“I’ve seen it a lot and yes, I probably know every word,” I said while watching it and laughing.
Just as the movie ended Mom called us into the kitchen to eat. Alex and I washed up first and then sat down. I was starving and everything looked and smelled so good that I couldn’t wait to dive in. While we ate, Dad mentioned to me that he had someone make me flyers, so sometime after the New Year Alex and I could start going around handing them out. He was so excited about it that he had one at the dinner table.
“So what do you guys think?” he asked as he handed it across the table.
Alex and I both read it. The design was really good and the message was right to the point. I thought it would work well for what we were trying to accomplish. “What do you think, Alex?” I asked.
“I think this could work though I’m a little worried, Julia,” he said.
“You are? Why are you worried?”
“It just a lot for us to take on alone, what if it doesn’t work? What if people don’t show up? I know you’ll be disappointed.”
“I know what you’re saying, but I’m trying to stay positive. Mom and Dad had said the same thing, but I can’t give up before I’ve even started. If nothing else, we can make a change in our own school. I think Mr. Joseph will agree to do at least something after everything that has happened. Don’t you think?” I asked.
“You’re absolutely right, Julia. I say we need to start handing out these flyers the week after the New Year,” Alex said, sounding excited now.
Once we were done eating dinner and had dessert, Mom suggested we all go in the living room to open one present each. I was excited to give Alex his. I couldn’t imagine what he would’ve bought me, but whatever it was I was grateful that he thought of me. Mom and Dad sat on the couch while Alex and I sat on the floor. Just as we were about to exchanged presents Dad got up and walked over to the entertainment center.
“Don’t you guys think we need a little Christmas music?” he asked.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” Mom agreed.
“Okay, now can we exchange presents?” I asked impatiently.
I was a bit surprised when Mom not only handed me a present, but handed Alex one too. She happened to catch the look on my face and said, “Did you think I’d forget to get Alex a present. Your dad and I like him and we’re glad he’s here with all of us,” Mom said, smiling at Alex.
“Wow, thanks Mr. and Mrs. Stone, that was really nice of you. I wish I had known. I would have picked you guys up something when I bought Julia’s gift.”
“Your friendship with our daughter is a wonderful gift. We don’t need anything else,” Mom said while elbowing Dad.
“Yes, what she said,” Dad agreed.
Of course Dad didn’t even know what Mom had just said, but went along with it. He was too busy with his face buried in his laptop. “Honey, its Christmas Eve. If I can forget about work, so can you. Now, please close it and put it away,” Mom scolded.
Mom and Dad watched eagerly as Alex and I opened our present that they had bought us. I had a feeling we both had the same gift seeing it was in the same shaped box and weighed about the same. Neither Alex nor I could believe what was in the box. We both thanked my parents as we pulled our gift from the boxes.
“You’re welcome. Glad you both like them. Now you guys don’t have to rent them,” Mom said.
I couldn’t believe my parents bought us ice skates. Mine of course were pink and white and Alex had black ones. I wanted to throw them on and head to the park. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Christmas Eve than with my best friend.
“Mom, can Alex and I head on over to the park for a while?”
“Sure, but aren’t you going to open your present from Alex first?” she asked.
“Oh, yes, of course.”
Looking at Alex I asked, “Did you already unwrap the present I bought you.”
“Nope, I was waiting. I wanted to see what you thought of your present first.”
I couldn’t wait to see what it was, so I tore off the wrapping paper and slowly lifted the top of the box and peeked inside. I couldn’t believe what was in it. I didn’t know if I should show my parents, especially my dad. I love jewelry, but a diamond ring? What did this mean? What was Alex thinking?
“So, Julia, what’s in the box?” Mom asked with a knowing smile.
“It’s just jewelry. You’ve seen one piece of jewelry you’ve seen them all. No biggy, just jewelry,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t care if I showed it to her.
“Come on, Julia, let me see,” Mom demanded while she reached her hand out for the box.
Before handing the box over to my mom, I looked over at Alex and said under my breath “Are you crazy? What were you thinking?”
“Julia, Julia, Julia, I’m not crazy. Show her, I think you’ll be surprised at her reaction. Wait, do you not like it?”
“Yes, I love it, but I’m fifteen and you and I are not…well, you know.”
“Julia, I’m waiting,” Mom said.
I handed over the box and waited for my mom to freak out, but she didn’t. Instead Mom made this “awe” sound. I thought I was in the twilight zone or something. Why wasn’t she freaking out?
“Here you go, Julia. That was very nice of you Alex to buy such a beautiful gift for my daughter,” said Mom.
Taking the box back from Mom I closed it and laid it on my lap. I was still in shock that my dad of all people didn’t freak out. Maybe I was missing something or maybe he just wasn’t seeing what it was.
“Tell me the truth, Julia. Do you really like it?” Alex asked. “If not, I can always exchange it for something else.”
I did love it, but I wasn’t sure what it meant. Did I want him to return it? No. Did I want to have a commitment? No. I didn’t know what to say, but then we did say we would be honest with each other.
“Yes, Alex, I love it. It’s beautiful, but I want you to know that I feel that I’m too young to wear an engagement ring, and on top of that, we’re not even dating.”
Dad jumped in and said, “Wait a minute! I thought that ring was a friendship ring. No one is marrying my daughter anytime soon.”
Mom and Alex began to laugh, but Dad and I didn’t find it funny at all. I was with Dad on this. I wasn’t ready for anything that involved dating never mind marriage. Before dad flipped completely, Mom intervened to calm him down.
“Mr. Stone,” Alex said, “it’s not an engagement ring. It’s a promise ring. Mrs. Stone helped me pick it out for Julia. Trust me; I’m not ready for anything like that. Julia and I are just friends; that’s all. My parents would kill me if I was engaged at my age.”
“A promise ring?” Dad and I said at the same time.
Turning toward me Alex said, “Julia, think about it. People usually date someone before they propose. We’re just friends, but I will say this, I do love you as a friend. I wanted to buy you something nice that’s all. I bought you this ring as a symbol of our friendship, a promise to always have your back and so you know you’re never alone in this world.”
Tears began to fall as Alex explained what the ring meant and how much our friendship meant to him. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew from that moment on I would never feel alone again. Alex leaned over and wiped my tears from my face and smiled. Without a single thought in my mind, I wrapped my arms around him and said, “I love the ring and you mean the world to me.” Alex didn’t say anything. He just smiled.
“Okay, why don’t you put it on so we can see how pretty it looks on you?” Mom suggested.
I slipped it on my finger. It fit like it was made just for me. I loved it. It was so beautiful and it shined and sparkled with such beauty. As I stared down at my hand, I thought about how lucky I was to have Alex in my life. None of us even thought about Alex opening his present. We were all too busy admiring mine. When the shock and awe finally subsided, I turned toward Alex and said, “Open your present.” I couldn’t wait to see the look on his fac
e.
When Alex opened the box his eyes lit up. I was guessing he really liked the watch. I waited for him to say something, but he just kept staring at it. I think he was trying to find the right words.
Finally he looked at me and said, “Wow, Julia, wow!”
I looked at both my parents and saw the expression on their face. Neither one of them knew what I had bought for Alex so it was a surprise for them as well. Alex took the watch out of the box. He examined it as if he had never seen a watch before. Then he put in on and before I could ask him if it fit okay, he wrapped his arms around my body knocking me flat on my back.
As much as my ribs were still hurting, I kept quiet. I didn’t want to ruin the moment by reminding him that I was still sore. I couldn’t help but to notice how close our faces were to each other. I could feel his breath and his lips were close enough that they were almost touching mine. In an instant I thought, gross, and pushed him back off of me.
“So I take it you really like your watch, Alex?”
“Like it? I love it! This is one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever given me,” he said while looking down at the watch and then back at me.
“Good, I’m glad. So, now that we’ve exchanged gifts do you want to go skating before you have to leave?”
“Sure, sounds good to me.”
Chapter Twenty
Alex and I had a blast ice skating. We stayed at the park for a little over an hour before having to leave. When we arrived back at the house, Alex’s mom was sitting in the living room talking with my parents. Apparently she stopped by a little earlier so she could drop off a bottle of wine and thank my parents for having Alex over.
After Alex and his mom left I took a shower and climbed into bed to read for a while. I started reading the third book in The Rose Trilogy. My plan was to only read a couple of chapters, but it was so good that I read the first ten chapters before calling it a night. The next morning Mom came in my room to get me up for breakfast and to open my presents. I was still so tired from staying up longer than I should have, that I didn’t even care about breakfast or presents, but I knew there was no way Mom was going to let me stay in bed so I got up.
When breakfast was over we opened all the presents. Mom and Dad both loved the gifts that I bought them. I didn’t ask for anything in particular, but Mom and Dad always seem to know what I’d like. I made out pretty good too. Between clothes, a laptop, and the ice skates, I couldn’t complain.
Once Christmas and New Years had passed, Alex and I began going to local businesses asking if we could hang our flyers in their windows. We took the time to explain to each and every one of them what we were trying to accomplish. Surprisingly, in every place we went to, people were willing to help. We were kind of weary at first and thought people wouldn’t take us seriously, but they did. A lot of business owners even said they would come out to rally with us in the park. After hanging and handing out over three hundred flyers, Alex and I were tired, but more than excited.
We were to rally in the park the following Saturday at noon. I was really hoping people were going to show up. Dad did use his connections with the city so we were allowed to use the park. He also knew a guy who was going to set up a small stage and a microphone with speakers so people would be able to hear me.
School started back on a Wednesday, which felt weird. I never understood why we never went back in the beginning of the week, but I wasn’t going to complain. On the first day back, I was called into the principal’s office. Mr. Joseph sat me down and explained to me what they had decided with Bridget. He said he had suspended her for three days and asked me if I thought the punishment seemed fair. I didn’t really know what to say, so I just nodded my head and agreed.
“By the way, I heard about what you plan on doing this Saturday, Julia. Have you written down what you’re going to say?” he asked.
“No. I’m still not sure if I should write anything down or just go out there and say what comes natural.”
“Well, whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” he said in encouragement.
“Will you be out there to support me?” I asked wondering if he really thought that what I was trying to do was a good idea.
“I’ll be there, but you do know that this is something that may or may not work. It takes a lot of people to start a movement as big as yours.”
“Yes, I’ve been reminded of this, but then I ask myself how will change ever happen if we don’t try, right?”
“You’re absolutely right, Julia.”
After speaking with Mr. Joseph, I headed back to class. It was nice knowing I didn’t have to worry about Bridget knowing she was suspended and wouldn’t be back until next Monday. In the back of my mind I hoped when she did come back that she would just leave me be. It was so nice not having to look over my shoulder or fear for my safety.
On Friday Alex came over to my house as usual and we sat down to plan what I was going to say at the park on Saturday. Two hours into it and my head was spinning. My nerves were already shot. Mom saw that Alex and I were quite busy, so she made us turkey sandwiches for dinner and brought it to us.
“So, are you freaking out, Julia,” Alex asked.
“I sure am, but I have to put my nerves aside and just say what I feel. Well, that’s the advice my dad gave me. I’m hoping it works or else I’ll sound ridiculous.”
Alex and I had just finished writing down the last of my key notes on index cards when his mom arrived to pick him up. She told me that while she was getting her hair done at the salon she overheard people talking about one of the flyers I had posted in the salon. One lady had even said she and her daughter planned on going. I was excited, but even more nervous. After walking Alex and his mom out, I headed back to my room to lie across my bed. I just needed to rest for a while. I felt like I had been going for days without stopping.
Morning came and I was woken up by a knock on my bedroom door. It was my dad telling me that Alex and his parents would be at the house in an hour. I lay staring up at my ceiling. I felt good, like I had slept for a long time. When I climbed off my bed I realized I was still wearing my clothes from last night. Apparently, I had fallen asleep, and never gotten up to change into my night clothes.
I needed to take a shower and I didn’t have time to waste, so I grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. I could smell bacon wafting in the air so I knew Mom was already up and cooking breakfast. Once I was showered and dressed I stood in front of the mirror. Breathing in and out, I said to myself, “Okay, Julia today is the day. There’s no turning back now.” Surprisingly, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be and I was hoping that wouldn’t change.
When I walked into the kitchen to sit down and eat some breakfast, I saw the table was covered with food. I thought my mom had lost her mind. Did she think Dad and I were so hungry that we could eat eggs, bacon, muffins, pancakes, sausage, home fries, and waffles?
“Um, Mom, I know you love to cook and all, but really? Who’s going to eat all this and what time did you get up? Did you start cooking at four in the morning?” I asked her while shaking my head.
“No, I didn’t get up that early, Julia. Don’t be silly. I know you and your dad can’t eat all this food. We have guests coming over or did you forget?” Mom asked while waving a spatula in her hand.
“No, I didn’t forget. I just thought Alex was getting dropped off. I didn’t realize his parents were staying for breakfast.”
“Yes, I invited them for breakfast and they’ll also be coming with us to the park.”
After Alex and his parents showed up, we all sat down together to eat. When we were done, Dad suggested that everyone except me sit on the couch. I wasn’t sure why I wasn’t included until he said, “Julia, why don’t you stand in front of us and read what you have. This way you can practice on us and we can give you our thoughts.”
“Sure, I can do that, but remember if I mess up it’s because I’m really nervous.”
“Hon
ey, it’ fine if you mess up here. What you don’t want to do is mess up out there,” Dad said as he pointed out the window.
While I read my speech everyone was really quiet. I was waiting for someone to interrupt me in mid-stream and point out a word or sentence that I might have said wrong, but no one did. It took me a few times to get through the whole thing without messing up, but finally I finished. I stood waiting for some kind of feed-back when finally, Dad spoke up.
“Wow, honey, I think you’ve got this. You know, I don’t usually speak for anyone else, but I think everyone here would agree, right?” he said while looking at Mom, Alex and his parents.
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