My New Crush Gave to Me by Shani Petroff

Author:Shani Petroff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Twenty-Two

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” J.D. said while holding his stomach when I showed up at his house. He was wearing a Santa suit. “Ready to get decked out?” he asked.

No, no I was not. He looked ridiculous, and pretty soon so would I. I shook my head at him. “You look…”

“Dashingly handsome?”

“Not the words I was going for.”

“Festive?” he tried.

“More like goofy.”

He put his hands on his hips and feigned indignation in what had to be the worst Santa voice I’d ever heard. “Where’s your Christmas spirit?” he asked. “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

I held back a laugh. If I didn’t, I’d be hearing that horrible impression all night long. “Over at Teo’s,” I said, reminding him and myself why I was doing this. “Where are your parents?”

“They left for Boston this afternoon to go pick up my sister. They decided to make a whole long weekend out of it. Won’t be back till Sunday.”

“They trusted you with the house to yourself?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t about to give him another one of my lists, this one detailing how he did not seem like the responsible type, not when he was helping me, but he knew what I was thinking.

“You really think highly of me, don’t you?” he asked, bringing over a large bag.

“I think you’re fine.” Not that I’d admit it to him, but the truth was, J.D. was growing on me.

“Well, isn’t that glowing praise,” he said. “Especially when I have this for you.” He took a piece of paper out of his big old Santa pocket. “It’s just a mock-up, but I can make up a real one if you like it.”

I took the paper. It was a baseball card, only Teo was the player featured on it.

“It’s a picture from last season. I figured he’d like seeing himself as one of the pros.”

“J.D., this is a really great idea, thank you.”

He shrugged. “I’ll print it out on card stock, make it more like the real thing.”

“You really are like Santa.” I studied the card. “Teo is going to love this. Should I make this the grand finale present?”

“Nah, I have something better in mind for that.”

“What?” I asked.

“Santa can’t give away his secrets,” he said in his horrible Santa voice again, and then he took his hands and shook his belly.

“Please,” I said, half laughing, half cringing, “do yourself—and me—a favor and never do that voice again.”

“What voice? This is how I speak.”

This was going to be a long, long night. “Okay, Santa, just tell me, when do I get to find out Teo’s final gift?”

“Next Wednesday after the Sentinel meeting—”

“There is no Sentinel meeting since the paper is coming out that Friday and we’re having the party. Which, FYI, you would have known if you had shown up on time yesterday.”

“This is how you talk to Santa?” he said in mock disgust as he rummaged through the mystery bag he had in front of him. “At this rate, you, not to mention poor Teo, may wind up with a sack of coal.

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