If Santa had a Son

Chapter 2 - A New Friend

Chapter 2

A New Friend

I woke up feeling nice and warm, something I wasn't used to. I was always freezing cold, probably because I slept in a tank top and shorts all days of the year. I yawned and snuggled into the warmth, letting it engulf me. Suddenly, hands shifted around my waist, scaring me half to death. My eyes snapped open and, pushing myself up slightly, I came face to face with Anthony. Literally face to face, if I moved a centimeter our lips would have been touching. My cheeks started to burn as I noticed his hands wrapped around my waist - a little low for my liking - resting on my bare skin because my shirt had come up slightly. I was practically laying on top of him.

"Morning!" He chirped with a smile, obviously not bothered by our current position. He was wide awake, still embracing me as if we were a couple. My heart rate quickened a little.

"M..Morning." I stuttered, trying to gain back my composure. Why was I so flustered?

"Finally, I was wondering if you would ever wake up!" A familiar voice exclaimed. I gasped as I saw Mackenzie sitting criss-cross applesauce on the end of the hospital bed, smirking at us. Anthony released his hold, allowing me to push myself away from him and on my feet. "Are you ready to go?"

"Umm..Are we allowed to leave?" I asked, glancing at Anthony out of the corner of my eye. He looked hotter with his bed head hairdo. It was really cute. "Last time I checked the cops were still lurking." Although, after I had literally crawled into bed with a stranger, I doubted he would be pressing charges on me.

"Yeah." He said, rising to his feet, "I told the police I wouldn't press charges - it was just as much your fault as mine - So you're free to go." I blinked at him, shocked.

"Seriously? You don't want us to pay for the hospital bill or anything?" I asked, eyes growing wide. No person on the face of the earth was so kind-hearted. Most human beings were selfish and greedy, I was fully prepared for Anthony to be the same way.

"Naw, I got it covered." He said, flashing me his award-winning smile. I swear his teeth were as white as pearls.

"You sure?" I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms over my chest. The last thing I needed was to be sued in six months because he ran out of money.

"Don't ask questions!" My best friend exclaimed, sounding angry. Maybe I was being stupid. "He's sure, now let's go!" Mackenzie sighed, grabbing me by the shoulders and forcing me towards the door. It was so fast I almost stumbled, and my heart lurched because I wanted more time with the strange boy who knew my name. It was intriguing, and he was a gentleman, who wouldn't want to get to know someone like that?

"Bye, Anthony" I called over my shoulder, trying to get out of Mackenzie's hold. No such luck. She was super strong, and I had no clue why. Mackenzie was the laziest person on the planet.

"Bye, Bree" He called, waving lazily

"Bye, Mackenzie!" Kinz laughed, obviously feeling left out. I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. She was just so ridiculous. We were outside in record time due to Mackenzie sprinting us to my car. Before we left I checked the car, and miraculously there was no damage. I wouldn't even have to tell my mother what had happened! Score!

Some of the snow had melted the day before and then refrozen overnight, creating slick spots on the road and making it quite hard to drive. I tried to focus as much as I could, but it was hard with thoughts of Anthony lingering in the back of my mind. What was his deal? Where has he come from?

Would I ever see him again? For some reason, I felt like I would.

"I can't believe you slept with him!" Mackenzie yelled suddenly, startling me half out of my mind. The car swerved slightly, making me squeal.

"You make that sound so wrong!" I responded, not once taking my eyes off the road. I had learned my lesson, and would never make the same mistake again.

"I mean technically you did," she smirked, propping her feet up on the dash. "You were gone for so long that I went trying to find you. You should've heard the way Anthony was arguing with the nurse to let you stay in his room."

"Seriously?" I glanced at her out of habit and quickly jerked my head forward. I had totally forgotten that the nurse had said I only had 20 minutes.

"Oh yeah. He was pretty convincing. Something about she would be standing in the way of true love if she made you go." My stomach twisted at her words, but I tried not to show it. True love? Yeah right!

We pulled up to my grandma's house a little after one o'clock, almost a day late. True we had been delayed by the Anthony incident, but my parents didn't know why. They were probably worrying themselves half out of their minds about us. Why hadn't we just called? In fact, I hadn't even checked my phone...oops.

"Bree!" My mother yelled, running out of the house without a coat. She looked panicked, worried, and very near the end of her sanity.

"Uh, hey mom." I managed to say as she wrapped me in a hug, squeezing me so tight I thought I was going to explode.

"Where have you been?!" She screeched, pulling back just far enough to look me over for injuries.

"Um..it's a long story..." I hesitated, not really wanting to get into it just yet. There would be some form of punishment, I knew, and I wanted to avoid my parent's wrath for however long I could.

"Bree-Kee!" I pulled back from my mom to see my dad bursting out of the house, arms stretched wide open. He had waited long enough to pull on a coat and his snow boots.

"Hi, dad!" I called, waving slightly. For the next ten minutes, me and Mackenzie were hugged, squished, and harassed by my family members until we were all snuggled around the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in our hands.

"What took you so long to get here?" My grandma asked, placing a hand on my shoulder. She looked really young to be a grandma, but that's because my mother gave birth to me when she was sixteen. Luckily she decided to keep me after long months of considering adoption.

"Bree hit a kid with her car." Mackenzie shrugged like it was nothing, sipping her hot chocolate.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet before there was an explosion. Everyone was too stunned to speak, so I took my opportunity. "Let me explain." I slowly told them what had happened, watching their expressions carefully. They looked angry, but I think they forgave me after I told them Anthony was okay. Deep down I was mad that Mackenzie had thrown me under the bus, but I knew it was better to tell the truth than to lie.

As expected I got a lecture from my mom about keeping my eyes on the road, but she didn't need to worry. I would definitely be more careful after that experience. We sat and chatted until it got dark outside and my little sister, Kayla, fell asleep.

"Could you put her to bed, dear?" My mom asked, picking Kayla up from the floor. I nodded and scooped her from my mother's arms, careful not to hurt her. As I walked up to the stairs I smiled down at her, brushing some of her blond hair from her face. It was amazing how much she looked like me with her blond hair and blue eyes. We could be twins if she was sixteen and not five.

"Bree?" Kayla mumbled, cracking open her eyes. She looked drowsy and disoriented, cute as a button. I swear she was the cutest kid ever.

"Shh, go back to sleep," I mumbled, tucking the Dora the Explorer covers over her body. She nodded, snuggling in with her Elmo doll. "Good night, love you," I whispered, turning off the light.

"Love....you...." She muttered sleepily. I smiled to myself as I made my way back downstairs, trying not to laugh. She really was too cute.

"So Bree," I sat down on the couch next to my grandma. "Do you have a boyfriend?" She asked, giving me a mysterious look. My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets, but I managed to croak out a weak 'no.' Everyone laughed at my response, including my grandmother who had asked me the question. "What about you Mackenzie, any boyfriend?"

"Yes, I have one." She said, smiling widely. She had been with her boyfriend, Walter, for three years, since freshman year.

I huffed angrily, "Fine." I grumbled and walking slowly to the kitchen, taking the hint. It was like a secret code at my grandma's house; whenever boyfriend conversation came out, it meant the garbage can was full. The person who didn't have a boyfriend had to take out the trash.

"Thank you, Bree." Everyone said at once. Sure, they were nice to me now. I knew when my grandma started talking about boyfriends, it meant it was time for the trash to go out. Her reasoning was if you didn't have a boyfriend, then there is no one to stay pretty for. That's why I always got stuck taking out the garbage in the freezing cold. Grumbling to myself, I pulled on my coat and boots and grabbed the smelling bags from the kitchen. The trashcans were out back, near the side of the house, so I had to walk through tons of snow drifts to get to them. Why couldn't she put them right by the backdoor?

As I put the lid back on, some movement caught my eye. I turned on my heels to see a deer blinking right at me. I didn't move, I didn't blink, I didn't breathe. I just watched as it chewed on some grass - that I also had no clue where it came from - staring at me. What was it doing in my grandma's yard? How the hell did it get in the yard, anyway? The gates were too high for it to jump over and there were no cracked sections for it to squeeze through. It was too fat. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things. When I looked again, the deer was gone. Its footprints were even gone.

Where did it go?

I searched for a full ten minutes, peaking behind the bushes and looking behind every tree. I even turned over some rocks, even though I knew there wouldn't be a dear underneath. Eventually, my dad came searching for me and pulled me inside. I kept my mouth shut because everyone would have questioned my sanity. Not to mention my mom would've driven me to the nearest hospital to make sure I hadn't sustained any brain damage in the car accident. Maybe I was just imagining it.

But it had felt so real.

Suddenly exhausted, I hugged everyone goodnight before heading up to bed. Mackenzie was still gushing about her boyfriend, so I was all alone as I pulled the covers over my head. It felt like seconds before I drifted off to sleep, imagining Anthony's sent and the glint of his perfectly green eyes.

***

The sun was shining brightly outside when I woke up, peaking through the window shades, making me grumble. Mackenzie was no longer by me - yes, we did share the same bed - but she always was an early riser. Grumbling to myself I flopped out of bed, grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, rushing in and out because of the cold water, and got dressed. I pulled on my skinny jeans, floral tank top, and green sweater on, tied my shoes, and skipped downstairs.

"Hello?" I called, peaking into the kitchen. There was no one there. "Anyone home?" No answer. My smile turned into a frown as I saw the note on the kitchen table.

Bree,

You slept too late and we all got hungry. Seeing as there was no food in the house we all piled in the car and headed down to I-hop for breakfast. We're going grocery shopping afterward. Sorry, we didn't wake you, but we thought you needed your sleep. Here's some money, you can get yourself some food.

Love you,

Grandma

P.S It snowed last night so we had to take your car - it was the only one not completely covered in snow.

"Great," I mumbled under my breath, obviously they didn't think about how if they took my car, I would have no car either. My family was so caring! Just then my stomach growled, filling the silent house with the rumbling of my belly. My search for food was short lived though. There was literally nothing in the house except a packet of hot chocolate. How had they managed to eat everything without going to the store sooner? I glanced at the thirty bucks on the table, considering my options. I could walk down the street to the local diner to get some hot food, and then walk back. It wouldn't take too long, and I could start a fire once I got back.

Before I could convince myself otherwise I slipped off my black converse, put on my snow boots and coat, and made my way outside. Locking the door behind me, I walked down the porch steps, which you couldn't see because of the snow. Everything was covered, literally. There were huge piles of snow covering my parents and grandmas car - the only reason mine hadn't been covered was because of the brick wall on the side of the house. I don't know why my grandma had put it there, but she had, so it blocked all the white fluff from hitting the automobile.

I was suddenly worried about my family. I mean, was it safe to drive in this? Of course not, but that had never stopped my parents from driving in the snow. I started walking down the street, sinking in the snow to my knees until my foot hit the ground. This was going to take much longer than I had originally thought.

Twenty minutes later I staggered into the little wooden building, praying there would be a heater. A blast of warm air immediately hit my face, causing me to let out a sigh of relief. Thank god for heat! The whole restaurant was empty. it almost looked abandoned and smelled like an old oak cabin. I guess it was because of the snow. I mean, who was crazy enough to go out in this? Answer; my family, of course.

"Sorry, we're closing." That voice sounded so familiar...I looked up and came face to face with no other than Anthony. He stood over me, smirking at my startled expression. When had he gotten so close?

"Anthony?" I asked, blinking a few times.

Shivers shot down my spine. What was he doing here?

"Bree?" He mocked, chuckling lightly. I felt my cheeks heat up; I was defiantly blushing.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked after staring at him for what felt like forever. He chuckled again.

"I'm working here for the winter. My Aunt said I needed to make some money, But my boss decided to close at the last minute. Lucky me I was early so I'm the only one here to lock up." He looked slightly annoyed, causing me to laugh and earning me a glare, "What about you, what are you doing here?"

"I came to get some food..." I answered, rubbing the back of my beck, "But if you're closing I can just go home and wait until my family gets back with some junk." I wrinkled my nose at the thought. They would probably come back with chips and dip, knowing them. I loved them, but they got on my nerves all the time.

"Aw, did they leave you?" He asked, smirking at me. He was still standing inches away from me which was not helping my flustered expression.

"Yes," I muttered, glancing at the floor. Really, I still couldn't believe they had done that. How hard was it to wake me up? Instead of laughing like I expected, he patted my shoulder.

"Happens to me a lot, don't worry about it. I was actually about to get a bite to eat, want to come with?" I looked up at him, smiling like silly. Why was I so eager to spend time with him? It's like I had an inner feeling, I knew I could trust him. Maybe it was his million-dollar smile that made my heart melt.

"If it's not to much trouble?" I asked, tilting my head slightly. He shook his head and grabbed my wrist, pulling me outside into the parking lot. He opened the passenger side door for me, which I climbed into and buckled my seat belt. He climbed in next to me, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot. "Are you sure it's safe to drive?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's fine, I'm used to much more snow than this." More snow than this?! That was crazy!

"Where are you from?"

"Far away." He answered, pulling into the parking lot of the mall. It was pretty busy considering the snow, but not as bad as usual. I was curious why he hasn't elaborated on where he was from, but I knew better than to ask questions. Something told me not to push the subject. We walked to the food court in silence, but it wasn't awkward, it was comfortable.

"So what do you want?" Anthony asked, gesturing to all the choices. I looked around, pretending to consider it, even though I knew what I wanted.

"Panda Express!" I exclaimed, throwing my hand in the air and running to the line. I head Anthony chuckle and I was almost sure he rolled his eyes at me, but I didn't care. I just loved my Chinese food! A few minutes later we sat down at a table, food in front of us. My plate was full of orange chicken, white rice, and some sort of stir fry. Anthony had the same thing.

"So, how old are you?" Anthony asked, taking a sip of his coke.

"Sixteen," I said, even though I had my mouth full. Wow, that's attractive Bree! "What about you?"

"Seventeen just turned." I nodded.

"I turn next week."

"Really?" His eyes lit up as mentioned it.

"Yeah, but I won't do anything. I'm spending the rest of December with my grandma so I will just spend the day shopping with Mackenzie or something." I said, shrugging. My birthday was so close to Christmas I never felt like I had to do anything. My parents didn't, either. I think the last birthday party I actually had was when I turned six.

"Well, I'll make sure to get you a present for Tuesday." He chuckled, taking the last bite of his chicken. I choked on the rice I was about to swallow.

"Tuesday?" I choked.

"Yeah, your birthdays on the nineteenth, right?" I nodded, glancing down at my food. I wasn't hungry anymore.

"How did you know?" I whispered, struggling to look him in the eye. Was he some kind of stalker?!

"What?"

"How did you know when my birthday is? I didn't tell you."

"Um..yeah you did?" It sounded more like a question to me. He scratched the back of his head nervously, looking anywhere but my face.

"I'm full," I stated, standing to my feet and grabbing my trash. He was really starting to freak me out. First, he knew my name and now when my birthday is, to the exact day. It was scary.

"Bree wait!" I didn't wait, I kept on walking. Thousands of thoughts ran around in my head. Who was he? How did he know stuff about me? Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist. I turned around startled, and I started to freak when I saw it was Anthony. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"You are, you're creeping me out," I said honestly. Maybe then he would leave me alone.

"I'm sorry, I knew because you mentioned it the other night when you were half asleep, okay?" I looked into his eyes, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. For a moment I got dizzy and it was as if the world spun around me, but then I smiled. For some reason, I believed him. I nodded and looked at the floor, pretending to be very interested in the dirty tile. "That looks like fun!" He exclaimed. I looked up and followed his gaze to an ice skating rink, full of people. There was a huge tree in the center, covered in red and gold decorations. "Want to go?"

"...Sure." I said after some hesitation. Why not? We paid for our rental skates - well Anthony paid, he wouldn't let me pay for anything, including my lunch - and strapped on our skates. I had some trouble with it but I was eventually ready to go. "I'm not sure I can do this.." I muttered, staring at the ice. It looked really slippery to me, I was bound to fall on my ass.

"You'll do fine, just try." Anthony urged. He was already on the ice, waiting for me. I took a hesitant step forward, testing it out carefully. It seemed stable enough. Taking a deep breath I took the other foot off of the ground, which was a big mistake. The foot on the ice came flying up from underneath me, which resulted in me looking up at the ceiling. Unable to help myself, I burst out laughing.

"Are you okay?" Anthony asked, actually sounding concerned.

"Peachy!" I exclaimed, smiling up at him. He rolled his eyes and helped me up, placing his hands on my hips to keep my upright. Instead of moving his hands away like I expected, he kept them there, causing warmth to spread up my sides where he touched. We skated around the rink like that, making circles around the Christmas tree. How he was skating backward was beyond me.

"So, what do you want for Christmas?" He asked. I gasped at how close he was, I hadn't noticed.

"Um..." I stammered. I was having a hard time thinking, his breathing on my neck seemed to make it impossible to concentrate, "I guess a new phone...?"

"You sure?" I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yeah, and a new iPod. What about you?"

"I don't know really, I'm just thankful I got to come spend some time with my aunt."

"Really, why?" I asked, curious to get into his personal life.

"If I didn't I wouldn't have met you." He shrugged like it was no big deal, but it sent my heart racing. How was I supposed to respond to that?! Luckily I didn't have to, "I'm going to let go, okay?" He asked, and my breath caught in my throat, but I nodded. He slowly let his arms run up my sides and down my arms, causing to shiver. Why didn't he just let go? The second his arms left mine my knees began to buckle. I knew I was going to fall.

I screamed and closed my eyes, waiting for the cold, blistering pain, but it never came. Instead, I felt my legs twist underneath me, and my body pressed into something warm. I cracked open one eye, gasping as I opened both. Anthony's green eyes bore into mine, making my heart flutter. He looked like he was having some internal battle as his eyes flickered to my lips. Oh my gosh, was he going to kiss me!? My eyes involuntarily flickered to his round lips, making my breath catch in my throat again. I looked back up to his eyes and I could tell he had made his decision.

Holy shi.....