[ C h a p t e r - 1 3 & 1 4: J o n a h ' s - P e r s p e c t i v e ]

Chapter 13 & 14: Jonah's Perspective

The lights were completely out and the sound of people licking each other’s mouths (okay, maybe that’s a bad description) filled the air. Should I kiss Savannah? I want to but would she? What if the lights go on and she sees it’s me? Then it’ll be weird between us; that’s if we’re still friends! Who knows? After I kiss her, she might realize what a creep I am!

I internally debated with myself when I sighed. “I’m gonna go for it,” I muttered under my breath. I reached out in the direction she was in a few seconds before the lights went out. I’m praying that she didn’t move and, God forbid, my sister is right there. Just the thought of that makes me want to vomit.

I grabbed her shoulders and leaned down. I heard her breathing get heavier and I smirked slightly. I pressed my lips to hers and wanted to sigh in content. They were soft, like I’d expected, and her mouth tastes like soda, but it’s nice. My body felt warm. She stood still for a minute before she started to kiss me back. I hope she doesn’t think this is someone else…like, maybe, Francis? I’d seen him aimlessly walking around, flirting with girls. Why am I thinking about Francis when I’m kissing Savannah? Talk about weird.

I hope she likes the taste of skittles. I ate two packs before I found her on the balcony. She reached her hands up and placed them on my shoulders. I felt her shift and she was standing on the tips of her toes, using my shoulders for support. What if I stepped back? She’d fall straight on her face, landing in a heap on the floor. I suppressed a laugh.

My hands were on her waist, holding her in place. She took her hands off of my shoulders and went to touch my hair but I grabbed her hands and placed them on my shoulders again, shaking my head. It’s not like I don’t want her to touch my hair (does this make me sound creepy?) but it’s just that my hair would give it away.

When the counter was at 27 seconds, she slowly backed up. I realized that this was probably the last time I’d get a chance to anonymously kiss her. Cocky now, are we? I mean, maybe the last chance I’d get to kiss her…ever. I grabbed her shoulders once more and pressed my mouth to hers before I let her go.

“Merry Christmas," my voice came out raspier than I planned it to but it’s better. She won’t know it was me. I hoped that my lips weren’t red and swollen. I noticed that Francis was standing right across from us. I clenched my teeth as he looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I gave him a glare before turning to see people around us coupled up.

Savannah had a panicked look on her face. I don’t regret it. Sierra’s face was red and she was wiping her hair out of her eyes. I narrowed my eyes at Blake. Sabrina was smirking and she caught my gaze. Her eyes widened slightly and she took a step closer, scrutinizing my appearance. I heard Sierra whisper something to Savannah and Savannah shrugged; her eyes had a tint of crazy in them.

“I have to go," she muttered a bit louder. She didn’t turn to look at me and she hastily made it out of the party. I frowned slightly before realizing that if you went to a party alone and you were anonymously kissed, you’d be freaked out, too.

Sierra turned to look at me, her eyes curious. “Did you kiss her?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stated as I turned and walked away. I walked out to the balcony and looked over the edge.

“What a far drop,” I heard Francis declare. If he was trying to make an entrance, he failed. It’s not even that far of a drop.

“Not really,” I replied casually as I turned around to look at him.

He stared at me for a moment before he narrowed his eyes. “You like her, don’t you?”

“What?” I asked him. Okay, maybe playing stupid was…well, stupid. But I can’t just openly admit to Savannah’s enemy that I may or may not have a crush on her.

He gave me a flat look. “I asked if you have a crush on her.”

I scoffed. “Who?”

He ran his hands down his face. “Savannah, the girl you just made out with.”

I glared at him. “I didn’t make out with her. Besides, you don’t know a thing…unless you have night vision.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your face says it all. Your eyes are panicked and confused and your lips… they’re swollen.” Why was he looking at my lips? Awkward.

I raised both of my eyebrows. “That doesn’t mean I kissed her.”

“Unless you kissed one of your sisters, then you had to have kissed Savannah,” I glared at him.

“Fine,” I shrugged. He smirked. “But that doesn’t mean that I like her.”

“Really? So, you know, kissing her doesn’t mean you like her?” he asked and I shook my head.

“Nope, not at all,” I shrugged.

“So… if I kissed her, you wouldn’t mind one bit?” he asked and I felt my stomach clench. If he kissed her, I’d be very angry. I’m not one to be possessive but I doubt that anyone would want to see their crush kissing someone else.

I shrugged again. “Nope, we’re just friends.”

Francis nodded before turning around. He turned back for a moment. “So you wouldn’t mind at all?”

“Nope,” I reassured.

I decided to bring Sierra and Sabrina home. It was getting late and tomorrow, well, today is Christmas. We should be getting a call from our parents sometime today, too. I walked into the party and quickly located Sierra standing a bit too close to Blake for my liking. He was leaning in as I approached them. I quickened my pace.

“Sierra!” I shouted a bit too enthusiastically. Blake groaned and leaned away from my little sister. She shot me a glare. “We’re leaving.”

“Where’s Sabrina?” Sierra asked me, giving me an annoyed look. I plastered on a fake smile.

“She’s out by the car,” I lied.

Sierra snorted. “Oh really? Does the car happen to be a senior who she’s dancing on?”

“What?” I whipped around and bounded towards the part of the floor where people were dancing. I looked around, searching for my sister. I turned and saw her sitting at the place where they serve drinks, nonalcoholic of course. I narrowed my eyes. Sierra lied to me!

I turned around and stormed over to Sierra and Blake and quickly separated them. I turned to look at Sierra. “Go to the car.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

I glared at Blake before I walked over to where Sabrina was. I told her we were leaving and she calmly got up and walked towards the exit. That was easier than I thought. I exited the party, following my sisters.

“Did you do it?” Sabrina asked me as she put her phone away. I turned to look at her, slightly confused.

“Did I do what?” I questioned.

She wiped her hair out of her eyes as she shivered. “Did you kiss Savannah?”

I shrugged. “Yeah, I did.”

Sabrina nodded. “I know.”

I sighed as I reached for my keys that I left in my jacket pocket. I frowned when I didn’t find them. “Uh oh.”

~~~

I heard a loud knocking on my door as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I heard my aunt’s voice calling me. “Jonah! Wake up, you lazy bum!”

I groaned. “I’m awake.”

“Good, West is complaining about not being able to open his gifts yet. Be downstairs in ten minutes,” she replied and I frowned before I got up and walked to the bathroom.

I’ve never been so grateful for warmth. Last night, we were stuck outside for twenty minutes because I couldn’t find my keys. Turns out, they were in the back pocket of my pants.

The twins had gotten the worst of it though, unlike me, they didn’t have jackets. I was only slightly cold in mine but they were shivering and their teeth were chattering. I wonder if they’re okay.

As I finished up my morning routine, I walked downstairs to hear Weston’s cheer. “Finally!”

I smiled and walked over to the Christmas tree where my aunt, uncle, cousins, and sisters sat with smiles on their faces. Well, the twins didn’t have smiles on their faces. They had scowls and blankets wrapped around them. I guess they’d gotten sick. It’s not my fault they didn’t bring jackets. I averted my gaze from my sisters, who were glaring at me, to the main decoration of the living room- the tree that took three and a half hours to decorate. It was big and it had a few gifts under it.

“Open our gifts first,” the twins muttered unenthusiastically. Rather than arguing, we all reached for the purple presents.

I opened the present and smiled widely. “Thank you,” I grinned at the new book series. “I’m going to start it today.”

~~~

Opening gifts went well…I’d received a new pair of shoes, some video games, a few new memory cards, a new headset for my XBOX 360, and another few months of membership for my XBOX.

I was sitting in my room, reading the books that the twins had purchased for me when my phone rang. I stared at the caller ID for a minute before answering it. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas! Now, are you still coming to the Christmas Party?” Jeremiah asked, quickly getting to the point.

I laughed. “Of course,” I replied. “But my sisters can’t.”

“Why not?” Jeremiah asked.

“They’re sick,” I stated and he made a sound of understanding. “Anyway, I’ll be there.”

“Good. I’ll see you,” he responded before I looked at the clock. It was 5:00 PM and the party was at 7. I’d need an hour to drive there so I might as well get ready now.

After showering and dressing in a red button down and black jeans, I shook my hair like a dog. It wasn’t exactly drying it, but it was fun. I grabbed my jacket and keys before I went to exit the room but I remembered Savannah’s gift. I’d spent days trying to find someone to make the hat out of the material and finally I found someone. It took a while but it came out very nice, so I’m glad.

I grabbed the bag in my hands and walked out of my room. My aunt smirked at me. “Where are you going?”

I looked at her with a smile. “To Savannah’s house, remember?” I asked her and she nodded before lifting up a bag. I felt my stomach lurch.

“Without your pretty new sweater?” She asked me. She bought me a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer sweater and expects me to wear it for every Christmas occasion that I attend. I laughed sheepishly before taking the bag.

“Of course not,” I exited the house and got into my car, stuffing the bag deep under the seats. I let out a sigh of relief. Hopefully nobody finds that.

~~~

When I arrived at Savannah’s house, it was packed to the brim with her relatives. We used to have parties like this when I was younger but it was usually for my parent’s business deals and other professional occasions, which meant I wasn’t allowed to leave my room.

I walked up the steps and was greeted by Savannah’s father. “You must be the infamous Jonah.”

His eyes crinkled when he smiled and I found myself smiling back. “Yes, I’m Jonah.”

“I hear that you like my daughter, is that true?” he asked me with a serious look on his face. I felt myself gulping. Should I lie to him and get off on the wrong foot with her father? What kind of question is that? Of course you can’t lie to him!

I smiled before nodding sheepishly. I felt my face warm up. “Y-yes.”

The man laughed and patted my back. “Good luck with her, son.”

I grinned widely. He called me son; that has to be good right? You’re overthinking things. Oh, right. I walked further into the house and heard shouting coming from the far end of the house.

“Jeremiah! Get inside of the house! There is a party going on; you can make snowmen later!” a woman yelled and I held back a chuckle.

“It’s actually a snow family!” I assumed she was giving him a glare because he quieted down. “You promise?”

“Yes, Jeremiah,” the woman replied with a tired voice before she walked in my direction. She smiled at me, all traces of exhaustion disappearing. “You must be Jonah.”

“That’s me,” I smiled at her and she returned the gesture.

“I hear a lot about you," she grinned and I laughed.

“I hope it’s good,” I responded and she chuckled before nodding.

“You know what? How about I go get Savannah? It shouldn’t take her two hours to get into a dress,” she muttered the latter and I felt my eyes widen. She’s going to be wearing a dress?

I watched as Jeremiah entered the house, stripping off of his extra layers. He left his snowy coat out on the porch before he walked over to me. “Hey, Jonah, you made it.”

“Didn’t I say I was going to?” I asked with a grin. He nodded, holding out his fist. I punched his fist lightly and he snorted, punching my shoulder.

“Did you talk to any of our relatives yet?” he asked me and I nodded.

“I talked to both of your parents,” I replied and Jeremiah sighed in relief.

“Thank God you didn’t talk to our Aunt Sy- Hey, Aunt Sylvia!” he put on a fake smile as he looked at someone behind me.

“Who is this adorable young man?” the lady grinned at me. Her hair was brown and short, cut to a bob. She reached out and encased my cheek between her index finger and her thumb.

“I’m Jonah," my words came out slurred and she let go of my face, asking me to repeat myself. I slowly rubbed my cheek before I spoke again. “I’m Jonah.”

“Yeah, this is Savannah’s future boyfriend,” I felt my face warm up at his words but his aunt grinned.

“I’ll have to talk to you a bit later but right now, those cookies are calling me!” she quickly ran off to the kitchen.

Jeremiah let out a sigh of relief. “That lady can talk for years.”

I laughed. “I know the type.”

~~~

I put my gift under the Christmas tree and approached Jeremiah, who said he’d meet me by the stairs. I walked over to them as a blonde girl raced down them, almost tripping and falling. I had a feeling that was Meredith.

Jeremiah seemed as if he was in a trance. He was staring at the girl and she seemed to take notice, blushing and giggling. I wanted to puke. It was embarrassing to see. “Savannah should be coming downstairs shortly,” she told me. I felt my heart start to beat quicker. Finally, the girl I’ve been waiting for, not in that context. I’ve actually been waiting for her to come downstairs for a while now.

I watched as she came down the stairs. She was wearing a sparkly red dress that fit her nicely, better than anything she’s worn to school, that’s for sure. It splits into two and wraps around her neck. It suits Christmas but it’ll definitely make her stand out, in a good way. It reached her mid-thigh and revealed the rest of her legs. She was wearing black flats, too.

Her hair was done nicely and she had a small amount of make up on. She had a gift bag in her hands and she didn’t seem to notice me as I leaned against the wall across from Jeremiah and Mere, who were in her line of vision. She rolled her eyes as she came down the stairs completely. She walked over to the Christmas tree and placed her gift under it before she turned around, her gaze catching mine. I’m sure I looked like a deer in the headlights as I stared at her.

I walked towards her, grinning widely. “Savannah, hey.”

She waved at me, a small smile on her face. “Hi, Jonah.”

“You look pretty,” I replied as she turned her gaze to the floor and her face turned a light shade of red. How cute.

“Thanks, you look pretty, too," she complimented. I furrowed my eyebrows as I smiled at her. “I meant nice, you look nice.”

“You clean up nice,” I nudged her, earning a glare from her. She punched my shoulder pretty hard and I held back a cringe at the pain. I stared at her, slightly shocked before I laughed. “You hit like a girl!”

She punched me harder and I winced even more. “I’d like to retract my statement. Anyway, what’d you get for Christmas?”

She shrugged. “I got some more clothes, a pair of shoes, a new headset, hair stuff, a new backpack, and some other stuff. What’d you get?”

“I got a new pair of shoes, a few new memory cards, more membership for XBOX 360, a new headset, and a few new games,” I shrugged casually, leaving out the part about the ugly sweater. I noticed how her eyes widened slightly.

“What games?” she asked me, attempting to be casual.

I shrugged. “A few games, sports games, really,” I told her and she nodded. A relieved look took over her face.

“Any games you wanted that you didn’t get?” she questioned me and I nodded my head.

“The new STF game but I’ll get it eventually,” I shrugged again and she nodded her head, a small smile finding its way onto her face.

“I have it,” she bragged and I glared at her. “Christmas gift from Ms. Antoinette; it’s one of the many perks of working at a video game store.”

“Yeah, I saw it there," I admitted.

“I’d invite you to play it but one, it’d be rude to just up and leave the party and two, my mother and father wouldn’t approve of me being alone in my room with a guy,” she shrugged and I held back a smirk at the latter part of the sentence. Of course she'd think like that.

I laughed and she smiled before a look of curiosity made its way onto her pretty face. “Did you meet my brother yet?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah, when I came inside; your mother was yelling at him to come inside and get ready,” I shrugged and she nodded.

“What about Mere?” she asked.

I pursed my lips. “Not exactly.”

She beckoned me towards the kitchen. We entered to see the two of them eating cookies and drinking milk.

“Jer, Mere,” she smiled.

“Jonah, Vanna,” Jeremiah spoke and he and his sister seemed to have a telepathic debate. Mere was staring dreamily at Jeremiah and I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah, hey Jonah,” she snapped back to reality. She was busy watching Jeremiah bend over to refill his milk. I just watched in amusement as Savannah covered her mouth with her hand in disgust. “Vanna? Can I talk to you for a minute out there?”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea, Mere,” Savannah spoke with a warning tone.

“Too bad, Vanna,” she yanked her out of the kitchen and the two disappeared. Jeremiah turned around from the fridge and frowned.

“Where’d they go?” he asked and I shrugged.

“To talk,” I muttered as I sat down on a stool. It even spun!

A few moments later, I was called out of the kitchen, towards the hallway near the backyard.

“Jonah, I need your help,” Savannah whispered and I leaned forward slightly. She squealed quietly before taking a step back and raising her voice. “As you know, Mere likes Jer but she doesn’t know if he likes her so she’s making me find out. Can you help me?”

I thought for a moment, even though the answer was quiet clear. “Yeah, I will.”

“Okay, you’re going to tell Jer that my mom needs him in the yard in a few minutes, if he asks, just say that she told you on your way back to the kitchen and that’s all you know,” she informed me and I nodded.

I entered the kitchen with a smile on my face. Jeremiah gave me a confused look. “Jeremiah, your mom wants you in the yard.”

“Call me Jer, I only hear Jeremiah when I’m in trouble," he muttered. “Wait? What?”

“Your mom needs you in the yard,” I replied after I nodded.

He stood up and left his plate there. I watched as Mere slipped around the corner after he’d exited the house. She took his spot and continued eating his cookies, giggling as if she was doing something wrong. I just shook my head.

“So, you and Vanna, huh?” she asked me and I just stared at her. She was Savannah’s best friend; of course she’d say something if I admitted anything! “Eh, you’re not going to talk, huh?”

I was still quiet when she pushed the plate away from her and motioned for me to sit down. I took a seat across from her and she cracked her knuckles and placed her hands flat on the table.

“Listen here, Jonah, I know you may not be interested in dating Vanna now but when you are, remember, if you hurt her- I swear to God, I’ll rip your fingers off and eat them like fish sticks. I will take you onto a boat where I will rip your arms off and use them as oars. I will toss you overboard with a cement block tied to your ankle and you will drown. I will toss your arms into the water, too, hopefully attracting sharks. I will then row back home with my extra pair of oars and tell everyone on land that you decided to swim to Italy," she threatened me; all the while I had my eyes opened wide.

I just nodded my head, afraid to speak. “Okay?”

I nodded again. “O-okay.”

She grinned at me. “Great.”

~~~

When we were all called over to open our gifts, I was surprised when I was handed one. It was the bag I’d seen Savannah bring downstairs and place under the tree. Savannah obviously wasn’t expecting a gift by the way she grinned happily when one was shoved into her hands. “I didn’t realize that I was getting a gift, too," she murmured.

She opened the bag and her eyes widened slightly. Her fingers pulled the cloth from the bag, examining it closely before she turned to me. “Is this the cloth?”

I nodded with a small smile on my lips as I opened my gift. I glanced over at her from the corner of my eye and saw her biting her lip, gnawing on it like a hamster. Instead of frowning like she’d expected, I grinned widely. “I'm totally playing this when I get home," I announced.

She looked at me and nodded excitedly. “It’s so awesome!” she exclaimed. She scooted closer to me on the couch, flipping the game over on her lap and then holding it closer so I could see it. “You can play with three other people. It’s so cool; you can trash houses, crash cars, and even have your own custom made house. You can have a family; you can kill your family. You can have pets.”

She fixed her glasses as I smiled. “Sierra and I are going to be playing this all day tomorrow. Thanks, Savannah.”

She frowned. “How’d you know it was me?”

“You made it so obvious. A normal person doesn’t gnaw on their lip like a woodchuck while someone is opening a gift,” she bumped my shoulder with her own while I examined the game. I noticed that our legs were lightly touching, causing me to involuntarily shiver. I hope it wasn’t noticeable. I looked over at Jer who was on the opposite couch; he snorted in laughter.

Someone coughed and I looked up. I thought it was going to be her father, maybe telling us that we were sitting a bit too close and remind us that this is a family gathering. I was surprised when I saw Jeremiah, a smirk sitting on his face as his extended arm shook above our heads. I looked up and saw a mistletoe in his grip, right above Savannah and I.

Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her. Instead of actually kissing her, I watched as she awkwardly laughed and blushed before turning away. I wish I would’ve kissed her.