Katherine's POV
I let my head fall on the desk, utterly bored with Spanish verbs. I wanted to take French, but my mom told me Spanish was more practical. Or, as Senora Mano would say, practica. Ugh.
Bending down, I pulled my phone out of my bag, careful not to let anyone see. I check my notifications- nothing. Three whole days after ice skating, and not a single word from Noah.
Laying my head back down, I wondered why he wasn't contacting me. Had he been dared to ask for my number? Or did I put it in wrong? He had seemed like such a nice guy, and now I might not even see him again.
"... the correct conjugation of esquiar- Katarina?"
My head flew off the desk. Those stupid Spanish names. My name was Katherine, not Katarina, yet my teacher insisted on calling me the latter to fully 'immerse us in Spanish culture.'
"Um, tu esquia?"
Senora Mano tutted and made a mark on her clipboard, and I let my head fall again, knowing I had messed up. If you did well, Senora Mano would offer you a dulce from the bucket.
The obnoxious bell sound pierced my eardrum, and I automatically sat up and shoved all my stuff in my bag. I dogded Senora Mano and made it out to the hall, where Emma was waiting for me outside her German classroom.
"Hey, te gusta la clase?" Emma knew Spanish because her dad was Mexican and insisted she learn both languages growing up.
"No me gusta nada," I replied. Spanish was hard, and not very fun.
"Look at what I found," Emma said, pulling a colorful flyer out of her bag. It read Jingle Ball in big letters, and the picture showed a huge Christmas tree. Underneath it listed the time, date, and location of the 'Biggest Winter Party Yet!' "You think we should go?" I asked, handing it back to her.
"Why not? You're the Christmassy one, I guess it's up to you."
"Sure! Sounds fun. I just have to finish my Spanish tarea first."
"It's at six. I can pick you up at like five thirty?"
"Okay, see you then!"
And we parted ways to get on our buses. What would I do without Emma?
❆♡❆♡❆♡❆
A live performance of Jingle Bell Rock resonated through the packed square. A live reindeer pulled a sleigh around filled with people dressed as angels, handing out hot chocolate. Booths and games lined the square, and lights and bows hung from every available surface. It looked like the essence of Christmas, and I loved it.
Emma and I began making our way around the perimeter, admiring the shop kiosks and the game booths. Suddenly, I spotted a familiar rosy-cheeked face manning the 'Snowman Building' game. Since we didn't have enough snow to build actual snowmen, kids stuck chocolate chips and candies into jumbo marshmallows. And the Santa-hat-wearing helper supplying them was named Noah.
"Noah!" I exclaimed when I got to the booth.
He looked up, and dimples popped into his cheeks when he smiled. "Hi, Katherine!" He looked genuinely excited to see me. "I meant to text you, but my mom took my phone away and I just got it back today, sorry!" His rosy cheeks flushed a bit further.
"Don't worry about it," I exhaled. So he hadn't forgotten about me! "Why are you manning this booth?"
"Oh, it's for charity." He pointed to a collection tin with beautiful paper snowflakes glued to it. "Technically, it's free, but you can make a donation and it goes to the homeless shelter. To keep them off the streets this winter, y'know?"
