If Santa had a Son

Chapter 15 - Another Stranger

Chapter 15

Another Stranger

When I woke up the next morning, Mackenzie was gone, and I was tangled up in the quilt. I had my broken wrist tucked under my chest which made it throb.

Wincing in pain, I pushed myself out of bed and into the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror I actually laughed, that's how ridiculous I looked.

My hair was like a rats nest and my make up was smudged under my eyes. Note to self, remember to take makeup off before going to bed.

After I wrapped my cast in a plastic bag I jumped into the shower, making sure it was nice and hot. I scrubbed my face to get the makeup off, and then shampooed my hair.

As I showered I began to think. Mackenzie's words from last nice rang through my brain. Was she right? Was I really better than a fake beach blonde?

I had my doubts because I really wasn't anything special. A guy like Anthony deserved to be with an amazing girl, not one like me.

But maybe he didn't see it that way. Maybe he really would fall for me, stranger things have happened after all.

When I got out of the shower I was smiling like an i***t. Not only had I made myself feel better, but I had convinced myself of something.

The next time I saw Anthony I was going to tell him the truth. I was going to tell him that I didn't regret the kiss and that I liked him. A lot.

And if he didn't feel the same way I could move on, at least he would know how I feel. Hopefully, I wouldn't completely lose him, because if I did it would hurt so much.

I quickly slipped on a pink crop top that said 'Kisses' on the front in gray letters, and a pair of ripped jeans. Then I blow dried my hair and straightened it, adding a small pink bow to hold back my bangs. After that, I put on some eyeliner, mascara, and nude lipstick.

I slowly walked downstairs, cringing as I heard laughter from the kitchen. The last thing I wanted to do was see my dad...

"Hey, Honey!" My mom exclaimed when she saw me. "Come here, we were just about to eat breakfast!" I gave her a small smile before dashing for a chair, the one farthest from my dad.

Mackenzie sat down next to me, rubbing my back in support. I really did love her. Sometimes, she knew exactly what I needed.

My mom set a plate down in front of me, it was full of all my favorite foods. Eggs, toast, sausage, and cake batter pancakes. I licked my lips, quickly squirting some whipped cream on top of my pancakes. Yum, they were made out of pound cake batter.

Suddenly there was a large crash, which made me jump and drop my fork. My head whipped up, eyes locking on the situation in front of me.

My mom had her mouth hanging open, staring in shock. And my dad had his eyes closed and fists clenched, his whole shirt was covered in food.

"What do you think you're doing?!" My mom screeched, throwing her hands in the air.

"I was trying to help you." My dad said, his voice shaking. I could tell he was angry.

"Well, George, your not doing a very good job! You just made things worse! Besides, I don't need your help!" My father growled, taking a threatening step forward.

I was literally shaking. Never in my whole life had my parents fought, not even once. At least not that I could remember. And this one seemed pretty bad.

"Hey!" My grandma yelled, quickly stepping in-between them, "Go get cleaned up, George." He sighed, sagging his shoulders. After a second he nodded and started walking from the room.

Wow....Oh my God, Kayla. I quickly looked over at her, and she looked on the verge of tears. Her eyes were wide and her lips were quivering.

And then my mom yelled, "And while you're at it, cool off and get a grip!" I sucked in a breath, waiting for something to happen.

My dad froze in the doorway, his whole body going rigid. And then he punched the wall, a loud thud echoing through the air. I jumped and Kayla wailed, quickly diving under the table. Everything was silent until there was a loud slam, and then a car speeding off.

Everyone was quiet. We hardly even dared to take a breath. Where my dad had hit the wall there was a big hole the size of his fist.

When I finally got a grip of myself I noticed Kayla was sobbing, so I quickly grabbed her and put her in my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tucked her head under my chin.

My mom sighed, wiping a hand over her face. Mackenzie started muttering to herself, something that sounded like 'Good God that man has gone mental.'

"B..Bree." My mom stuttered, "Can you p..please take Kayle to the M..mall or something?" I nodded, quickly picking the child up and rushing out of the room. Mackenzie ran after me, pulling on her shoes and coat. After Kayla and I were all bundled up we piled out of the house, quickly jumping in my car.

Mackenzie had to drive because I couldn't with my cast, so I sat in the passenger seat. Kayla rode in the back in her car seat. She was still crying.

"It's okay, Kayla." I cooed, "Everything is fine." She looked up at me, momentarily forgetting her tears.

"No, it's not! Daddy is a bad guy!" She wailed, gripping her cost in her hands.

"No, he isn't." I sighed, "He is just confused. I'll tell you what, how about we forget about this? I'll take you to Build A Bear."

"Okay!" She clapped excitedly, her eyes already sparkling. She loved that place.

Mackenzie chuckled, "Hey, how about you invite Anthony?" She asked, glancing at me.

"Anthony!" Kayla screeched, making me flinch. Well, I guess that answers that question. I quickly pulled my phone out and dialed his number.

After three rings it went to voice mail, and I frowned. He must've ignored it...

"Hey," I said into the phone, "It's me, Bree. Uh, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and Kayla?"

"And me!" Mackenzie yelled, faking hurt.

I laughed, "Mackenzie will be there too. Well we're on our way to the mall right now, so you can meat us at Build A Bear if you want." I sighed, lowering my voice, "We kinda need to talk too...So, call me back. Bye."

Mackenzie shot me a sympathetic look before quickly looking back at the road, which made me smile. A few minutes later we arrived at the mall, Kayla was giggling excitedly.

She practically dragged us to the store will yellow walls, she knew exactly where it was. Build A Bear, any child's dream. She quickly ran in, dragging Mackenzie by the wrist. I watched as Mackenzie picked her up and helped her look at all the bears. Kayla ended up choosing a white bunny with big floppy ears. Fifteen minutes later she had her new bunny which was dressed in a bright pink shirt, a pink sparkly skirt, and pink converse.

All in all, I spent forty dollars. Well, I guess this was Kayla's Christmas present.

"Come on, Kayla, Mackenzie!" I yelled, looking over my shoulder and hurrying out of the store. I practically rammed into someone and I fell to the ground, "Ouch!" I screamed. The guy who had been running had fallen on top of me and was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Dang, are you okay?!" He asked, pulling me to my feet. He had blonde hair and brown eyes and rosy lips. His hair was shaggy and hung in his face. He had on a green shirt and dark wash jeans which, of course, were hanging off his butt. What was with that style?

"I'm fine." I shrugged, ignoring my wrist which was, in fact, hurting.

"Are you sure? You even have a broken wrist!" He looked so worried I almost laughed. Almost.

"Honestly, I'm okay..." I gave him a small smile, again glancing over my shoulder. Mackenzie and Kayla were gone. Well great, they ditched me.

"I'm Hayden, by the way." He smiled back at me, revealing pearly white teeth. I felt my heart flutter with nervousness.

"Uh...I'm Bree." I quickly shook his hand, blushing when he didn't let go.

"So, Bree, what are you doing in Build A Bear?" He raised an eyebrow at me, which made me blush redder.

"I was here with my little sister and friend but they ditched me..." I whispered, dropping my gaze to the ground. Why was he still holding my hand?

He laughed, "Aw man, that sucks. But it's good for me." My head shot up.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, staring at him in shock. He just winked at me, pulling me to his side and starting to walk, "Where are we going?"

"Just to hang out, I guess." He replied, shrugging. I sighed but gave in, following behind, and very aware that he was still holding my hand.

What was my obsession with going off with strangers?