Secret Santa

by Sabrina James

  “Shawna, is everything okay?” Celia asked. “You seem a million miles away.”

  “Shawna’s preoccupied,” Amber answered for her.

  “With what?”

  Amber speared a tomato from her salad and popped it into her mouth, grinning. “The girl who’s after her boyfriend.”

  “What do you care if someone else is interested in Connor?” Celia asked. “I thought you wanted to date a senior.”

  Celia’s comment hit a nerve and Shawna snapped her at her. “I’m not dating anyone new yet! Connor is still my boyfriend. I don’t need some other girl giving him ideas about dumping me!”

  Besides, Amber wants to date a senior. Not me! I’m perfectly happy with Connor. But who knows? Maybe the other girls think Connor is fair game. Maybe some of them know about Amber’s Secret Santa plan of switching the names. But how could they? Only Celia and Amber and I know about it, and we certainly didn’t say anything to anyone else.

  Unless …

  “What’s with the frown?” Mindy asked, sitting across from Shawna.

  Bingo!

  Did Mindy tell someone that I “wanted” to date a senior? Making Connor fair game for all the single girls at North Ridge High?

  Shawna gasped as another thought popped into her mind.

  Maybe Mindy didn’t tell anyone because she was the one after Connor!

  “I’m sensing tension,” Mindy said, taking a sip of her diet Dr Pepper. “Talk to me. I’m a good listener.”

  And a good blabber, Shawna thought. She wouldn’t tell Mindy her innermost secrets if her life depended on it. She decided to change the subject.

  “Get another gift from your Secret Santa?” she asked.

  “A bag of jawbreakers!” Mindy exclaimed as she bit into her chicken-salad sandwich. “Can you believe it? Do you know how hard those things are? I almost broke my jaw!”

  That was one way to shut Mindy up, Shawna thought meanly. Wire her mouth shut!

  “So what’s going on at Connor’s table, Shawna?” Mindy asked, opening up a bag of barbecued potato chips “You can’t take your eyes off him. Missing your sweetie?”

  “Shawna thinks Connor’s Secret Santa is after him,” Amber said, nibbling on a carrot. “From now until Friday night, she’s not letting him out of her sight.”

  “But she’s probably wrong,” Celia jumped in, sensing that Connor’s Secret Santa was a touchy subject. “After all, Shawna’s Secret Santa is a guy, and he’s not after her.”

  “A cheap guy,” Amber sniffed. “What did he leave you this morning? A lollipop?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Shawna shot back. “At least my Secret Santa is following the rules of the game.”

  “You’re just jealous,” Amber taunted, flaunting the beaded glass bracelet on her wrist, “because my Secret Santa leaves me gifts like this. I found it on my doorstep this morning. Isn’t it fab?”

  “It cost more than we’re allowed to spend,” Mindy said.

  “And that’s my problem because?” Amber demanded.

  Mindy held her hands up in surrender. “I’m just saying!”

  “Well don’t say anything to anyone else,” Amber warned.

  Shawna knew that was exactly the wrong thing to say to Mindy. Because once she heard she wasn’t supposed to say something to anyone else, she did.

  And Amber knew that.

  By the end of the day, the entire school would know that Amber had a Secret Santa who was buying her extravagant gifts.

  Making all the other girls jealous.

  Shawna could care less about Amber’s Secret Santa. The only one she was concerned about was Connor’s.

  And she had just come up with a plan on how to figure out who it was!

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  David’s cell phone was ringing.

  He stared at it in surprise. He’d had the phone for six months and other than his parents and Froggy calling, it never rang.

  But now he had a call!

  And it was from a number he didn’t recognize!

  He scrambled to answer it before it stopped ringing, unclipping it from the holder on his belt. “Hello?” he said.

  “It’s me. Shawna.”

  “Hey, Shawna. What’s up?”

  And then he remembered what he had told Shawna the night before. About calling him if she needed a date for Friday night’s dance. It couldn’t be, could it? His heart began beating with excitement, and butterflies began doing somersaults in his stomach. He didn’t even dare to hope! But then why would she be calling him?

  He looked across the cafeteria to where she usually sat, but her seat was empty. “Where are you?”

  “Meet me by the soda machine in five minutes. We’ll talk there.”

  Before David could say anything else, Shawna hung up.

  “What was that all about?” Froggy asked, flipping through the copy of the Star Trek novel David’s Secret Santa had left for him that morning. David had already read it so he’d given it to Froggy. So far his Secret Santa has struck out twice, giving him gifts he already owned. Well, at least he was getting gifts. Froggy hadn’t received anything yet from his Secret Santa. “Why’s Shawna calling?”

  David shrugged. “I don’t know.” He hadn’t told Froggy about having had dinner at Shawna’s house. He felt guilty for keeping a secret from his best friend, but he’d promised Shawna he wouldn’t say anything. Besides, he and Froggy hadn’t told each other who they’d picked from the Secret Santa bag. It was kind of the same thing. He got up from his seat. “But I’m about to find out.”

  “I need your help,” Shawna said when David joined her at the soda machine. She pretended she was trying to decide what kind of soda she wanted to buy, staring straight ahead at the brightly lit buttons. David stood at the soda machine next to her, pretending to do the same thing. “I need you to start hanging around Connor. Be his shadow. Follow his every move.”

  “And you want me to do this because …”

  Shawna put some quarters into the soda machine and pressed a button. Seconds later a can of diet Pepsi rumbled out of the machine. “I want to find out who his Secret Santa is!” she exclaimed, opening the can of soda and taking a sip.

  “And what’s in it for me?” David asked.

  Shawna nearly spit out the soda she was sipping. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Guys always did what she wanted them to do, no questions asked!

  “What do you mean what’s in it for you?” She coughed.

  David deposited his own quarters and then made a selection. A can of Sprite rumbled out of the machine and he popped it open. “You want something and I want something. I think we can make a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?” Shawna asked suspiciously although she had a feeling she knew exactly what kind of deal David wanted.

  “I want to take you to Friday night’s dance.”

  And she was right!

  “No way!” Shawna hissed. “That’s blackmail!”

  David shrugged, taking a sip of his soda. “Then you’ll have to find another spy. See you around.” He started walking away.

  “Wait!”

  Shawna grabbed David by the shoulder and twirled him around. Obviously she had underestimated him. She figured because he had a crush on her, he’d do whatever she wanted, but that wasn’t the case. She had to admire that to a certain degree. At the same time, she needed to get him to do what she wanted!

  “How about a compromise?” she suggested.

  “What kind of compromise?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I won’t go to the dance with you on Friday night, but I will go out with you on a date.” She held up a finger. “One date. And I get to plan it. Those are the terms. Take it or leave it.”

  David’s eyes lit up. “I’ll take it!”

  Shawna sighed. “I had a feeling you would say that.”

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  “Does my Secret Santa think I’m seven years old?”

  Connor showed Simon the latest gift
his Secret Santa had left him. It was a Matchbox car and it was a Corvette.

  “Cool!” Simon exclaimed, running the tiny toy car across the table. “I used to collect these when I was a kid.”

  “If you want it you can have it. I’ve got no use for it. You know how much I hate Corvettes.”

  “Sure you don’t want to give it to Mr. Ellingsworth as an early Christmas present? Butter him up before you give your oral presentation?”

  “If I thought it would work, I would, but you know it won’t.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “My Secret Santa hasn’t given me one good gift yet.”

  “Cheer up. There are still two days left. Maybe she’ll get the next gift right. Otherwise you can always give it to me.”

  “You’re definitely cleaning up. I’m starting to think my Secret Santa should be yours!”

  Simon had begun to think the same thing. He didn’t know who Connor’s Secret Santa was, but he was intrigued by her. It had to be a girl. Only a girl would bake cookies, wrap such perfect packages, and have Connor’s name stitched on a Christmas stocking. But her gifts were so off! It’s like she knew nothing about Connor and everything about him. His own Secret Santa had been leaving him gifts that were boring! First there had been the horrible-smelling soap on a rope. Today’s gift had been a pair of colored shoelaces for his sneakers!

  Who could Connor’s Secret Santa be?

  He started looking around the cafeteria, trying to scope out all the girls. Had any of them been paying special attention to Connor lately? He didn’t think so. Most of them knew Connor was dating Shawna and that meant he was off-limits. Still, some girls liked a challenge, and stealing Connor away from Shawna would be quite an accomplishment.

  He noticed Lily and Noelle staring at his table. When they saw him staring back at them, they quickly looked away. Simon started to wonder. Lily had been at the toy store yesterday and he’d seen in her in the aisle with the Matchbox cars. Had she bought the Corvette? Could she be Connor’s Secret Santa? If she was, did she have feelings for him that were more than friendly? Could they be romantic?

  Simon didn’t know why, but the thought of Lily liking Connor made him feel jealous.

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  As the cafeteria started clearing out for afternoon classes, Connor searched for Shawna, but he didn’t see her anywhere. Amber and Celia weren’t around either. They must have all left. Great. He didn’t have any classes with Shawna that afternoon and after last class ended he was going to be at Ryan Grant’s house wrapping toys before going to his part-time job. He probably wouldn’t see Shawna until tomorrow.

  He sighed. Girls! Who could figure them out? He couldn’t understand why Shawna was so jealous of his Secret Santa. They were just gifts. And lousy ones at that!

  Yet Shawna was acting like he was cheating on her!

  Didn’t she know him at all after all these months of dating?

  Her attitude was starting to make him mad.

  Did he really need this grief?

  When he found himself getting mad at Shawna, he reminded himself of all the things he liked about her. The way she made him laugh. How he liked spending time with her. How he liked holding her close and how he especially liked kissing her.

  Maybe she’d get back to normal once Secret Santas were revealed.

  Speaking of Secret Santas, he had a gift to deliver to his.

  He took a peek in his backpack to make sure his latest gift was still there and then left the cafeteria.

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  “Simon’s staring at us!” Lily hissed. “Why is he staring at us?”

  “Maybe he’s staring at us because we’re staring at him,” Noelle answered.

  “Look away! Look away!”

  “I’m looking away,” Noelle said, picking up her tuna fish sandwich and taking a bite. “Calm down.”

  “How can I calm down?” Lily moaned. “I can’t believe I got another Secret Santa gift wrong! Did you see what Connor did? He gave the Matchbox car to Simon. Why would he do that? I told you what I overheard yesterday. He loves Corvettes. I thought giving him a mini version would be a cute gift.”

  “Maybe he’s outgrown toy cars. Or maybe he didn’t get the cuteness angle of the gift. Guys aren’t usually into cute. Unless it’s a cute girl.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Here’s a suggestion. Why don’t you ditch that list and just wing it?”

  “You could be right.” Lily gazed around the cafeteria. “Hey! Take a look at Celia! She glammed it up today. Looks like she had the same idea as you.”

  Noelle checked out her competition and felt herself burning up with jealousy. How was she expected to compete against that?! “Who looks hotter? Me or her? Tell me the truth.”

  “I don’t think I’m the right person to be asking that question.”

  “If you were a guy, who would you choose, me or her?” Noelle asked.

  Lily raised an eyebrow. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a guy.”

  “But if you were.”

  “Why don’t you ask a real guy?” Lily grabbed Ryan’s arm as he passed by their table with a lunch tray. “Like Ryan!”

  He slid into the seat next to Lily. “Ask me what?”

  “Who do you think looks hotter?” Lily asked. “Noelle or Celia?”

  “Noelle,” Ryan answered, taking a bite of his cheeseburger. “No question.”

  Lily looked at Noelle. “Satisfied?”

  “If Charlie had to choose between me and Celia, who do you think he would choose?” Noelle asked Ryan.

  Ryan stopped chewing his cheeseburger. “What kind of crazy question is that?”

  “A ‘what if’ question,” Noelle shot back.

  Ryan shook his head. “A ‘what if’ question is something like, ‘If the world was going to come to an end tomorrow, what would you do?’ Or, ‘If you could have any sort of superpower, what would it be?’” Ryan opened a packet of ketchup and squirted it over his French fries. “Why are girls always competing with one another?”

  “It’s the way we’re programmed,” Lily said, snatching a French fry from Ryan’s plate.

  “Let’s talk about something else,” Ryan said. “How goes it with the Secret Santas?”

  “Even though I’ve been messing things up with the person whose name I picked,” Lily said, “my Secret Santa has been leaving me nice gifts. Yesterday it was a green silk hair ribbon and today I got a handmade picture frame. But that’s nothing compared to Noelle. She has a romantic Secret Santa.”

  “Romantic? Really? Tell me more,” Ryan urged, popping a handful of French fries into his mouth.

  Noelle blushed. “There’s nothing to say.”

  “There is too!” Lily exclaimed. “Yesterday her Secret Santa left her a Christmas angel and today he left her chocolate kisses with a note promising that his kisses would be just as sweet.”

  Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Mash notes from your Secret Santa. How very PG-13! Sounds like your Secret Santa might have a crush on you. That he might even like you!”

  “Do you really think so?” Noelle asked. After all, Ryan was Charlie’s brother and Ryan would know if Charlie was the romantic type. She had to ask the question. How could she not?! “Would Charlie do something like this?”

  Ryan’s face screwed up like he’d sucked a sour lemon. “Charlie?! You think Charlie is your Secret Santa? My brother is not your Secret Santa. Trust me, he doesn’t have a romantic bone in his body!”

  Before Noelle could explain why she felt Charlie was her Secret Santa, Ryan jumped out of his seat and stormed away from the table.

  “What’s his problem?” Lily asked.

  Noelle shrugged. “Who knows?”

  Lily snatched a final French fry off Ryan’s plate. “I’m ready to go. You?”

  “Ready.”

  As Lily and Noelle were leaving the cafeteria, they ran into Jason and Sonia, who were also leaving. As usual, their arms were wrapped around each oth
er’s waists.

  “Ladies first,” Jason said, allowing Noelle and Lily to walk through the door first.

  “Thanks,” Noelle said while Lily just stared blankly at Jason and his new girlfriend.

  “Look what Jase gave me,” Sonia said. She held out her wrist so Lily and Noelle could see the silver bracelet she was wearing. Dangling from it was a heart-shaped charm. “It’s an early Christmas present.”

  Sonia rested her head on Jason’s shoulder as she stared at Lily and Noelle, a smug smile twitching on her lips. She nestled closer to Jason so there was no mistaking her body language. The message was clear: Jason is mine!

  “It’s very pretty,” Noelle said.

  Lily didn’t say anything. Instead, she just walked down the hallway as Noelle chased after her. “Lily! Wait!” She caught up with her. “Are you okay?”

  Lily shook her head. “No, I’m not okay,” she admitted. “It hurts seeing Jason with someone else.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “But it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to.”

  Noelle didn’t say anything, but she took Lily’s comments as a good sign. It meant her best friend’s broken heart was healing.

  Noelle wanted to scratch Celia’s eyes out!

  She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  Charlie — her Charlie — was kissing Celia!

  At first she thought she was dreaming. That at any second she would open her eyes and poof! She’d be in her bedroom, snuggling under her sheets and quilt, listening to the buzz of her clock radio before she switched it over to music.

  But this was no dream.

  Charlie’s lips were pressed against Celia’s.

  His arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him.

  And he was kissing her.

  A kiss that a boyfriend gave to his girlfriend.

  The way she had always imagined Charlie kissing her.

  Then he pulled away from a stunned Celia and gave her a mischievous smile, pointing upward to the entrance of the living room. Noelle followed his finger. “You were standing under the mistletoe,” he said. “That means I get a kiss.”