“Thanks,” Riley said, pressing her hand across her chest. “Why is my heart still pounding?”
“Adrenaline, probably,” Mrs. Darlington said. “You were all pumped up! It will take a minute to fade. Don’t worry, I’ve seen this before. It gets easier.”
Riley wanted to believe Mrs. Darlington, but that honestly sounded impossible. She was about to respond when a couple other kids came into the room, glancing around furtively. She spotted Jacob and gave him a little wave. Riley tried to hide her smile. She had a feeling that he’d had the same idea—get to school early and deliver a present on the sly!
Before she went back to her desk, Riley decided to peek in her own Secret Snowflake mailbox. She didn’t have high hopes—it was obvious that she’d been the first student to arrive—but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to check.
Sure enough, though, the mailbox was empty. Riley tried to ignore the surprising pang of disappointment she felt. It’s too early, she told herself. No one else is even here yet. Besides, you might not even get a present today.
Then Riley heard someone call her name. Sophia was standing in the doorway, waving wildly.
“Hey! Morning!” Riley said as walked over to her desk.
“Riley!” Sophia said again. She dropped her backpack on the floor with a loud thud and perched on the edge of Riley’s desk. “Did you do it? Did you deliver it?”
Riley glanced around to see if anyone was watching, then nodded. “Mrs. Darlington saw me, but that’s it,” she replied.
“Nice!” Sophia said as she held up her hand for a high five.
Riley high-fived her, then dropped her hand fast. “Come on—we have to be more careful,” she said. “He’s not here yet, but…”
“Oh! Of course! I hear you,” Sophia said. “Sorry.”
“I just don’t want anyone to figure it out and tell him,” Riley explained. “Of course, if he figured it out on his own…”
Riley’s voice trailed off as she imagined what that would be like. Incredible… and also terrifying…What would Marcus say? How would he guess? Would it be because she accidentally gave it away… or because he was paying extra-close attention to her? Then she remembered the way Marcus had smiled at her after he pulled a name from the silver Secret Snowflake box… a special smile that seemed like it was meant just for her….
“Earth to Riley. Come in, Riley,” Sophia joked.
“Huh? What?” Riley asked, jolting back to reality.
“You drifted off to outer space for a minute,” Sophia said.
“Sorry. I just got distracted,” Riley said. Then she decided to change the subject. After all, Marcus sat right in front of her, and he could arrive at any moment. And one thing Riley knew for certain was that she did not want to be responsible for revealing the secret before the big party.
“So… do you have anything to deliver today?” Riley asked pointedly.
Sophia sighed so loudly her bangs fluttered. “No,” she admitted. “I even went to the Hampton Creek Mall yesterday to shop and everything. But how do you buy something for somebody you don’t even know?”
Riley glanced around uneasily. “We should not be talking about this,” she said. “Someone could overhear us and figure it out.”
Then Riley had an idea. She grinned at Sophia as she pulled out her phone and sent her a text.
Riley: Let’s text about it. This way nobody will know what we’re talking about
Sophia: genius!!!
Riley: So… about Alice…
Riley: You could always get her some cute pencils or something like that
Sophia: Maybe. But if everybody else is getting these incredible, unique, personal gifts and Alice gets a pack of pencils?
Riley: good point. What about Alice’s snowflake? Did you check it out?
Sophia: yeah. It’s basically all beach photos. I think they’re from her old hood, back in Hawaii.
Sophia: I can’t exactly give her the beach, can I?
Riley glanced over at the window. Even from a distance, she could see that Alice’s snowflake was covered in tropical scenes.
Riley: yeah… probably can’t give her the beach…
Riley: but u know what? Alice is probably not used to snow
Riley: this whole “winter” thing is a totally new phenomenon for her. maybe you could give her something to help her get used to it!!!!
It seemed like a fine suggestion to Riley, so she was surprised when Sophia started cracking up—until Riley read Sophia’s next message.
Sophia: Like what? Gloves?
Sophia: Or maybe socks? What an awesome Secret Snowflake gift! Who wouldn’t want a pair of nice new socks???
By then, Riley was laughing, too. She was starting to understand why Sophia was having such a hard time picking out presents for Alice.
Riley glanced over to the window—and realized that Marcus was standing there, messing around with Ben and Austin. With the flurry of texts, she hadn’t even noticed when he’d arrived at school. If Marcus had checked his Secret Snowflake mailbox and found his present, Riley had missed it… and if he’d left something in her mailbox, she’d missed that, too.
The bell rang, but everyone was chatting so much that no one seemed to notice. Mrs. Darlington raised an eyebrow at the class as she clapped her hands loudly.
“Good morning, everybody!” she announced. “I know we’re in a state of serious Secret Snowflake excitement, but we’ve got a lot of material to cover today. So if you’d all sit down and get ready for class to begin…”
There was a rush of activity as the students scurried to their desks. Riley reached into her backpack and pulled out her notebook. She’d lost track of time while she and Sophia texted; Riley had hoped to check her Secret Snowflake mailbox again before the start of class. Now it was too late. It probably didn’t matter, anyway. Riley guessed that Marcus—or whoever had picked her name for Secret Snowflake—wouldn’t be quite so bold to deliver a present while she was right there in the room and could notice at any moment. Besides, Riley could come back to Mrs. Darlington’s room and check her mailbox after school. Then again, Riley knew she should try to be patient. There was no rule that Secret Snowflake gifts had to be exchanged on the very first day.
Riley couldn’t help herself. She snuck a peek at her mailbox….
And realized that the lid was slightly ajar!
Riley’s heart started beating faster. She knew she’d closed the lid firmly after she’d checked—she knew it. Which meant that someone else must’ve opened it. To put something inside?
Of course to put something inside! she thought excitedly. No one would just go around looking in someone else’s mailbox for fun—right?
Now Riley was dying to run across the room and grab her mailbox. But she could never do that. Everyone would laugh, for one thing—and Mrs. Darlington would not be happy. No, Riley didn’t have a choice. She’d just have to sit there, waiting patiently until the bell rang. Then, if she was really quick, she could probably check it before she went to math class.
It was the longest fifty minutes of Riley’s life. She tried so hard to pay attention to the lesson, but one part of her brain was totally distracted, wondering what was in her mailbox… and who had left a surprise for her.
At long last, the bell rang. Riley immediately shoved all her stuff in her backpack. As the rest of her classmates swarmed to the door, Riley moved in the opposite direction—toward the windows and the Secret Snowflake mailboxes. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath as she eased open the lid—it was on, just crooked—and peeked inside.
There was a gold-wrapped present inside.
Riley pulled the thin parcel out of her mailbox. It hardly weighed a thing, but the wrapping was so pretty she wished she didn’t have to remove it.
But Riley’s eagerness to find out what was inside the present quickly won out. She used the edge of her fingernail to carefully pry up the tape; the gold paper was so pretty she’d keep it and add it to her
scrap-paper collection at home. Maybe she could use it in a collage or to make a Christmas card.
Then Riley unwrapped the present and discovered ten sheets of glitter paper! There were two in each color: red, green, silver, gold, and blue. Even under the greenish-yellow fluorescent lights of the classroom, they sparkled with a brilliant intensity. Riley couldn’t wait to make something with them!
Something fluttered to the floor. It wasn’t one of the heavy, glitter-coated card-stock pieces; no, it was something lighter and more delicate. Riley leaned down and picked up a small scrap of paper with scalloped edges.
she brings sparkles wherever she goes—sparkles on her nails and sparkles on her toes this paper seemed like the perfect surprise for the sparkly girl and her sparkly eyes
Riley blinked, then read it again.
No one had ever written a poem for Riley before. But that wasn’t the only reason she felt all trembly and giddy inside. Her Secret Snowflake gift was, well, perfect for her. Whoever had picked it must have noticed that Riley wore glitter-frame glasses and that most of her accessories—even her sneakers—had sparkles. They’d even noticed how much she liked making stuff. Why else would they have picked out craft supplies for her? That’s when Riley realized that whoever had written the poem—whoever had pulled her name for Secret Snowflake—knew her.
And that, Riley realized, was a very special thing.
At 3C rehearsal that afternoon, Riley sang her heart out. It was easy to do, when she was filled with so much happiness from her Secret Snowflake surprise.
Before the end of practice, Mr. Mac had some big announcements. “Remember, we’re performing at the Hampton Creek Mall Wednesday afternoon,” he said. “Try to be there no later than four-thirty—we’ll start singing at five o’clock sharp.”
One of the sixth graders raised her hand. “Where are we meeting?” she asked. “The mall is, like, pretty big.”
“Not at the food court, I hope,” Jacob whispered near Riley’s ear. She elbowed him to keep quiet—Mr. Mac was pretty laid-back, but even he didn’t appreciate it when students messed around during rehearsal or announcements.
“We’ll meet at the food court,” Mr. Mac said.
Riley choked back her laugh. This time, Jacob elbowed her.
“What’s wrong with the food court?” Riley asked him. “I mean, I know it doesn’t compare to, like, the Cupcakery, but it’s still got some good stuff.”
“I was just messing around,” Jacob replied. “I love the food court. I’m basically going to eat all the fries. I can’t resist fries. Ever.”
“Our actual performance will be in the plaza, right in the middle of the mall. That’s where the pictures with Santa is set up, as well as the gift-wrapping station,” Mr. Mac was saying. “Plus, you’ll be singing around dinnertime, so I’m sure there will be a big crowd.”
“Big crowd—or captive audience?” Jacob said under his breath. Riley bit the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t crack up.
“Remember to tell your friends and family—and don’t forget your festive wear!” Mr. Mac said. “Good work today, everybody. See you at the mall on Wednesday. Riley and Jacob—you two seem to have an awful lot of spirit today, Christmas or otherwise. Would you please gather everyone’s choir folders?”
“So, Riley, is your festive wear all ready?” asked Jacob as they started stacking the choir folders, which were filled with sheet music.
“Are you kidding? I’ve been ready for months,” Riley joked. “I’ve got my Christmas-light necklace with three different flash settings; I’ve got my ornament earrings; I’ve got my Santa hat. Don’t try to compete. You can’t.”
“Well, obviously,” Jacob replied. “But my ugly Christmas sweater is pretty great. It has Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and his nose lights up.”
“Not bad, not bad,” Riley said. “I don’t have a Christmas sweater, actually—”
Riley didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence, because the next thing she knew, Jacob was pretending to stagger backward. “You don’t have a Christmas sweater?” he gasped. “What are you trying to do? Ruin Christmas and drag 3C down with you?”
“Hey!” Riley protested. “I will be plenty festive. You have nothing to worry about. I have, like, eight different Christmas accessories I can wear.”
“Good. You had me worried for a minute,” Jacob said, shaking his head. “No Christmas sweater. That’s just crazy.”
“What’s crazy is that you seem to doubt I will be bringing the festive on Wednesday,” Riley shot back with a grin. “Because believe me—I will.”
“No doubt here,” Jacob said. “I was just making sure. It’s pretty festive at the food court. There’s a lot of competition—that’s all I’m saying.”
A mischievous smile flickered across Riley’s face. “Bring it on!” she replied.
When Riley got home from school, Theo was ready to pounce.
“When do we start making the ornaments?” Theo asked before Riley even had a chance to take her coat off. He was so excited that his voice got louder with every word.
“Soon,” Riley promised, laughing. “Why don’t you get out all the supplies? I’ll get some Christmas music going.”
“And I’ll make some hot chocolate,” Mom called from the kitchen. “It will be ornament central here in no time!”
The warmth of happiness filled Riley as she scrolled through the Christmas carol playlist. It got longer every year as the Archers added more songs to it, but Riley loved each and every one—even the goofy ones sung by cartoon characters. That was one of the things she loved most about her family’s Christmas traditions. In some ways, they stayed the same from year to year… but they also grew and changed, just like the Archer family.
Crash!
Riley jumped as the loud noise jolted her out of her thoughts. She spun around just in time to see Theo, sprawled in the middle of the biggest mess Riley had ever seen!
“Theo!” Riley shrieked. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” Theo said. “You said to get the craft supplies. But I couldn’t see where I was going and I think I walked into the chair.”
“I didn’t mean you had to bring them all at once!” Riley replied. Now that she knew for sure that Theo wasn’t hurt, she had to smile. Theo was only six years old, but he’d tried to carry five big boxes at once—something even Riley couldn’t manage.
“Come on, let’s pick all this stuff up,” Riley continued. “And look on the bright side—if we see anything we need for our ornaments, we can grab it now.”
Theo looked worried. “Pick it all up?” he asked. “That’s going to take forever! What if we run out of time to make ornaments?”
“Well, you’d better stop complaining and start cleaning so that doesn’t happen!” Riley teased Theo as she handed him a big empty box. Theo got the message and started scooping up huge armfuls of craft supplies: felt and sequins and markers and yarn and pipe cleaners. He was like a human steam shovel!
“Hmm,” Mom said as she came in and observed. “Theo, I didn’t know you could pick up so fast. This new skill is going to make a big difference the next time you have to clean your room.”
“The difference is that he’s super motivated now, Mom,” Riley joked. “And so am I! I’ve got to get two ornaments done today. The clock is ticking!”
“How come two ornaments?” Theo asked.
“I’m going to give one to my Secret Snowflake at school—remember?” Riley reminded him. She rummaged through the mess to pluck two sheets of white felt and a packet of shimmery, rainbow-colored sequins from the pile.
“I guess,” Theo said as he dumped an armful of supplies onto the table. “How come Secret Snowflake is all you talk about?”
“It’s not all I talk about,” Riley protested. “It’s just on my mind a lot. Mrs. Darlington said that Secret Snowflake is a chance to be the best friend you can be to someone else. And that’s important to me.”
“Well said, Rile
y,” Mom spoke up. “As long as it’s not distracting you from your schoolwork, I think it’s great.”
Riley giggled. “But Mom—Secret Snowflake is my schoolwork!” she exclaimed.
“Your other schoolwork, then,” Mom replied.
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Riley said. “It’s all under control.”
Soon the mess was almost cleaned up, but not because Riley and Theo had repacked all the boxes. Instead, they had picked out so many supplies that they’d basically transferred the mess to the dining room table instead!
Riley stared at her pile of supplies and started thinking about how she would transform them into an ornament. She’d been imagining a felt snowman ornament for weeks, with shiny sequin buttons, a festive cluster of holly on his fancy top hat, and a mug of cocoa in his mitten-covered hand. It would be totally adorable—and look great on her family’s Christmas tree.
But what about Marcus? Would he want a cute, merry snowman ornament for his tree?
Suddenly, Riley wasn’t so sure. And Sophia’s words rang through her memory: “Boys are weird. Who knows what they like?”
A frown flitted across Riley’s face. Not everyone was into Christmas as much as she was… and that was fine. Whatever. After all, the goal of Secret Snowflake was to be an awesome friend… which meant giving gifts someone else would want to receive, not gifts that she would want.
Riley sighed as she put the felt down.
“What’s wrong?” asked Mom.
“I’m not sure I should make an ornament for Marcus,” Riley admitted. “What if he thinks it’s dumb? Or babyish?”
Theo’s mouth dropped open. “Dumb? Babyish?” he exclaimed. “Christmas isn’t dumb or babyish! Come on!”
“Yeah, but Marcus might think a snowman ornament is,” Riley pointed out.
“Then he sounds like a jerk,” Theo declared.
“Theo! Watch it,” Mom said. “That’s not a kind word to use.” Then she turned to Riley. “Is there a way you could make a special ornament just for Marcus?” she asked. “Maybe something a little different from the one you make for our tree?”
Celebrate the Season--Secret Snowflake Page 3