Leaving London

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

It takes a few days for me to feel like myself again, I relax by the pool, soak up some rays in our back garden, and wait for the wound-up sadness over Alfie to leech out. Mum and Dad have been sneaking around the house, stashing what I presume to be Christmas presents. I finish off ordering gifts, selecting a few things for my friends, and bigger things for family.

Yesterday, I went for another surfing lesson, and I mastered a different sort of spin, and then Olli and I trudged round to the main stretch of the beach to meet everyone for a mini barbecue. Jake managed to grill up some burgers, sausages and steaks, and we all picnicked on the sand and played a late night game of volleyball all together. We'd invited a few other people, like Lillie and some of Jake's other sixth-form friends. Olli and Mia seemed all loved-up again, so Mia was too busy to notice the slightly cold vibes coming from Lara towards her. I distributed the invites, and so did Jake. It was quite a fun night, all in all. Apart from the fact that I tripped over whilst playing sand-sea football and got saltwater over the entirety of my outfit, I really enjoyed it.

So today, I decide to have a bit of a quieter day, mostly mooching around in my pyjamas, and then going food shopping with Mum. We get the usual roast dinner ingredients, a Mississippi Mud pie trifle, and a whole armful of beer, cold drinks and wine. I'm allowed to buy the food for my party, so I gather a selection of crisps, soft drinks and nibbles.

"You're going to love Christmas," Mum smirks, looking up from her phone, "Well, just after Christmas but..."

"Why?" I grin, feeling the Christmas excitement wriggling into my mind. Less than two weeks to go!

"I can't tell you! But Kayla and the others have been planning something special." She winks, loading the supplies onto the conveyor belt.

"Mu-um," I whine, stacking a pile of J20's by the cashier, "Just a hint?"

"No! You'll see for yourself soon enough!" She jokes. The cashier is very festive, dressed up in an elf costume and reindeer antlers, wishing us a Happy Christmas as she packs up our shopping. The store itself is blaring out Christmas music, the whole shop decorated with flimsy tinsel and baubles lining every aisle. It's all a bit much if you ask me, so I'm glad to get back out to the car park and climb back into the car. Mum tells me what she's bought for the rest of the family on the way back: a new watch and some stuff to help with his d.t project for Jake, and a laptop for Dad. I confer with her the things I've bought for them too. She refuses to mention what the main present for Jake is, says it's got something to do with mine.

It gets even more mysterious when Dad arrives home from work in a jolly mood, as he's getting a Christmas bonus.

"This can go towards our Christmas surprise." He whispers extremely indiscreetly to Mum. I hate surprises. I'm so curious that I can't deal with the feeling of not knowing what's going to happen. I was always the child who'd hunt for my presents early, trying to guess what the gift was by feeling through the smooth wrapping paper. I don't really do that anymore, because I guess that Christmas just isn't the same now I'm a teenager. And I've come to realize it's not just about what you receive; the celebration itself is far too materialistic these days. I really want to know what this whole surprise present thing is. Driving lessons for Jake, and the agreement that he has to ferry me around once he gets his license? Concert tickets for both of us? It really could be anything, from something as stupid as buying us new curtains or something boring, to an exotic holiday.

Some of Dad's work friends pop over after tea, and they stay holed up in the living room glugging down beers and watching the rugby, so I decide to have an early night instead. I realise with an exasperated sigh that both my dad and Jake have managed to snaffle half of the food for my party, so I go to find mum who's running a bath and tell her; she then promises she'll buy some more supplies before the party. I'm about to switch my phone off, when I get a notification from Facebook. It's from Facebook - 'Kayla Wright has a birthday today.' Oh no! I completely forgot it was her birthday today! I check my home screen, guilt flooding into me, and yes, it is her birthday - 14th December. Cursing, I speedily tap out a cute birthday message on her page, and send her a message filled with heart emoticons, and apologies that it's late, but it's due to the time difference. She replies, saying it's fine, and that her parents have got her loads of new things that she can take with her to her new school. I reassure her that her present is on its way, and will hopefully arrive before Christmas. She thanks me, before I finally switch my mobile off and try to get some sleep.