A week later, all the Black Friday shopping madness had settled back down, school had started back up again, since Monday, to be exact, and Hannah's grandparents had safely arrived back home. Now, on a Saturday afternoon, Clay and his dad were busy going through some bins of Christmas lights. The father and son due had planned to get the outside of their house decorated today while Lainie worked a little to start getting the inside decorated. As the weather had gotten a little bit colder after Thanksgiving, Clay wore a pair or dark blue jeans, a buttoned up soft red and black plaid flannel shirt, a warm hoodie, and a pair of tennis shoes. Clay also sported his simple plain black beanie because of the semi winter-like wind that began to pick up just the slightest bit.
After spending some time checking all the strands of lights to make sure they worked, Matt briefly left to retrieve a ladder so that he and his son could easily get up on the roof to outline the edge of the rooftop with the christmas lights they had. When he came back, Matt set the ladder up so that it was leaning against the house. He and Clay then carefully climbed up the ladder with a few strands of whit Christmas lights, and the two worked together to begin lining the lights strand-by-strand along the edge of the roof and securing the lights in place. After a while, and after the roof was lined with lights, Clay and Matt then proceeded to line a strand or two of lights along the edge of the smaller section of roof that was above the window's that peered into Clay's upper level bedroom.
After the roof was finally done, Clay and Matt climbed down the ladder again and moved on to covering the small trees on either side of the porch steps with some multicolored Christmas lights, as well as the two bushes near the entrance gate. Taking turns, Matt and Clay passed the light strands to each other, wrapping the lights around the small tree-like bushes and moving up higher as they went. Once done with with covering the bushes with lights, Clay and Matt took a short break to step inside and warm up a little bit before heading back out into the cold weather again to finish their part in decorating the house.
Once Matt and Clay came back outside again to finish decorating the outside of the house, the father-son duo grabbed a few more stands of the multicolored lights, and they began lining the four windows with those lights. They first started with the three small rectangular windows on the right side of the house. Once done on that side, Clay and Matt moved to the larger window and worked together to line that window frame with the multicolored Christmas lights as well. Afterwards, Matt used a strand of white lights to run down the metal railings on the porch steps, and Clay took another strand of white lights to outline the front door. After finally being done with the light strands, Clay and Matt proceeded to line the small walkway with some decorative gingerbread men that lit up as well. As a finishing touch, a couple outdoor decorations were brought out. One was placed in the grass on the left side of the walkway. The decoration near the walkway was A reindeer pulling Santa in his sleigh, which was full of wrapped presents, and even a Christmas tree. The other outdoor decoration were six gigantic ornaments that were different colors with different patterns on them. Three of those giant ornaments were placed in the grass on one side of the porch steps, while the other three ornament decorations were placed on the other side of the steps.
Matt and Clay smiled at each other as they took a step back and admired all the work they had done together. "Now all that's left to do is the fun part." Matt exclaimed, reffering to waiting until dark to see what everything looked like when it was all lit up. Clay nodded his head in reply to his dad's statement. The 18-year-old couldn't wait until it got dark later, because he was already eager to see how good the ending result of their hard work looked. After packing up the small amount of light strands they didn't use, and after moving the boxes, bins, and ladder back to where they usually go, Clay and Matt headed back inside to the warm atmosphere of the now festive-looking Jensen home.
Once they got back inside, Clay glanced around the house, seeing all sorts of Christmas decorations already put up and making the house look really good, cheery, and festive. Looking behind him, Clay noticed how the front door was framed with some lit garland, and there was a lit wreath hanging on the front door as well. Turning and glancing around more, there was some lit garnand lining the stair railing, and there were also a few reindeer figurines placed throughout the decorated house. Now that Matt and Clay were free to help, and since Lainie had already taken time to move the furniture around a little, the Jensen family of three was all set to bring in their Christmas tree and get it decorated with lights and some colorful ornaments.
After Matt and Clay teamed up and got the tree set up in the den, the two adults and teenager worked together to wind a couple strands of multicolored lights around the tree that was about a foot or so taller than Clay. After the lights were placed around the tree, Clay helped his mother retrieve some ornament boxes, and soon the Jensen family began decorating their Christmas tree together as a family. Clay smiled to himself as the tree was slowly filling up with ornaments and even some candycanes here and there, which Clay would sneak one for himself every so often when it came to decorating the tree with the irresistible holiday sweet. Getting the house ready for the holidays had always been the 18-year-old's favorite part of the cold December season. Maybe it was something about doing it together, but Clay felt like decorating for the holidays somehow brought the family closer together. And even though Anthony was no longer with them, Clay still hung some of his little brother's ornaments on the tree every year, because seeing his younger sibling's ornaments there made it feel like Anthony was still there with him. Sure, it is fairly early to be putting up a Christmas tree, considering it's not even December yet. The Jensen family just wanted to have some time to enjoy having a tree up, as well as enjoy having their house decorated for the holidays, because Liberty High's Winter break begins December 17th, and Clay and his parents will be leaving for South Dakota the very next day, on the 18th.
After Clay helped decorate the tree for a while, he headed up to his room to get changed for his evening shift at the Crestmont theater. After he had changed into his work attire, the boy headed back downstairs, said goodbye to his parents, and headed out the door. The 18-year-old smiled and chuckled to himself as soon as he caught sight of his car. The Jensen boy's car had even been decorated for the holidays as a small wreath was securely attached to the front of his car. After a few seconds, Clay walked over and got into his car and started the engine. The boy then turned on the radio and scanned the stations. When he found what he was looking for, Clay turned the volume up a bit, filling the vehicle with the Christmas music that played on the holiday radio station. After he buckled his seatbelt, the Jensen boy proceeded to drive off and make his way down the familiar route that he always took to work.
Pulling into a parking space, Clay smiled to himself when he took notice of a certain black car, meaning that Hannah was already inside the theater. Turning off the engine, Clay got out of his car and locked it before heading inside, welcoming the warm feeling that the Crestmont Theater provided. The boy smiled when he glanced around, seeing a couple Christmas decorations around the lobby, and the festiveness only made it feel that much more like Christmas to the teenage Jensen boy.
"Hey, Helmet." Hannah greeted, smiling at her boyfriend as he walked over to join her behind the consessions counter. "Hey, Hannah." Clay greeted back, smiling his adorable smile at the girl. "I haven't seen you all day. What have you been up to?" The teen asked curiously. "Oh, I was just helping my parents around the house a bit. They wanted to get a head start with putting some decorations up around the house." The boy explained. Hannah smiled at his response. "I guess it never hurts to get a head start on the holidays, huh?" She commented with a bright smile, resulting in her boyfriend nodding his head in agreement, flashing a smile of his own in return as well.
After not having too many customers as it was later in the day, Clay found himself leaning against the counter, drawing on a napkin. "What are you doing over there, Picasso?" Hannah questioned curiously, using one of her rare nicknames for the 18-year-old boy. Clay smiled at the nickname she had called him before glancing over his shoulder at her. "Just drawing." He said simply before turning back to his work-in-progress. "What are you drawing?" Hannah asked, becoming even more intrigued as she slowly made her way over to him. After a few seconds, Clay felt a weight on his back, a pair of arms around his waist, and something resting against his right shoulder. The Jensen boy smiled brightly as he turned his head slightly to see Hannah now leaning against him as she looked down at the napkin he had been doodling on. "More bunnies, huh, Helmet?" The girl asked. Clay nodded his head as he looked back down at his artwork. "Yup. Only this time, they're Christmas edition." He said, referring to the Christmas hat one bunny was wearing, along with a candycane another bunny was holding, and the little Christmas scene that consisted of a roaring fireplace with stockings hung along the mantle, and a decorated Christmas tree. As Clay continued drawing again, Hannah enjoyed the moment the young couple shared as she lightly snuggled into his back more and felt the boy's free hand move to rest over hers as they were still wrapped around his waist.
After a few days, Clay left his last class for the day and headed straight for his locker to grab his belongings before excitedly leaving Liberty High to head over to the Mall. The Jensen boy had been eager all week to start his second job that he loved and enjoyed so much, and today was finally the day he began working at the Mall. Clay had not yet specifically told Hannah what he did at the Mall, because the girl had told him that she wanted to try to figure out for herself what his job was. The 18-year-old had easily agreed to the idea, because he imagined that his girlfriend would never be able to pinpoint him once he was in his work uniform, if you could even call it a work uniform.
Once at the Mall, Clay locked his car before heading inside the large building. Once he was inside, Clay headed to the main part of the Mall and went into a room that was labeled "staff only." Inside the room, Clay briefly talked to his boss for a few minutes, talking about work hours, and how he could only work up until the 17th of December. After his boss made notes of everything so he could keep track of the money Clay earned, the older man left and the Jensen boy quickly changed into his work attire before exiting the room.
As soon as Clay walked out of the room, he was almost instantly bombarded by a few young kids who couldn't be any older that 10-years-old. The youngest of the group of three kids was a girl who looked to be about 6-years-old. Clay crouched down to the youngest girl's hieght, and she smiled brightly before coming forward and hugging the Jensen boy tightly. Smiling to himself, Clay hugged the little girl back, the two staying in the embrase for a few seconds before the girl pulled away. "Mommy, can we get our picture taken with Rudolph? Can we? Can we?" The youngest girl asked her mother excitedly as she eagerly motioned to Clay who was wearing a mascot-like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer character costume. When Clay saw the children's mother glance at him questioningly, he simply nodded his head. Briefly giving him a grateful smile, the mother pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Sure, Sweetie." She said, answering her daughter's question. Clay stayed crouched down, shifting so he was kneeling now. The youngest girl moved to stand somewhat in front of him, while the other two kids stood on either side of him, all three with smiles on their faces. After the picture had been taken, the three kids ran over to their mother, turning back towards Clay and waving as they began walking away. Clay waved back to them, making the kids smile before turning towards their mother.
Making his way towards the area where Santa Clause was, Clay high-fived a few kids and teens that he passed along the way. He even got stopped by one young couple, and the two teens who stopped him just so happened to be Jessica and Alex. Clay smiled to himself as he heard Jessica excitedly yell the famous red-nosed reindeer's name before almost knocking him over in a strong hug that he hadn't anticipated. Stumbing back slightly from the girl's forceful hug, Clay returned the hug as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Clay smiled to himself as his two friends had no idea it was him dressed as a smiling Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
After the young couple asked him politely, Alex handed his phone to a passerby who agreed to take their picture. Alex and Jessica then got on either side of Rudolph, and Clay placed his arms around their shoulders. After the picture was taken, the two teens continued on their way, and Clay began walking again, making his way towards the area where Santa Clause was taking pictures with kids and asking them if they had been good this year and what they wanted for Christmas.
Once arriving to the right location, Clay smiled brightly to himself when he heard some kids cheer when they spotted him walking in their direction. Hearing the commotion, Santa glanced up and saw Rudolph walking over as well. Once Clay got closer to Santa, the jolly man in the red suit smiled. "Ho ho ho, well there's my trusty pal." He said, making kids cheer even more, if that was possible. After that, Clay moved to stand near Santa, and he and Mr. Clause began getting their picture taken with excited kids once again. During the short conversations before the photos were taken, Santa would ask his usual questions, but he would also ask kids who their favorite reindeer was. Some kids would not hesitate in saying a reindeer's name, whether it was Rudolph or not, but most kids hestantly said Rudolph was their favorite reindeer. When kids hesitated or looked shy, Clay would instantly put a smile on their faces by holding his gloved hand out, resulting in them excitedly giving him a hard high-five. After the high-fives, those kids would even go further to say that they would leave some carrots, along with Santa's cookies just for Rudolph for when he stopped by their house on the night of Christmas Eve.
After some time went by, Clay was leaving the Mall with a bright smile on his face that wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. Seeing the excited looks on kid's faces when they come to see Santa Clause and Rudolph is what makes the Jensen boy's day brighter every single time. Clay was also excited for an event that was soon to come. Before the boy had left for the night, his boss had informed him of the Mall sponsoring this holiday event that Liberty High would be having before school let out for the holidays, so he would definitely show up there, but he would be working instead of hanging out with friends, as he would show up as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Whether he would be working during the holiday festival or not, Clay was still excited about it, because he knew it would still be a bunch of fun.
As the Jensen boy still sat in his car in the Mall parking lot, he chuckle to himself as he decided to have a little fun. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he started a group text with Jessica and Alex. Smiling to himself, Clay typed up a question before pressing the send button. The question Clay had asked his two friends was "Did you two have fun at the Mall earlier?" As soon as the two instantaneously replied to his question, the boy couldn't help but laugh as his friends were confused at how he knew they had been at the mall together. Answering their questions with another question, Clay typed up his reply, "You remember how you ran into Rudolph?" After a few minutes, Jessica was the one to reply back first with "Yeah...?" Alex was soon to follow Jessica's reply with "That was you, wasn't it?" Clay chuckled to himself at Alex's question. Seeing the boy's response, Jessica became slightly embarrassed as she apologized for acting like a child when she saw Rudolph earlier. Clay slightly chuckled and brushed off the unnecessary apology before replying to his friends and telling them that it was indeed him before explaining more after they asked about why he had been dressed up as the famous red-nosed reindeer.
Once Clay got back home, he saw that his paremts were asleep on the couch. Not wanting to wake them up, the boy wrote up a small note and placed it on the small coffee table where they could easily see it. After placing his note down, Clay headed upstairs to his room to get started on his homework for school the next day. The boy knew that juggling two jobs would likely lead to more late nights with homework like this, but, in all honesty, the 18-year-old didn't mind the late nights at all. Staying up late to complete homework would definitely be worth dressing up as a reindeer and putting smiles on children's faces.
The next day, all Jessica could talk about during school was her older sister who was flying in to stay with her family for a while. The dark-skinned girl seemed really happy and excited to see her sister again, and she was especially thrilled to see her young nephew. After school let out, Jessica invided her friends to come with her to the airport to meet her older sister, Jackie Davis. So, after a decent drive, Clay, Hannah, and Alex found themselves entering the airport with their friend.
After a short 15 minute wait, Jessica began slightly bouncing in her place from the excitement when she saw people begin to get off the plane that had just landed. As soon as the dark-skinned girl spotted her sister, she excitedly walked over to her to greet her, soon followed by the others. Hannah smiled when she saw the two girls tightly embrace each other, Jessica's sister using one arm as she was holding her son.
As soon as the two sisters broke from their hug, Jessica turned and gestured to her friends. "Jackie, these are my friends, Alex, Clay, and Hannah." Jessica introduced, pointing to each person as she mentioned the name. After smiling and politely shaking hands with her sister's friends, Jackie smirked knowingly. "Ok, I know the last time we talked, you mentioned having a boyfriend. So, which one of these two good looking guys are you dating?" She asked, raising one eyebrow at her sister, slightly embarrassing her by calling both Clay and Alex "good looking guys." After getting over her slight embarrassment, Jessica smiled brightly. "Alex is my boyfriend." She stated. Jackie nodded her head in response, giving off a small smile of her own. "And besides, Clay and Hannah are together." Jessica added. "Just my luck. I was just about to ask if you were single." Jackie spoke, smirking teasingly at Clay. In response, Clay chuckled a little while Hannah couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at Jackie's comment. Shaking it off, Hannah flashed a small smile before linking her arm through Clay's, almost as if she was claiming what was hers.
After talking for a few more minutes, the group of four headed over to the bagage claim area to retrieve the rest of Jackie's things. As they walked, Clay saw Jackie shifting her son to her other arm, looking slightly tired as she did. "Do you want me to take him so you can have a break?" He offered kindly, gesturing to the small infant. "You don't mind?" Jackie asked, considering the boy's offer. "Not at all. I have two younger cousins, and I used to help out a lot any time we spent time together when they were younger. So I'm actually really good when it comes to handling kids." Clay explained, slightly surprising Hannah with his statement of being good with kids. "Well, if you're sure you don't mind. I'd love a break." The older Davis sister said, giving Clay a grateful smile as she gently passed her son over to him. "He got pretty tired from being on the plane, so he may be good and just fall right asleep for you." Jackie commented, watching Clay as he held the baby in a firm and gentle hold, slightly swaying a little as he walked.
After the group had gathered the rest of the older Davis sister's bags, the group began making their way towards the airport exit. "Do you want me to take him back now? I'd be happy to take him off your hands." Jackie asked, referring to her 1-year-old son, Brandon, who was now leaning against Clay with his head resting against the boy's shoulder. Being careful with his movements, Clay glanced over at Jessica's sister. "No, that's ok. I actually think he fell asleep." Clay said. Glancing more at her son, Jackie smiled brightly when she saw that he was indeed fast asleep in Clay's arms as the teen held Brandon gently.
Deciding it was best to let the young boy sleep, Jackie let Clay continue to hold Brandon as she already trusted him enough to take good care of her son. At one point, while Hannah, Jessica, and Jackie were walking slightly ahead of the two boys, Jackie smirked. "I know he's young right now, but your friend, Clay, would make a great father one day. Especially with how good he obviously is with kids." The older dark-skinned girl stated. Hearing those words, Hannah blushed instantly. She had been having thoughts about a future with her boyfriend recently, and that future had included the Jensen boy being extremely good with kids. Hannah could easily tell that Clay would make a great father one day, and the girl couldn't help but have a growing desire to be the one to have his kids and start a family with him in the future.