Clay's P.O.V.

I was so glad that it was finally Winter break, and I couldn't wait for Jeff's Christmas party. Back in September, Jeff got into a bad car accident, and his injuries were so severe that he almost died. But, luckily he survived, but he had to grow through lots of physical therapy in order to walk again. Besides the accident, we had been through a lot that year, stuff that was too painful to talk about. So, I tried to push it to the side and move on with my life.

I was in the bathroom, combing my hair before I left for Jeff's party. He had only invited close friends to the party, so we wouldn't have to worry about Bryce or Monty showing up and spoiling the party for everyone. "Clay! The party is going to be starting soon, are you ready to go?" Mom called from downstairs. I had completely lost track of time, and when I looked at the clock, I saw that it was 5:45. The party was supposed to start at 6:15. And, I promised to help Jeff get the food and other snacks on the table.

I quickly ran down the stairs after I grabbed my Secret Santa gift from my bed. "Alright, hold on one second," I called out as I ran down the stairs, hoping that traffic wouldn't be too bad. "Alright, have fun at the party tonight, and please don't eat too much sugar, okay?" Mom said as I gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Lainie, he'll be fine! Besides, he's a teenager. It's not like he's drinking alcohol or anything. At least, I hope not," Dad said, coming to my defense with a look of uncertainty in his eyes. "Guys, I'll be fine. I won't drink!" I promised.

Jeff's house was a few blocks away from my house. So it took me about five to ten minutes to get there. When I knocked on the door, I saw Mr. And Mrs. Atkins wearing large oversized Christmas sweaters with reindeer on them. "Hi, Mr. And Mrs. Atkins, how are you guys doing?" I asked. "Oh, we're doing alright. What can we help you with?" Mr. Atkins responded. Suddenly, Jeff poked his head out and told them that I was there to help him set up for the party.

"Thanks, man," I said as Jeff led me downstairs to the basement. Jeff always had his parties downstairs in the basement because his parents were worried about him making a big mess upstairs. When we reached the final step, I looked in and saw that the place was decorated with multi-colored Christmas lights, along with a few handmade paper snowflakes. A few other decorations were resting on the shelves. They were mostly small figurines of Santa, his elves, and a couple of snowmen.

"Do you like it?" Jeff asked after I spent about a minute looking around the room. "This place looks awesome!" I answered. Jeff smiled at me, and I helped him unfold a large white table to place all the food on. "So, who else did you invite to the party?" I asked, laying down a red and green Christmas cloth on top of the table. "I invited Jessica, Justin, Alex, Tyler, Zach, and of course the Baker girls," he answered. As soon as he mentioned the Bakers, I felt my cheeks start to turn a deep pink. The Bakers were really nice, and they had been through a lot. Especially, with Bryce and Monty making fun of them and trying to do sick things to them.

"Can you help me hang up the mistletoe?" Jeff asked, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Uh, yeah, sure," I stuttered. As I hung up the small batch of mistletoe, I couldn't wait to see Miranda and Hannah again, even though I saw them a few days prior. But this time, I was hoping that Miranda and I would get to talk in private because there was something that I always wanted to tell her.

I just hoped that she felt the same.