Free Home for Christmas by Jessica Burkhart

leaning forward so I could see her from her spot farthest from me. “Jacob’s supposedly Sasha’s first love. It’s so romantic! Like a movie. I heard Sasha and Eric were really great together, but Jacob was always ‘the one.’ ” A dreamy smile came over Lexa’s face. “They were meant to be together.”
    I sighed, loving Lexa’s story, and Ana made the same noise. I bumped my shoulder against hers and we both laughed.
    â€œI don’t even go to Canterwood, but now I want to just for the gossip and stories like this!” Ana said. She played with the ends of her light-brown hair. “If I went, though, Jeremy would have to come with me.”
    â€œOh, Ana-Banana,” I said. “Remember the days when you were Miss Anti-Romance and all about your artwork?”
    Ana shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Lauren. You must be thinking of someone else.”
    â€œFunny,” Bri said, tilting her head. “I seem to have the same memories that LT does. There was an Ana who swore off boys until this totally hot guy came up to her at the end-of-year dance.”
    â€œPlease keep talking about this cute guy,” Lexa said. “This is a good story!”
    Ana, Brielle, and I laughed. It felt like old times—the three of us together and having fun.
    â€œThere were two best friends who practically dragged this girl to the dance,” I said. “Shocker—not—when the girl was asked to dance by one of the cuties, that made a lot of other girls crazy jealous.”
    Ana, smiling, hung her head then lifted it. “You two are starting to jog my memory a little. This girl—who’s supposedly me—was maybe uninterested in boys. Or maybe the right guy hadn’t appeared until the dance.”
    â€œAww!” Carina said. “I’m guessing this guy is Jeremy, right? The one you would want to come with you to Canterwood?”
    Ana did a little dance on the fence. “Okay, okay! You broke me.” She laughed. “Yes, the guy who asked me to dance was Jeremy. We’ve been dating ever since.”
    â€œC’mon,” I said. “You can be more specific than that. How long exactly?”
    â€œSeven months, two weeks, and one day!” Ana answered immediately.
    Everyone laughed, including Ana.
    â€œYou’re so lucky,” Carina said. “You’ve got a boyfriend,Lauren has Drew, and Khloe’s with Zack. I’ve never had a BF before.”
    â€œWelcome to the club,” Lexa said. She extended a hand to Carina, and they shook hands.
    â€œMaybe we should wish for boys to appear under the Christmas tree this year,” Clare said.
    â€œNot the tree,” Khloe said. “Wish for under the mistletoe!”
    We stayed on the fence, laughing quietly and chatting about boys. My mind drifted to Brielle’s own boy-related past: a string of one-time dates at Yates Prepatory followed by a few dates with her longtime crush, Will, and finally, Brielle and Taylor. I waited to feel anger in the pit of my stomach about Bri’s betrayal, but it didn’t come. Instead, I kept giggling and talking with my friends, not one thought of Brielle and Taylor together coming to mind and dimming my happy mood.

12
NAUGHTY OR NICE?
    Sasha
    â€œI COULDN’T THINK OF A better way to end the day,” Brit said. She looked supercute in lounge-y clothes—a hot-pink velour tracksuit with a long-sleeve white tee that said WHERE’S THE MISTLETOE? in rhinestones.
    â€œTotally agree,” I said. “If you grab that tray, I’ve got this one.”
    â€œGot it.” Brit picked up the green-and-red tray full of snacks. We had Chex Mix and bowls of caramel, cheese, and butter popcorn.
    Brit and I had finished filling bowls with munchies for everyone. Paige, Eric, and Alison had already carried steaming mugs of hot chocolate into the other room.
    We’d all