Chapter 8
Several days later, on the eve of Christmas Eve, Lin opened her garage for me as I biked up, backpack over my shoulders.
She’d complimented me on at least touching base with her before bolting from the play.
I was growing. Go me. I parked my sorry excuse for a bike between her mom’s SUV and her dad’s eye-candy sports car.
Lin’s car was in the third spot, but the luxury car her dad usually drove was gone.
It looked like our sleepover wouldn’t be interrupted by adults.
Lin’s family kept a shelf next to the door for visitors to exchange their outdoor shoes for indoor slippers. I slid into the familiar pair reserved for me. Lin and Charisse met me on the other side of the door, opening it as I reached for the handle.
The house had obviously been decorated professionally for the holidays. No one had time to do that much decorating. A tall, slim tree snuggled up to the piano in the foyer. Presents, perfectly wrapped, waited underneath. Lin reached for two, then pressed them into our hands.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Open it.” Lin hovered, her arms folded, her glare daring me to refuse.
Charisse tore into hers like a cat, finding the shredding of paper much more enjoyable than the present itself. I suspected she would play with the box after emptying it.
Charisse had gotten a pair of PJs with little black dogs wearing red collars all over them.
I opened mine much more carefully. Coaxing the tape to let go without ripping. I folded the paper and set it aside. It was a pair of pink PJs with hot pink lollipops outlined in white and a stretchy bra on top.
“I got you both PJs that reminded me of our first meeting,” Lin said.
At some point, I must have mentioned the lollipop sorcerer image to Lin. But I needed to hear about this little black dog and what happened.
“That bra is supposed to be very supportive, but comfortable. You shouldn’t crush yourself into too-small sports bras anymore. It’s not healthy.”
Was Lin blushing? I felt my own face heat.
My eyes burned. She had taken my concerns into account.
We were both too introverted to talk about certain things, but Lin was action-oriented in a way I couldn’t be.
I was more like an ostrich burying my head into COTSA.
Maybe I could learn to be braver, like ScarlettSaber.
Lin sent us to change in separate bathrooms. Again, she respected my feelings without needing to ask. I went into a blue bathroom with a bamboo waterfall faucet at the sink.
I undid my braid, my fingers shaking. I was good at fixing computers and playing games.
I’d never spent the night at someone’s house before.
Mostly because I never had any girlfriends.
I would much rather be at work than here.
Or playing COTSA. Socializing was much easier with a screen between me and them.
I changed into the pink pajamas covered with lollipops and smiled, then brushed my hair out until it was smooth with the brush Lin had provided.
They were waiting for me out there. They would want to talk.
Talk about things other than work, school, or games.
They would want to talk about hot guys. I didn’t have any time for that.
I was too busy, and I had no interest in guys who just cared about a girl’s looks.
Dad had made me see that none of them were different.
But then the memory of Ni sitting next to me in the dark theater, turning me into a jiggling bowl of Jell-O, called me a liar. I could be just as shallow. Maybe I could deflect the boy-talk by asking Lin about Stephanie. They seemed to have a complicated relationship.
I quickly redid my usual braid. I did this twice a day, every day. My long hair was both my guilty pleasure and my shame—I got the red from Dad.
Stuffing my clothes into my backpack to hide my ratty sports bra, I had to admit the new one was very comfortable without being revealing.
It probably cost an arm and a leg, but I was grateful for how thoughtful she had been.
And the PJs covered me from neck to ankle, loose and comfortable.
Though no one would see them but Lin, Charisse, and Mom, I knew Lin had chosen them carefully.
In comparison, my gift of scented lotions was lame. But at least I had brought something to give. I unearthed the bottles from my backpack before zipping it up.
When I came out, I followed the sound of a man’s low voice singing about a white Christmas to the living room.
The lights were dimmed, but strings of white lights made it easy to see.
There was a much bigger tree lit in the center of this room, and the party decorations made the Winter Formal seem lame. The food was also much better.
Lin’s parents had ordered catering for just the three of us girls, and all our favorite things were laid out.
I loaded up on mini quiches. The buttery crust coated my tongue.
The furniture had all been moved to make an open area around the tree.
And the new bra under my equally new jammies held up well as we rocked around the Christmas tree during the song of the same name.
Unlike at the Winter Formal, I didn’t feel embarrassed once.
Sweaty and tired, we flopped onto the thick carpet. It felt more like a mattress than a floor.
“I want to show you guys something.” I looked up as Lin held out a remote and pressed a button. A TV appeared out of the wall above the fireplace, then turned on.
A series of pictures showed a cute little townhouse with three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a living room, a loft room, and a small backyard with a deck.
The backyard looked landscaped with easy-to-care-for native plants since it wasn’t big enough for grass.
And the entire house appeared plainly furnished and professionally decorated with simple, matching colors.
“That’s adorable! It’s like a miniature dollhouse with a fairy garden.
Did you do the decorating? The paint was perfect to give each room character, but light enough to give it depth, making them seem bigger than they were.
I didn’t realize you had gotten so adept at decorating.
Congratulations. I’m super impressed.” Charisse finally took a breath.
How did I not know that Lin wanted to become a decorator? What kind of friend was I?
“Thanks, but it’s more than that. This is my parents’ Christmas present to me. They said they won’t make it back for Christmas because of work, as usual. So they sent me an email with the info this morning.”
Lin spread her hands wide, encompassing the room.
“This was their apology. But they are giving me free use of that house during college. It’s right off campus, so now we have a place to stay together.
I don’t expect rent, and I’ll pay the utilities since we’ll be living there for free.
But we’ll have to divide the chores, and you’ll each be in charge of your own food.
Though I hope we’ll have meals together often. ”
Her tentative smile broke my heart. I knew they were planning on attending SCAD, and as much as I wanted to join them, unless I got a scholarship, there was no way I’d be able to afford to go there, even with free housing.
Yet it got me thinking. She was so hopeful that I couldn’t say no,— I just smiled and nodded dumbly.
Charisse’s squeals and exuberant group hugs overshadowed my reluctant yes, so I didn’t think Lin noticed.
But my heart hurt for them—and their future disappointment.
We cheersed with eggnog, and the sweetness shook off the sadness. The least I could do was pretend happiness for the moment and leave the problem of money for my future self.
ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, I stood outside in the cold so Dad could pick me up for whatever tedious father-daughter family stuff he had thought up.
He hadn’t mentioned Val, so I didn’t know if she was still a thing or not.
The clouds overhead had a nasty dark grimace to them, blocking most of the weak morning light.
I held the present for him close for warmth.
Not like I had any idea what to get a dad who hadn’t seen his daughter once since the divorce.
With my fingers turning numb, I trudged back up the stairs to get my coat.
Mom’s cell was ringing when I opened the door.
She was in her room putting on makeup and doing her hair for a girls’ day with some of her other single friends.
Who knew there were other older ladies who had no one to spend Christmas Day with?
I answered the phone. We used it as a house phone when we were both home, so I was used to answering it. “Hello.”
It was Dad. “Hey, Sugarplum. Something’s come up and I can’t get you today.”
I heard a giggle in the background. Either Val was still a thing, or Dad had already moved on. I didn’t know why he kept pretending as if he cared.
“Some other time. Right, kiddo?”
Had he forgotten that I was months away from turning eighteen and that today was Christmas? It wasn’t like Christmas would be happening next week. A half-sob, half laugh explosion of air escaped my mouth. “Whatever.”
I hung up before I embarrassed myself by crying. Or worse, yelled at him like Mom.
Humming came from behind the door. Mom. What was I going to tell her?
I couldn’t ruin her Christmas too. Quickly, as if I had taken a speed potion, I shrugged into my jacket, pocketed my keys, and yelled goodbye while walking my bike out the door.
I could go to Lin’s, but I couldn’t stay for Mom to ask questions.
About halfway there, cold, rainy slush began to fall, and I detoured to DragonByte before my hands froze off. It was truly a gamer’s haven, at least for this gamer on Christmas Day. I could call Lin to come pick me up from there.