her family called her that. She hated it when her uncle did it in school. They had an agreement that no one in school should know that there are related, so why would he use her nickname now? But Kate did as she was told. Her bag sagged to the floor, her shoulders were hanging down and her head was lowered.
"Listen.", her uncle said softly. With a sigh, she looked up. "You are graduating this year. Which means, that you are going to start working in a couple of years. And then you will have that one co-worker that just keeps getting on your nerves. But you have to work with him unless you want to lose your job. It's for your best intentions to learn in as soon as possible."