Say Goodbye

11.Christmas

Ivan's P.O.V.

Heather had bought our story of us kissing and she thought me and Ballerina had something going on. As in 'romance.'

She's ridiculous.

I drove in the snow to a small antique store out of the city called: 'Betty's 'Tiques'. Why am I here? Christmas eves was today and that means Christmas was tomorrow and I hadn't bought a thing for Chrene. She loved antiques, especially little jewelry pieces such as rings and charms.

"Welcome, may I help you with something?" A woman around her late fifties approached me as I got in. I shook the snow off me and stomped my shoes on the ground to get the snow off.

"Is there something like...something that a girl around my age would like?" Gosh, I sound stupid.

"Definitely. Follow me." She guided the way as her hands swung back and forth.

We crept our way into almost the back until she stopped on a clear glass shelf.

"I'm positive she'll like this." She handed me a silver chain with a tiny bottle attached to it. In the top of the bottle was a cork stuck in it filled with bright yellow sand and grains of green stones. I instantly liked it.

It was bottled up just like Chrene and I. We had our own secrets and our own pasts'.

"I'll take it." I smiled back at her.

She wrapped it up in a small box about the size of my palms. I paid her and reluctantly scurried out of the store. All of my things on my 'to-do' list were now done. Not that I even have one...I drove back home to my house and placed the small package under the tree. Chrene would be spending Christmas here with the Festch resident only because I convinced her to. My family was perfectly okay with it because they said she was like family even though I had only known her for over two months and a little.

"I see you got your girlfriend something, boy." My father's voice made me jump.

"God dad, she's just a friend." I complained. Am I missing something here? Why does everyone think we have something going on? "Can't a female and a male be friends without the whole 'they're gonna date' thing?"

"Whatever you say Ivan." My dad flicked through channels on the television. My grandparents were mumbling as they over heard my father's assumption. My mom was cooking in the kitchen while Luke was noodling on his phone.

Man am I getting mad for a 18 year old. There was a knock at the door before I could reply back so I of course went to open the door.

There stood a Chrene with her beige boots and a white beanie on her head. Her curly brown hair fell out of her hat. She was also wearing the cotton red jacket with a fiery red pair of jeans. She is holding three boxes in different shapes under her arm and I wonder how she managed to do that.

I gulped. Gah, for a girl best friend, couldn't she cut some slack for her guy best friend? She was way too attractive aside from all the girls that threw theirselves on me at school.

"H-h-hey." I stuttered and felt my cheeks burn.

"Hey." She says, very joyful indeed. I stare at her for what seems a few seconds. "So are you going to invite me in or what?"

I snap back to reality. "Oh, yeah. Come in." I open the door wide enough so that she can get in.

She takes her boots off and scoots them over to the side and hangs her red coat on a hanger in the closet. When she finally does that it reveals her black long sleeved shirt. There are several buttons going up to her chest but she leaves three of them unbuttoned , follwed by a white tank underneath. She placed the boxes underneath the tree. I let out a breath of air. Thank goodness she wasn't wearing anything too showy.