12 Dates of Christmas

Chapter 12 - Jennie

Sorry, guys. I accidently deleted the last Chapter 12 I posted a few days ago so it may not be exactly what I had posted. I hope you still like it though.

"You look good, by the way," Milo says as he laps me a seventh time in the last thirty minutes.

I huff. I remember when my dad brought my family ice skating one time. I was nine. He had told me to not let go of him because this floor was different than all the others. This floor would make me slip and fall. That had no doubt been the best Christmas of my life. We weren't a dysfunctional family my sister tried to run away from with her boyfriend. Things were great. It was the year mom got the job she has now that turned us from poverty to millionaires. Dad got a promotion and I had started going to private school - where Milo and Elena had been going.

Milo came up behind me, bringing my thoughts away from old memories. He puts a hand around my shoulders and I squeal. "Shouldn't you be helping me?" I ask. "Instead you're going around in circles laughing at my lack of skating abilities."

He chuckles. "Okay, fine." He moves in front of me and grabs my hands. "Don't lean forward," he tells me. "You'll end up falling."

He pulls me towards him and I struggle to keep from screaming in front of these lovely children. He starts pulling me with him and I close my eyes, willing for this to be over. "We're too far from the comfy sand," I say.

I wait for a few seconds before I realize he stopped moving. "Why'd you stop?"

He shrugs. "You can't do this with your eyes closed."

I let out a breath. "I don't think I can---"

He shakes his head. "I won't even let you finish that sentence." He places his arm around my waist. "I can find other ways to help."

I want to pull away but I can't. I really can't.

But then I remember all the online dates I have and look away. "Milo, I---"

He lets go. "Sorry."

I purse my lips. "You don't have to act like that," I say quietly.

"Act like what?" he mutters. He runs a hand through his hair. "Look, lets just go ahead and eat."

Right as he turns to leave I grab his arm. "Milo, listen to me. You need to stop being like this. Don't be mad at me because I don't share the same feelings. Why can't we just have a good time without getting mad at each other?"

"You don't get it, do you?" he demands. "I don't care that you don't like me. You just never make decisions for yourself."

"I can make decisions for myself. I---"

"Really? Like when Elena signed you up for online dating? Or when you let the guy with the cats push you around? Or whenever you let Destiny yell at you because you're date got messed up? Do you even want to go on those dates?"

I groan. "Of course, I do. I wouldn't be going on those dates if I didn't want to."

He crosses his arms over his chest. "Is that right? Or are you doing this for your mom?"

My mouth opens and I'm about to yell at him but I stop myself. "Just take me home," I mutter, starting to skate off.

"Jennie."

"This is my choice, Milo. I want to go home."

When we reach to the skates return, I yank off my shoes and grab my boots before heading to the car. Milo calls my name a few times but I don't care. I don't want to talk to him. How could he just talk about my mom like that? It wasn't fair. I'm not mad because I know he's right. I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing this so my mom won't look at me like I'm some kind of disappointment.