Santa Claus isn't real. Or is he?
But he wouldn't be somebody young. Would he?
He's supposed to be old and stuffy. Isn't he?
He's not supposed to be young and hot and handsome. Right?
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Skye Character Design from picrew.com (online avatar maker) *Photo not mine
Chapter 18
Jae was sitting on her bed as she stared at her phone. She has texted Sam twice when she got home, but he still hasn't replied yet. She released a sigh as she slumped down on her bed, burying her face in a pillow and let out a frustrated scream. She wanted to apologize to him but he's not responding to her texts at all.
There was a knock on the door and Jae's mom popped her head in without waiting for a response. "Are you okay, honey?"
Jae lifted her head off the pillow. "Yes, mom," she said, still annoyed. "I'm just waiting for Sam to text me. We had a fight."
"Oh? What did you fight about?" She came inside the room without Jae's permission, which would have ticked off Jae, but she needed someone to talk to.
"Sam's my friend, right? Skye is also my friend. But they can't seem to hang out together without aggravating each other!" Jae sighed as she rolled over so her back's against the bed. She stared at the dull ceiling. "But they can't be enemies. If I choose one over the other, I might not see him again."
"Of course you can," her mom insisted as she drew closer to her daughter and sat on the edge of the bed. "You shouldn't force them to be friends if they don't want to. That would lead to an unhealthy friendship. And you don't have to choose between the two of them. You can hang with them, separately."
Jae raked her hands through her hair. "But I don't want to hang out with them separately! I want them to be friends so they won't tear each other apart!" She doesn't understand what Jae meant. They were born as enemies. Maybe that's why the first time they met, they already disliked each other. It's frustrating because who the hell said that Santa and the Grinch can't be friends?
"Honey, if you force them to be friends, they'd still tear each other apart," Jae's mom said softly.
That's true, Jae thought. She doesn't need something superficial to bring them together. She needed something deep and emotional that can connect the two of them. But it just seemed like an impossible task. "Yeah, I know. Thanks, mom. I feel much better," Jae replied flatly.
"Okay, sweetie." Pauline stood up from the bed and looked around her room. "And clean up your room," she ordered.
Jae groaned in her head. Then, she remembered something from her conversation with Skye earlier. "Mom, wait. Skye asked me to ask you if he left a necklace all those years ago."
"A necklace?" Jae's mom repeated as she started to think about it. "I may remember something. I'll try and find if it's still around here, okay?"
"Okay, thanks, mom. Tell me when you find it."
"Yeah, now go to sleep. You still have school, tomorrow. Don't wait overnight for Sam to text you. You'll see each other tomorrow anyway."
The next morning, Sam appeared in front of Jae's home, waiting to pick her up in his old car. She has just gotten out of the shower and her hair was still wet but there was no time to lose. "Don't forget breakfast!" Jae's mom said to her as she frantically prepared a ham and cheese sandwich for Sam. If she doesn't hurry up, she'll be late and will also make Sam late for his class. She burst out the front door with two sandwiches in one hand and her bag in the other.
