Dear Santa Claus - 14 Short Stories Until Christmas

17th December - Secret Santa (2)

As soon as the school bell rang, doors burst opened and in a few seconds, the halls were filled with students. Thea carried her books to her locker, while Hanna talked her ear off about some gay penguin parents. And even though Thea tried really hard to listen to her, her mind had been somewhere else.
It's been two days now since she discovered that Hudson worked together with Nicolas. She wondered why he didn't tell her anything. Nicolas knew about her feelings for Hudson. The way they had locked their eyes that day...It was brief but for Thea, that moment had felt like an eternity, a moment in which the world had seemed brighter. 

They stopped at her locker. Two lockers down from her stood Hudson. Thea watched him putting books in his bag pack. He didn't seem to see her. He closed his locker quietly and left. He didn't seem to notice her. Her heart sank a little.
"World to Thea, hello? Are you even listening?", Hanna waved in front her eyes. Thea took her eyes of Hudson and gave her friend a weak smile. Hanna followed from where her gaze came from.
"Oh, I see.", she uttered.
"It's weird that Nick hasn't mentioned anything about him being his co-worker, right?", Hanna asked her, but Thea just shrugged. She had asked herself the same question and couldn't find an answer. And when she tried talking to Nicolas about it, a queasy feeling arose in her, so she dropped it.
Thea put the numbers in her lock, it made a little buzz sound and her locker sprang open. She placed her books back in, but as she pulled out her hand, she noticed a little wooden box, wrapped in a red bow. She pulled it out and eyed it carefully.
"What is that?", Hanna asked, drawing her focus on that box. Thea pulled the strings of the bow and it opened in her hand. Then she flipped it open. She tilted her head.

"It's a musical box.", she replied. The texture felt smooth in her hand. Hanna gasped.
"It must be your Secret Santa gift!", she squeaked.
"How are the most beautiful girls of New York?" a third voice added. Thea felt how someone placed his arms around her shoulders. Thea didn't need to check who it was, the smell of his cologne gave him away anyway. Nicolas grinned at the girls. Then his eyes dropped to the box in Thea's hands. He pulled his arm of Thea.

"What's that?", he nodded towards the box.
"It's a musical box. I found it in my locker." Nicolas took it out of her hand. Then he turned it to upside down and winded it up. Thea's eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do.
"What are you doing?", she hissed at him.
"I want to know what song it is!" She snatched it out of his hands and closed the box. But she was too late. The melodies started playing.
"But not here! Everyone can hear it!"

"So what?" Thea jaw tightens, but she let it go. For a second she listened to the melody. It seemed awfully familiar. Thea flipped it open again. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"It's...It's from Always with me from Spirited Away...but how would anyone know that I like it?" Like it was an understatement. It was her favorite song. It was one of those songs that would give you a warm feeling and everything seemed fine and calm, even though the world was burning outside. 

Thea held the box in her hand, everything seemed to fade away and the only thing she could hear was the melody. All of sudden, this little box became so much of value. Something in her heart changed. Thea couldn't name it, but she knew that she'd become instantly attached to it.
"It's beautiful" ,she whispered breathless. It wasn't until the music stopped that she would hear the noises around her again.

"Who do you think is it from?", Nicolas inquired. Thea struggled to take her eyes off that box.
"I don't know. It must be someone who knows me well...or someone really considerate." She lifted her eyes, scanning the halls for someone. She didn't know whom for, but deep down she felt a hunch. Her eyes stay stuck on Nicolas. They kept eye contact for a second. Then she felt it.
"Hudson!", she cried out. Nicolas grimaced. "Wha- isn't that a little far stretched? "
"You really think so?", Hanna wanted to know. Thea nodded vehemently.
"It makes perfect sense! He is so shy, but you can tell that he notices everything that is happening around him. He is very observant. Hudson must have heard Nick and me talking the other day and his locker is like right next to mine. He must have seen how I entered my code. There is no other way. It is definitely Hudson...Oh my god", the realization hit her. She turned to Hanna, a frantic look in her eyes.

"It's from Hudson! What...What does that mean? Do you think he likes me back?" , Thea didn't want to place to much hope into that thought but she also knew that it was too late for that anyway.
Hanna shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It's possible."
The school bell rang but the three didn't move out of the way. Thea was too shaken by the thought Hudson might actually return her feelings. This little music box in her hand, meant so much more than just a Secret Santa gift. It was the beginning of her love story. A love story she had longed for so long. She took a deep breath, her chest filled with warmth. An overwhelming feeling came over her.
"What do I do now?"

"How about going to class?", Nicolas reckoned, with a slight annoyance in his undertone. Thea rolled her eyes. She looked at Hanna for help, but Hanna had something different in mind. She drew something imaginary in her hand. Little wrinkles appeared on her forehead.
"Coconut milk", she whispered quietly, " I need coconut milk!" Thea tilted her head and gave her friend a strange look. Then she smiled and let out a small giggle. She loved that her friend was so random at times, but it could get annoying sometimes.
"Yeah, let's go. We can discuss that later.", Thea said and nudged Hanna to come out of her daydream.

"Oh, I did it again, didn't I?" Thea placed her hand on Hanna's shoulder and gave her an empathetic nod.
"It's okay. We still love you." Hanna chuckled. Then Nicolas and Hanna went ahead. Thea put the wooden box carefully in her bag, then she caught up with them.
"We need to hurry. We are already late!", she urged her friend to move faster.