It's Just High School

Chapter 10

Christmas always had its appeal to me; especially dad always made it a point to call all our relatives to our place. Seeing my cousins, just doing the things we do for fun would always be the crème of the holidays.

But this season, I couldn’t help but feel a bite in my heart. I still can’t imagine Sam all alone on a Christmas night, probably tired from work. To be a teenager and be forced to work for yourself is not what I had in my mind as a hell moment in youth. I pictured not having friends and being bullied was the worst a teenager nowadays could experience. I was clearly wrong. Not only did she had to endure both, she also had to face the reality that when she goes home, no one is there be with her to spend the holidays and keep her warm. It was just too depressing to know.

I dialed her number instinctively, with her number the only one burned in my memory.

“Hey, Sam.” I said when she picked up the phone.

“Hello Dean.” She answered back, her breath clearly telling that she’s tired.

“How are you?” I still asked.

“Dead tired.” She told me.

“Would you like to rest? I’ll put the phone down.” Even though I didn’t want to.

“No Dean, don’t. I’d like to hear your voice.”

I was thrilled to say the least, but more than anything it made me smile. So she wants to hear me too. “Okay. What would you like to listen to?” I said with a little enthusiasm.

“Just anything.”

I told her about my day, first. How my cousins came around ten in the morning, all hyped up from drinking too much coffee in the way. How we just played everything that we could play starting from video games, to sports to house furniture. I told her about how my cousins are competitive in the game of pranks, how one ended up with a dozen eggs showering his hair, and how our mothers would yell out on our childish antics. She would laugh at how silly she must have imagined we look like running inside the house like we’re kindergarteners.

Her laugh at the ridiculous amount of pranks and blunders we do made a comforting feeling out of me to know that she was okay but she never said much in between those. There were the occasional comments about my antics and how fun my day had been but she mostly just listens. Sometimes in the middle, I had to check if she was still awake, and she moans to let me know yes.

“You have a gorgeous telephone voice Dean.”

“I’m amazing right?”

“Yes. Yes you are.”

“Makes you want to be proud to be my girlfriend.”

She didn’t answer on that but I can watch her mentally that she’s shaking her head with a soft smile.

It’s only been a few days so rubbing in the fact to her was crucial. She needs to get used to the idea that we’re no longer friends. I’m his boyfriend now and I want to make that fact to her. Not that she needs any reminding, but I want her to feel and hear from me every single moment, because I’m, for lack of a good reason, am proud she is my girlfriend, despite the many things that annoyed me about her.

“Merry Christmas Sam.”

Much to my annoyance, I didn’t have anything else to say after that. It was the only thing that came out. I didn’t want her to hang up just yet and the only topic I can think of to delay it was the holidays.

“Merry Christmas Dean.” She said in response.

“Enjoying the holidays?” I asked instinctively. It was a stupid question to ask and one that I had been thinking not to ask earlier, but it escaped me because I wanted to know how she feels. I just hope it wasn’t bad.