swim_read_repeat's big book of challenges

🅳🅰🆈 9️⃣

ση тнє ηιηтн ∂αу σƒ ¢няιѕтмαѕ, му тяυє ℓσνє gανє тσ мє 

ηιηє ℓα∂ιєѕ ∂αη¢ιηg, 

єιgнт мαι∂ѕ α-мιℓкιηg, ѕєνєη ѕωαηѕ α-ѕωιммιηg, ѕιχ gєєѕє α-ℓαуιηg

ƒινє gσℓ∂ яιηgѕ 

ƒσυя ¢αℓℓιηg вιя∂ѕ, тняєє ƒяєη¢н нєηѕ, тωσ тυятℓє ∂σνєѕ, αη∂ α ραятяι∂gє ιη α ρєαя тяєє

Title: 12 Paper Clues

Prompt: Take two Christmas songs and make a story based on them.

Synopsis: Based on "Last Christmas" (Wham!) and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (traditional), a boy tries to win back the heart of the girl he gave up last Christmas in a scavenger hunt taking place in the twelve days before Christmas.

Requirements: NONE (besides the obvious fact that it has to be based on two songs)

"'On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me?'" I read the words on the paper in my hand out loud. "What does a stupid Christmas carol have to do with anything?"

My friend Estella shrugged. "Does it say anything else?"

I flip over the paper and read the writing on the back. It's handwritten, but neat and precise, not a single smear of ink or a misspelling to be found. My left-handed, distracted self could never. "'I know you like puzzles, so here's one for you. Over twelve days of Christmas, you'll get twelve different clues. Solve them, and then they'll lead you to me. Your first clue lies beneath the wrong Christmas tree.'"

Estella lets out a sharp laugh, "Yeahhh, you're on your own for this one. You know I suck at puzzles."

"Yeah, but who is this rando who's trying to get me to find them? This sounds like the beginning of a horror story."

"Or," Estella shoots back, "the beginning of a rom-com."

I mime gagging, and Estella laughs.

"Look," she says, "it's our senior year. Jake and I are planning to have a nice Christmas birthday together with our families. The least you can do is have some fun now."

Esta and her boyfriend Jake have their birthdays on Christmas, which was also the day they met, the day they became friends, the day they fought but also the day they made up, and the day they got together. It makes sense that they like Christmas. Me, on the other hand...it's not that I hate Christmas, but I don't have the same love for it that Esta and Jake do. But I guess Esta is right; I can't spend my last Christmas as a high schooler not having fun.

I unfold the paper again and reread the clue: "Your first clue lies beneath the wrong Christmas tree".

What did that even mean? There are plenty of Christmas trees all over town, but what made them "wrong"? As I'm puzzling over this, the bell rings for our next class. Esta waves over her shoulder as she heads away from me, linking arms with Jake before he pulls her into their classroom.

Last Christmas, they made up and started dating. Meanwhile, I got my heart broken.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. But the very next day, you gave it away.

It started like this: Logan and I had been talking for a while - we were friends for a long time before we were anything more. And on Christmas Eve, I confessed that I had feelings for him. He kissed me, and we had a very nice make-out session in the park. But then the next day, when I wanted him to at least spend a bit of time with my family, he said he was busy. And foolishly, I believed him. Until we were out in town and I saw him. Kissing another girl. He said the line ("it isn't what it looks like!") and made the promises ("I promise it won't happen again"), but it was over. And so while Esta and Jake were having their true love's kiss, I was having a truly bad Christmas.