When Trouble Meets Trouble

[ C h a p t e r - T h i r t e e n ]

“Race you down the stairs!” he shouted and I glared at him. I walked to the bathroom and washed my face. I brushed my teeth and my hair and then put on some deodorant. Changing into some warm clothes, I walked downstairs.

I noticed that my mom already set up for the Christmas party although it was only 10 in the morning and the party wasn’t until 7 at night. My mom and dad were sitting on the couch. I ran over and hugged my dad. “You’re home!”

“Of course I am, darling. I promised that I’d be, didn’t I?” He asked, smiling down at me. I nodded before sitting on the couch between them. I felt like a kid again. My brother was already digging under the Christmas tree, splitting the gifts into four piles based on names. My mother has three gifts like my father while Jer and I had a few more.

“Open mine first!” Jeremiah told me as I dug through my gifts. I looked at the box where Jeremiah wrapped it in bright pink wrapping paper. How manly. I looked at him nervously. He looked at me with a serious expression on his face. “Open it or it’ll die.”

I quickly started unwrapping the gift in fear of it being an animal and knowing Jer, he’d forget to poke holes in the box and feed it. I smiled at the gift before I became confused. “Ice packs?”

“For when you blush around Jonah!” my brother grinned at me as if his gift was a great idea. I stared at him, horrified. Not only did he waste money on ice packs; he said that in front of my father!

“Who’s Jonah?” my father asked.

“He’s Jeremiah’s friend, you see,” I smiled nervously at my father and kicked Jeremiah in the process.

My father rolled his eyes but let it go. “Open my gift, Jeremiah,” I told him.

Recently Jeremiah has found out that he has an obsession with bow ties. He has a collection of them, including twelve already. He opened the small box and saw the bow tie I’d given him. He smiled at me. “I love it!” he exclaimed, throwing the empty box behind him. It hit a vase and my mother looked at Jer with a glare.

Merry Christmas from the Harp family. 

~~~

Opening gifts is tiring, I can tell you that. To me, it’s better when we're finished and enjoying Christmas breakfast. “What’s the theme of this year’s Christmas party?”

My mother stared at me for a moment before glaring at Jeremiah. He looked at the table. “You didn’t tell her?”

“Well, I forgot,” Jeremiah replied sheepishly as he glanced up.

“You were supposed to buy a gift for someone. We’re doing secret santa this year. He was supposed to give you an index card with someone’s name on it and you were supposed to buy them a gift," my mother explained.

I frowned and stared at Jeremiah. “Did you even get a gift for your secret santa?” my mother asked him.

“I barely know the girl!” he exclaimed.

“Who is she?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Since we both invited someone a bit later than we should have, mom thought I should get your friend a gift and you get mine one,” he told me as he soaked his pancakes in syrup.

“Who’d you invite?” I asked him cautiously. He smiled at me nervously.

“Who’d you invite?” he copied me. 

“I think you know who I invited!” I slammed my hands down on the table. “Seriously? I told you not to, Jer; it’s going to be awkward.” I still don’t know who kissed me and my brother is, inviting Jonah over willy-nilly.