“You got a crush on someone?” Jake asked.
Froggy nodded. He didn’t know why it was so hard to say Celia’s name out loud. David was his best friend and even he didn’t have a clue that he was crushing on Celia. Maybe it was because he was afraid if he told other people, they would tell him that he was crazy. That there was no way a pretty, popular girl like Celia would go for a guy like him.
“Who is she? Wanna give me a clue?”
“It’s Celia Armstrong,” Froggy whispered, almost as if he was afraid of being overheard.
“Celia Armstrong?” Jake mused. Then his face lit up. “You mean Beach Girl!”
“Yes,” Froggy said. “Beach Girl.” He felt Celia’s nickname made her even more unobtainable because every guy he knew dreamed of going out with a California beach girl and his school only had one. What were the chance that he would be able to go out with her?
Slim to none!
“She’s in my Art class,” Jake said. “You like her?”
Froggy blushed. “Yes.”
Jake shrugged. “So what’s the problem? Tell her.”
“I can’t.”
“Then she’s never going to know how you feel about her.”
Froggy worked up his courage. “I thought maybe you could help me do that.”
“Me? How?”
“Not only are you in the same Art class, but your locker is right next to hers. Maybe you could start talking to her? Find out her likes and dislikes and then tell me what you find out? I’m her Secret Santa. I can use what you find out to buy her presents. I don’t know anything about her.”
Jake shook his head. “I’m not into playing Cupid. Sorry. Find someone else.”
Those were not the words Froggy had been expecting to hear!
“Jake, you owe me!” he shouted.
Jake looked at Froggy in stunned surprise, never before having seen him lose his temper. Froggy, himself, was also a bit surprised at his outburst, but he was mad. He needed Jake’s help!
“Haven’t I helped you study for tests? Haven’t I taken shifts for you at the last minute when you couldn’t make it to work? And didn’t I help you fill out your college applications last week?”
“That was a waste of paper and pen,” Jake snorted, going back to his cupcakes.
“There’s more to life than just listening to music and riding your motorcycle, Jake. Friends help each other out. I thought you were my friend, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Okay, okay! Enough with the guilt. I’ll do it!” Jake pointed the knife he was using to frost with at Froggy. “I’ll see what I can find out. But then we’re squared. Deal?”
“Deal!”
∗ ∗ ∗
The smell of vanilla was thick in Noelle’s kitchen. She and Lily were in the midst of making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. They had decided the cookies would be their first Secret Santa gifts to Charlie and Connor. What guy could resist a batch of ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies?
The TV on the counter was also on, tuned in to Noelle’s favorite Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. She had lost count of the number of times she had seen it over the years, but no matter how many times she watched it, she always got teary-eyed during certain scenes.
“Guess who I saw this afternoon?” Noelle said as she measured out two cups of flour.
“Who?” Lily asked while she measured out white sugar and brown sugar.
“Charlie!”
“And?”
“And what?”
“You saw him and …”
“That’s it,” Noelle said, mixing the flour with baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Lily sighed. “Noelle, I saw Charlie Grant today too. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be living happily ever after.”
“What are you saying?”
Lily put a stick of butter in the microwave and left it in for a minute so it would melt. Then she stirred it into the sugar and added vanilla extract. “You’re going to need to start getting more proactive. If you want Charlie, you’re going to have to go after him.”
“What do you think I’m going to be doing this week with my Secret Santa gifts?” she asked, nibbling on a handful of chocolate chips.
“But you’re not his Secret Santa,” Lily reminded. “You’re Ryan’s. Shouldn’t you be focusing on him?”
“Being Ryan’s Secret Santa is the last thing on my mind,” Noelle said. “I have to focus on Charlie! I’ll probably buy Ryan a gift and give it to him the night of the Christmas dance.”
“What are you going to get him?” Lily asked as she cracked an egg and mixed it in with the sugar and butter before adding another. Then she started adding in the flour mixture from Noelle’s bowl. When it was all mixed in, she added the chocolate chips and began spooning out the dough on a cookie sheet.
“Who knows?” Noelle shrugged as she began spooning out dough on a second cookie sheet. “Ryan’s like a brother to me so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Noelle, I don’t want to burst your bubble,” Lily said. “But —”
“Then don’t!” Noelle cut her off.
“But I can’t remember the last time Charlie went out with an underclassman. When he was a sophomore, he dated sophomores. When he was a junior, he dated juniors. Now that he’s a senior, all he’s been dating are seniors. See the pattern?”
“Patterns were made to be broken!” Noelle exclaimed as she slid two cookie sheets into the heated oven. “Operation Secret Santa is going to be a success!”
The package was waiting on Noelle’s front porch.
When she walked out her front door, her foot hit it and it went skittering to the top of the front steps. The sound is what made her look down. When she did, she saw there was a gift-wrapped package.
And it was addressed to her.
The wrapping paper was silver with a red foil bow. The package was tiny and could fit in the palm of her hand. A card was attached with her name on it, but she didn’t open it. The card could wait. She was dying to see what was inside the box.
Taking off her mittens, she tore away the wrapping paper and lifted the lid of the box. Inside, nestled on a bed of white cotton, was a tiny Christmas angel. It was adorable.
Noelle finally opened the note attached to the top of the box and read it: Every Christmas tree needs a Christmas angel. Merry Xmas! Your Secret Santa.
Noelle’s heart started beating with excitement. Yesterday afternoon Charlie saw her lugging boxes of Christmas decorations out of her garage. When he was taking out the garbage last night, he saw her stringing lights around her porch with her father and positioning Santa and his reindeer on the front lawn. Could the angel be from him? He knew she had been decorating yesterday so it kind of made sense. Like he was sending her a message.
Noelle went back inside and hung the angel on the Christmas tree. It looked perfect nestled among the bright colored balls and tinsel.
Could Charlie really be her Secret Santa? It was too much to hope for! She’d have to discuss it with Lily once she got to school, but before that she had to leave Charlie his own Secret Santa gift.
Making sure no one saw her, she walked over to Charlie’s house. She checked the time on her watch. 7:30. Perfect. She knew Charlie didn’t usually leave for school until 8:00. She left her box of cookies on his front porch and then raced away.
∗ ∗ ∗
Celia was at her locker getting her books for her morning classes when she heard a voice call her name.
But it couldn’t be?
Could it?
He’d never spoken to her before.
Celia turned around slowly, not believing that the person she hoped to find waiting would be there.
But she was wrong.
He was!
It was Jake!
Celia couldn’t find her voice. She was speechless.
Jake Morrisey was standing mere inches away from her. Of course, that wasn’t new. Their lockers were side by side and there were days when they
were getting their books at the same time. Even when her back was turned to him, she was aware of his presence because of the cologne he wore. It had a light, woodsy scent.
But today was the first time he was talking to her.
How many times had she imagined herself starting a conversation with him? But the words would always get stuck in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, they wouldn’t come out. Part of her wondered if it was because she was afraid he wouldn’t say anything back. After all, he was a senior and she was a sophomore. Why would he want to bother with her?
Another part of her wondered if it was because she was afraid of Amber. She knew she wouldn’t like the idea of her going out with Jake. Not after all her efforts to set her up on dates with North Ridge High’s A-list guys. In Amber’s book, Jake was not boyfriend material. To her, he was a loser.
She’d first noticed Jake in Art class. There was no mistaking him. From the way he looked to the way he acted, dark and moody were the words that instantly came to mind. He was so different from the guys she’d grown up with in California, who all had blond hair and blue eyes. Jake was the complete opposite. He had shoulder-length brown hair that she wanted to run her fingers through and flashing brown eyes. Often he wore T-shirts with cutoff sleeves that showed off his nicely muscled arms. His jeans were faded and torn, but they clung in all the right places, and he was always wearing motorcycle boots.
Jake had his own style and it stood out.
He did what he wanted when he wanted and didn’t answer to anyone.
Of course, that had gotten him into trouble on more than one occasion with his teachers. Many afternoons, on her way to her locker after last class, she’d passed by the detention room and seen Jake arriving.
But she didn’t care.
She liked that rebellious side of him.
Maybe it was because deep down, she wished she could be that way herself.
“It’s Celia, right?”
Celia nodded, still unable to find her voice.
“You do talk, don’t you?”
Celia was so nervous, she dropped the books that were in her hands. They fell to the floor with a loud bang, although it was so noisy in the hallway, with lockers opening and closing and nonstop conversations going on, that nobody noticed.
She bent down to get her books the same time Jake did and their heads smashed together.
“Ow!” she exclaimed.
“So you do talk,” Jake said, rubbing his forehead while offering Celia her books.
“I’m usually not such a klutz,” she apologized, taking the books from Jake and rubbing her own forehead.
“Are you reading that for English class?” he said, pointing to Celia’s copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
“Actually, I’m reading it for fun.”
Jake made a face. “You’re reading it for fun?”
Celia nodded. “Last month my English teacher, Mrs. Olivant, assigned us Emma to read. I loved it so much, I wanted to read Jane Austen’s other books.”
“I had Olivant when I was a sophomore. She loves assigning novels. I never read them, though. Either I’d see if there was a movie version or I’d buy the Cliff Notes.”
“But that’s cheating!” The words slipped out before Celia could stop herself. Great way to make an impression, she scolded herself. Let him think you’re Miss Priss!
Jake gave her a wicked grin. “I like to call it taking a shortcut. So listen, Ceel —”
He called her Ceel! No one had ever called her Ceel. It was like his own special nickname for her.
“I can’t remember when we have to turn in that midterm assignment for Art class. It’s due January eighteenth, right?”
“Right. How could I forget? January is my least favorite month of the year.”
“How come?”
“All the Christmas decorations are down. It gets dark way early. The snow isn’t white and fluffy anymore. It’s usually all gray and slushy.”
“But Valentine’s Day is right around the corner,” Jake reminded. “That’s something to look forward to.”
“It is if you have a boyfriend, but I don’t.” She made sure to drop that little tidbit and waited to see what he would say.
“Who knows?” Jake gave her a wink. “Maybe you’ll have one next year.”
Celia’s breath caught. Was he flirting with her? She studied his face, but she didn’t see any secret message or expression that indicated he meant something more than what he’d said. She was so lousy at this! Why hadn’t she been paying closer attention when Amber was flirting with guys? She always knew what to do and say to get what she wanted.
“Have you gotten a gift yet from your Secret Santa?” she asked, knowing he had since she’d left his gift earlier.
Jake held up a wrapped package. “I found this waiting in front of my locker this morning, but I haven’t opened it up yet.”
“How come? I can’t resist a wrapped present.”
Jake shrugged. “How great can it be? We can’t spend a lot of money, and whoever picked me probably doesn’t know a thing about me.”
“You never know. Come on!” she urged. “Open it up!”
Jake tore away the wrapping paper covered with snowmen, revealing a folded red bandana. Celia had made it herself, using fabric she’d found in her mother’s sewing room. She figured Jake could wear it around his head to hold his hair back when he was riding his motorcycle or use it to clean his hands when he was working on the engine.
“Like I don’t already own one of these,” Jake scoffed, opening his locker and tossing the bandana inside.
Celia was bummed that Jake didn’t like her gift. Okay, it hadn’t been the most imaginative gift, but at least it had been something. She’d just have to do better with the next one. She wanted to make an impression on Jake!
“Have you bought a gift yet for the person whose name you picked?” Celia asked.
Jake gave Celia a wink and a smile. “I know exactly what to buy for the person whose name I picked.” The bell for first period rang and he slammed his locker shut. “See you later.”
“Later,” Celia said, wondering what Jake meant by his wink and feeling even more confused.
∗ ∗ ∗
Froggy was the first person to arrive for Anatomy and Physiology class. Since no one else was there, he used the opportunity to leave Celia’s Secret Santa gift. Because he didn’t know anything about her yet, he’d gone the safe route and bought a Christmas card and candy cane. Hopefully by the end of the day, Jake would have some info to share and his next gift would be better.
Soon students began arriving for class, and then Celia was standing in front of her desk.
“Looks like your Secret Santa was here,” Froggy said, pointing to the card and candy cane on her seat.
“Did you see who left this?” Celia asked. Before Froggy could answer, she held up a hand. “Wait! Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I want to be kept in suspense.” Seconds later, Celia changed her mind. “Tell me!” she begged. “Did you see who left it?”
Froggy shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone leave it.”
“Bummer,” Celia said, slipping into her seat. She opened the card, which had a baby reindeer on it, and showed it to Froggy. “Cute.” She broke off a piece of her candy cane and offered it to Froggy. “Want some?”
“No thanks.”
“I love when Anatomy and Physiology is our first class of the day,” she said, putting a piece of candy cane in her mouth. “That means we can get it over with and I don’t have to dread coming in here.”
Froggy never dreaded Anatomy and Physiology. It was his favorite class of the day because with the exception of homeroom, which only lasted fifteen minutes, it was the only class he shared with Celia.
He watched from the corner of his eye as Celia sucked on her candy cane. He couldn’t help but notice that she had a dreamy expression on her face. She had to be thinking about a guy, but who? He’d give anything to be the g
uy she was thinking of.
At that moment, Mr. Seleski arrived in the lab. “Okay, class, take out a piece of paper,” he announced, dropping his books on his desk and picking up a piece of chalk. He began writing on the blackboard. “Hopefully you all read last night’s assignment because we’re going to have a pop quiz.”
Froggy groaned along with the rest of the class as he took out a sheet of paper and wrote his name on top. Great! First Celia was thinking about another guy and now a surprise quiz. Could his day get any worse?
∗ ∗ ∗
Lily felt like one of Santa’s elves!
She was sitting behind her desk, flipping through her Algebra II notebook while casually glancing at Connor’s desk. He hadn’t arrived for class yet, but the cookies she’d made for him were sitting on top of his desk. She’d slipped in before anyone else, left them on his desk, and then slipped out before returning with some other students. From the wrapped gifts sitting on top of other desks, she wasn’t the only one who’d done the same thing.
She couldn’t wait to see the expression on Connor’s face when he saw his present.
The bell for first period rang and the rest of the class began walking in. Shawna entered the room first, looking fab in a black silk dress with a gold star-pattern and black high-heeled boots. Her eyes widened when she saw the wrapped box on Connor’s desk. Lily had to admit that she did a great job when it came to wrapping. Last Christmas she had worked at Macy’s in the gift wrap department and learned how to wrap a box the right way. Of all the boxes in the room, hers looked the best.
Shawna snatched the box off Connor’s desk and gave it a shake. It was all Lily could do not to jump up and tear it out of her hands. She was shaking it so hard, she was going break the cookies! By the time Connor opened it up, he’d be lucky to have a box of crumbs!
Secret Santa Page 6
