Chasing Snowflakes

4

"What about this? Would she like this?"

"I don't know, George. Can she read?"

"I honestly don't know," George says, looking down at a book with a large duck plastered on it. They were in a bookstore, finishing up some holiday shopping and George was struggling to find something for his little sister.

"How old is she? Six? It could pass as a new bedtime story or she can use it to learn," Clay said. George looks at it for a moment longer and places it back, making Clay groan very loudly.

"I'm sorry! I just don't know what to get her," he said. George couldn't blame Clay for being frustrated, he already turned down numerous dolls, trucks, and toys for her and it's only been an hour.

"Look-" Clay presses a small shark plushie in his hands. "You told me she likes ocean animals, right? Boom. Stuffed animal. Kids go crazy for that stuff." George watches his friend take a sip of his drink with eyebrows raised.

Damn it, it was perfect for Mary.

"I guess-" George starts to say but his phone starts ringing, earning him glares from people reading in the chairs a few feet away. He answers and his mom's pleading voice come through.

"Oh! George, please come back home soon, please. The twins can't decorate the cookies without making a mess and they want to be taken outside," Clay leans into George to hear the phone call better and something in him stirs.

"Yeah, we're on our way," George responds, already walking up to the register. "What are you going to do with the cookies then?"

His mom sighs. "Do you and Clay want to finish them? Your father isn't home yet to help, so I'm just going to take the twins up the street to Ms. Dean's." Ms. Dean was their neighbor who also had wild children and when things were getting crazy, his mom would retreat to her house for their kids to play.

"Uh, sure? I guess we could."

"Great! Thank you." His mom hangs up before George could change any plans on her and the boys are left staring at the black screen.

"You interested in decorating cookies?" George asks his friend. Clay shrugs and nods, what else was he supposed to say? No? They were kinda forced to finish them before the rest of George's family comes.

The pressure between them had eased quite a bit when Clay came and talked to him again that morning with a piece of toast and a gentle smile. It was a weird attempt to mend things without actually saying what happened, but George gave him kudos for stopping the cold shoulder treatment anyways. All that mattered was that Clay was back to himself and George finished Christmas shopping, and the two were back to being the friends they were.

When they finally walked into the kitchen, it looked like a flour bomb was set off and someone flung frosting all over the counter. George runs his finger on the island counter and showed it to Clay.

"Did the twins snort crack or flour?" He jokes and Clay laughs, looking down at the bare cookies.

"Judging by the way your mom sounded on the phone? Probably crack."

It was George's turn to laugh and the two started to pile up all the things they need- more frosting, sprinkles, chocolate chips, marshmallows- anything sugary, really. And it started fine. Normal. Just the two of them, concentrating on icing angels and trees and making them as presentable as possible. But that all changed when Clay attacked.

"Wha- Clay!" George yells as he watches his beautiful blue angel turn a gross green as Clay smeared frosting on it. George had to fight back. Defend his honor.