Jingle Bells and Parallels

4. Ryder

Chapter 4

~Ryder~

       I walked inside my house, carrying a bunch of shopping bags. I was about to bring them upstairs to my bedroom so nobody would see what was in but I got distracted when I smelled the delicious aroma of gingerbread.

       I placed the shopping bags on the ground and walked to the kitchen to see Mom and Nolan baking some cookies. "So what are you two making?" I asked.

       "All sorts of cookies," Mom said. "Gingerbread, chocolate chip, shortbread, fudge."

       "Okay, but why?" I asked.

       "Uh, because Christmas is around the corner," Mom said. "I always bake a bunch of cookies at this time. Nolan's helping me because he's stressed out and baking always calms him down a bit."

       Nolan sighed. "You don't have to tell him that I'm stressed."

       "Why are you stressed?" I asked Nolan.

       He shrugged as he scooped some cookie dough onto one of the cookie sheets. "Just... Secret Santa problems."

       "He's struggling to find a gift for who got for Secret Santa," Mom said.

       "Mom, seriously?" Nolan asked. "Are you just going to be telling everyone my life story?"

       "You struggling to find a present isn't much of a secret," Mom said.

       "So who did you get for Secret Santa?" I asked.

       "I'm not telling you," Nolan said.

       "Is it me?" I asked.

       "Nope."

       "Then why aren't you telling me?"

       "Uh, because you're the one who said that we can't anyone who we got for Secret Santa. Though I'm sure you already told Mae who you got. If you didn't get her that is."

       "That..." I began but then I stopped when I realized he was right. "Okay but in my defense, I bet you already broke that rule and told Jerome who you have."

       Nolan didn't reply. He just continued scooping cookie dough on the cookie sheets but his silence was confirmation of something.

       "Wait, hold on," I said. "You got Jerome? And you're struggling to find a gift for him? I don't get it. He's your boyfriend."

       "Oh my goodness, really?" Nolan asked. "Jerome is my boyfriend? I had no idea."

       "Do you have to be so sarcastic right now?" I asked. "I'm just trying to understand how you're struggling to find a gift for him."

       "I have my reasons," Nolan said as he looked at Mom. "Unless you're going to tell Ryder that too."

       "I think you need to realize what can be counted as a secret and what doesn't have to be," Mom said. "It's not a big deal if you tell your brother why you're struggling to find a present for your boyfriend."

       "Ryder's annoying though so I'm not going to tell him," Nolan said.

       "Okay, that's hurtful," I said. "I'm never annoying to you."

       "Yes, but you are annoying to Jerome."

       "I'm not annoying to Jerome. He's annoying to me so I give him attitude all the time. So do you need help finding a gift for him?"