[ C h a p t e r - F i f t e e n ]

Chapter 15

A normal brother would be tackling a guy if he even looked at his sister with bad intentions, but no, Jeremiah wants Jonah to kiss me. He’s like the mother in mean girls. He was still standing right in front of us with the mistletoe waving slightly above our heads.

I was silent, frozen nearly. “Obey the mistletoe.” Jer smacked me across the face with the fake, plastic plant. I didn’t hit him back; I just stared at him, horrified. I’m sure my face was bright red from embarrassment. I don’t even want to know what Jonah’s thinking. He probably thinks my family’s insane. I already had to save him from both of my aunt’s squeezing his face, cooing about how adorable he is. As if I don’t already know, Aunt Sylvia and Aunt Loraine.

“Jeremiah, stop hitting your sister and come here and help me with this,” my mother chided and Jeremiah frowned before stomping away like a kid. I let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness he took the mistletoe with him.

“I’m so sorry about that, Jeremiah can be… childish at times,” I apologized as I turned to look at Jonah.

“Well, that may be true but you owe me a kiss," he smirked. I stared at him, horrified as I jumped away from him on the couch. “I’m only joking, Savannah.”

I let out a sigh of relief while he continued smirking at me. He wriggled his eyebrows manically. “Or am I?”

~~~

“Thanks for coming,” I was shouting out the door at all of our guests who were making their way home. I slumped against the door. I sighed in relief before letting the cold air hit my face.

“Good luck with that boy!” my Aunt Sylvia yelled and I slammed the door. I heard her laughter on the other side while I stared at my friends and brother who sat comfortably on the couch.

“Why are you guys still here?” I asked Jonah and Mere. Mere gasped as if she’d been offended while Jonah just smiled at me. “No, don’t give me that Mere; you’d try and sneak into Jeremiah’s room at night. And he’d probably let you.”

My brother and my best friend looked embarrassed. I turned and picked up my father’s work shoe before chucking it at Jeremiah. It hit him in the forehead and he hissed in pain. “What was that for?”

“For hitting me in the face with the mistletoe, and for pulling that inane stunt altogether!” I snapped.

“Why are you hitting only me? Jonah’s the one that didn’t kiss you!” I grabbed my father’s other work shoe and chucked it at Jeremiah. This time he caught it and threw it back at me. I caught it and it became a game of ‘who can hit the other person in the face with the shoe.’

My mother appeared in the doorway to the living room. “Okay guys, you have to go now, unless you’d like to stay and help Jer and Vanna clean," she smiled widely and laughed as Meredith looked terrified.

This whole cleaning portion of her sentence was new to me but according to the mop and broom in her hand, she wasn’t lying.

Mere was the first one up. She wiped off her dress before walking to the door, Jeremiah trailing behind her. I waited a moment before Jeremiah entered the house, his face a light pink color and his smile wide. Look at that, they’ve only known each other one day and they’re already in love! Don’t I work miracles? If only they worked on myself.

The door was still open and Jonah walked towards it before turning and waving his hand as if to call me over. “Aren’t you going to walk me to my car?”

“No offense, but shouldn’t it be the other way around?” I asked him with a quirked eyebrow as I slowly walked behind him while he shrugged. He opened the door and we entered the cold air.

He turned abruptly and I slammed into his chest. I backed away, my face warm. “Sorry about that,” I muttered.

Jonah laughed. “I guess I’ll see you soon, right? I mean, if we hang out this vacation, which is totally up to you. In fact, Sierra and Sabrina wanted me to invite you to our New Year’s gathering. It’s nothing big, just me, my sisters, and a few of my cousins. But it’s totally up to you," he rambled and I furrowed my eyebrows. Did he ramble when he was nervous?

I placed my hand up to stop him. “Sure, that’d be fun,” I told him. He nodded his head vigorously which caused a smile to appear on my lips.

“I hope so; if my cousin's don't make it embarrassing. I had a great time tonight; I’ll see you in a few days,” he told me and I nodded while smiling.

“I’ll see you, then,” I waved as he began slowly walking backwards. He was approaching the steps and I was about to tell him to watch out but he cut me off.

“I’m still expecting that kiss, Savannah,” he winked and I rolled my eyes. As soon as I remembered the stairs, he was already at the bottom of them. His body was in a crumpled heap and I was laughing loudly. He groaned in pain before getting up. I was still laughing while he awkwardly walked away, smacking his forehead as if calling himself stupid repeatedly.

~~~

“Did you kiss him?” That was the first thing that Mere asked when she called me an hour later. I just finished cleaning the living room and I was in need of a shower, although it was 2 in the morning.

“No, I didn’t,” I told her. She was asking about the mistletoe situation, turns out Jeremiah wasn’t the only one that planned that. Mere was his accomplice but he is too love-stricken to rat her out.

“What about when you walked him out of the house?” she asked and I replied with a negative answer. “You were given so many opportunities! Why didn’t you use any of them? You could’ve blamed it on the mistletoe!”

I stared down at my bare feet. “I don’t know how I feel.”

“It’s not a matter of how you feel; it’s a matter of knowing who kissed you. And as you describe the kiss, it sounds pretty good! Why wouldn’t you want to know who it was that kissed you? Maybe, if you found out, you’d kiss him again!” she babbled.

I sighed. “I don’t know if I want to find out who it was; it’ll just complicate things.”

“So you’ll just sit here every day, wondering, thinking, questioning? Does that sound fun? Always being unsure?” The way she put it made it sound worse than it actually is.

I sighed again. “Maybe, I just need some sleep. Can I call you tomorrow?”

“You better.”

~~~

“So was it him?” I stared at my brother as he asked this question, cereal dripping from his mouth as he spoke. My parents went out for a romantic breakfast since my father’s only going to be here for another week before he goes back to New York for his job.

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

My brother stared at me as if I was stupid. “Can you not compare kisses?”

“There aren’t any kisses to compare,” I told him.

“What do you mean? If there aren’t any kisses to compare, why’d you come into the house last night all smiling and happy?” my brother asked.

I smiled at the memory. “Because Jonah fell down the stairs.”

My brother stared at me for a moment. “I don’t know if I can say this enough times, you’re weird.”

I grinned at him, nodding my head. “I know.”

~~~

At noon, I decided to call Sierra. Instead of being greeted by the glasses wearing gamer girl, I was greeted by Sabrina. “Hello?”

“Did I dial the right number?” I asked and Sabrina made a sound of confirmation.

“Sierra told me to get her phone because she’s playing video games with your boyfriend,” she said. I was silent for a minute.

“Channing Tatum's there?” I asked.

"Jonah, are you aware that your girlfriend is in love with another man? In her defense, it's Channing Tatum- but still!" she called.

I didn't hear what Jonah said in response but I really wanted to. "Wait, who's my boyfriend?" I asked her.

“Jonah, silly,” Sabrina laughed. I heard Sierra say something. “Yeah, she didn’t know. She is so oblivious.”

Instead of taking the insult to heart, I just rolled my eyes. “You’re feeling better?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m just coughing a lot," Sabrina replied. “I heard that Jonah invited you to our New Year’s gathering.”

I laughed at the memory. “Yeah, he did. And then he fell down the stairs.”

“He what?” Sabrina chuckled.

“He was walking backwards and then he fell down the stairs,” I told Sabrina and she howled in laughter before relaying the story to Sierra. I heard another female voice in the room.

“Let me talk to her!” she exclaimed and Sabrina sighed before I heard shuffling and then a voice. “Hi.”

“Hello?” I asked with curiosity in my voice.

“I’m Georgia," she introduced herself. I frowned slightly. Who is she? “I’m the twins and Jonah’s cousin.”

I let out a silent breath of relief. “I’m Savannah, the twins and Jonah’s friend,” I told her and she giggled.

“I know," she told me and I couldn’t help but smile.

I stretched out on my bed, turning on my XBOX 360. “How?”

“You’re all they ever talk about," she laughed and I rolled my eyes.

“I doubt it,” I told her and she let out a dramatic sigh.

“They totally do! ’Where is Savannah?’ ‘You’re going to her Christmas party, right, Jonah?’ ‘Do you think Savannah is going to the Christmas Eve thing, Sierra and Sabrina?’ ‘Are you and Savannah in an argument, Jonah?’ See what I mean?” she complained and I laughed.

“I doubt it’s to that extent but okay,” I joked and she laughed. I heard a male voice swear and I gasped. “Jonah!”

“Savannah said, ‘Jonah!’” Georgia chided for me and I laughed. I heard Jonah’s apology and I rolled my eyes.

Mouth like a sailor, body like a model.

~~~

“Mom? Dad?” I smiled as I entered the living room. They turned to look at me simultaneously, which was a bit creepy. “Can I talk to you both for a moment?”

My father slowly nodded. I walked over and sat on the couch beside theirs, earning their attention. “Are we doing anything for New Years?”

My mother thought for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “No, why?”

“I got invited to something and I was wondering if I could go," I smiled hopefully and my mom narrowed her eyes.

“Where is it? Who’s going to be there? Will there be alcohol?” my father asked.

I pursed my lips. “It’s at Jonah’s house; Georgia, Sierra, Sabrina, and Jonah are the only ones going to be there as far as I know; and no, there will not be alcohol present,” I informed my father who stared at me for a moment before slumping back in his seat.

“Your curfews 9:30 PM," my father informed me and I furrowed my eyebrows.

“Dad, in order for it to be a New Year’s party, I need to be there until midnight," my father sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. My mother kissed his cheek.

“I think it’s a good idea, babe,” I gagged slightly, placing my hand over my mouth. “It’ll be fun; she’s branching out and making new friends.”

My father clicked his tongue before slowly nodding. I felt my smile widen. “But, you have to call before you leave and answer all of my calls. If I even smell a hint of alcohol on you when you walk through the door, you’re never going to talk to that Jonah boy ever again,” I nodded my head.

Hopefully, Waverly won’t show up.