Date: December 26

    It was the day after Christmas and Hazel and Nico had invited their friends over for a party. Frank hoped Hazel would like the present he had bought for her. It was hidden by gold tissue paper in a gold gift bag he had bought for $0.99 at the dollar store. As Frank's grandmother drove him to Hazel's house, he was unable to keep his hands still. This would be the first time they saw each other in person since they kissed at the dance. They had texted and talked over the phone everyday, but Frank missed seeing in person. The car ride seemed to take forever; they got stopped at every red light.

    "I hope you two have fun today," Frank's grandmother said as she parked her car near Hazel's house. "I'll pick you up in three hours. Don't blow it and remember to kiss your girlfriend again."

    "Grandma!" Frank sputtered. "What? How?"

    "How did I know, Fai?" Frank's grandmother asked, finishing his thoughts. "You've been smiling like a lovestruck idiot this past week. It's infuriating, but endearing."

    Frank was glad to get out of the car and away from this awkward conversation. As he carried the gift bag in his hands and trudged towards Hazel's house, he wondered why his grandmother liked to tease him so much. It wasn't the same sort of teasing that he had experienced at the hands of his peers, but he still didn't like it.

     Frank knocked on the door. Within a few seconds, Nico opened the door.

    "You're late," he said shortly. "Hazel was worried."

   "Sorry," Frank said loudly as he followed Nico to the living room. "Traffic was horrible."

    "Well your present better not be," Nico said. "I expect you murdered a man for me and made a goblet out of his skull for me to drink out of."

  "Is that your idea of a joke?" Frank asked.

   "Of course," Nico said, smiling thinly.

   "Nico is even funnier than Leo," Will said.

   "But not as tragically handsome," Leo said, "and he's not a lonely genius."

   "You didn't seem so lonely with Calypso at the dance," Jason said.

    "Well, Calypso understands the true burdens of being a genius," Leo said.

    "I wish she was coming today," Hazel said. 

     "Me too," Leo said. "She's working today. She's trying to save up so that her mom can find an apartment."

    "She's the only one working?" Jason asked.

    Leo nodded and sighed.  For a moment he truly looked like a lonely genius — perhaps Nikola Tesla or Lev Vygtosky if they had worn suspenders and toolbelts. Frank was glad when they began opening presents and Leo began joking and teasing others again. Whenever Leo was visibly down, everything seemed dimmer and less colorful; it was if Leo was a special tool than turned the world from black and white to full color. Hazel hugged Frank after she saw that he had given her a necklace with a gold pendant in the shape of a stub of a charred stick. Frank couldn't care less what she gave him, but the new arrows for his bow were amazing. Just not as amazing as Hazel Levesque.