so, do we like each other or not? // JENLISA

Chapter 34

Jennie finally switched her phone off when Christmas arrived. It was the first time their relationship hadn't been interrupted by an urgent ringing in nearly six months.

Lisa had never experienced a proper family Christmas before – the ones in foster care didn't count, nor did her more recent drunken ones with friends – and so she wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Having said that, she probably should have predicted that the day would start off exactly as it did, which meant she really should have worn pyjamas to bed.

"Ugh! Lisa!" Lucas screeched as he tumbled through the door to Jennie's bedroom. "No one wants to see that!"

She wasn't even naked, to her credit, but her flimsy white tank top and red panties weren't leaving very much to the imagination.

"If your mother would stop stealing the covers, you wouldn't have to," Lisa grumbled, grappling around for the comforter and yanking it away from Jennie. When she was fully covered, Lucas skulked back towards the bed.

"It's Christmas!" he bellowed directly into Jennie's face. She barely reacted.

"It's also 6am," she mumbled. "It will still be Christmas in an hour."

"Mo-om," Lucas whined. "Come on! Get up!"

"She's right, kid," Lisa said, burrowing down beneath the sheets. She knew full well that Jennie was only doing this to torment him, so she may as well join in. "Time for some more sleep."

"Noooooo!" Before they could do anything to stop him, he'd climbed up onto the bed and was vigorously shaking the pair of them. "Come on! Time for presents!"

"Keep up the shaking and Santa will take them all back," Jennie said. Lisa could hear the smirk in her voice.

"He'll take yours back too, then," Lucas pointed out, and Jennie finally pretended to stir.

"I have presents?"

"Yes!"

"Well, why didn't you say so?" she demanded, bolting upright. "Get out the way, Lucas. I need to open all my gifts."

She clambered out of the bed in one swift movement and rushed towards the door. Lucas chased after her, giggling wildly between cries of "No, me first!"

Lisa was left alone in the bed, blinking to herself and wondering how so much activity could possibly happen before the sun was even up.

After pulling on some sweats and a hoodie, she stumbled down the stairs to find Lucas already buried beneath the tree, his butt poking up in the air while Jennie watched on with amusement from the couch.

"He gets one present now," Jennie explained as Lisa perched herself on the armrest. "Then we have breakfast, then we open the rest."

"Okay," Lisa said, watching as he sorted through them all to decide which gift would be the lucky one. "How come you do it that way?"

"Because if we have breakfast first, he eats too quickly and nearly chokes himself. But if we do presents first, he refuses to eat breakfast at all because he's too busy playing."

"Smart," Lisa said. "I didn't realise Christmas could be such a military operation."

"This one!" Lucas suddenly yelped, pulling out a meticulously wrapped gift with his name on. "Lisa, are you going to open one now too?"