His Best Friend's Sister

Chapter 10

Winter

Mistletoe! You have to kiss me Anastasia!

Ricky! What do you mean I have to?

It's a Christmas law, I didn't make it up.

It is?

Yes, Santa Clause made it up, I think. If you don't, an elf will come and take away all your presents.

Well. Okay... if you say, so...

Oh, Alexander is coming. Never mind! We'll kiss later!

*

December 20th was the day of our last exam, and school was officially out for Christmas break.

"How thoughtful of them to let you out on your birthday," Robin quipped sarcastically. "That must be why they waited for five days before Christmas to release us from this hell-hole. They must have thought: Perfect! Just in time for Anastasia's birthday!"

I felt guilty for not telling Robin about mine and Ricky's kiss last week in my kitchen. I knew how important it was that mine and Ricky's kiss remained a secret for the sake of his friendship with Alexander. I trusted that Robin would never reveal it intentionally, but she also was the least-subtle person I knew, so it simply wasn't worth the risk.

Ricky and I hadn't talked about the kiss, either. I was starting to fear that Ricky regretted it and wished that it had never happened. As I was cleaning out my locker, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket and checked the screen to see a text from Ricky:

Meet me in the south corridor at 3:00.

The time was already 2:58.

"I gotta go," I told Robin quickly before shutting my locker and speeding down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Robin called out after me to no answer.

I made my way into the hallway and through the doors at the end of the hall, and there he was. He was wearing a blue jean jacket on top of a grey hoodie, black pants, and boots. He was looking at his phone, unaware that I was approaching him. His thick brows were pushed together making him appear to be confused. I instantly became aware of myself as I got closer to him, allowing my thoughts to intrude. Is he here to tell me that our kiss was a huge mistake? That it should have never happened? That it was 2am and so he wasn't thinking straight? Or that I came onto him too aggressively and he didn't fully consent to kissing me and that he's been in contact with authorities?!

"Anastasia, you came!" he said gleefully when he noticed my presence.

Okay, so maybe he didn't hate me after all.

"Hi," I said nervously.

It was the first time we had been face to face since the night we kissed. The morning after that night, at the breakfast table, Ricky and I munched on my mom's pancakes rather quietly, and only gave each other small smiles between bites.

"I know you have to head home, but I wanted to give you something for your birthday. You know, your real birthday," he told me excitedly.

"You remembered?" I asked.

He gave me a quizzical look. "Of course. I've known you for like, a decade. I think I know your birthday by now."

I turned pink as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white box and handed it to me. I took the box from his hands and lifted it open to reveal a silver sparkling ring with the shape of a bow on the top.