And why was Simon being so annoying? His hands were around her waist and he was pulling her close to him. Much too close. She pushed him away.
“Didn’t you hear what I said?” she repeated. “Someone else would rather dance with you.”
“Who?”
“Lily.”
“Why would I want to dance with Lily?”
“Why wouldn’t you? You told me today that you wanted to dance with her.”
Simon shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did!”
Simon sighed. “Noelle, I would remember telling you that I wanted to dance with Lily.”
“You said you wanted to dance with Connor’s Secret Santa,” she reminded him.
Simon nodded. “That’s right. And I am!” he exclaimed, pulling Noelle back into his arms. “With you!”
“But I’m not Connor’s Secret Santa,” Noelle said, breaking free of Simon’s embrace.
“You’re not? Then who is?”
“Haven’t you been listening to me? It’s Lily!” Noelle shouted, hoping it would finally sink into Simon’s thick head. “Lily!”
∗ ∗ ∗
Lily heard Noelle shout her name as she walked into the dance. Looking around, she saw her on the dance floor with Simon. That was strange. The last person she expected to see Noelle dancing with was Simon.
She gave them a wave before heading in their direction. She couldn’t wait to tell Noelle the juicy gossip she’d heard that afternoon at the hair salon when she’d gone for a shampoo and blow out. Her long curly hair was now sleek and straight, smoothly falling over one shoulder.
As she walked through the crowd, she could see some of the other girls checking out her outfit. Let them! She knew she looked good. She was wearing a black satin, strapless cocktail dress with a matching bolero jacket. And her shoes were adorable! Black satin, open-toed, with bows on the front.
As she drew closer to Simon and Noelle, she could hear Simon say, “Then if Lily is Connor’s Secret Santa, that wrist corsage was meant for her and not you!” Simon then tore off the corsage of pink and white roses that was on Noelle’s wrist and headed in her direction.
But before Simon could reach her, someone stepped in front of her, blocking her path.
It was Jason.
Her ex.
“Hey, Lily.” He sounded nervous. And why shouldn’t he? He’d broken her heart.
“Hey, Jason.” Her voice wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t cold either.
“You’re looking good tonight.”
“Thanks.” Lily tried to walk around him, but every time she took a step, he matched it until finally she gave up. “Do you want something, Jason?” She tried not to sound impatient, but she was.
“I wanted to give you something.”
“You wanted to give me something? What?” She laughed sarcastically. “More heartache?” She couldn’t help herself. This was the closest she had been to him since before he went away for his summer job. When they were still a couple. Before he broke up with her without warning. If he expected her to be nice to him because it was Christmas, he was out of his mind!
“This,” he said, placing half of a heart on a key chain into the palm of her hand.
Lily’s eyes widened.
The heart was identical to the half heart she had received that morning.
“You?” she gasped. “You’re my Secret Santa?”
Jason nodded. “Breaking up with you was the biggest mistake of my life. Can you ever forgive me, Lily? I miss you. I want to get back together. Will you please give me a second chance?”
Lily stared at the half of the heart in her hand. Then she handed it back to Jason. “I don’t believe you. First you break up with me for Sonia, then you try to get back together with me while going out with her! What’s the matter, Jason? Can’t make up your mind? You broke my heart once. I’m not going to let you break it again. Besides, I already have a date for the dance.”
She stepped around Jason and held out her wrist to Simon. “I think that corsage has my name on it?”
“It certainly does!”
As Simon slipped the corsage around her wrist, Lily turned back to Jason. “And how stupid do you think I am? I heard at the hair salon this afternoon that Sonia dumped you for her Secret Santa, Dennis Donahue!”
“What just happened?” Ryan asked, joining Noelle’s side as Simon and Lily headed out onto the dance floor.
“Jason got his just deserts and Simon got his wires crossed,” Noelle explained, turning to Ryan and gazing into his eyes. “Simon was crushing on the wrong person. Just the way I was …”
“What do you mean you were crushing on the wrong person?” Ryan asked.
How should she say this? Noelle didn’t want Ryan to think he was her second choice, because he wasn’t. He hadn’t even been a choice! She just hadn’t been interested in him or any other guys. Only Charlie.
All along Ryan had been telling her how awful Charlie was and she hadn’t wanted to listen. Of course, Ryan wasn’t so innocent. He’d constantly pointed out his big brother’s faults because he had had his own agenda. He liked her!
And what girl didn’t want to hear that a guy was interested in her?
Noelle decided that the best place to start was with the truth.
“I know,” she told him.
“Know what?”
“That you’re my Secret Santa.”
“You do?” Ryan kept his face blank, not revealing anything. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Noelle swatted Ryan on the arm. “Come on! Admit it!”
“What happens if I do?”
“You get to dance with me.”
“Just a dance?”
Noelle pretended to think about it. “Well, you might get more than a dance. Maybe a kiss.”
“Or two?”
“Maybe.”
“What if you’re wrong? What if it’s not me?”
“But it is. I know it is.”
“How do you know?”
Noelle pretended to lock her lips. “Can’t tell you. It’s a secret.”
“You wouldn’t mind if it was me?”
“Why would I mind!” Noelle exclaimed. “Those were the most wonderful gifts anyone has ever given me. I can’t believe you went to so much trouble. Why would you do that?”
“I think you know why.”
“I don’t. Tell me,” Noelle urged. She wanted to hear it. So much! “Please.”
“I like you, Noelle. You’re smart and you’re pretty and you stand up to me! Even when we were little, you never took any of my crap!”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
Ryan shrugged. “I didn’t realize it until just recently. But you know why I couldn’t tell you.”
Noelle sighed. “Charlie.”
Ryan nodded. “You had a crush on him. A huge one. I had to hope that eventually you would get over it.”
“Well, I have.”
“What happened?”
“Everything you said finally sunk in.”
Ryan gave Noelle a smile. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Noelle smiled back. “Are you?”
Ryan closed the distance between himself and Noelle, taking her into his arms. “You know I am.”
He was going to kiss her, Noelle realized. He was going to kiss her!
But before Ryan’s lips could descend upon hers, they were distracted by the sound of yelling.
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked, pulling away.
No! No! Noelle wanted to yell. Come back! Come back and kiss me!
“Let’s see what’s happening,” Ryan said, taking Noelle by the hand and following everyone to a corner of the gym.
When they arrived, they saw Charlie with a blue-and-white scarf around his neck, sneezing like crazy. His eyes were red and watery and his nose was running. Standing by his side was his date, Liz Carmichael, who was poking a finger in Amber’s chest.
“What’s going on?” N
oelle asked Lily, who was watching the scene with Simon.
“Amber revealed herself to Charlie as his Secret Santa and Liz is not happy about it,” Simon told her. “She thinks Amber has been trying to steal her boyfriend.”
“Why would she think that?” Ryan asked.
“Apparently Charlie’s Secret Santa has been leaving Charlie romantic gifts and notes,” Lily said, giving Noelle a look meant only for her. “Liz is out for blood!”
Noelle gulped. “She is?”
Lily nodded. “Hmmmhmmmm. Don’t mess with a cheerleader!”
Noelle watched as Liz closed in on Amber, relieved that she wasn’t on the receiving end of her wrath. Who knew Liz had such a temper!
“The game is over, honey,” Liz said in a voice that meant business. “You’ve told Charlie you’re his Secret Santa, now back off! He’s my date for the dance.”
Amber, who was wearing a silver-and-onyx sequin minidress, her long hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, poked a finger back into Liz’s chest. “No one tells me what to do, got it? I’ll go after any guy I want! What’s the matter, Liz? Afraid of a little competition?”
Liz’s eyes widened in outrage as she stared at the finger poking at her. “Oh, no, you didn’t!” She slapped away Amber’s finger and then gave her a shove. Amber crashed backward into a table filled with refreshments. “My boyfriend is off-limits! Especially to sneaky sophomores like you!”
Amber’s arm fell into bowl of eggnog. “Look at what you did!” Amber screeched as she stared at her wet, dripping sleeve. Seconds later she was lunging at Liz with a banana crème pie, shoving it in her face. After that they were on the floor, kicking, clawing, and screaming at each other while everyone watched, choosing sides.
“This is way better than WWE wrestling!” Simon shouted.
“Look at what you did!” Lily hissed to Noelle. “This is all your fault!”
“My fault! How can you blame me? Liz is the one who shoved Amber!”
“Because she thought Amber was the one sending the gifts that you sent to Charlie!”
“Is it my fault that Liz is the jealous type?”
When the fight continued with no signs of letting up, Moose Novak ended it by dumping a bowl of punch over Amber and Liz. He also splashed Mindy Yee, who was standing on the sidelines with her digital camera and cell phone, alternating between taking pictures and sending text messages.
“You idiot!” Amber screamed as orange punch dripped down her dress. “Look at what you’ve done!”
“You’ve ruined my dress!” Liz shouted as she wiped punch off her face while Charlie continued sneezing.
“Mine, too!” Mindy wailed, abandoning her camera and phone. “Do you know how much it cost?”
“Who cares about your ugly dresses?” Amber snapped.
“I can’t believe what just happened!” Lily laughed as the crowd broke up and Principal Hicks arrived to deal with Amber and Liz while Moose began blotting Mindy’s dress with a roll of paper towels. “Who knew there would be entertainment tonight?”
Celia raced over with Froggy. “What did we miss? What did we miss? We just got here!”
“A Christmas catfight!” Noelle announced.
Lily wiped tears of laughter away from her eyes. “I’m never going to forget this Christmas.”
“Speaking of Christmas, do you guys want to hit the after-Christmas sales next week?” Celia asked. “Maybe catch a movie afterward?”
“I’d love it!” Noelle answered.
“Me too!” Lily agreed.
“A slow dance is starting,” Froggy said, taking Celia by the hand.
“I’ll talk to you guys later,” Celia called out as she followed after Froggy.
“Feel like dancing?” Ryan asked Noelle.
“I’d love it!”
∗ ∗ ∗
Shawna couldn’t wait until the dance was over.
She was having a miserable time.
Everywhere she turned, she saw happy couples, as well as Secret Santas revealing themselves. She’d given Dennis Donahue his gift under the watchful glare of his new girlfriend, Sonia Lopez. Since he was such a jock, she’d bought him a subscription to Sports Illustrated, which he seemed to like.
Amber’s real Secret Santa revealed himself to be Andrew O’Hallorhan, a very cute junior. But after seeing Amber doused with orange punch, Andrew didn’t seem too interested in getting to know her. He gave her his gift — a box of chocolates — as Principal Hicks dragged her away, and then he asked Mindy Yee if she wanted to dance. That didn’t make Moose Novak too happy because he turned out to be Mindy’s Secret Santa and wanted to dance with her himself. Within minutes, Mindy was caught in a tug-of-war between Andrew and Moose which ended when the back of Mindy’s wet dress ripped. Fortunately, Mindy — who hadn’t been able to make up her mind — had brought another dress to the dance and dashed to the girls’ locker room to change into it.
Shawna sighed as she watched all the Christmas merriment around her. She had come to the dance alone and she was probably going to go home alone, even though she’d noticed some guys checking her out. She was wearing a strapless, burgundy lace dress and it looked very good on her, clinging in all the right places. But she wasn’t interested in other guys! She was only interested in Connor! She’d been searching for him since she arrived, but didn’t see him anywhere. She didn’t know if that was good or bad. If he’d come to the dance solo, that was good. But if he’d come to the dance with a date, that was bad. The last thing she wanted to see was him with a date. That would mean things were officially over between them. They’d have broken up without having had a breakup.
Suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes.
“Guess who?”
The voice was deep. Almost disguised. She didn’t recognize it. Could it be Connor? She wanted it to be him but didn’t dare hope.
“Did you know you’re standing under the mistletoe?” the voice asked.
“I am?”
“Uh-huh. You know what that means.”
“You get a kiss,” Shawna said.
“Yep. Ready to pay up?”
“I’m ready.”
Shawna turned around and found herself facing David. He’d cleaned up very nicely in the new outfit they’d bought the day before. But he was still David. He wasn’t Connor.
“Gee, you don’t have to look so disappointed,” he said. “It’s only a kiss. It’s not like you have to marry me.”
“I’m not upset about having to kiss you. Honest. I was hoping you were someone else, that’s all.” She pointed upward. “Standing under the mistletoe entitles you to one kiss. So kiss away.”
That was all David needed to hear as he swooped in and planted his lips on Shawna’s.
Shawna braced herself for a full facial assault. But the kiss wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Actually, it was pretty nice. She’d expected it to be all wet and messy. Slobbery. The way a Saint Bernard would lick your face. Instead, David’s kiss was soft. Gentle. But with just enough pressure to let you know that he knew what he was doing.
Who would have thought he was such an excellent kisser?
David could tell she hadn’t minded the kiss. After all, she hadn’t wiped the back of her hand against her mouth.
“See what you’ve been missing,” he said. “There’s more where that came from. If you’re interested.”
“If anyone is going to be kissing Shawna, it’s me.”
Shawna whirled around and found herself facing Connor.
Who was alone!
Did that mean …
She didn’t dare hope!
“So,” he asked, handing her a wrapped gift, “are you wearing the peppermint lip gloss the way I asked?”
Shawna’s mouth dropped open. “You’re my Secret Santa?!”
Connor gave her a wide smile, showing off those two dimples that she loved. “I am!”
That meant he still cared about her.
He wouldn’t have left her such swee
t gifts if he didn’t.
And he wouldn’t have said he wanted to kiss her if he wanted to break up with her!
Shawna threw her arms around Connor and began kissing him all over his face. “You are such a sweetie!”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around the last couple of weeks,” he said. “But I had a reason.”
“You did?”
“I was working so much because I wanted to buy you a really special Christmas present.”
The present! Shawna had forgotten all about it!
She unwrapped the box Connor had given to her and when she opened it she found a beautiful silver ring with a floral design.
“I love it!” she exclaimed.
Connor took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger.
It fit perfectly!
“I hope this means we’re going steady,” he said. “Unless you’re going out with someone else?” Connor tilted his dark head in David’s direction.
“David’s just a friend,” she said. And she meant it. She’d enjoyed spending time with him the last couple of days and getting to know him.
“So we’re going steady?”
“Absolutely!” she happily gushed, holding out her hand and admiring the ring. “I love it so much! And I love you!”
“So how about a Christmas dance?” Connor asked.
“Bye, David,” Shawna called over her shoulder as she followed after Connor. “I’ll give you that dance I owe you later. Promise.”
∗ ∗ ∗
David stood on the edge of the dance floor with a sad smile on his face. He really thought he might have had a chance with Shawna, but once again jock trumped nerd. Even Froggy had a date! And with Celia! How had that happened?!
Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.
He turned around and saw it was Shawna’s younger sister, Chloe. She’d glammed herself up from the last time he’d seen her, wearing a violet-colored baby-doll dress. Gone were her glasses, and her hair was soft and flowing. He almost didn’t recognize her.
In fact, she looked pretty.
Very pretty.
She gave him a smile.
A real smile.
Like she was happy to see him.
David looked over his shoulder, just to make sure she wasn’t smiling at someone else.
“How about dancing with your Secret Santa?” she asked.
Secret Santa Page 19