His Secret Santa: A Phoenix Club novella

Chapter 4

For the remainder of the day and throughout the following night, Holden pondered why he hadn't told Jamie everything that went on in the private booth two years ago. His friend already suspected that stuff happened beyond the strip tease and lap dance. He would have loved that Holden received his first blowjob that night.

They told each other everything. So, why not that? They talked about sex all the time, and Jamie had proven himself surprisingly comfortable with discussions of gay sex.

When Holden crawled out of bed the next morning, he still had no answer to the question of why he held back info from his best friend.

After a cursory breakfast with his parents and grandparents—who had moved in with them just after Holden's fifteenth birthday—Holden left the house and headed for school. He drove the long way around, in no hurry to arrive, though he knew Jamie was waiting for him.

Today in homeroom, they would pick names for the Secret Santa assignment. Holden didn't know why he stressed it, but he couldn't get rid of the hard knot in his gut. Maybe it was the fear that one of the "popular" kids would draw his name. They were mean enough as it was. Who knew what kind of "gift" they would give him? One thing was for sure, it would be meant to embarrass or humiliate him.

By the time Holden made it to school, it was beginning to snow. Not heavily, just a few flakes for now. Jamie leaned against the front of his Toyota pickup and straightened up when Holden pulled in beside him.

"'Bout time." Jamie hugged his thick jacket tighter around him. "What took you so long? It's almost time to head to class."

"Though I'd take the scenic route." Holden climbed out and pulled on his coat. He squinted up at the white hazy sky as snowflakes settled on his face and melted. "Think it'll pick up before the end of the day?"

Jamie shrugged. "Maybe." He shifted. "Come on, let's get inside. I'm freezing my butt off."

Holden glanced at his backside and smirked. "Not much there to freeze off."

Grunting, Jamie laughed and socked his arm. "Look who's talking."

"Yesterday, you said I had a better ass than the whole cheer squad."

"Did I?" Jamie snorted. "Huh." He grinned and headed out of the school parking lot toward the front steps of the building.

Holden reluctantly followed.

"So, today's the day," Jamie said. "Whose name do you think you'll draw?"

"No idea." Holden sighed. "I wish we didn't have to do this."

"I hope I get Abby." Jamie smiled. "Do you think she'd like to go out on a fancy date? As my gift to her, I mean?"

"I'm sure she would. In fact, I'm pretty sure she would like it, anyway—even if you're not her Secret Santa."

"Yeah? You think so?" Excitement lit up his face.

"From the way she was looking at you yesterday? Yeah, I think so."

"She's pretty, don't you think?" Jamie smiled. "Like naturally pretty. Not that fake plastic look."

Holden nodded, his stomach clenching as they approached the double entrance doors. "Yeah," he mumbled. "She's pretty."

Jamie stopped just before they reached the doors. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Do you still think Abby is a spy for McKenna?"

Holden cleared his throat. "No. I mean, I don't think so. If she is, she's a hell of an actress." He eyed his friend. "Since when do you like cheerleaders?"