They were Roommates

Chapter 22

It's been almost a week since I came home from my argument with Miles. My dad nor Jinx have asked me what happened and I'm not going to tell them. I don't want to ruin their Christmas much like how my Christmas is always ruined.

Back when I was in high school, I came out to my family and friends, not on Christmas but just in genral. But that following Christmas my mom left us (she did leave us gifts so that's a plus). I will always remember that was the year I ruined Christmas.

Now every year around Christmas time I get into a slump. A Christmas Grinch slump. I do nothing for one to two weeks straight, I eat, listen to music, sleep, wake up and repeat right up to Christmas. I ignore the holiday cards I receive. I only buy presents online and Jinx helps me wrap them.

"Wesley Johnson! If you don't get your butt down here, I'm going to win the gingerbread making contest!" I hear Jinx yell up towards my bedroom.

"I'm coming!" I groan as I get out of bed and throw on the closest hoodie hoping it doesn't smell to bad.

I slowly make my way downstairs and to the kitchen. Jinx is not making a gingerbread house but instead getting their shoes on and coat.

"Where are you going?" I ask them.

"To the mall with you," they say with a smile.

"Ummm... I can't... I'm busy," I say and start to leave towards the stairs.

"Come on! Dad won't let me go alone and I need to find more gifts," they say.

"And who is going to pay for these gifts?" I ask.

"You, but dad said he would pay you back, please,"

"Fine," I say and grab my coat.

                                                                      ✧ ✧ ✧

Jinx drags me from store to store as they try and find the "perfect gift". As they are looking at a nearby store, I go to the bookstore next door.

I walk around and whenever I see a head past by in a nearby isle with brown hair, I duck down thinking it's Miles.

"Wesel? Is that you? Ohmygod! I didn't except to see you here," I hear a voice say behind me.

I turn to find the one and only Gizell with her new boyfriend behind me.

"Oh... hi, Gizell," I say with a small wave.

"This is Miles' roommate," she says to her boyfriend.

"Hi," I say with a little wave at the boyfriend.

"Wesel, Benni. Benni, Wesel," Gizell says as she points between us.

"Wesley," I say to correct her.

"Bengii," the boyfriend says.

"What are you two doing here?" I ask hoping it doesn't come off as rude.

"Benni is getting me my Christmas presents!" she says with a smile.

"Yeah," Bengii says with a chuckle.

"Isn't he the sweetest thing," Gizell says, "and he reminds me of that handsome guy in Crazy Rich Asians"

"Michael Teo?" I ask her.

"Yeah, that's the one," she says with a high pitch laugh. "Anyways we've got lots of shopping to do, Toodles!"

Gizell and Bengii leave the store without buying anything and I just stare at them, well him. She's not wrong Bengii does look a lot like Michael Teo, I just hope he is better than him.

"Who was that?" A voice says from behind me causing me to jump and hit my head on one of the bookshelves.

I rub my head to help it not hurt and see Jinx's jaw length neon green hair that she didn't have before we came here.

"Someone from school." I say, "What did you do to your hair?"

"Oh... Well, I was tired of my long boring brunette hair. It reminded me of mom too much and dad won't let me cut it at home so I used the hundred dollar limit you gave me to go and get my hair done. Watch think?" they say and do a quick twirl.

"I think dad is going to kill me," I say.

"And I also found the perfect gift I was looking for," they say with a smile.

"So, we can go home now?" I ask.

"Yep, but you can't turn back into your sad slug mode. We have a tree to decorate and cookies to bake," they say.

"Great," I say.

"Also, you might want to change before we make the cookies," they say as they look me up and down.