When Trouble Meets Trouble

[ C h a p t e r - E l e v e n ]

Chapter 11

I wonder what Jonah is doing. The dance is just now starting and I’m sitting at work, beside Mere, waiting for Ms. Antoinette to dismiss us. We’ve had a bunch of customers today because we’ve been closed ever since Friday due to the snow storm. Bunches of parents were rushing in here buying last minute gifts for their children, video games galore.

“Wipe that look off of your face,” Mere snapped as I sighed.

I looked up at her, my eyebrows furrowed. “What look?”

“That look of despair,” Mere complained, scowling.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “It’s not despair, its curiosity.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, so I suggest you stop being curious,” Mere smirked, earning a frustrated sigh from me. I didn't bother to complete the quote. “Anyway, what are you wondering about, girly?”

“I wonder what Jonah’s doing,” I replied, biting my lip.

“He might be at the dance or he might be at home; he’s only a call away, you know?” Mere replied, swinging her legs as she sat halfway off of the counter.

I groaned. “Yeah, but he’s angry at me,” I buried my face in my hands.

“Who says you have to be the one to call him?” she asked mischievously. She clutched my phone in one hand and her own in the other, dialing Jonah’s number on her iPhone.

“Hello?” his familiar voice asked. Meredith pinched her nose, causing her voice to go up a few octaves, which resulted in her sounding nasally.

“Hello there, this is Caroline Chrysanthemum and I’m from Chrysanthemum Company, we sell Chrysanthemum Crayons. Would you like to make a purchase?” I held back my laughter. The background was quiet.

“Excuse me?” Jonah asked.

“Can you not hear me? Are you in a crowded place?” Meredith asked him, sitting cross legged on the counter.

“Actually, I’m not," he replied. A voice in the background caused my ears to perk up.

“Jonah? Who is that? That isn’t Savannah, is it? We’re supposed to be on a date!” Waverly snapped. I felt my stomach clench and I suddenly felt sad.

Before we could hear Jonah’s response, Meredith hung up the phone. It was quiet for a moment as I drew circles on the desk, in deep thought. Mere decided to speak up. “Vanna, do you…like him?”   

I slowly shook my head, biting the inside of my cheek. “I just don’t want to lose a friend to someone like Waverly," I told her.

Was I telling the truth? I know what I said was true but was I answering Mere’s question honestly? Both of my mistakes caused even worse consequences. First, I snapped at Waverly over the phone and she ended up getting Jonah to go to Winter Wonderland with her. Then, I tag along with the twins who destroyed her $200.00 dress and I end up getting caught by Jonah himself, who ends up going on a date with the girl.

I’m guessing Mere decided to change the subject. “So…what are your plans for Christmas?”

I pursed my lips as I shrugged. “Spending it with my family, I guess. What about you?”

I looked up to see Mere staring at her lap. She shrugged slightly while fiddling with her hands. “My mom and dad left for vacation, so I’ll be spending this Christmas alone.”

I can’t believe I’m doing this; I know it’s going to be a bad idea. “Mere…do you, maybe, want to spend Christmas with my family?”

Her head perked up and her eyes shimmered with excitement. Then her smile widened even more; I’m guessing she realized that my family included my brother, the one she’s been dying to meet for the entirety of our friendship. “Really?”