Getting Kole for Christmas Read Free Page A

putting on her third application of sanitizer and look her in the eye because what I’m about to say could possibly rescue me from weeks of depression. “If neither of us have dates for the Christmas dance, we should totally do something together that night. Like, go on a fast food shopping spree and stuff our faces while watching horror movies.”
    I’m getting into the idea already. Forget about wishing and hoping and praying that Kole will ask me to the dance. I’ll have plans of my own. Plans that will put that baseball-playing, sarcasm-saying, dimple-wearing, Dorito-sharing Kole out of my…
    “I got asked last night.”
    Sometimes on TV shows a party is happening and when the fun comes to an abrupt halt, the loud screech of a record sounds. My own mental party has just come to an end, and I swear I can hear that very sound echoing in my head.
    There should be a word that encompasses both jealousy and anger because I am feeling them both in equal amounts. Janger!
    I force my janger aside and hide behind the growing curiosity within my short, jangerous frame. “By who?”
    “Chase.”
    Whoa . “Chase? Chase Daniels? Kole’s friend?”
    “Yeah.”
    I can feel my eyes bulging right out of my skull. I know I look nuts but I can’t help it. I feel nuts. This can’t be real. Slacking, slouching, moping, mumbling Chase Daniels has managed to get off his pant-sagging butt and ask someone to the Christmas dance? I’m stunned. How did this happen?
    It comes to my attention that Cassie is looking very uncomfortable. Did I do that?
    “Oh,” I blurt. “This is so exciting. Come here.” I squeal like the girl I am supposed to be in this moment. The super-excited, ultra-supportive, happy-for-my-friend girl.
    “Right?” Cassie says with a laugh. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to notice the forced nature of my efforts. Someone in the crowded hall sneezes as they walk by and Cassie covers her mouth in horror, her eyes wide as she looks at me. I know she wants to avoid sneeze-boy’s germs, so I tap my foot until she thinks the appropriate amount of time has gone by.
    “Want to help me answer him tonight?” she finally asks through cupped hands.
    “Tonight?” Is it possible for my eyes to get any wider? I force myself to spit out the exact opposite of what I’m feeling. “I’d love to! Oh, and I’m such a jerk – I forgot to ask: how did he ask you?”
    Cassie looks over her shoulder before dropping her hands. She’s all smiles as she relays the details. A bag of take-out with a note pinned to the front. ‘ This may sound cheesy, but I’ll die if you don’t come to the Christmas dance with me.’ Inside was – you guessed it – a cheeseburger. Oh, and an order of fries because without those, what would Chase write his name on? And he didn’t take an actual Sharpie to just one french fry. He wrote the letters on separate fries, which means at least five of the bunch were too tainted to eat.
    “So… do you have anything in mind? Of how you want to answer him back, I mean.”
    Cassie shoves her hand sanitizer back into her jacket pocket. “I should probably stick with the fast food theme… I thought maybe I could get him a shake and say like, ‘I can’t wait to shake the night away with you.’”
    “You could,” I say, “but I think you’re supposed to like, make him look for the answer, like he had you look for the name, you know? At least that’s how my sisters do it.” I hate to put a damper on things, but I kind of know how this works by now. “Don’t worry,” I say, spotting Kole down the hall. His eyes are doing that thing they do when he knows something I don’t. “We’ll think of something. I better run.”
    I try not to be too obvious as I dart across the hall. “Hey,” I holler, catching up with him as he moves. Thayne Hinders bumps my shoulder with one of his beefy gorilla arms, knocking me back a foot.
    Kole spins around. “You okay?”
    A rush of heat pools into my face as he