Waves

CHAPTER 17

Hey everyone, author here again! Another big time skip, because I really, really need to move this story along! Sorry about that, I hope the transition isn't too bad. But my character development is getting ahead of my timeline, and I need to speed the timeline up.

(}--|Christmas Morning|--{)

NORA

It had been a long time since Nora was excited for a Christmas celebration. Most of the time, she'd spent it at the orphanage. But, sometimes, she was in a foster home around that time. Sometimes, she even got a present that she liked. But most of the time, people didn't know her well enough to buy her anything that she would actually enjoy.

Nora had already made brownies again for Rosie, and she had taken them over the day before. Rosie had insisted that Nora couldn't come over on Christmas or New Year's, since she needed to spend that time with Mouse and the other lifeguards. Nora didn't protest all too much, since she really was looking forward to at least spending the day with Mouse. That was, at least, until she learned that he was working.

It was eight o'clock when Nora finally decided to pull herself out of her bed. She slid out from underneath the covers and trotted to her closet, pulling on a pair of pink jean shorts and a pea green tank top. She glanced at her swimsuits, and decided that she would go to the beach later.

But first, presents.

Nora had chosen not to buy anything until last minute because she wasn't sure how she could sneak anything into the house. She wanted to get something for Mouse, Jesse, Deano, Harrison and Maxi, Jules, and Harries.

Not that she'd really bonded with Harries, but he was coming over later for the Christmas celebration and Nora didn't want to leave him out.

Nora walked out of her bathroom, tying her hair into a ponytail, and entered the kitchen. She was looking down at the floor in an attempt to actually get her hair to cooperate.

"Hey there!"

Nora screamed.

"Reidy!" She gasped, holding her hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her racing heart, "Didn't...didn't see you there."

Reidy chuckled, "Sorry, Kiddo. Mouse didn't want you to be hanging out here alone on your first Christmas in Bondi, so I offered to come over. That alright?"

"It's great," Nora was still actually trying to catch her breath. She figured she'd lost at least a year off of her life from that one.

Reidy laughed at her again and then said, "What are we doing today?"

Nora held up her purse from the end table, "Well, I've got to Christmas shop and then I thought I would go down to the beach?"

"Sounds good, when do we leave?"

Nora pulled a breakfast bar out of the cabinet and slipped her trusty KEENS on. "Now," She told him.

Reidy hopped off of his stool and hurried after her.

The two left the inhabited part of Bondi and walked along a row of shops. Nora was examining the things in the windows, trying to figure out where would be a good place to go to pick up her items. The first thing she came across was a joke shop, and she had an instant idea of what kind of thing to get Harries.

"Harries likes gag gifts, doesn't he?" Nora asked Reidy.

Reidy got a strange look on his face, "Sure does."