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"word around the school is, matt sturniolo was getting cheated on by josie pomeno and melina imal knew about it."
"word around the internet is matt and melina are dating and act like they despise each other for views."
well those are just rum...
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♫ santa doesn't know you like i do - sabrina carpenter
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CHAPTER 54 "CHRISTMAS BASKETS"
✎ᝰ.
ㅤ♡ྀི ₊ real life, instagram ♡ྀི ₊
a few days later, the mall was packed. holiday music echoing from the ceiling speakers, lights strung across every storefront, and crowds weaving in and out of shops, arms full of bags. melina and izzy were caught right in the middle of it, juggling their own armfuls of shopping bags, iced coffees in hand, and a crumpled cake ingredient list stuffed in the pocket of melina's oversized jacket.
"why do we always wait until the last second?" izzy groaned, shifting a bag strap that was digging into her wrist.
"you always wait until the last second," melina said, eyeing the shelves for vanilla extract. "i tried to plan ahead, but someone didn't want to go shopping last week."
"because i didn't want to be trampled by suburban moms in puffer vests," izzy shot back, tossing a bag of powdered sugar into the cart. "also, you're the one who insisted we bake a whole cake."
"because homemade is better," melina said, like it was obvious. "and it's tradition."
izzy gave her a flat look. "we've literally never baked a cake for christmas."
melina shrugged. "well, the tradition starts now."
even with the chaos of last-minute shopping and holiday crowds, something was quietly gnawing at the back of melina's mind—christmas was in three days, and she still hadn't gotten matt a gift.
she hadn't even figured out what to get him.
and the worst part? he probably had hers wrapped already. some perfectly folded box with a handwritten tag that said mel in his barely-legible chicken scratch.
izzy must've noticed the way she was zoning out, because she nudged her with an elbow. "okay. what's with the existential crisis face?"
melina blinked out of it. "huh?"
"you've been silently spiraling since we left the candle store. what's going on?"
she sighed, pushing the cart into the baking aisle. "i don't know what to get matt."
izzy raised an eyebrow. "that's what this is about?"
"yes! he's impossible to shop for. if i get him something practical, it's boring. if it's sentimental, he gets all weird. and if i make something, he'll love it—but then it feels like i didn't actually get him anything."
