(Repeat Come Out and Play by Billie Eilish)
Zhavia's Point Of View
Thursday
December 25, 2016
Ethan walks through Cam's room door holding two bath and body works bags by their cute little rope handles. In his other hand I notice a box wrapped in gold and white striped wrapping paper with a pretty bow to top it off.
If one of those are mine I'm hoping it's the box, only because it's kind of big and I like not knowing what's inside yet. "You okay?" His look, the softness of his tone, he's full of concern. It's Christmas, the last thing today needs to be about is the drama between me, Grayson, and Julissa. We've wasted so much time on it already, there's no reason to keep dragging this out.
I'll be damned if I let it ruin Christmas.
I take in a deep breath and exhale letting it go... "I'm fine, I just needed to separate myself from- you know what? It doesn't even matter. How about we get into what you're holding." I pull myself away from Cam, sitting up now. His concern turns quickly into a smile knowing that I'm okay. "Yeah, one of those better be mine." Cam eagerly reaches for the bags like the child she is at heart. He playfully backs up taunting Cam.
"Chill, only one of these is yours-"
"Please be the box please be the box please be the-"
"And it's not the box." Ethan finishes cutting her off leaving her disappointed. She sighs, quickly she goes from being happy with Ethan's presence to dismissive. "So... it's mine right? I get the box, and a bag?" What? Is it my birthday or something? Usually every year Ethan and Grayson just get me something really basic like perfumes or charms for a bracelet or something.
It's basic but sometimes cute, Christmas is the one day we pretend we don't hate each other...
"Yes, but the bags aren't from me. They're from 'she who shall not be named' and her dad." He thinks he's so funny, I roll my eyes playfully dismissing his joke. He hands us each a bag... I look at the bag, and then at Cam giving her some good news. "Merry Christmas Cam, you can have mine." I drop my sarcastic smile at the last part.
"Really Z?" She asks as though she thinks I'm joking. I hold it out in front of her waiting for her to take it.
She sighs, but ultimately she takes it from me. "You didn't even look at it." She reaches into the bag and pulls out some shower gel, a gift card, and a candle warmer, showing me the things that I've just given away to her. She acts like it's supposed to make me want to take the bag back. I don't care what's inside, she can still keep it.
"I will not be bought. I just need time." I shrug, she nods understanding where I'm coming from. She doesn't even know about Julissa and Grayson having sex... she'd probably be able to understand more if I told her. I just have no intention of making her mad at Julissa, just because my relationship with Julissa isn't good, doesn't mean I have to ruin her and Cam's as well.
Even with everything going on I still have hope we'll get through it and come out together. All as friends again.
"Well, I don't want you thinking I'm trying to buy you but..." Ethan speaks up, Cam and I both turn our attention to him. He holds the box out to me waiting for me to take it from him. "Ethan.. what did you do..?" I ask, reluctantly taking the box, sitting it in my lap. Slipped under the ribbon bow is a paper, I look at him and then at the paper. I pull it out and open it, reading it outloud.
"Dear Zhavia, Z... I'm not the best when it comes to writing, but-"
"Okay how about we read that later... just open it." He cuts me off making me laugh. I wonder when he wrote it, the letter. "Okay okay, I'm opening it." I tear through the wrapping paper and get to the box. I take the top off the box and place the top on the ground finally seeing what's inside. My eyes widen when I see an adidas shoe box, beside it is a folded long sleeved cropped white knitted top. I open the shoe box and the first thing I feel is pure happiness.
