Forever Changed

“Has your mom considered maybe getting away for the holidays so they won’t be quite as painful?”

“I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it.” I didn’t mention the Christmas decorations that still sat in the attic or the baked goods that used to be a normal staple item for us during this time of year. I didn’t mention the lack of hidden Christmas presents or the missing voice of my father as he changed the lyrics of Christmas songs to better suit his purposes.

“Maybe I can help,” she said, seeing through my ploy.

“No one can help. The holidays used to be my father’s favorite time of the year. He made them special. It won’t be truly Christmas for us ever again,” I said with a quiver in my voice as I left her office.

Mrs. Leighton’s words haunted me through the rest of the school day. She’d made me think of things I had been trying to avoid, and the pain from them weighed me down as I headed to detention later that afternoon.

Signing in at the door, I claimed my usual seat and glanced around. I was actually relieved to see I was the only delinquent stupid enough to get put in detention the last day before break. Either all the other students were smart enough to stay out of trouble, or they decided to skip out and suffer the consequences when the holidays were over.

I pulled out my phone and hit the Facebook app. Clicking on my missed messages, I saw several from Colton, asking if I wanted to hang out over break. I typed in a quick answer and moved on to my timeline. The majority of the posts on my timeline were from Lacey and her cronies discussing Lacey’s holiday party the next day. I tapped onto a post from Lacey that highlighted the appropriate gifts to bring the hostess of such an event. I rolled my eyes as I scrolled through the suggestions.

Perfume

Starbucks gift cards

Chocolate (Godiva only)

Jewelry

Mall gift cards

“Oh brother, what a diva,” I muttered to myself as I tapped on the fifty-plus comments that followed the post. The majority of them were inquiries regarding her favorite perfume or what the appropriate amount for the gift cards would be. Finally, at the bottom of the list was the posting I was hoping to see and I couldn’t help chuckling when I read it.

I was going to get a gift card for Bitches R Us, but I couldn’t find a listing for it. I figured you probably have the number on speed dial, the unknown smiling face posted.

I was still laughing at the comment when the post disappeared off my screen. “Well, Lacey finally decided to delete Mr. Smiles,” I said to myself, disappointed.

“Oh, don’t worry, he’ll come back,” a familiar voice said, plopping down in the seat in front of me.

My pulse sped up into hyper-drive. “You, right?” I asked, indicating the still open app on my phone.

He grinned at me. “Can’t say,” he said, holding up his palms.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, not wanting to admit how happy I was to see him.

“Figured I’d keep you company on your last day in detention hell,” he said, swinging a leg over the back of his seat so he could sit in the seat next to me.

“What makes you think I wanted company?” I teased, trying to ignore how much his close proximity affected me.

“Okay, let me rephrase that. I couldn’t wait to see you,” he said, using his finger to trace the back of my hand.

I shivered at his touch and dropped my eyes so I could watch as his finger traced invisible drawings on my sensitive flesh.

“Were all your classes as much of a joke today as mine were?” he asked, dragging my attention away from the slow seduction that was going on with my hand.

“Pretty much,” I muttered, trying to sound normal.

?

??I looked for you at lunch,” he said, flipping my hand over so he could show my wrist the same attention.

I looked up, alarmed.

“Don’t worry. I know we can’t eat with each other. I just wanted to see you,” he said, moving his finger up along the inside of my forearm.

“I had plans anyway,” I said.