Charlene's POV
In holiday movies, Christmas Day is always perfect. The little kids come downstairs and open their presents from Santa, and spend the rest of the day playing board games and eating cookies. In the Jones house, Christmas is nothing but a chaotic mess. Don't get me wrong, I always have and always will love Christmas with my family but, with parents like mine, something crazy is bound to happen. Last year, the ham burst into flames and we had to evacuate the house in order to get all the smoke out. That was the last time we let Dad touch the oven. The year before that, Uncle Danny's grey wig fell into the fireplace. The guy went bonkers and now refuses to spend another Christmas at our house ever again.
This year, we were going to Ricky and Francesca's house to spend the holiday together. Since Mr. and Mrs. Garcia probably aren't going to be home for the holidays, the Klaasens, the Winters, and us made it our responsibility to make it the best Christmas ever for them. Their parents have been so busy these past few years with their family buisness. Mr and Mrs Garcia are the CEO's to Germany's Finest Chocolatier, a company thats been past down from generation to generation. Its quite a hit around the world, so they always have to travel for important meetings and deals.
All our parents have been close friends ever since we we met, so naturally we were'nt going to let them be alone. We're one big family.
I stared at my mirror, examining my outfit and hair. I smoothened my maroon dress and checked my now curly hair. I grabbed my coat and my purse from my bed, and walked out my door.
I headed downstairs, already hearing the commotion. There was a lot of shuffling in the living room, with my Dad trying to drag out all the presents we bought for them from under the tree, and my Mom making sure all the cookies she baked were all set to go.
They both spotted me and gave me wide grins. My Mom's heels clattered on the floor as she walked over to where I was standing.
"You look gorgeous, honey." Dad yelled from the other side of the living room, still grabbing presents. My Mom nodded and placed her hands on my arms.
"Your boyfriend is going to be stunned." She said winking at me. My eyebrow shot up as I gave her a confused look.
"My boyfriend?" I asked, tilting my head. Last time I checked, I was single and too awkward to mingle.
"Ricky." She exclaimed bluntly, as if it was such an obvious statement. I covered my face in hopes of hiding the hideous blush forming on it.
Even my mom's onto me. I mean, I like him and all, but who knows if the feeling is mutual. Yeah, he flirts with me. A lot. But doesn't he do that to every girl? Out of all of them, why would he ever choose me? He could date an actual Princess if he wanted to.
"Mom, Ricky's not my boyfriend." I said quickly, not wanting to talk about my boy problems with her.
"But that morning he came-" She started.
"Doesn't mean anything." I cut her off.
"And the teddy bear-"
"An apology gift."
"The dance-"
"School project."
"But the way he looked at you-"
"Mom!" I screamed sternly, making her slap her hand on her mouth. She removed the hand, revealing the smirk on her mouth.
"Alright, alright. I'll stop. But don't act like you don't feel something for him." She stated, trotting away with a wink.
"I don't!" I yelled, feeling my cheeks heating up.
But I do, I really do.
My Mom turned back to look at me with a smile. She looked away shaking her head.
"Denial is such a sad thing."
-
I grabbed the bags and presents from the trunk, the weight pulling on my arms. I could've sworn they were going to fall off any second now. My parents walked behind me, bringing the endless plates of cookies. I rung the door bell quickly, still managing to hold the presents on my other hand. When the door swung open, I expected to see one of the twins but, to my surprise, the person who opened the door wasn't either of them.
"Mrs. Garcia?" I dropped the bags in shock. She was wearing an elegant black dress and some red heels, fashionable as usual. She grinned at me, and pulled me into her arms without a word. I hugged her back tightly, still surprised that she's actually here. I haven't seen her in a long time. Whenever I come over, she's usually half way across the country.
She pulled away and examined me with a smile on her face.
"You're so grown up and gorgeous. I could still remember you as a little girl with Ricky and Francesca on the playground." She said nostalgicly. I smiled at her, and moved past to let my parents catch up with her.
I looked over to the living room to see Mr. Garcia sitting on the couch with either of his arms on Ricky and Francesca's shoulders. He looked over to me, and stood up with a silly look on his face. I laughed and walked over to give him a big hug.
"I haven't seen you in forever, clumsy." He said, trying to ruffle my hair. Before he could, I swatted his hand from above my head, laughing. I clearly got that nickname from all the times he had to pick me up when I fell in their house.
"I missed you too, Mr. Garcia." I rolled my eyes. I consider Mr. and Mrs. Garcia my second parents. Our families are the closest out of all of us, and we're all so comfortable with eachother, it's kind of weird if you see us all together.
Ricky crept up behind his dad and gave him a few pats on the back. A smirk rose to his lips as he diverted his gaze to me. I looked at him, enjoying the view of him in his green sweater with a collar peeking out. It was crazy how much he resembled a Calvin Klein model.
"That's enough, Dad. We all know it's my job to annoy her." Ricky said, giving me a wink.
"Atta Boy." Mr. Garcia gave him a pat on the back as well, and they both looked at me with smug grins.
Like Father, like Son.
They walked over to greet my parents, leaving me in the living room. I trotted over to sit next to Francesca, who never moved from the couch. She was focused on her phone, probably busy texting Jon.
I plopped down next to her, and pushed her slightly. She turned to me and gave me a small smile.
"Thanks for saving me over there." I said mockingly, slapping her arm. I bet if my parents weren't here, I would've already been tackled with tickles by those two. Then again, my parents would probably join in just to annoy me.
Parents, you gotta love 'em.
"Sorry, it's just that Jon and Evan are going to be over in just about-" The doorbell rung, cutting her off.
"Now." Francesca finished, getting up to answer the door. My parents and her parents just finished placing the presents and the food we brought in their designated places, and were now catching up on the couch.
The Klaasens and The Winters entered the house, which now seemed to just look like a sea of people. We all greeted eachother with hugs and kisses, and everyone was content and filled with joy. I couldn't help but tug a smile on my lips at our reunion.
Maybe this would actually be a normal Christmas.
Or so I thought.
-
"This ham is great, Mom!" Francesca exclaimed, stuffing her fork in her mouth. We were all eating Christmas dinner, the table surrounded by endless plates of food and packs of hungry animals. Well, mainly the five of us hormonal teenagers. I took a big bite of the ham, taking in all of its deliciousness.
"Yea, it didn't burst into flames like someone's ham." I glared at my Dad, who was innocently staring into space. Ricky's soda escaped from his mouth, creating a mist of it in the air. He dropped his cup on the floor and broke out into laughter, probably imagining the whole scene and my misfortune.
"Ricky! Clean it up!" Mrs. Garcia scolded from the other side of the table. Darn it, dinner was going so well and I just had to make that silly comment.
"I'll clean it up, I'm the one who made him drop it." I said, getting up from my chair. Just as Mrs. Garcia opened her mouth, Ricky stood up from his seat.
"No, I made the mess. I'll clean it up." He insisted. I ignored his comment, and headed towards the kitchen anyways. Ricky caught up to me, and grabbed the paper towels before I could even reach to get them. He let out an evil laugh, and sent me a smirk.
"Beat you to it, babe." He wiggled his eyebrows. I glared at him, and took a quick glace to the floor. My lips rose to a smirk as I noticed something on the way back up.
"At least I'm not the one who looks like they wet themselves." I mocked him, pointing to his wet side pocket. The soda was traveling to his crotch, which made him look like he peed his pants. He looked down, and muttered something to himself. A giggle escaped my mouth as I watched his frustration.
Ricky looked up at me, a playful scowl forming on his face. He walked over to the sink, and grabbed the faucet spray hose. He pointed it towards me along with a smug grin. My eyes went wide and I took a few steps backward. My back hit the counter, and I felt a rush of adrenaline pumping through me.
"You. Wouldn't. Dare." I snapped at him. He let out a chuckle, and walked over to me.
"And what if I did?" He challenged me. My hands hit the counter behind me, trying to find something to scare him off with.
"I'll- uh- I dont know but when I think of it, you'll be sorry you ever-" I was cut off with cold sprays of water running down my legs.
My mouth gaped open, and I grabbed a slice of cake from the counter and threw it at his head, ruining his perfectly quiffed hair.
"You're going to regret that." He charged towards me, and grabbed me from my waist, still spraying me with water. I grabbed some freshly iced cookies from the counter and smothered them all over his face and sweater. As I tried to loosen his grip, I was suddenly pulled down to the floor. I was expecting a broken bone or something from the marble floor, but my fall was saved by Ricky's torso.
I looked up to see his head below mine, our faces dangerously close. His green eyes gazed into my brown ones, but quickly moved to look at something above me.
"Mistletoe." He smirked, his eyes returning to me. I tilted my head up to find the mistletoe hanging on a rack above the counter. My face suddenly went warm as I realized what it meant.
Of course, this has to happen to me. Why do I always find myself in this situation with him?
"It" Ricky placed his hand on my mouth to shut me up. He brushed away a wet strand of my hair from my face, his finger gently brushing my cheek.
"Shh." He whispered, his face almost touching mine.
It's happening, It's actually happening. The thought of it made my head spin.
I closed my eyes slowing, wanting to savor the moment when it happens. His nose brush on mine, as I heard a few gasps coming from above me. I looked up to see three faces. Two were clearly amused, and one was a mixture of confusion and anger. Uh-oh.
"What have you kids done?" My Mom shouted, looking around the now dirty and wet kitchen. Cake and icing mixed with the slushed with the water on the floor, making it look like a muddy mess. Ricky and I stayed silent, neither of us having a good enough explanation for our actions. My Mom shut her eyes for a brief moment,and pursed her lips into a straight line.
"Just clean it up." She said walking back into the dining room. I closed my eyes, disappointed in myself. I guess I ruined Christmas this year. Snickers arose from Jon and Francesca, who were still staring down at us. Just as realization hit me that I was still toppled over Ricky, I rolled over him and fell on my butt.
"Should I even ask why you two were on top of eachother?" Jon said, smirking at us.
"I think we already know, Jon." Francesca wiggled her eyebrows. Ricky sent them both a death glare, not needing words to show that he wanted them to get out. Jon put his hands up in defeat and turned around, grabbing Francesca in the process. As they were walking, she leaned in to Jon, failing to keep her statement from us.
"I knew putting up the mistletoe would be a good idea."
-
Ricky's POV
Charlene and I spent the rest of the night scrubbing the floors while everyone else was having a blast in the living room. We didn't even get to open our presents or anything. That was our punishment. By the time we finished, the Klaasens and the Winters had already left, and Mr. and Mrs. Jones were just waiting for us to finish so they could leave.
Is it bad that I don't regret any of this? Pushing Charlene's buttons was something I loved doing. I don't know why, I just liked knowing I could get a reaction out of her. I liked being the only person who rubbed her the wrong way.
Can you blame me? The girl looked extra attractive when she was feisty. Usually, girls just threw themselves on me, and they're all the same. I would never be in a serious relationship with them. My ideal girl would be one to put up a fight. Someone who would make me work to show her what she means to me.
After all, the best relationships are worth a challenge, right?
Charlene is different from other girls. She looks so innocent, so friendly and optimistic, which she is if you're on her good side. If you get on her nerves - well, that's a whole different story. She could eat you up alive. You would never expect such an innocent face to be so cruel. She won't beat you up physically, but she will internally.
She'll use her eyes to hypnotize you until you feel like they're a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter night. Her hair is something you would want to get your fingers tangled in whenever you could. And when she blushes, that's something you'll want to see whenever you have the chance to.
Without even realizing it, you'll be reeled in by her hook, and you'll never get back out alive. You'll keep trying to catch her, knowing fully that she's something you can never obtain. And that's how she'll break you.
The thing is, I don't think I'll stop trying. Something tells me that she's worth the risk of being broken. Something tells me that this'll all be worth it in the end.
I groaned, pulling my dirty sweater off my body, and throwing it into my hamper. As I was about to tear off my dirty pants, I felt something in my pocket. I pulled out the wet envelope and held it in my hands. I sighed, staring at it. It was Charlene's present. I never got to give it to her.
I probably wouldn't have had the guts to give it to her anyways. I would be too nervous.
I walked over to my bedside table, and placed the partially soggy paper on it.
Someday, I'll build up the courage to give it to her, but until then, no one will ever know what it holds.