A Different Christmas Vacation

Chapter Twelve

My date with Jordan never happened. We stayed in his room watching movies and eating ice cream and popcorn all afternoon. We didn’t go to dinner and instead continued to watch Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and enjoy more popcorn since dinner sounded no good and we were almost full from all the junk food we’d been eating anyhow.

“I don’t think this is on my basketball diet,” I said to him as Clark was pulled over by the cop in the movie.

“Christmas break doesn’t count. Haven’t you ever heard of that?” Jordan asked.

“Funny. This year I’ll be coming out of Christmas break very different. Sounds like it counted to me.”

“And how much have you changed over Christmas break?” he asked.

“Well, to start, I went all the way to Nashville, my longest car ride ever. Then I met you because I’m an idiot who doesn’t know where the front door is. Next I had a best first kiss a girl could ask for. And I went to the fanciest ‘family Christmas Eve party’ in the history of ever. Then I got a smoking hot boyfriend. And then I had to change my sister’s insight about you and technically ‘us’. And-”

“I never heard about that one,” he interrupted.

“My sister?” I asked.

Jordan nodded.

“Oh, well. She’s always had a celebrity crush on you and she was upset when I told her we were dating. But then I said one day Blake or Chloe or you will find her singing talent and do a duet with you and she’d be in the fast lane with the rest of you,” I said.

“So your sister had or has a celebrity crush on me?” he asked.

“Had,” I said. “You’re all mine now.”

“Okay, continue,” he said.

“And I told someone about my cutting and suicide. I felt comfortable in my own skin and I could show someone else that - something I’ve never done before in my life, expect for Amy, but she knew before I even told her. I didn’t have to tell her. And I felt comfortable loving someone else and they gave me a new insight to God and they didn’t even know it. And it all happened just because I met a stupid boy,” I finished.

“Okay, so maybe Christmas does count, but seeing you in the weight room tomorrow might help keep some of that change from happening. And I’m not going to take offense to the comment about a stupid boy because if a boy changed your life that much, he might not be so stupid,” he said.

I looked at my watch again and he looked from behind me too. Jordan kissed my cheek and pushed me off the couch onto the floor.

“What the hell was that for!” I shouted as I changed into a sitting position on the floor.

“Go change into those ‘casual clothes.’ We’re still going to go on our date,” Jordan said and took my hand to help me up.

He ushered me to the door and I escaped inside my room, again excited to go on our mystery date.

I had planned my outfit the night before and put it on. I wore a plaid riding shirt I’d gotten from Chloe and Blake for riding in the stables. It was soft, yet warm which was something I would need if we went outside. On top of that I added my camouflage Under Armor sweatshirt. For pants, I put in a pair of dark wash bootcut jeans with a few rips on my thighs, my favorite, and my super-comfortable Justin’s I had gotten for Christmas, also from Chloe and Blake, the year before. Putting my hair into a ponytail and finding a Sweaty Band to match, I was out the door waiting before Jordan was ready.

Since I still wanted to revenge for what had happened in the pool the day before, I crouched in the doorframe, ready to jump up at him and scare him when he came out.