My British Bear

Chapter 6

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Chloe shoved another bite of salad into her mouth. "What's your favorite color? Mine's blue!"

"I couldn't tell." I chuckled. Today her nails were painted blue (thanks to Jess) and she was wearing a blue sweater. "Mine's salmon." We were playing the What's Your Favorite game, trying to get to know each other. "Favorite Ninja turtle? I like Donny."

"Raphael!" she cheered.

"I have to say Leo," Zachary butted in.

"I have to say Mikey," Molly disagreed.

"I'm with Chloe." Brooks smiled.

"Definitely Mikey," Angel agreed.

"I'm goin' with Maria!" Jess cheered.

"I'm gonna go with Jess so she doesn't eat me," Seth teased.

Seth had golden curls with brown streaks and ice blue eyes. He was quiet and smart, and it still surprised me that he had ended up with Jess of all people. He's her opposite- she has red waves and emerald eyes and is loud and happy.

"What's your favorite holiday?" She pulled her ponytail up tighter. "Mine's Easter." She then proceeded to hum the Winnie the Pooh Easter song, which caused us all to sing it at the top of ours lungs (I had it stuck in my head for the rest of the day).

"I used to love Christmas, when we celebrated it."

"YOU DON'T CELEBRATE IT?!" Chloe squealed.

Zachary scooted a little bit away from her, his aquamarine eyes wide. He brushed his black, sideswept bangs out of his face. "Oooooh nooooo. You've done it now, Maria. Now Chloe's gonna start ranting." His eyes glittered playfully.

"Uh, not anymore," I replied to Chloe.

She gasped. "Well, you're coming over to my house, then!"

"Chloe--"

"Every year we have a Christmas party and this year you can come! It's always really fun and we have a bunch of friends and family over!"

"Chloe--" I tried again.

Molly bent over to me. "It's useless." She whispered. "Chloe don't stop talking once she has an idea." Her maple eyes showed she was dead serious. Zach tugged on a bit of her short pink and blonde hair and she slapped him, laughing.

"You could even spend the night!" she rambled on. "It'd be so much fun! We always go caroling and eat lots of food and--"

"CHLOE!"

"Yes?" She tilted her head.

"Chloe, I don't know if I can or even want to go."

"Well, then I'll kidnap you!"

"I--"

"I will!" she cried.

"She's serious," Angel whispered. (Angel's Filipino, by the way.)

I sighed slowly through my nose. "Fiiiiine."

"YAY!" she squealed.

"When is it?"

"Two weeks."

"Alright, then." I shoved another chicken nugget in my mouth and wiped a trickle of honey mustard away from my chin. "Have you ever been to Sweets? The coffee shop?"

"Oh, yeah! Brooks insists on me coming all the time!"

"Reese is nice. She says I'll get the Odd Jobs job, so maybe she'll talk to the manager?" I noticed Brooks and Zachary beginning to laugh.

"Uh- Maria?"

"Yeah?" I sipped at the fruit punch.

"Reese is the manager."

I coughed in surprise, shooting fruit punch all over the table and Jess. She moaned and Seth gently began to wipe it off of her.

"She-- WHAT?!" I sputtered.

Chloe leaned across the table, wiping up the snot-fruit-punch. "Yeah! She's been the manager forever."

"Wow..." It took a moment to process that after whimpering about my burning nose. "Guess I have a job, huh?"

"Yep!"

I grinned. A job. For money. In my favorite place in the world. I glanced at Brooks. With one of my favorite people in the world.