"With emotions running wild
The smiles come easier
All the feels feel feelier
And I start acting like a child
Yeah but if I may, ain't that kinda the best way to live
Because we are all changing
But when the snow starts to fall
We feel all the same things."
--This Is Christmas by Jon McLaughlin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 30: The Christmas Kiss

| KENZIE |

"Before last night I was down on my luck,
there was nothing going my way."

I sang this out loud while prepping myself for school.

"Before last night I wasn't feeling the love,
No reason for a smile on my face."

I brushed my hair while staring in the mirror.

"But I was always told,
You could turn it around,
Do it for the light of day.
So get yourself together,
Head out on the town,
The music gets you feeling okay.
Now I'm on a roll and
And I'm losing control 'cause..."

I grabbed my bag and headed outside my room as I belted out the chorus of Christina Grimmie's "Feelin' Good":

"I got that sunshine,
It's like the world is mine
I can't deny I'm feelin' good.
Can't stop from smiling,
I'm bottled lightning
But deep inside I'm feeling good."

I was going down the stairs, not caring that I was singing out loud.

"All my heartbreak,
my long and rainy days,
are gone and now I can't complain.
Everything's alright,
I'm feeling so alive.
I can't deny I'm feelin' goo--"

I abruptly stopped myself when I saw Rachel, Eunice, Cindy, and Lance staring at me in horror as I reached the last stair.

"Wh-what the heck are you doing here, guys?" I cried. "And I should be the one who's staring at you in horror! And besides, my singing isn't bad, unlike Lancelot's--"

"We just want to eat breakfast here, Midgetzie," Lance cut me off with a yawn. "Is that bad?"

"Huh?"

"It was me who invited them for breakfast, Grace," Mom said from the kitchen, and I smelled bacon, fried fish, and chicken curry. "We just wanted to surprise you, is all."

"What for, Mom?" I asked, confused, as the five of us went to the kitchen. Spencer was helping my mom cook breakfast. He did a hand salute when he saw me.

"Oh, c'mon, Gracie! This is your first school day that you have completely moved on from Brandon! This is worthy to be celebrated; even your dad approved of it. Isn't that right, honey?"

Dad was seated at the dining table while reading a newspaper, a mug of black coffee beside him. "Your mom's right, Grace."

I was touched by what my parents had done for me, especially since they'd also invited my new best friends. I grinned at them as I gave the two of them a crushable hug. "Thank you so much, Mom, Dad, everyone!"

"I miss this type of Kenzie," Chel said as she embraced me, too, after I hugged my parents. "The one who's got a pocket full of sunshine." Then she started singing the chorus of "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield.

"Awww, Chel!" I hugged her more.

Nis and Dee helped placing the eating utensils on the table. Lance was about to help the two ladies when I held his wrist and whispered to him, "This is also your first school day that you've completely moved on from your grandfather's death, right?"

He nodded, smiling softly at me. "Even though we did not win, I will never regret that you were my accompanist for that competition."

The winner of the 40th Annual Denver Music Competition--High School Division was...I forgot the name of the school. Eldreez Point won the third place.

I was thankful for the experience playing the piano on stage with a big audience. It'd given me more confidence when it comes to my music skills. Even my parents had been proud of our performance and said they'd approved if I'd pursue music.

"And I will never regret that I got to play with you on stage," I replied, smiling back at him.

"Ehem!" The two of us were startled when my dad coughed loudly while glaring at Lance. "Not in my house, you--"

"Dad! We weren't--" I argued, but was immediately cut off when the rest of them squealed with delight:

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Lance just sighed in defeat while I yelled: "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK, GUYS!"

Some things never change, I guess.

🎹 🎹 🎹

December was the month I broke up with Brandon, and Christmas Day was two days away.

Time flies so fast, huh?

"Say, did you already buy a gift for Lance for tomorrow?" Chel asked. The two of us were hanging out in her room, chatting about The Crimes of Grindelwald film. The six of us had decided that we'd buy gifts for all, not do exchanging of gifts. This was what Dee, Lance, Spence and Nis had done last year, and the venue would be at Royal Crown.

"Not yet," I answered, hugging a pillow to my chest. "I've already bought gifts for the rest of the group, but for Lance...I'm having a hard time choosing my gift for him. Any ideas?"

"Hmm, how 'bout bake him a chocolate cake?"

"Oh, right. Okay, I'll bake him a chocolate cake for Christmas." I paused. "But, you know, I also wanna give him something special--that will have a sentimental value to him."

Chel smiled. "How 'bout stuff that's related to music, since he's a musician? Something that's personalized."

My eyes widened at that. Something personalized...? Wow, why hadn't I thought of that before? "You're a genius, Chel!" I beamed at her.

"Always!" Rachel laughed.

"Anyway, did you already buy a gift for Edwin?" I slyly asked.

Frowning, Rachel said, "Why did you ask?"

"Just curious, is all." I batted my eyelashes at her.

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Well, duh. I bought him a glass chess board, since he loves to play chess. And I already bought gifts for all of you friends, unlike someone who's currently having a dilemma here."

"Ha-ha. Sorry about that," I deadpanned.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing. Checking the screen, I saw it was Lance who was calling.

"What, Lance?" I said after answering his call.

"Can you please go out with me, Kenzie?" was his response. His tone seemed like he was in danger, though.

My mind blanked for a second. "H-huh? Go out with you...?"

But Chel suddenly cackled and stole my phone from my hand while I was in confusion, then bolted out the door. I was about to follow her after my soul had come back into my body, but she slammed the door in my face. She was pulling the doorknob outside so that I couldn't get out.

Rachel was stronger than I was, so I couldn't do anything but just knocked on the door loudly and shouted, "YOU CAN'T LOCK ME IN HERE FOREVER!"

"FOREVER'S NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO LOVE YOU SOOO~!" she sang behind the door.

"RACHEL MAY SIMPSON! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"

There was a moment of silence before the door opened, and Chel coolly gave me my phone back. "Lance will be waiting for you at the mall in thirty minutes."

"The heck, you evil best friend!" I argued. "Don't make decisions on my behalf! And was he asking me out? I'm so not going on a date with him--"

Rachel's mouth started quivering. If you don't know her that well, you might think she's going to sob. But no, whenever her mouth does that, she's going to roll on the floor while laughing.

Literally.

She only does that in private, though.

You don't believe me? Well, she was doing it right now--Rachel was rolling on the pink-carpeted floor while laughing out loud.

"RACHEL MAY SIMPSON!" I was really going to murder my bestie and look for a new one. "I'm angry at you! Don't talk to me for five minutes!"

"C'mon, Kenzie," Chel comforted me after five freaking minutes had passed, stifling her laughter. "This is the perfect time to buy your Christmas gift for Lance. It's gonna be fantastic! And no, he wasn't asking you out on a date; he just worded 'Please help me buy Christmas gifts' in a wrong way."

"More like craptastic. And buy my Christmas gift for Lance with him?!"

"I mean, you can go your separate ways while shopping."

I pointed a finger at Rachel, glaring at her a moment longer. "Since you decided this for me, you're gonna come with me."

"Nuh-uh." Chel smiled victoriously. "Did you forget? The Simpsons family will be grocery shopping later."

"You really are sneaky, aren't you?" I was on the verge of crying a river.

Still grinning, Rachel playfully said, "No, I'm not."

🎹 🎹 🎹

Lance had texted that he'd be waiting for me at Barnes & Noble in the mall. After getting out of the taxi, I texted him that I was on my way there. I'd put my usual disguise when going out to the public: cap, shades, and face mask.

After the contest, though, Lance and I were in some news articles with the headline: "Is Mackenzie Adams Dating Lance Collins, Weyral's Paganini?" Even the fan mails we received in our lockers had intensified.

Lance had apologized wholeheartedly to me, saying he didn't mean for the tabloids to happen and didn't know it'd come to this. I'd told him that he didn't need to say sorry because there was nothing to be sorry for. The world was just curious ever since I went on hiatus from the acting industry. My manager had even contacted me regarding the latest news and some reporters were asking me for an interview, but she denied the requests, which I approved of.

There had also been some people who wanted to interview Lance, but he'd also declined them.

But now, Lance and I had to be careful. Like what we'd be doing right now.

"I don't like to be kept waiting," were Lance's first words when I entered the bookstore, trying to imitate Bellatrix Lestrange, the bitch who got owned. He instantly knew it was me.

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see them because of my sunglasses. "Just hurry up and be done with your shopping."

"I am already done shopping for all of your gifts."

I couldn't help but gape at him. "The heck? So why am I even here in the first place?"

"Hi, Mackenzie!" someone called, then Percy revealed himself from a corner of the bookshop, grinning widely. "Long time no see, if I do say so myself."

I squealed when I saw him and gave him a big hug. "Percy! I missed you!"

He returned the hug. "I missed you, too!"

"Percy's the one who requested that you come here," Lance said with a crooked smile.

"Why didn't you say so? I wouldn't have had doubts if you said Percy was here."

"I wanted to surprise you, that's why," said Percy.

"Aawww you're so cute!" I gushed. "You surprised me, all right."

"Why don't you two go for a stroll for a while?" Lance asked as we exited the bookstore. Christmas songs were playing from the speakers, and Christmas decorations were all over the place. "I still need to buy something."

"Sure," I said, then Lance left Percy and me.

Percy had an angelic smile, but now it turned into a mischievous one. "Have you already bought a gift for my brother?"

My eyes widened at his sudden change of aura. "Erm, not yet. Why did you ask?" I sheepishly asked.

"Oh, nothing. I was just curious. Tee-hee."

"This is also the reason why I went here to the mall," I said, "to buy my gift for Lance. Wanna tag along? But keep this a secret from him, okay?"

"Of course!" he cheerily replied and then mimed buttoning his lips shut.

We went to a knitting shop to buy the materials I needed for Lance's gift. Grandma Celestine had taught me knitting when I was in my elementary years, so I'd planned to knit something for Lance. I also bought an already-made blue knitted coin purse as my advance Christmas gift for Percy, which he was joyful and said I was right by guessing what his favorite color was.

If you're a fan of the Percy Jackson series, then you know it's basic knowledge. Heh.

In return, he bought me a blue mug from the shop that said "I TAKE MY COFFEE ICED AND BLACK JUST LIKE MY HEART."

"Lance told me that your favorite color is also blue," he said, to which I nodded.

Eh, not sure if Lance had shared with Percy about my past love life and bitter phase, too, but I'd gladly take it.

After shopping, I texted Lance that Percy and I would be waiting for him at McDonald's. Minutes passed when he arrived and then we ordered food for the three of us.

"I can't wait for Christmas! I'll get to eat more food!" said Percy and turned to Lance. "Mackenzie and I already exchanged gifts. Yay!"

Lance ruffled his hair affectionately. "Good for you."

"I already gave him my present because we wouldn't be seeing each other on the 25th," I said and then munched on my burger. I still had my sunglasses on, just in case someone would recognize me. I hoped no one would and they'd be busy with what they were doing, or else...

"I see. Are you still going to buy stuff?"

"Nah, I'm already done. You?" I'd hidden the things I'd bought in my backpack.

"Same." Maybe it's just me, but I thought I saw him blush for a moment there.

"Are we going home after this?" Percy asked, tugging on Lance's sleeve, and he seemed a bit disappointed.

"We have to, Percy," Lance said, "or else who knows what Mom will think." He flinched at that.

"What, that you two are on a date? I'm okay with being the third wheel, Lance."

I almost choked on my food, not believing what he'd said. Lance looked weirdly at me.

"What on earth, Percy?" I was flabbergasted. "How did you know about that term already at such a young age?"

"What does 'third wheel' mean?" questioned Lance, his brows knitting in confusion.

Gaping at him, I said, "Wait, seriously, Lancelot?"

"Why are you calling me that?" he asked, annoyed.

"It's your name. Duh."

"Ha-ha. Very funny," Lance sarcastically replied. "Anyway, of course I am serious." He frowned. "Now, will you tell me what that means or not?"

I resisted the urge to facepalm. "So Percy, who is ten years old, knows what 'third wheel' means, while you don't. The world must be ending."

Lance was growing frustrated at this point. "Midgetzie, will you tell me or not?"

I waved him off. "Ask your lil' bro instead."

Turning to Percy, Lance said, "Well?"

His brother smiled thinly and raised an eyebrow. "'Third wheel' means a person hanging out with two people, usually a couple, that are, in a sense, leaving you out. Mom was the one who told me that."

Lance sat there at a loss for words, which is very, very rare of him. It must've been so shocking and terrifying for him. Then he banged his head on the table. "Seriously, what is our mother teaching you?" Then he gasped, lifting his head off the table. "Don't tell me, all this time, I have been a third wheel to Spence and Dee...? But they are not leaving me out..."

I patted his shoulder from across the table, comforting him. "Now, now, don't think like that. Those two surely aren't leaving you out and don't think of you as a third wheel. And they're still not confessing their feelings to each other yet, so..." I remembered something. "And, Percy, you're not a third wheel to Lance and me. The heck, Lance and I aren't even dating!"

"Not yet," he teased.

Lance and I just sighed in defeat. The kids of this generation...I couldn't understand them.

🎹 🎹 🎹

"Thanks for the ride, Cocky Violinist Freak, Percy," I said when I got out of the taxi. It was snowing lightly, and most of the houses were decorated with Christmas lights. A shiver went through me because of the cold, even with the thick jacket I was wearing.

"No prob, Mackenzie," Percy replied, leaning out the window. He was in the front seat. "Good night!"

I smiled while ruffling his hair. "G'night, Percy."

Lance walked me to my front door even though I said there was no need, but he persisted.

"Thanks for this day. I had fun, especially after knowing you didn't know what 'third wheel' meant," I teased him, doing my best not to laugh out loud.

Lance rolled his eyes. "Human beings learn new things every day, anyway."

I was about to bid him good night when my eyes unintentionally looked above us and saw something...horrifying, resulting in me to inhale sharply.

"Hmm? What's up?" Lance was turning his head upward to look. Before I could stop him, though, he just plainly said, "Oh, a mistletoe."

"Y-yeah, a mistletoe. Just a r-random mistletoe," I stammered while scolding myself mentally, Why are you suddenly nervous, Kenzie? Oh, wait, you already know why. Who are you kidding here?

Lance cocked his head to the side. "Why are you nervous all of a sudden? And are you blushing? I am sure it's not because of the cold."

"Sh-shut up! Just go back to the taxi; the driver's waiting! Time is gold!"

"I must agree time is of the essence, but..." Crossing his arms across his chest, he asked in a matter-of-fact tone, "Do not tell me you believe in that stupid superstitious belief, in which a man is allowed to kiss any woman standing underneath the mistletoe, and bad luck will befall any woman who refuses the kiss? Oh, and let's not mention that other variation of the tradition in the Western world, which is more absurd. I am sure you know what that is."

Of course I knew what that other tradition was: it was that with each kiss a berry was to be plucked from the mistletoe, and the kissing must stop after all the berries had been removed, as stated on Wikipedia (if I remembered correctly). This resulted in some poisoning and deaths.

But I prayed that Lance didn't know of its tradition in Germany: that people who kiss under the mistletoe will have an enduring love or are bound to marry one another (as stated again on Wikipedia).

Me going to marry Cocky Violinist Freak? A big NO! Who would want to marry this freak, anyway? Oh, right, his fangirls.

But why was there a mistletoe above us? Holy mother of Zeus! I could only think of one thing: Mom had planned this! She didn't know that I was going to the mall with Lance, but I'd bet my collection of Harry Potter merchandise that Chel had informed my mom about it. And Mom knew how a gentleman Lance was--that he'd walk me to our front door.

Such sneaky people!

Back to the matter at hand, why was I starting to believe that bad luck would befall on me if Lance wouldn't kiss me? No, no, no!

Suddenly, I felt something soft as a feather landed on my right cheek. My mouth formed an "O" as Lance immediately leaned away from me, his head turned to the side so I couldn't see his expression. "You started hyperventilating, perhaps from that stupid belief. It is not stated that the kiss should be on the lips, so I...yeah. I did it just to keep your mind at peace. And I just copied how Sherlock kissed Molly on Sherlock after he unintentionally offended her on Christmas day..."

My hand lingered on my right cheek; I could still feel the sensation lingering. "Oh, so that's why." Well, of course, Lance wasn't capable of something like romantic love. Okay, wait a second, why did I feel disappointed, why was my heart starting to thump loudly, and why was my stomach doing a somersault?

Don't tell me, Kenzie, you're...?

"Apologies if I offended you in a way, though," Lance continued, now fixing his gaze on me, starting to get worried with my response.

Without thinking, I faced Lance, gently held his face, tiptoed, then kissed him also on his right cheek.

"Um, w-what...?" he began after the kiss. He was blushing now, too.

"Don't think that I like you, Cocky Violinist Freak. It was just a payback." I stuck my tongue out at him, hiding my embarrassment.

"Hey, I only kissed you because you believe in that outrageous superstitious belief," defended Lance.

"Who said I believed in it?" I rebutted.

"You acted like it!"

We stared at each other for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. But it was ruined when Percy called, "Lance, should I go home first or--"

"No!" he called back. "I will be there in a second!" Turning to me, Lance said, "Good night, Kenzie. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Lance. See ya tomorrow," I replied, smiling softly. "Take care on your way home, okay? Text me when you arrive at your house."

He returned the smile. "Of course."

When I got inside our house, I screamed, "MOM! WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT BLASTED MISTLETOE OUTSIDE!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's summer in my country but I wrote a Christmas chapter haha! I hope you enjoyed this cute filler chapter, though. Please comment if you're still reading this story. XD Love you, all! <3