Claira's POV
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"Alright. Who wants to exchange gifts first?" Isabelle asks, holding Hudson to refrain him from opening everybody elses gifts.
"I'll go!" Laken yells. He pulls out gifts that sit behind him and passes them to Tessa first, all of his brothers, his parents then me. Christmas shopping must e so expensive for him to have to get everyone presents every year- then again, I got his entire family presents too.
Tessa opens her gift, revealing a phone case, with pictures form tons of different occasions. Her eyes light up as she sees it, and again when she finds the earrings he got her. SHe hugs him, and he kisses her on the cheek, and then the boys start to open theirs.
When they're done, I open mine, finding a pair of softball cleats, and a UCLA sweatshirt as he knows it's who I want to play softball for.
I smiles, saying thanks and it turns out an endless cycle of this, passing gifts around until Jacob and I are the only ones left.
"I'm giving you your gift last becasue you won't want to give me mine after you get yours," he says.
"I'm not sure of that's a compliment or not?" He shakes his head at me, laghing, and I hand him his present, then walk off to get the bulletin board.
I walk back out and hand him the bulletin board so that he can't see it. He turns it around, and laughs, smiling so huge.
"Claira, this is amazing!" He turns it around to show everybody. It holds at least 20 pictures of us, 4 tickets for the next two LA Dodgers games, and one long letter to him, that has been left unopened for him to open later.
"You like it?"
"I really do, this is one of the best gifts ever."
"Excuse me, were the pack of socks I gave you not the best?" Laken asks, ruining the moment.
"Shut it." Jacob turns back towards me. "Here's your gift. Or more so a part of it."
I open the first, huge box only to the softball bat I've been wanting forever. Now that I can hopefully play softball if we figure out how to cover treatment, I gasp.
"Jacob. This is and Easton Ghost Advanced 2020 bat. It's expensive. I mean thank you, but like, you didn't pay a lot for it, did you?"
"Claira," my mom scolds.
"it doesn't matter if I did. You deserve it." I blush at his words.
"You're the best."
"I know. Now open the other gift.
I nod, smiling and grabbing the small gift box. As open I find a small piece of paper with letters written on it, and recognize it as a link to some sort of website.
The website URL reads: docs.google.com//akid7JowomJs82992
I give him a questioning look as does everyone else here.
Quickly dashing up the stairs, I grab my computer and bring it down, opening it and logging in. I type in the link and Jacob says nothing as I open the google doc.
When the doc loads in, all it hold is another link. And when I click in it, i'm redirected.
The it comes up with a screen.
A screen that reads: Congratulation! You have succeeded your goal of 104,000$ and have come up with 172,086$.
I drop the computer dumbstruck, luckily not breaking it.. No one else besides Jacob knows why I'm freaking out. Except Laken, I assume because eI see him grinning.
At some point in the moment I stand there, tears roll on my face. I turn to Jacob, and hug him as hard as I ever have, crying into his shirt.
He keeps the same warm smile as his arms continue to wrap around me, and I cry, happy tears rolling down my face. After a few minutes I step back and wipe my eyes with my sleeve, then take a deep breath.
Inhale
then
exhale.
"I love you," I mouth to him, and he does the same.
"Hate to ruin the moment, but would someone explain what just happened?" Lilia asks.
I shake my hands out redeeming myself and then nod, smiling. My eyes I assume are all red, as well as my entire face.
Hiccups erupt as I pick up the computer and attempt to read it. Eventually I give up and just say this:
"We have the," I hiccup causing a pause. "Money we need."
Everyone looks at me confused and Laken sighs.
"How little common sense do you guys have? Jacob raised all the money and more that she needs for her surgery."
My mom gasps, and is smiling brightly, dad furrows his eyebrows and goes pale, and my brother hoots.
"How did you do this?" I ask, in amusement and excitement, but still in nerves, as I debate whether I want to get the transplant.
I said before that I didn't mainly because of costs, but there are other reasons.
"A gofundme page. A little bit of advertising. Convincing Hollister- in which mom has a clothing line at- to put up posters for stores around the area. Same thing for dad. Working for some of the money."
"So you, of all people, did manual labor?"
"Yes?"
"Just for me?"
"Yes?"
"You really do love me?"
"I suppose." He smiles as he says this. "It was worth it. And we got more than we needed."
I nod.
This beats what I had saved up. I was working a job at Star-bucks and I got hardly anything for money. It was enough, but it was minimum wage.
Working 3 hours, 5 days a week, for 2 months.
1,200 dollars saved up.
I would have never reached my goal.
Then Ir ealize I forgot to say thank you.
"Thank you. For all of this. This is incredible Jacob. Really. You had to have worked so hard for this."
"It wasn't really too bad. I told you, it was worth it for you."
"Okay, can we get over this mushy-gushy shit so that y'all can open the last of your gifts. Liek seriously, we have a time limit. Breakfast is soon, I would assume, family is going to be here in a few minutes, and we need to eat," my dad gives me a glare, but I don't return, rather I cower in fear.
We open out gifts from our parents receiving good gifts, then clean up wrapping paper.
"Is there any way we can help with breakfast mom?" I ask.
"No y'all are good."
"Okay."
*********
Jacob's P.O.V.
*********
"Okay, Claira, wait. Before we watch the show, I have another present, I just didn't want to give it to you because their were tons of people."
SHe raises an eyebrow at me, and I smile, grabbing the slim pocket of paper.
"Here you go."
I hand it to her, and she lifts it, clearly confused. When she opens it she still seems frazzled after trying to figure out what it's for.
"A 3-bedroom apartment, down in LA."
She smiles, then frowns at the present.
"Are you paying for this?"
I nod. She slips the key back in the pocket of paper.
"Then I can't take it. Jacob, it sounds rude not to accept the gift- but money isn't a thing you can go around spending on me. You already [payed a lot of time and effort as well as money, for the treatment, your family already helped pay for the house. I know you payed almost 500 dollars for that softball bat. I can't accept this gift. I love you, but you can;t be spending money on me."
"Claira, I'm not doing this because I feel pity and think it's the nice thing to do. I'm not forcing myself to do this. I actually want to pay for this. This will keep you safe. He can't hurt you anymore," I answer, my voice starting to raise. "You have to take this. It doesn't cost that much, and it doesn't hurt us. We have more money than we need. My parents own clothing lines for god's sake. We're way wealthier than need be. SO please. Just take it."
"Jacob, I can't."
And I slams the key on the floor, leaving the room, slamming the door.
I see her lie on her bed.
And stare at the ceiling to her eyelids are too heavy to keep open.