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Trois.
At the mansion, the tree was brought in and set up beside the fireplace. It reached almost to the banisters of the loft above. The star would definitely have to be place on by ladder.
“Why’d you get that one?” Caroline complained, sitting in a burgundy recliner with her legs crossed. “It needs to be taller and fuller around.”
Kendra and Jimmy sat on the couch, watching as Dan Joy watered the tree.
“I think it is fine,” he said, pushing up off of the floor.
“Quite fine, actually,” Jimmy added. “It was the tallest and fullest white pine in the grove.”
“Well, why didn’t you look for a better one in the other trees?”
“Kendra said those were the best ones for hanging ornaments on.”
“Kendra, huh?” she said acidly, fixing her gaze on Kendra. “What’re you, the tree expert?”
Kendra was about to retaliate, but she remembered what she had said to Jimmy, “No, I uh . . . just remembered from when I was little, when Mom and Dad used to take me.”
Caroline hesitated. She licked her lips, “Oh.” She got up, trotting toward the kitchen, “I’ll have Ferdinand prepare lunch.”
“Mom,” Jimmy called after her, “the guys will be here at three!”
She didn’t reply.
At three o’ clock, Jimmy’s friends arrived at the house. Kendra heard them burst through the door, laughing and yelling. She had never personally met his friends. Each time they’d been over, she had kept away in her room. There was a head nod or an awkward passing by every now and then, but other than that, she wouldn’t know the boys from Adam.
Kendra listened as they clambered up the stairs and into the loft area. She took a deep breath and went into her bathroom to change into a black sweatshirt and lounge pants. She pulled her favorite winter book down and walked to her bed. She often fantasized that she lived in the book’s world, with four seasonal courts that gained momentum when the weather turned to their season. For example, the Winter Court’s queen would be more powerful during the winter months. But she knew that was impossible and that the fairy world in the book was impossible.
Still, a girl could dream.
She was curled up reading her book when there was a knock on her door.
Kendra glanced up, “Come in.”
As Jimmy walked through the door, she could hear the others arguing over the television in the loft.
“Hey Kendra, come hang out with us,” Jimmy said, sitting on the end of her bed.
Kendra looked around her, as if making sure he was talking to her, “Me?”
“Yes you. All of the guys want to meet you.”
The door squealed as another guy popped his head in her room. He smiled shyly at Kendra and directed his attention toward Jimmy, “Hey, we’re going outside. Brian and Johnny want to snowball fight.”
Jimmy nodded, and he shut the door as he left.
“You . . . told them about me?”
Jimmy chuckled softly, “Well, yeah. They’ve wanted to see you since the last time they were over, but you were holed up in here.” Jimmy explained. “Come on out.”
Kendra thought for a moment. Was this a joke? No, she didn’t think Jimmy would do that to her, not now.
“Okay,” she said quietly and climbed out of her bed.
She followed Jimmy out into the loft area and down the staircase. Would they like her? Would they make fun of her?
Kendra was socially awkward to say the least. As an only child, she had many imaginary friends when she was younger. Her parents encouraged these actions as they would help her develop crucially needed social skills. Kendra was quiet throughout elementary and junior high schools and was often subject to bullying. The picking never escalated beyond name-calling and snide remarks, but it was enough to bury deep inside her. From junior high on, Kendra was never the same, especially after her mother’s death in her fifth grade year. She kept to herself, did her schoolwork and passed her classes with flying colors. She never hung out with the few friends she succeeded in making, even when they offered to pick her up themselves. Kendra liked to read. She enjoyed becoming intrigued and then seemingly lost in the text of her favorite reads. She loved for the lines between reality and fiction blurred—when they completely crossed.
The tense mood seemed to lighten as Jimmy introduced her, “Guys, this is my stepsister, Kendra. You wanted to formally meet her, and she was more than willing to jump out here with us.”
His comment earned a soft glare from Kendra, who then turned to the other teens and waved shyly.
He pointed at each of the boys in turn as he introduced them, as well, “That’s Zack, Brian, Johnny, and last—but not least—the big happy one is Matt.”
Jimmy’s sarcasm lingered for a moment before earning a snicker from the guys. Matt wasn’t too happy about his being poked at. He retaliated by chucking a snowball at the taller guy, which caught him square in the jaw.
“SNOWBALL FIGHT!”
Kendra’s eyes widened to the size of the snowballs being thrown and did what she did best—hid. Until, of course, the one Jimmy had introduced as Zack tracked her down behind the front porch.
“Got you!” he said, as he tossed a ball of the powdery snow at her. It broke with a puff on her sweatshirt.
She chuckled softly and shivered a bit.
“You know, you’d warm up if you’d throw a few,” Zack said as he tossed a snowball around the posts at Brian.
Kendra half smiled weakly at him. He stooped over, scooped up a handful of snow, and proceeded to shape it into a snowball for her.
“Here,” he said, holding the ball out with a triumphant look spread across his face.
“Oh no, I don’t think—”
“Bah, whatever! Just throw it!” Zack took her hand firmly and placed it inside.
Kendra, with a slightly annoyed sigh, leaned around the dark wooden post of the corner of front porch. She took aim for Brian, and pitched the snowball at him. It landed accurately in the small of his back, causing him to howl.
“Little sister!” he shouted, and ran for her.
“You’re on your own!” Zack shouted, and ran off toward the others.
Afterward, the group sat around the fireplace in the loft. Kendra answered questions and in turn asked questions about their lives. She observed that Jimmy’s friends were just as interesting as he was—tattooed and pierced, wearing dark colors, cracking jokes and living for the moment.
“Why’d you get that one?” Caroline complained, sitting in a burgundy recliner with her legs crossed. “It needs to be taller and fuller around.”
Kendra and Jimmy sat on the couch, watching as Dan Joy watered the tree.
“I think it is fine,” he said, pushing up off of the floor.
“Quite fine, actually,” Jimmy added. “It was the tallest and fullest white pine in the grove.”
“Well, why didn’t you look for a better one in the other trees?”
“Kendra said those were the best ones for hanging ornaments on.”
“Kendra, huh?” she said acidly, fixing her gaze on Kendra. “What’re you, the tree expert?”
Kendra was about to retaliate, but she remembered what she had said to Jimmy, “No, I uh . . . just remembered from when I was little, when Mom and Dad used to take me.”
Caroline hesitated. She licked her lips, “Oh.” She got up, trotting toward the kitchen, “I’ll have Ferdinand prepare lunch.”
“Mom,” Jimmy called after her, “the guys will be here at three!”
She didn’t reply.
At three o’ clock, Jimmy’s friends arrived at the house. Kendra heard them burst through the door, laughing and yelling. She had never personally met his friends. Each time they’d been over, she had kept away in her room. There was a head nod or an awkward passing by every now and then, but other than that, she wouldn’t know the boys from Adam.
Kendra listened as they clambered up the stairs and into the loft area. She took a deep breath and went into her bathroom to change into a black sweatshirt and lounge pants. She pulled her favorite winter book down and walked to her bed. She often fantasized that she lived in the book’s world, with four seasonal courts that gained momentum when the weather turned to their season. For example, the Winter Court’s queen would be more powerful during the winter months. But she knew that was impossible and that the fairy world in the book was impossible.
Still, a girl could dream.
She was curled up reading her book when there was a knock on her door.
Kendra glanced up, “Come in.”
As Jimmy walked through the door, she could hear the others arguing over the television in the loft.
“Hey Kendra, come hang out with us,” Jimmy said, sitting on the end of her bed.
Kendra looked around her, as if making sure he was talking to her, “Me?”
“Yes you. All of the guys want to meet you.”
The door squealed as another guy popped his head in her room. He smiled shyly at Kendra and directed his attention toward Jimmy, “Hey, we’re going outside. Brian and Johnny want to snowball fight.”
Jimmy nodded, and he shut the door as he left.
“You . . . told them about me?”
Jimmy chuckled softly, “Well, yeah. They’ve wanted to see you since the last time they were over, but you were holed up in here.” Jimmy explained. “Come on out.”
Kendra thought for a moment. Was this a joke? No, she didn’t think Jimmy would do that to her, not now.
“Okay,” she said quietly and climbed out of her bed.
She followed Jimmy out into the loft area and down the staircase. Would they like her? Would they make fun of her?
Kendra was socially awkward to say the least. As an only child, she had many imaginary friends when she was younger. Her parents encouraged these actions as they would help her develop crucially needed social skills. Kendra was quiet throughout elementary and junior high schools and was often subject to bullying. The picking never escalated beyond name-calling and snide remarks, but it was enough to bury deep inside her. From junior high on, Kendra was never the same, especially after her mother’s death in her fifth grade year. She kept to herself, did her schoolwork and passed her classes with flying colors. She never hung out with the few friends she succeeded in making, even when they offered to pick her up themselves. Kendra liked to read. She enjoyed becoming intrigued and then seemingly lost in the text of her favorite reads. She loved for the lines between reality and fiction blurred—when they completely crossed.
The tense mood seemed to lighten as Jimmy introduced her, “Guys, this is my stepsister, Kendra. You wanted to formally meet her, and she was more than willing to jump out here with us.”
His comment earned a soft glare from Kendra, who then turned to the other teens and waved shyly.
He pointed at each of the boys in turn as he introduced them, as well, “That’s Zack, Brian, Johnny, and last—but not least—the big happy one is Matt.”
Jimmy’s sarcasm lingered for a moment before earning a snicker from the guys. Matt wasn’t too happy about his being poked at. He retaliated by chucking a snowball at the taller guy, which caught him square in the jaw.
“SNOWBALL FIGHT!”
Kendra’s eyes widened to the size of the snowballs being thrown and did what she did best—hid. Until, of course, the one Jimmy had introduced as Zack tracked her down behind the front porch.
“Got you!” he said, as he tossed a ball of the powdery snow at her. It broke with a puff on her sweatshirt.
She chuckled softly and shivered a bit.
“You know, you’d warm up if you’d throw a few,” Zack said as he tossed a snowball around the posts at Brian.
Kendra half smiled weakly at him. He stooped over, scooped up a handful of snow, and proceeded to shape it into a snowball for her.
“Here,” he said, holding the ball out with a triumphant look spread across his face.
“Oh no, I don’t think—”
“Bah, whatever! Just throw it!” Zack took her hand firmly and placed it inside.
Kendra, with a slightly annoyed sigh, leaned around the dark wooden post of the corner of front porch. She took aim for Brian, and pitched the snowball at him. It landed accurately in the small of his back, causing him to howl.
“Little sister!” he shouted, and ran for her.
“You’re on your own!” Zack shouted, and ran off toward the others.
Afterward, the group sat around the fireplace in the loft. Kendra answered questions and in turn asked questions about their lives. She observed that Jimmy’s friends were just as interesting as he was—tattooed and pierced, wearing dark colors, cracking jokes and living for the moment.