My Best Friend, The Bad Boy

24 | The Mission of Presents & Gift Giving

Carter's POV (not edited)

The thing that comes with December is Christmas. With this realization, I know I need to start searching for presents for people. This is a challenge I usually leave until way too late. This year, I want to change that. After all, since I've figured my feelings for Kaillie, I kind of want to get her something special, not something I only find last minute that's store-brought.

When I mention presents to my mom, specifically ones for Abby and Kaillie, she does not seem that helpful. She's a female, so I don't understand why she's not that helpful, but she does say something else and change the topic. "So what did you and Kaillie do yesterday, honey?"

Her smile is warm, although it seems to contain half a smirk, as if she knows what's going on between the two of us. But how can she see know if I don't even know?

"We went skating..." I say awkwardly, as any teen does when their parents quizzes them on what they did without them, specifically when it was with the person they like.

She laughs a little bit, chuckling, "You finally got her to go skating, eh?" The laughing just makes me remember the hundreds of times that Kaillie has complained about not being able to skate, and therefore refusing to go skating with me. Those memories made me laugh too. It also relaxes me a little bit, as if maybe she's not trying to get information out of me about the events of yesterday as much now.

After we finish our little laugh, I reply, "Yeah, I did. She wasn't as bad as she made herself out to be."

"Well that's good," she laughs again, "I was hoping she wasn't that bad."

I smile, saying, "She was actually pretty good, considering how I thought she was going to do." Really, she wasn't that bad of a skater, she just wasn't one of the fastest ones either. She's on a kind of advanced beginner level.

"How'd you swing that?" my mom asks, sobering up.

I shrug. "We were bored, I guess." Isn't that what happened, after all? Well, that and it was too cold to continue walking around outside.

A silence lays over us and my mom smirks at me, as if warning me of the conversation to come. That's never good. I guess she still does want information. Time to run. I make my excuse of Christmas shopping and get out the door before she can ask me anymore questions.

As I walk out the door, I realize I still have no idea what to get for either of them. Lucky for me, I have the brilliant idea to call Abby and invite her along, which she gladly obliges to. Hopefully, Abby can help me with Kaillie's gift, and hint for something she wants along the way, which would hit two birds with one stone.

You know, my plan seemed excellent before we arrived at the mall and Abby became super excited. This could either be a good thing for me, as in an easier hunt for Christmas presents, or a very bad thing for me. It wasn't that I didn't accept that this could take all day, it's that now I know it definitely could. Abby may be tough, but that does not mean she doesn't like shopping.

"Okay, so you know the mission, right?" I ask Abby in an attempt to focus her on what we actually need to get at the mall.

"Christmas presents," she answers happily, smiling at the thought. "Because you seem to not have a bloody clue as to what to get any of the females in your life." And there's the sass Abby could possibly be famous for.

I shot her a look, saying, "I have an idea for my mom!" which is a totally lame comeback, but it's the only one I could think of as well as being the truth.

"Mhmm," she murmurs, not totally convinced, "but nothing for me or Kaillie."

"I know. I guess it's cause I know how I feel and Kaillie's needs to be extra special this year," I admit, hoping she has an answer. Which she does not, unless you counting cooing about how I like our best friend in a more than friends kind of way, which was probably making my face go progressively more red as she went on. "Please stop," I mutter, hoping she hears me.