Prologue, the Previous Christmas It's December, and I'm dying to feel the bitter cold sting my pale face. I still have a tint of blush on my face from warming up for a short amount of time. My two curled parts of my hair were now straightened to look like the rest of my hair. It's Christmas in seventh grade. I still had a crush on Jeffery Hathaway. I was told my smile was precious by him, and his brace filled smile was amazing. Our skin colors were different, our voice tones were somewhat the same... Karoline is my name, and I'm sworn to have a permanently damaged heart from the past years. His dark skin compared to my pale arms, legs and face made us polar opposites. His skin was more or less, kinda...brownish. I can't describe it. His afro hair isn't all puffed out, but it's in curls. His blue braced smile made me beam in happiness. I would freeze up everyone in a while, accidentally looking into his eyes. He's a but shorter than me, and is going out with her. I can't even say her name because it aches me. I spin through the snow, and I ignore the stares. I hear my name. It's muffled in the snow flakes, but I fall back into the white fluff, stopping from the possible blood that could appear on the ice. "K-Karoline!" the voice called again, this time you could hear how cold they were by their chattering teeth. I giggled, rolling face down into the fluff. "Karo!" I heard. It was none other than my hero, Jeffery. I rolled again, my head in his lap. His face was a mix of red and brown. He smiled down at me. "Hey Karo, you still like Kade?" It was the same question every year, but this year, it needed to change. "No, Hathaway." I sighed, the color draining from my cheeks. "Who?" he asked, brushing the straight hair from my paled green eyes. "I'm not telling, but all I can say is... All I want for Christmas is you."
Prologue Continued~ He shook his head, trying to understand. "Me?" "Yes, don't you get it?" I asked, poking his nose, smiling. His face was a darker shade. "Karoline, you know I'm going-" I clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say her name." I sighed, sitting up off his lap. He hugged me gently, telling me it's fine and not to be afraid. Normally he's this cocky boy I met in sixth grade. Super confident, but he never knew I liked him. I stared off into the white wonderland, him hugging me tightly. "Jeffery, I think I'm fine.." I sighed, trying to unclomp myself from his grip. "Karoline..." he whispered in my ear. I was small, but taller than him. I must have been light has a feather for him though. He squished my lungs as the bitterly cold hair nipped at my throat. I whined,"Please Jeff." In the park, in the once grassy field, arms around me. "No." he said stubbornly. I gave up, sitting in his arms. My heart probably stopped beating. He hummed, playing with my hair in the snow. <3
Prologue Continued~ "Me?" "Yes, you don't get it?" I asked, poking his nose and smiling. His face had more red added into it. "Karoline you know that I'm going-" I clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't even say her name." I sighed, sitting up and getting out of his lap. He hugged me telling me it was okay and not to be afraid. Normally he's this cocky boy I met in sixth grade, not some softy in the snow with a girl maybe four inches taller than him. I just stared into the white wonderland... "Jeffery, I think I'm fine..." I said, sighing, trying to get out of his grip. "Karoline..." he whispered in my ear, causing the red blush to add color to my canvas like face. I was pretty light to be held like this. The bitter air nipped at my throat and I whined,"Please Jeffery." "No," he said stubbornly. I gave up, and let him hold me. We were best friends from that moment on. I've had multiple moments when I have cried since then. Now, it's almost Christmas of 2013.
Chapter One, Jealousy Ideas Take Over~ It's lunch in school again, maybe two days before school is out for winter break. I'm sitting with Jeffery, who is sitting with me and Emma. That made me want to gag. I preferred to talk with Kade at lunch nowadays. I'm not as scared of him as I was back in sixth grade. He's immature as I am, funny, tiny... His nickname is Cuddles the bunny though. Jeffery was trying to get my attention by setting a hand on my shoulder as I ate my piece of chocolate my mom packed in my lunch. I simply ignored it and started up a conversation with Kade. "Hey." "Hey Flaky." I laughed for a moment, forgetting I was trying to ignore Jeffery,"What?" I asked. "Hey, what do you think of Emma?" Jeffery asked. I laughed, zipping up my small lunchbox and hitting his arm, growling. I stood up, grabbing Kade's hand. "I don't care about her. She's a stuck up snob whom thinks she can do whatever her little heart desires, Hathaway. That's what I think." I kissed Kade's hand and whispered,"You're hands are cold love." I went back to my old table with my friends, my true and oldest of friends. Annie, Jamie, Caitlin, Sofie... I sighed, sitting next to Chloe. "OMG. KARO." she giggled, hugging me. I glanced over at my old table, something on my lips was smudged. Kade's face was probably permanently burnt from that, considering that my lipgloss made a mark of where my lips touched him. After a while of pointing, red faces and all at Jeffery's table, he finally came and sat next to me.. "Karo?" Ignored. "Karoline." Ignored. "Karoline LeParachuté-" I turned to him, biting my knuckles. "What's wrong?....You left...and made Emma cry.." "Good, she deserves it." "And Kade is tempted to lick your lipgloss." "...Thats nice..." I sighed, turning back to all my hysterical friends. I watched him walk back, and he shrugged, turning, pointing to me and explaining something to them. Kade awkwardly held his Hand close to his face. Jeffery's face was red, and it looked like he was...crying? Emma was sitting at another table and Ryan was trying to get him to stop crying I guess. What did I do?....
Chapter Two, Split from a Whole~ I've been sitting at my old table a lot lately, and Jeffery has been crying more often. Emma sits with him, but she manages to throw a few death glares at me that turn into pillows hitting my legs. I roll my eyes and stick my tongue out at her and go back to talking with Annie and her little Hunger Games parachute. I heard Emma's annoying, cheap ass and expensively designed shoes clicking behind me. "Uhm, Excuse me?" she hissed, tapping on my shoulder, I turned to her, looking up. She was short, but I was sitting down so I had to look up at her. "Yeah?" "Why is he crying over you?!" she yelled at me. My friends became silent, listening. "What are you talking about?" "Jeffery is crying over YOU. A dork like you!" "Yeah? Why don't you ask him yourself? Isn't he your boyfriend?" I growled, standing up. "Oh heck no, stay out of my bubble." she hissed, smirking. The teachers were watching us. "Catfight. School courtyard. Tomorrow. Winner takes Jeffery, loser takes Kade. How does that sound?" I barked,"He isn't a loser!" She gasped,"YOU LIKE KADE?" I felt the tears to my eyes, and I rambled trying to explain,"N-No! That's not what I meant! Just don't call him that!" She kept teasing me. "You're boyfriend?" "You're lover?" "Cuddles?" My heart stopped hearing Cuddles. That was my only nickname for him. My heart sank. "Only I can call him that." "Whatever, bitch." she sighed, looking at her nails and she turned on her heel. Now the awkward began, and Jeffery was standing behind Emma. "I heard every word you said," he started."including what you said about Karoline. Emma, it's over." he growled. Emma's eyes were red as rubies as she cried, and I have to admit it was kind of funny. Jeffery and I were back at the same table, but I sit next to Kade. Split from a whole they now are.
Chapter Three, The Catfight must go on~ One of Emma's little minions walked up to me today, ugh. Trisha. "I heard there's a Catfight today." "Oh? With Alexis and Ann?" "No, cause they want to see you LOSE to Emma." she smirked, with the devil at her side. I turned around in my seat at lunch, making Kade glance back. "Lose? She can't carry two plastic chairs out of science class." I scoffed, biting part of my sandwich. I heard Kade's small laugh, an Trisha pointed a finger at him. "Don't be laughing at us. Emma will STRIKE your girlfriend." Trisha giggled. Emma glanced down at her girly patterned nails. I coughed in disgust, mine were painted black. Jeffery slammed his fist on the table as the word Girlfriend slipped through Trisha's mouth. Kade's face became lobster red. "Don't say that. We're not going out." I hissed, sitting like a lady while watching them. "Oh hush, Flaky. We know you guys have sweet little pet names for each other." "WE DO NOT!" I roared, standing up. It began to feel awkward, then the lunch bell rang. I tossed my trash and walked out the door of the cafeteria and began to walk to English class. "Karoline!" Jeffery whined from far back, as the teasing remained Blank to him. Kade walked next to me in silence as we walked to Wagner's class. I was beyond annoyed. Three Hours later.. BRING! I dashed out of explorations and met Kade where the Catfight was going to be. I heard there were thirty bucks on me. Jeffery wasn't on my side, he was on Emma's side, speaking with her. I felt my heart sink. After a moment, her face became puffy and red and he walked on my side. I cracked all my bones, and glanced at my sharp black nails. My Ugg like, chocolate colored boots kept my toes warm in the bitter cold. I heard David's voice. "Alright, now this should be amazing." I stood up off the brick wall, only it being three feet tall. I meowed like a cat, grinning. "Bring it, pussycat." she hissed. "Watch me," I smiled nicely, my nose turning red. I slashed her in the face and she whimpered fakely. She kicked me in the side with her cheap ass heels, making me punch her diagram. I scratched her ear, I heard a couple of whistles. Jeffery was standing still, watching, horrified on how I could fight. Kade smirked at Jeffery, and muffled, I heard their conversation before a Few punches. "You really should've asked her out, too bad." I heard Kade's voice, almost imagining his smirk. "I wanted to, but it didn't mean I wasn't going to try." Said Jeffery, almost broken. His voice was still high as if puberty wasn't over yet. "You didn't try-" I heard, getting socked in the mouth. I had enough. Jeffery was going to ask me out, but he didn't even try? I felt so angered, it was surreal... I screamed, taking both fists into Emma's rib cage. I heard a shriek, and saw blood on the ground. I had Emma coughing up blood. I stood tall, my eye lids dropping. My knees buckled, and I fell backward, being caught. "It's okay Flaks...I got you..." Kade said, holding me steady. I couldn't wait to wake up, but I didn't want to at the same time... I blacked out, seeing Jeffery's face.