I know I didn’t react to their news the way my parents were hoping but it wasn’t out of selfishness, I swear.
It was out of disappointment that at least I got to live in a happy family for seventeen years but the new baby will know none of that.
If I can’t help my parents mend their relationship, I want to help at least with all the things that the new baby will need.
3.
A Christmas Memory
Onyx
“I’M AFRAID THAT AFTER registration has been completed, I don’t have much to offer in the way of electives, Miss Mancini. All the clubs seem to be full this year.”
I beg Mrs Hamilton to find me something, anything.
“Please, Mrs Hamilton. If I don’t find an elective, I’ll be in trouble. Plus I’m applying to colleges and I can’t have an empty resume for my senior year.”
The student counselor taps on her keyboard, producing a clicking sound with her acrylic nails.
“Well it seems you’re in luck, Miss Mancini. The Drama Club isn’t actually full. They’re having their first meeting today at four pm in the school auditorium. They’re the only club who has still room for new members.”
I try to explain that I know nothing about acting but Mrs Hamilton dismisses me with a distant smile.
“I’m sure you could help with costumes or something else, if you don’t want to act. I’m sorry, Miss Mancini but I have a scheduled appointment with a transfer student, so ...”
I take the hint and open the door just to crash against a large body: he was about to knock and didn’t expect the door to open so abruptly so it’s a full body collision.
I lose my footing and I’m ready to land on my ass when I’m lifted by two strong arms and I find myself staring into a pair of huge hazel eyes.
They belong to a tall, stunning guy: black hair buzzed short on the sides of his head and longer on top, falling defiantly over his forehead; a perfect square jaw and the broadest shoulders I’ve ever seen, encased in a black leather jacket.
We stare at one another quietly for what could be a second or five minutes and as I see his gaze wander down my body, I feel dizzy at how good he smells: something like wintergreen and ginger.
“Mr Dawson, are you going to come in or shall we have a meeting from the doorstep?”
His lips stretch in a little defiant smirk, as if he was thinking about a smart ass reply but then he opts for a polite:
“No, ma’am. Excuse me ...”
The ‘excuse me’ is hushed at me in his low, almost hypnotic drawl and I reluctantly get out of his way, closing the office door behind me.
I sit in home room and if you asked me who’s in my class this year, I wouldn’t even be able to tell you: my mind is on overload from the eventful morning I’ve had.
From my family’s situation, to Joe, to the encounter I’ve just had in Mrs Hamilton’s office.
That guy had a powerful effect on me, something I haven’t felt in a while and that only two other boys have ever made me feel.
And this is actually why I’ve been staying away from anything that has to do with the Drama Club.
It’s a story that very few people know, not even my bestie Holly.
Or at least, she knows the events but not how they affected me.
It was freshman year and I had a huge crush on two boys throughout middle school.
Robyn Witter and Allan Lindley are the hottest, sexiest male specimens I’ve ever seen.
They’re best friends and I know I’m not the only girl who finds them drool worthy.
They’re the most popular guys in school and it’s always been this way.
I’m not super shy or anything but I’ve stayed away from them since a Christmas party at Allan’s house in ninth grade.
Always fucking Christmas, I swear that holiday is doomed, it just brings me the worst possible luck.
I’d started crushing on Robyn and Allan but I didn’t know what to do about it because we hung out with different crowds.
Until one day, completely out of the blue, I got a Facebook friend request from Allan and I got invited to a Christmas party at his house.
I accepted and for the magical week leading to the party, both boys started to say hi to me at school.
Now don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less about popularity but those two are the best looking guys I’ve seen before the new guy I literally crashed into this morning.
They’re both blond but Robyn has the sexiest, most enigmatic dark blue eyes I’ve ever seen and a clean cut, classy look.
He often wears blazers and tailored jeans or slacks that without being skinny jeans, show off one of the most perfect butts I’ve ever seen.
Allan has lighter blond hair compared to Robyn and the most soulful brown eyes, eyes a girl could get lost in.
He has astonishingly perfect features and I’ve had the misfortune of seeing him shirtless last year in chemistry class, when his lab partner had an accident with their experiment and soiled his shirt with hot liquid.
Well, goddam!
He doesn’t have a six pack, I think I stopped counting at twelve, and his abs aren’t the only thing that’s perfect.
His chest is strong and defined and I fantasized more than once about resting my head on it while dancing ...
But to get back to the reason why I stay away: obviously the guys weren’t quite so muscular freshman year but to my fourteen year old self, they looked just as yummy as they do now.
So in freshman year I went to the party and if I thought that the whole school would be there, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t a huge get together.
The boys play lacrosse aside from being in the drama club, so there were people from both the club and the team.
A small group was playing Twister in the den, and some people were dancing in the living room.
Holly was there too but we weren’t friends at the time: my bestie used to be a bit of a mean girl and we didn’t become close until I saw through that attitude that came from some family trauma.
I wandered aimlessly between the two rooms, regretting going to a party where I didn’t really have any friends, when a warm voice startled me, coming from behind my back.
“Hey, you’re Onyx, right?”
Robyn was smiling at me and his eyes twinkled, impossibly dark, like two blue sapphires.
I nodded, my throat suddenly dry and when he asked me to dance, I took his hand and let him lead me to the middle of the living room.
His arms felt solid and safe but exciting at the same time and I couldn’t take my gaze away from his.
We danced for a few songs and he seemed happy to keep dancing with me, he didn’t make any attempt to stop and I didn’t want him to.
I was so lost in the feeling of Robyn’s arms that it did take me a minute to register that he stopped by the furthest corner of the room, near the patio doors that led into the backyard.
On one side of the doorway, there was a huge Christmas tree, but at the opposite corner, on the upper door frame, there was a sprig with green leaves and white flowers: mistletoe.
Robyn’s eyes were fixed onto mine and he whispered:
“We’re under the mistletoe. You know the tradition, that I should kiss you ...”
I smiled and nodded and when his soft lips brushed against mine, I thought my heart was gonna explode or my knees give in.
It was the best feeling in the world: his lips were warm and silky and after a few seconds, Robyn increased the pressure and a rush of warmth invaded my body.
His hands were cupping my jaw, gentle and warm and then I felt the tip of his tongue trying to tease my lips open and realized that Robyn wanted a real kiss.
I didn’t have time to succumb to his silent, sweet advance, because someone called his name, making him jump and break the kiss.
“Robyn! Dude, seriously, what the fuck?”
Allan was standing by the Christmas tree, his brown eyes flashing with fury and Robyn had walked awa
y, following his friend without a word.
I hadn’t seen the two boys for the rest of the evening, until I decided to go home, unable to stop thinking about my first kiss.
But if I thought that that kiss had meant something to Robyn, I guess I was mistaken: he never talked to me again or so much as acknowledged my existence after that Christmas party and neither did Allan.
Maybe I was a bad kisser?
Or maybe that was the first strike from Christmas: only bad things happen during that holiday, I swear.
Thank God it’s only September and hopefully for this year the lack of money and the new baby in the mess that my family has become, will be enough and no other catastrophes will descend upon me.
4.
Her Bah Humbug
Robyn
I’M BACKSTAGE, COLLECTING the scripts for today’s auditions, when Dylan elbows me to get my attention.
“It’s her! Look!”
I peer through the gap that he’s opened in the curtains and how could I miss the long auburn hair, the petite frame, the vibrant green of her eyes?
I always know when she enters a room, I perfected the art of watching her without her knowing.
And I know that I sound like a total creep but what’s the alternative?
I can’t lose my best friend over a girl, not even Onyx Mancini.
I glare at my cousin and my tone is harder than intended:
“What the fuck? You must be kidding me!”
He doesn’t take the hint and continues enthusiastically:
“No, it’s the hot girl I was telling you about! She crashed into me while I was going to see the student counselor. She’s pretty, I’ve been thinking of a way to ask her out, but if she joins the Drama Club, I’ll have a perfect excuse to hang out.”
I roll my eyes and I tell him that I’ll explain later why he can’t ask Onyx out.
Dylan has just moved in with my family because his parents–both army officers–got sent to Korea for a year and it’s an unaccompanied tour, so no dependents are allowed.
My mom offered my aunt to have Dylan live with us, and I honestly don’t mind, he’s a really cool guy but aside from spending every summer here in Silver Springs since we were babies, he doesn’t know anything about my life and of course the first thing he noticed was the girl of my dreams.
“Robyn, have you got all the scripts? We need to get started. I’m so excited about this year’s projects!”
Miss Devlin, our drama teacher, looks through the gap in the heavy red velvet curtains and claps her hands together with an excited squeal.
I love our drama teacher, she’s awesome but she lives in her own little world, always lost in some fantasy, always thinking about the next play we can produce.
The woman is fifty going on fifteen, I swear but I let her enthusiasm put a smile on my face, until I step on stage where Allan is waiting and my eyes find Onyx sitting in the second row.
I let my gaze rest on her only for a few seconds, but the look in Allan’s eyes tells me that I wasn’t as subtle as I thought.
My attention is back on Miss Devlin who’s introducing me and Allan as respectively the president and secretary of the Drama Club.
“Welcome to our tight-knit little family, I’m so pleased to see a few new faces among you! But without further ado, I’m really excited to announce the first production of the year! Allan, darling, can you pass around those scripts please?”
Allan jumps off the stage instead of using the steps by the side, fucking show off, and begins distributing the scripts.
When he gets to Onyx, he lifts his gaze in my direction, making a point of not showing any emotion and moving on quickly.
I love Allan like a brother but sometimes he can be such an unfeeling jerk, it’s not even funny.
When everyone has a script, Miss Devlin continues:
“So, as I was saying, without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that this year, the Drama Club will produce a modern rendition of a timeless classic: Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. We’ll put on two shows on the twenty second and twenty third of December. We’ll start auditions immediately. Please have a look at the list of roles on page three and—”
“Bah Humbug! Not fucking Christmas again!”
Onyx hasn’t even opened her script, while Miss Devlin is talking, and her reaction turns every single head in the theater.
Everyone’s laughing, including me, Allan, and Dylan and then Onyx blushes adorably, muttering an apology and sinking deeper into her seat, as if that could hide her.
Miss Devlin claps her hands in her typical excited gesture and declares:
“It looks like we just found our protagonist! Come up here young lady, and read for me.”
Onyx sinks further down into her seat:
“No, thank you. I ... I’m not the right person for this. I absolutely despise Christmas, I—”
“That’s exactly why you’re perfect for it! This version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ is called ‘Her Bah Humbug’ and Scrooge in this play is a female high school senior who hates Christmas because for the past three years she’s been dumped on Christmas Eve, every year by a different boy. She’s closed her heart to love and to the magic of Christmas and three nights before Christmas Day, she gets visited by three ghosts who look exactly like her exes. Each ghost shows her the error of her ways and that the three boys left because of her selfish behavior, and that Christmas has nothing to do with her heartbreak. When on Christmas morning she decides to change, she’ll find love as her exes declare their undying feelings for her. So our protagonist promises each of the guys to give them a chance and that she’ll choose one. I’ve decided to leave the ending to the spectators: they’ll be given voting cards and choose. Among the people who choose the winning man, we’ll draw a prize for five hundred dollars worth of gifts from a few shops in town who have decided to donate.”
Onyx seems more and more horrified by each word uttered by Miss Devlin.
“Uhm, no, I’m definitely not the right person for this.”
The teacher giggles as if Onyx were joking.
“Nonsense! You just said the opening line Scrooge says. So it’s decided. You’re Scrooge. This is non-negotiable if you want to be a part of the club.”
Onyx
I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!
There’s no amount of protests or pleading to convince our drama teacher to give the lead role in the Christmas play to someone else.
I wait until the end of the auditions to approach Miss Devlin but my plan to plead discreetly is thwarted by resounding protests, as soon as the full cast is announced.
The protests come from a tall blonde girl with a nose ring, dressed in the tightest jeans I’ve ever seen.
Valentina Johnson is a regular in every school production, she’s always played the female lead and Holly and I hate her.
Holly hates her because Valentina is the classic mean girl and my bestie has come to blows with the school’s Queen Bee quite a few times.
I officially hate her in solidarity with my bestie but in reality it’s because she’s always hanging around Robyn and Allan.
I admit that I’m jealous and several times I’ve seriously wondered if she was more than friends with one or the other.
It’s hard to tell because I’ve never heard of anything official and Allan’s Facebook doesn’t shed any light by not specifying a relationship status but she behaves as if both boys were her private property.
“That’s complete bullshit, Miss Devlin! How can you give the lead to an inexperienced actor?”
I can’t hide a sarcastic eye roll: way to go, Marilyn Monroe!
Antagonizing our teacher isn’t the way to change her mind.
And in fact Miss Devlin tells her that roles aren’t awarded according to seniority in the club but to the person who’s deemed better suited to a certain role.
That doesn’t convince Valentina.
“She’ll ruin the whole production. And she doesn’t e
ven want to do it! Tell her guys!”
She turns to the ‘three ghosts’–as Miss Devlin has already begun to refer to them–but the guys don’t come to her aid.
They have three very different but equally silent reactions to the whole situation: Robyn seems startled and terrified, like a deer caught in front of headlights; Allan seems furious, with his dark gaze fixed on me and his jaw clenched so tightly, that I wouldn’t be surprised if it cracked; Dylan observes the whole scene with an amused smirk on his handsome face and I seriously wonder what’s so funny.
5.
Wish Upon
Allan
MISS DEVLIN IS A REAL sweetheart and my favorite teacher at school but she’s one stubborn lady, that’s for sure.
She wouldn’t be talked down from forcing Onyx to star in the play as the lead, no matter the amount of pleading we did.
And after the auditions, Robyn and I pleaded with her to let Onyx off with a small role but to no avail.
This is a disaster in the making, since I was cast as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Robyn is the Ghost of Christmas Past and Dylan was casted as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Especially because, judging by her Facebook status, she’s still single ever since that asshole of her ex broke up with her last spring.
“So, can someone explain what the fuck’s going on? Why do you hate that hot girl so much that you don’t want her in the play?”
I sigh and practically throw a can of soda at Robyn but he catches it easily and stares me down.
“We don’t hate her, dude. It’s the exact opposite of that. Your cousin and I have both had a huge crush on her since ninth grade.”
Dylan looks understandably confused and I explain what happened.
“When we were in ninth grade, I invited Onyx to my Christmas party. Obviously as the host, I had to make the rounds with everyone and that’s when your dumbass cousin took advantage of the fact that I was busy and asked her to dance. And he had the fucking nerve to kiss her under the mistletoe.”
Onyx (Jewels Cafe Book 10) Page 2