Rule #21: Don't Celeberate
Holidays are for losers.
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I used to like Christmas.
Before I sent the nudes to Xavier in freshman year, Christmas was fun. James and Melody would bicker over who got to open their presents first while Bettie unwrapped hers before they could finish.
My presents usually consisted of makeup or clothing items. I would gush about the color or the cost for a few minutes, then provide the whole family with an unneeded fashion show.
It was fun.
Of course, that isn't what Christmas is like now.
After the Thanksgiving fiasco, I've been dreading this day for months. So now that the day has finally arrived, I pull the blankets around my head and think of kissing Archer's cheek from yesterday. Of Archer kissing my cheek.
How would it feel if he kissed my lips?
I press my face into my pillow. Even though nobody can see my cheeks flush right now, I still feel the need to hide them.
"Peyton, breakfast is ready!" Mom calls from downstairs. "Come and join the rest of us!"
I ignore her and try to go back to sleep.
"Peyton!"
I squeeze Charlotte to my chest.
"Don't make me send Melody after you!"
"I have a bucket of water ready!" Adds Melody.
With a little sigh, I push myself off the bed and walk over to the bathroom. Outside my window, a cloudless blue sky greets me.
Nothing about Christmas feels right today. Not even the weather.
The sweet, jolly feeling that used to fill me up during the holiday season is empty. All I feel is dread, which grows heavier as I brush my teeth, comb my hair, put on some Christmas clothes, and walk downstairs.
I meet Melody on the last step. She's carrying a glass of water and looks distraught once she spots me.
"I thought it was supposed to be a bucket," I say, nodding at the glass.
"You were supposed to be asleep."
"I'm not."
"Yeah," She sighs. We both wait a second. "Well, it'd be a shame to let the water go to waste."
She splashes the glass of water in my face.
I splutter. "Melody!"
All I get is a cackle as she runs away. Not to be daunted, I chase after her and lunge right at her as she turns the corner to the family room. All I end up doing is shoving us both into the Christmas Tree, which topples over into the fireplace.
The top of the tree catches on fire.
"Shit," We both say at the same time.
"Quick," I think back to when Archer put out the fire at his house. It feels like forever ago. "We need the top of a metal pot."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Melody snaps. "Help me stomp out the fire."
Together, we march on the top of the branches, across the plastic star that Bettie made in the forth grade. All of us, including Bettie, loathe the piece of trash. But, because grandmother complimented it once, it lies on top of the Christmas tree every year.
I throw it in the trash of Archer's house so that mom doesn't find the evidence in our home.
Then, I say Merry Christmas to Archer and Julia's horses by giving them extra carrots and kissing their foreheads, before going back home.
We eat breakfast - which is just pancakes, syrup and eggnog - and sit around the Christmas tree with kids on the floor and parents on the couch.
Melody goes first.
"A new plant!" She gasps, referring to the cactus that James and I got fer her. "I'm going to name it Carl the Third!"
"Do you think calling it Carl is what kills the plant?" James leans in to whisper.
"Why would it kill a plant?" I hiss.
"Carl is a stupid name."
"Isn't your best friend at college named Carl?"
"That's how I know it's stupid."
Melody attempts to kiss the cactus, but I pull the back of her sweater before her lips can get too close to the little prickly things. Mom leans forward to catch Melody's eye.
"Melody, you've already killed two plants before, I don't want to take care of a third one."
"I'll nurture it with all the love I have," Melody promises.
"It's going to die in two days," I say under my breath.
Mom and Melody give me the exact same look of annoyance.
"Enough with all this drama," Grandmother snarls, already in a bad from waking up so early in the morning, even though it's about to turn twelve o'clock. "Just move on. You've got a few more presents, Melody."
Melody opens more gifts - clothes from mom and dad, a thirty dollar gift card Aunt Sue and her husband, a locket from her best friend, Raquel, and a bunch of cards from her friends and admirers from school - and then, it's Bettie turn.
She opens the present from her parents first, wrapped in shimmering silver and green colors.
It's a makeup set that I've seen in designer stores - almost six hundred dollars in total - and so beautiful that even I, a girl whose makeup only consists in shades of black, gasp in delight.
Melody's eyes nearly pop out of her head.
"Wow, mom, dad, this is really nice," Bettie smiles tightly. "But I've told you so many times that I don't like makeup."
"Oh, don't be silly, Bettie," Aunt Sue titters. "Every girl your age needs a little bit of makeup. Have Melody give you a makeover one day."
"I can do that," Melody says, nearly drooling.
"And maybe once you're all done you can show Archer what you look like," Aunt Sue continues, glancing at my mom, who glares back ferociously.
"You can show it to Derek too," I whisper.
"Shut up," Bettie throws her ball of wrapping paper at me, but continues to open the rest of her presents with a slight blush on her face.
Archer got her a diary with an owl on the cover. My parents give her a new watch. I hand her a series of romance novels I found by searching up the words "love triangle", "bad boy" and "nerd" into the Barnes and Noble website and clicking the first link.
Bettie has a surprised expression on her face. "Wow, Peyton, how'd you know I wanted this?"
"I'm more observant that I look," I say, even though this is a complete lie.
At the end, just as Melody hands me my first gift, grandmother stands up and smooths her expensive green and red dress.
"I hope you haven't forgotten about my present," She sniffles.
"Of course not, mother," Aunt Sue hurriedly says. "You know teenagers - they always get carried away. What's your presents?"
"Hmph," Grandmother says and then, hands Melody a small package. "Here you go, darling."
Bettie rips it open slowly, as if she doesn't really want to see what's inside. Knowing grandmother, it might be a mini, ultra-Conservative version of the Bible or something. But it's not.
They're car keys.
Both Bettie's and my mouths drop in union.
"Oh my god," Bettie says, holding the keys up in the air.
"I thought appreciate that as a reward after all you did this year." Grandmother says.
Aunt Sue looks like she's about to explode out of pure joy. My mom, on the other hands, is even grumpier than before, sitting on the couch with both her arms and legs crossed. Dad has his chin on his hand, seemingly done with the family drama between the three of them.
"What did you get Peyton?" Melody asks. "Another car, too."
"Of course not. How much money do you think I have?" Grandmother leans back in her seat and throws an envelope at me. "Children these days are so spoiled. They think money just grows on trees."
Melody and James share an annoyed look.
I rip open the envelope. She's gotten me a twenty dollar bill and a Christmas card. Although I wasn't expecting much from her, my heart sinks in disappointment.
Bettie seems a little uncomfortable.
"I didn't know if you'd be responsible enough for a car," Grandmother says. "So, I gave you something that wouldn't get you into too much trouble."
"Gee, thanks, grandmother," I say. "This'll buy me some good cocaine."
Three hands smack my head.
Grandmother's face turns red.
Mom shoves another present towards me before I can cause any more damage and another holiday disaster. My aunt and uncle got me a gift card to a Starbucks nearby. I thank them and put the card in my back pocket, even though I'm not the biggest fan of coffee. Bettie's present is a bunch of animal squeaky toys.
"What is this?" I blurt out. James and Melody burst into laughter. "Do I look like a baby to you?"
"You act like one sometimes," Bettie says. "Besides, you'll like these animals. Try squeezing one of them."
I squeeze the cutest one - a chubby pig - first.
It oinks. Then, I squeeze the cow.
It moos.
"Alright," I say, and let a tiny smile appear on my face. "I guess that it isn't that bad."
Bettie shakes her head, but she's smiling too.
"Our turn!" Melody says. "James is bringing it out right now. All of us, including mom and dad, pitched in to get it for you."
We turn around as James rolls my present in with a wagon.
It's a tank. With a fish.
No.
Two fishes.
I scream when I first see it and nearly trip over my own socks, trying to get up. The fishes are both Black Skirt Tetras that swim peacefully in large tank complete with a mini castle and fake plants. I crouch down next to fish tank and stare.
"I promised you I'd get you a pet, didn't I?" Dad says, smiling at my reaction.
"This is best present ever," I whisper, touching the tank. "I love Blackie and Darkie so much."
Melody has to drag me away from this fish tank so that I can open Archer's presents. He's gotten me a couple of them that go together - a pair of binoculars, a bird-watching book, a scrapbook to record my birds in and a framed picture of a bear cub that he says looks like me.
It's stupid.
But I'm going to put them all up in my room anyways.
The rest of the family opens up their presents next. James nearly tears up when he sees the miniature football field Melody and I got him.
Then, the doorbell rings.
"Peyton, will you get that?" Mom asks.
"I'm busy," I say, trying to use the binoculars to watch Blackie more closely. All I'm getting is a big blur.
Mom sighs. "Bettie?"
"Sure," She gets up and swings open the door. "Oh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Raine. Hey Archer."
"Hey Bettie. Merry Christmas!" Archer says. The sound of his voice nearly makes my heart skip a beat, especially considering what happened yesterday, but looking at beautiful fish makes me calm down.
"I see you like your present," Archer sits down besides my present. "Although, I'm not sure if that's the right way you use it."
I use the binoculars to look at him. And even though, everything is gray blob, I say. "Wow, your eyes are even grayer up close."
He laughs. "I liked your presents too. I named the teddy bear Charles."
I got Archer a couple of art supplies for Christmas, a teddy bear that looks exactly like Charlotte with a note that says Now that you have your own teddy bear, you can stop cuddling with mine.
"That's a good name," I say. "I named my fish Blackie and Darkie."
Archer grabs my binoculars and lowers them down. I blink in the light and try to notice how good Archer looks in a Christmas sweater. He has Charles under his arms and the familiar smile on his face.
"You named your fish Blackie and Darkie?"
"Yeah."
"Those are the stupidest names I ever heard."
"Well, I'm their mother," I sniff. "So I can name them whatever I want to."
"You gave birth to the fish?"
I roll my eyes. Archer laughs again and scoots closer to me. "Merry Christmas, Peyton."
"Merry Christmas, Archer."
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Sometimes I laugh at some of the jokes I write. I'm just so funny sometimes.
Next Chapter: Plan D
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(Crackers is dressed up as Owl from Winnie the Pooh for Halloween. Can you tell?)
This chapter's dedication goes to user55606392, mallorycollette, tayrayne, Nagisa_Wendy, unrealistic-dreams, Sarcastic_Childxxx, and Alviiiiiiis.
Thanks for reading!
QotC: Do you guys have any questions? About the story? About Peyton/Archer?