BROOKE
Kat, Kiara, Alli, Skye and I all sat in a circle.
"So you don't know who it is?" Kat asked.
"You mean the random person who's been giving me gifts for the past eleven days?" I said. "No Kat, I don't know who it is."
"Okay Mrs. Sassy pants tone it down," she said, playing with the key on her necklace.
I suppressed my urge to glare.
The key was the Christmas gift Connor had given her ten minutes prior and led to none other than his house.
Despite it being a little over ten months since I had met and fallen for Connor Young-and little over five months since he and Kat started dating-I still had feelings for him despite him dating my best friend.
"Brooke's got a secret admirer," Alli sung.
"No I have a stalker," I said.
"Who gives you pretty bomb gifts," Kiara pointed out.
Kiara was right. In the past eleven days, I had been getting gifts from someone.
So far I had gotten a Twenty One Pilots CD, an iTunes gift card, a leather jacket, fuzzy socks, a new phone case, an inexpensive blue bracelet, a song book, earrings from Ardene, an Ardene gift card, a unicorn onesie, and a pack of twenty Apple earphones.
"What are you gonna do when you find this guy?" Alli asked.
"Suck his dick," Skye replied.
"We're talking about the girl who is almost eighteen and hasn't even had a first kiss," Kat said.
"So?" Skye asked.
"She's not sucking his dick, Skye she's like twelve," Kat said.
"Bitch, I'm older than you," I said.
"I didn't mean twelve in the literal sense," she said. "I meant you're just innocent. And don't listen to Skye, this guy might have an STD."
"STI," Skye corrected.
"Example a," Kat said and pointed at Skye.
"Just because I slept around doesn't mean I had or have an STI," she said and hit Kat on the arm.
Kiara sighed. "What you're gonna do, is thank the person," Kiara said. "They probably spent a lot of money on you."
"And time," Alli added. "Finding one perfect good Christmas gifts is hard let alone eleven."
I mulled it over.
What if the person was someone I really hated, or didn't get anything for? And now they fell shitty because I didn't give them anything.
Fuck.
"Stop overthinking it," Alli said. "You can't take it back now."
Connor walked over and sat next to Kat. "How's my girl?" he asked.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"Great," she said, and kissed him.
"Do you want to come over later?" he asked.
She smiled. "Sure," she said. "I'll use my brand new key."
"Speaking of brand new, I think it's secret Santa time," he said.
She nodded. "Good idea, it's getting kinda late."
Kat turned to us as if we hadn't heard the entire conversation. "Secret Santa," she explained and stood.
We stood up as well and headed for the table marked Secret Santa.
Kat called out the names as she handed out the presents.
Connor got a Chapters gift card from Mason. Mason got a Black Veiled Brides CD from Daniel. Daniel got a Nike gift card from Connor. Tyler got a piercing set from Alli. Alli got a sketchbook from me. Ty got sketch pencils from Skye. Skye got a VS gift card from Kiara. Kiara got a golden friendship bracelet from Kat.
Kat screamed when she opened her gift and looked at Connor.
"You're fucking kidding!" she exclaimed.
We all looked at her confused.
"Two tickets," she said, "to New York with him for New Year's Eve."
"You always said you wanted to watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve," he said. "Here's your chance."
She looked at him with so much affection that I had to look away. "You're crazy," I heard her whisper.
"I love you too, K."
"Last present," Kat announced and I turned back to them. "For Brooke."
I took the present. "For Brooke, from your secret Santa, Tyler." I looked up at Tyler and he quickly turned away.
The box was tiny, it fit in the palm of my hand.
"Open it," Alli urged.
I pulled off the wrapping paper and opened the box.
Inside was a bright red guitar pick, the same colour as my hair. Written in sharpie on it was # 12.
"So all those gifts were from you?" I asked, Tyler.
"Yeah," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
He smiled. "I'm your secret Santa, what's the fun in only one gift?"
"Best secret Santa ever," Kat said and turned to Connor. "Can we keep him?"
Connor laughed.
I smiled at Tyler. "Thanks," I said.
He shrugged. "It's Christmas."
