Jingle Bells and Parallels

19. Nolan

Chapter 19

~Nolan~

       "Are you ever going to leave your room?" Jerome asked me. "Because we've been in here all day watching movies. Isn't there anything else you want to do?"

       "I am doing something else," I said. "I'm avoiding everyone in my family."

       Jerome sat down beside me on my bed. "Have you talked to any of them?"

       "Only Orchid," I said. "She's on Alan's side. No surprise there."

       "What does that mean?" Jerome asked.

       "It's just... sometimes I feel excluded from them," I said. "We're triplets but at times, it's just Alan and Orchid. Not Alan and Orchid and Nolan. They're saying it's my fault for being in a relationship but..."

       "You felt that way before you and I started dating?" Jerome asked.

       "Before you even moved here," I said. "And now, seeing them side with the guy who was always calling saying such horrible things to me and shoving me into lockers and just being awful to me... It hurts. A lot. Like nobody ever takes my side or considers how I feel."

       "Hey, come here," Jerome said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. "I'll always take your side. And I'll always listen if you're not feeling too happy about something."

       I smiled softly. "I know you will."

       "I have an idea of what will make you feel better," Jerome said.

       "What?" I asked.

       Jerome didn't reply. He just stood up then gently grabbed my hand to pull me up from the bed. He still didn't tell me what his idea was as he led me downstairs. "I want to be in my room," I said.

       "Not with what we're doing," Jerome said. "Just... stay here. I'll be back."

       "You're leaving me?" I asked.

       "Relax, I just have to go pick something up from my house," Jerome said. "I won't be long. Two minutes, tops."

       "Can I come?"

       "It will ruin the surprise."

       "I hate surprises."

       "Trust me, you'll like this one." Jerome kissed my cheek before leaving my house, making me scowl. He was such a traitor, just leaving me in my own home like this.

       Well, I wasn't alone since everyone but Ryder, Orchid, and Alan were still home but like I said, I was avoiding my family.

       Jerome really didn't take too long. Before I knew it, he came back while carrying a large cloth bag. "What's in there?" I asked.

       Once again, he didn't reply right away. He just led me to the kitchen and plopped the bag on the counter. "I remember you telling me a few days ago how you wanted to make a gingerbread house this year but you didn't have the money to buy it since you were saving up for gifts," he said. "So..." He took out a gingerbread house kit out of the bag before dumping the rest of the contents out, which were packages of candy.

       "You bought a kit?" I asked. 

       "And a bunch of candy," Jerome said. "Because let's be honest, it doesn't give us too much candy to begin with and you'd end up eating most of it before we could fully decorate the house."