Today was the last day of the year before Christmas, and then we'd go back after the Winter holidays.
Last night, I dragged Mom to the mall to buy Christmas presents. I didn't normally buy people presents at Christmas, because of the low amount of money we had, but I really wanted to give Angie a present - just for this year.
She was my best friend, and I wanted to buy my best friend a present at Christmas - I did feel guilty not getting anyone else a present, but I could give it to Angie discreetly without anyone knowing, and that was my plan.
"Ange!" I shouted, running up to her in the hallway.
"Oh, hey, Marls," she smiled before looking back at her locker and organising her two books to make sure they couldn't fall.
"I got you a Christmas present," I smiled, fishing through my bag.
"Didn't you say you didn't have a lot of money?" Angie asked, closing her locker and leaning against it.
"One time thing," I laughed, pulling out the large box I'd wrapped in gold last night. I handed it to her and she flipped it in her hands for a little. "Just open it before I rip it open for you." I told her. She laughed and took off the gold paper carefully. "Look, it's not much at all, but... I hope you like it." I told her, shaking my head.
"Holy crap, Marley," she laughed, holding up the box. "Pink Star by Kylie? That is totally expensive."
"It was on sale." I whispered.
"Still, even if it is on sale, it'd still be at least sixty dollars. Marley, you spent too much money." Angie said, shaking her head again and giving me a sad look.
"Take it and enjoy the God damn perfume." I smiled, pushing it towards her and walking away.
"Wait!" Angie shouted, grabbing my wrist and turning me around. "I got you something, too, Mar." She began digging through her bag like me, and it took a while before Angie pulled her hand out of her bag, revealing a thick pile of money.
She handed it to me, and I quickly counted the money with wide eyes. 20...40...60...80. "No," I laughed, pushing it to her.
"Why the hell not?" She shouted, cradling her perfume closely to her.
"I can't take eighty-freaking-dollars from you!" I shouted to her, people passing in the hallways giving us both strange looks like we were from another planet - I used to mind those looks, I didn't so much any more.
"It's my present to you." She grinned before turning on her heel and walking away from me.
I sighed, pulling my bag off my back and stuffing the money in the secret compartment. I knew I'd never return the money to her now. She was far too stubborn.
***
When I walked into Glee club that afternoon, everyone seemed so pumped and happy. I guess everyone was excited for sleeping in for the entire holidays without interruption.
I sat down at the front next to Jake and Angie who were talking with their faces far too close - and it really made me think that they were dating secretly and I had no idea whatsoever.
But then it reminded me of how Ryder and I used to talk - our faces were always nearly touching, but now they were miles away, and I hated the distance.
"Guys," Mr. Schue smiled, walking into the room. "I'm not going to keep you long, because I know you're all dying to get home-"
"Oh, god, yes!" Kitty shouted, clapping her hands together.
"Well, I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a fun holiday." There was a silence for a moment. "You can go."
Everyone leaped up and left the room, but I stayed put for a moment with Jake by my side. "See you on Christmas Eve, Jake," I smiled, giving him a hug.
"Yeah, and remember..." He pulled away and smiled. "Have the best Christmas ever."
I nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye,"
"Bye, Marls." He left the choir room, only leaving me, Mr. Schue and Finn standing alone in the choir room.
Mr. Schue told me to have a great Christmas before escaping to his office. I smiled and went over to Finn. "Thanks, for helping me with everything." I smiled up at him.
"It's cool." He shrugged at me and began picking up the papers scattered on the piano.
"Are you going to visit Rachel these holidays? I've heard you are back together." I smiled, standing on the other side of the piano and watching Finn carefully. I really liked being friends with Finn because he was just so nice.
"We're back together, but I'm not going to visit her. I'm just going to stay home and eat macaroni - and I'm going to try not to burn it. I also think Kurt might be coming down so we're going to have a family dinner maybe." Finn laughed with a small smile.
"Bye, have a nice Christmas." I smiled, walking out of the room.
I had to stop by my locker to pick up some things, but after that, I could go straight home and relish my short winter break - full of sleeping in and not having to face the cold.
As I got up to my locker, a red rose was taped there with a note:
Marley Rose,
Merry Christmas
Travis xx
I sighed and pulled the rose off, looking at the tag. I bit my lip, debating on whether to keep it or not. I did, just sliding it in my hand as I unlocked my locker and pulled out the things I wanted to take home.
I shut my locker and made my way out of the school, staring at the rose as I left - what did he want from me?
***
All I'd done for the first couple of days of the holidays was sleep. Or listen to music, but I was being lazy. I totally deserved to be this lazy, though. I'd gotten up early a lot, so I totally deserved to sleep in.
It was Christmas eve, and Mom wouldn't stop talking about a present she'd gotten me, but she would not give me any clues as to what it was!
I was in my room, rushing to get ready; Jake said he'd pick me up soon and drop me off at his, then the others would come about thirty minutes later. It was an hour until Jake was going to come and get me, but I had no idea what to wear; I shouldn't need to impress anyone, but I just wanted to. I wanted to make a statement tonight in front of Jake's Mom.
I stood in front of my cupboard for a while before pulling on a pair of jeans and a jumper that Mom had bought me a while ago - it was light and fluro lime green. I put on my boots and beanie, holding onto my large, warm jacket in my hands.
While I waited, I combed my hair and sent Ryder a text:
Me: Weird Christmas eve dinner now? Lol. About to go to Jake's house to part-ay. Enjoy dinner xx Love you.
I smiled and threw it in my pocket, looking around my room. I quickly got bored of looking around and looked at the clock; almost seven. He'd be here soon.
I walked out of my room and to Mom in the lounge room. "Hi," I grinned, sitting next to her on the couch.
"Hey, Marley. Is Jake going to come pick you up soon?" She asked, folding up some of my clothes.
"Yeah, just waiting for him now... " I laughed before the doorbell rang around the house. "That is my ride." I stood up and opened the door.
There stood Jake with his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Marley." He smiled before stepping into the house a bit. "Hey, Miss Rose."
"Hi, Jake." Mom smiled.
"You ready to go?" Jake asked. I nodded as someone honked a horn outside.
"Hurry up!" I heard Angie shout from outside, in the car.
"Angie's in the car, if you hadn't guessed." He said, pointing to the door. I nodded. "Um, we'll get going." Jake smiled, waving goodbye to Mom.
I trotted down the steps and ran into Jake's car, almost freezing to death. "How come you get the front seat?" I asked her.
"Because," she smiled, looking back at me.
"I'm older than you." I argued.
"I called shotgun before you got in."
"Girls, this is a no fighting zone. This car a privilege, not a right," Jake said, coming into the car. He put on his seatbelt and drove before stopping in the middle of the empty road. "Forgot to remind you, Marley; left side... there's a stain from...er... me having a sex life." Jake told me, nodding his head..
"Ew!" I shouted, standing up as best as I could in the car and hitting my head against the roof.
Jake laughed and went back to driving. "Kidding!" He shouted. I slapped him lightly from behind his seat.
"That was funny," Angie told him in a whisper.
I rolled my eyes at both of them as they continued to talk while we drove back to Jake's house. I was hoping I'd see them kiss tonight, but they probably wouldn't in front of me or anyone.
Once we had stopped, Jake got out of the car first and helped Angie out, before getting me out of the back of the car. "Thanks," I smiled. He led us to his doorstep and opened the door.
“Mom, I got two of my friends.” He shouted, welcoming us into his home. He pushed us through the front door and into the kitchen, where his Mom was standing. “Angie and Marley,” He grinned, grabbing two glasses from one of the cupboards.
“Oh, Angie’s the one you were saying you had a-“
“Mom!” Jake shouted, standing up. Angie kept her smile on her face, but I was just plain confused. Why could she still smile, even though is Mom had made an assumption about something.
Jake led us to the next room along, which was visible from the kitchen. He told us to sit on the green couches and make ourselves comfy. We did so, settling our feet on the wooden table in front of us, where the book he was reading lay - Misery by Stephen King. “This is a nice house.” Angie said, looking around. I turned around and spotted a Christmas tree standing behind the sofa.
I gasped and stood up, running to look at it. “Mom and I don’t have a tree.” I whispered, walking around the tree and admiring the flashing lights. “I love this tree! It’s tall too.” I laughed, holding an ornament of a shoe in one hand.
“Oh, yeah, the tree.” Jake smiled, entering the lounge room. “It took me a while to convince Mom to let us buy it; we’ve had this tree for years.” Jake put two glasses of Fanta on the table and came up to me. Angie followed him like a lost puppy and watched him as he explained every ornament that hung on the tree. "This one,” Jake picked up the shoe I was looking at before. “I bought it for Mom when I was eight because Mom had a thing for red heels, so I thought this’d be just as good."
Before long, the doorbell rang and everyone from this year’s Glee club, including Sam and Brittany came through the door. “Hi,” we all greeted each other with hugs before everyone of us sat down on the couches.
Angie, Jake and I were all on the one facing the TV, Brittany was sitting on Sam’s lap on the other couch, while Fat Amy sat there with Joe. Kitty, Sugar and Travis were all sitting on the floor.
“You know, this is going to be the best Christmas party ever!” Jake shouted at all of us in the room.
“You said dinner?” Fat Amy said.
“Oh, yeah, change of plans; Breadstix was fully booked.” Jake sighed, sitting back and putting his arm on the back of the sofa, around the back of Angie's head. I gave him a shifty look - could they really be dating? “Do we need music?” He asked us all.
“Yeah!” Everyone exclaimed. I clapped and pulled my phone out of my pocket, turning it on and putting it on the table.
It began by playing I Only Have Eyes For You, because I put it in my Ryder playlist - along with Holy Ground, Everything Has Changed and Surrender.
“No way.” Kitty snapped, standing up and taking my phone. “We are not listening to this soppy playlist of shit songs you've probably had sex to.” She turned the screen on and groaned, realising I had a password. “I know it, actually.” She smirked, typing in something on my phone. “Got it; should’ve known it was ‘Ryder is sexy' without caps or spaces.” She began typing some more before Pound the Alarm began playing through the speaker on the bottom.
“Kids, I’m popping out for a bit,” Jake’s Mom said, walking to us. “No drinking or three-somes or six-somes. I’ll be back soon.” She grinned before leaving through the white door.
“Your Mom’s protective.” Travis said with an eye-roll.
“After the incident with Puck, she’s scared I’m going to do the same thing.” Jake sighed. Not many people actually knew what Puck had done now - because everyone was new, and the few of us who had heard the story did not feel like explaining.
"Anyway, let us part-ay!" Brittany shouted, putting her hand up.
***
"Thanks for tonight, Jake," I smiled, giving him a hug as he dropped me home. "It beats what I was going to do, by a lot." I laughed.
"Well, if I can't contact you tomorrow, Merry Christmas." He smiled, before leaving and jumping into his car with Angie in the passenger seat. I gave them both a wave.
I looked down at my phone with a sigh - it was only ten.
Mom was sitting in the lounge room, reading her book - These Broken Stars. "I'm going to get to bed." I smiled, giving her a kiss.
"First, did you enjoy tonight?" Mom asked.
I nodded. "It was a lot of fun,"
"Night, darl," she grinned.
"Night," I told her, walking to my room and getting in my PJ's and crawling into bed, thoughts of Ryder crowding my mind. I missed him, and tomorrow wasn't going to be a Christmas without my Lynn.
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