𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘, 𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 - kiara carrera²

(𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓). 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍

(a/n: this next chapter has nothing to do with the storyline of my fic. this is simply an au christmas special of what i think xmas day would be like for tatum and the pouges, set in the time before they started looking for the merchant)

𑁍𑁍𑁍

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FAVOURITE BITCHES!"

A very excited and energetic Tatum Quinn ran over the frozen quarry without a care in the world to meet the pouges at the Château, where they would exchange gifts from their secret santa as they did every year.

Every step she took along the ice cracked it a little, causing her to fall in almost a hundred times. But she didn't care much. The danger was what made it fun. The rush, the adrenaline.

The three boys she was prancing towards watched her in concern, the two Js prepared to have to run onto the ice and fish her out of the water because, clearly she was going to fall through.

"Tate, stop, you're going to go through the ice!" Pope Heyward called, wrapped in a fuzzy sweater his mom knitted for him as a gift this Christmas morning.

Her signature, bubbly giggle singing through her lips, Tatum only took his warning as a challenge, and suddenly she was doing hardcore gymnastics over the thin ice, cracking it so much the boys were ready for that scene in Ice Age to happen.

Pulling up in her dad's truck outside of the Château, Kiara Carrera, dressed in a red tartan skirt and a tight, black jumper, smiled at the sight of her friends. However, when she seen the girl on the ice, her face dropped and she sighed.

"Jeez, Tate, you're gonna kill yourself," she scolded as the Quinn girl began to do daring handsprings. "Get the hell off the ice before you get hurt."

In an instant, Tatum was carefully tiptoeing over the last bit and made her way to the others, causing JJ Maybank to snicker at her obedience towards Kie.

She grinned that Tatum Quinn grin and landed on the frozen patch of dirt outside John B's house. The boy was the only one today not smiling; it was his first Christmas without his father.

JJ lifted the girl into his arms and swung her around for a few moments, feeling the old, stretched fabric of her white, puffy coat she never took off.

"Sorry I'm late," she told John B, as she promised she'd be there earlier than usual to make breakfast with him and JJ. "Thomas and Joe were trying out their new guns on each other, Dad got into a fight with the neighbour, and Leroy was arrested for arson - busy morning." She spoke fast and finished her short explanation with a sigh as JJ dropped her back to the ground.

John B nodded, forcing away the glum look on his face because...well it's Christmas, isn't it?, and clapped his hands together.  "So, secret santa?"

Since 4/5 of their friendship group was poor as fuck, the pouges made an agreement a few years back that they'd select a name out of a bowl and only buy that person a present. That way, they all had a gift from someone, and still had money to help their families survive for the week. Especially John B, who desperately needed to savour every cent he got from work, considering he was a fifteen-year-old living on his own.

While the houses nearby consisted of functional families spending quality time together, the small group of teenagers, who seen each other as family, made their way into the Château - Tatum Quinn very much in the lead as she skipped her way there in delight and excitement. Christmas was her favourite day in the whole world, other than her birthday of course, which was all about her. The whole town got together and threw a birthday bonfire for Tatum and her twin brother, Thomas. But Thomas was moody and boring so nobody really liked him, which meant the party was actually hers.

Once seated in the tatty living room of John B's home, which they had also basically converted into JJ's sex spot by now, the pouges began. Like every year, they received their presents in order of oldest to youngest, which meant the host got his first.

Pope got JB an old-day marvel comic book, which he added to his large collection of them.

JJ made Kie another huge friendship bracelet, which hung off her wrist.

Tatum stole JJ a shinning, silver pistol from the Camerons' mansion, which was confiscated right away by the 'sensibles'.

John B managed to buy Pope a scientific calculator with the last bit of money he had from his last paycheck, which was getting smaller every month.

At last, it was Tatum's turn to be surprised by none other than Kiara Carrera, the girl she was absolutely obsessed with. The boys turned to watch the two of them in intrigue, staring at them with goofy grins as they secretly loved the relationship dynamic between their girls. The way Tatum did the craziest shit until Kiara told her off, the way Kiara was the only person in the world brave enough to tell Tatum off. She was like a cat, Tatum was; cute but could tear you to shreds with no remorse.

A smile on her face, enchanting blue eyes never leaving the soft chestnut ones opposite her, Tatum tore open the wrapping paper with excitement. Her face only stretched out more when she seen what was inside.

"It's, uh, headphones for when you listen to your audiobooks at school - noise blocker ones, so you don't get, like, uh, distracted," Kie explained sheepishly, a light blush spreading over her cheeks.

Tatum looked back up at her with a soft smile, both girls melting under the other's gaze. "Thanks," she said awkwardly, not used to being polite, but she would have the manners of the Queen for Kiara Carrera. "It's, uh, very thoughtful."

After a moment of silence, the two girls getting lost into each other's eyes, forgetting about the rest of the world, JJ Maybank snickered, and flicked his tongue up and down in between two of his fingers, causing Kiara to shove him off the couch.

The rest of the day was filled with weed, alcohol, giggles and lots and lots of food, that nobody ate because it was cooked by Tate and J.

Eventually, though, the pouge's Christmas came to an end and there was a loud knock at the front door.

Thomas Quinn stood at the other side, his signature scowl on his face, hiding any of the amusement he felt by hearing all the music playing in the background. "Alright, dipsy dickhead, let's get home," he said, stepping into the house to catch his stumbling twin sister before she fell and smashed her head on a glass bottle.

Tatum giggled and leaned onto his side for support as she stumbled outside. Before she completely left, she turned back to her found family with a grin and screamed, "Bye, bitches!" before shooting a bullet out of her bright pink pistol, putting a clean hole through John B's ceiling.

Thomas rolled his eyes and pulled her ownwards to the frozen lake so they could get back home, hiding any emotion he felt for his sister, but still wrapping an arm around the waist of their mother's white coat to prevent her from falling.

She, however, had other plans, and grinned that Tatum grin, sending instant alarm bells ringing through Thomas' head.

Before he could do anything to stop her, she began jumping up and down on the ice, performing tricks she assured him were really cool, but in reality, she looked like an intoxicated turtle. No wonder Kiara liked her so much.

The ice below them cracked, and she fell straight in, a high-pitched sqeal leaving her throat before she began giggling hysterically, causing her to choke on the freezing water.

In a panic, Thomas grabbed her by the wrists and forced her back to the surface. "You are a fucking idiot," he muttered as she shivered above the ice.

Rolling his eyes, the secretly caring and protective twin brother ripped off her soaking wet, freezing white coat and replaced it with his own, leaving him covered in goosebumps, warning him about the cold. But he didn't care; at least his sister was warm. Even if she was an idiot.