Traditions
This is a special holiday edition of School Dayz. To catch up on the series in general please click School Dayz
I am participating in @choicesdecember2023 for Christmas
I am also participating in @choicesprompts holiday rewrite challenge in which I used the candy cane gram scene from Mean Girls.
I am also participating in @choicesflashfics christmas prompt # 59: "Ice-skating? Do you seriously trust me with knives on my feet?" will appear in bold. I also used a previous prompt as well Are you seeing this too or am I having a stroke?
Series: School Dayz
The Book: TRR (no royals)
The Pairings: Liam x Riley
Word Count: 1464
Warnings and Ratings: None. This is for anyone who has eyes. A total fluff piece.
Original post: 12/31/23 at 7:15PM EST.
Science class was different for me now that I no longer sat next to Liam, and shared a table with my sister, since Mrs. Barbour decided to make the class sit in alphabetical order, which I think the only reason for the change was to make taking roll easier. I glanced across the room to Liam whose partner was now Rashad.
My adorkable boyfriend who caught me watching him, smiled and held up his hot cocoa cup to toast me from across the room. Liam was the sweetest boyfriend and stopped by the local coffee shop Brew Bros and always got hot chocolate every morning the way that I liked it.
So I smiled while holding up my cup.
“Oh my God, can you two be any more nerdy?” Taylor asked.
“He’s nice, and you reap the benefits of it too. My boyfriend brings us both hot chocolate, or in your case a coffee drink you like every day without us asking.”
Taylor cocked her head to the side and air toasted Liam, taking a sip from her drink when the door opened.
“Ho , Ho, Ho!!!!! Candy Cane Grams, sponsored by the National Honor Society.”
“Make it quick, Santa.” There was a hint of sarcasm in Mrs. Barbour’s voice as she went to sit at her desk for a moment.
“And his lovely assistant Max Noel!”
“Wait… a sec… Are you seeing this too or am I having a stroke?”
Taylor doubled over in laughter “It is!!!! It’s Drake Walker-Claus.”
Taylor’s laugh seemed to antagonize Drake for a second, but good thing he had his assistant Maxwell. His brooding mood was offset by Max Noel making the class laugh with his dance versions of Christmas music as he followed around the room behind him.
“Hana Lee one for you.”
“Chris Powell four for you, you go Chris Powell!”
“Do we have a Riley Brooks here?”
“That’s her Max Noel. She’s Riley Brooks and looks nothing like the girl sitting next to her. Those two can’t possibly be related.”
“Riley Brooks here you go, one for you.”
“Thank you Santa.”
“Um….”
“And nothing at all for Taylor Brooks, not even coal or black licorice, bye.”
Drake and Max ran out of the room.
Taylor looked at me with curious eyes at the candy cane gram in my hand.
“Who’s that from?”
It wasn’t any of her business. I opened the envelope and read silently to myself.
Liam’s sweet words made me smile, and I didn’t have to answer her, and I looked at him from across the room.
“Oh my god. You guys are too much.”
Taylor looked upset, even though she shrugged it off. Later I found out why at her locker.
“I told you to get me a candy cane gram Nico!!!!”
“Well you telling me to do it, takes the surprise out of it. Me not doing it, guess what you were surprised weren’t you?”
My sister who was always loud looked at him and said nothing.
Before I knew it the words flew out of my mouth.
“Wow, you’re a really bad boyfriend Nico, my sister deserves better than you.”
I slammed my locker walking away from the two of them. I found out later that day, my sister broke up with him, in front of everyone in true dramatic Taylor fashion. I was proud of her.
Christmas Eve
Everyone had come over and was enjoying mom’s Christmas cookies and snacks. My dad brought in a big box sitting it down on the floor.
“I want to thank everyone for coming over tonight to spend time with our family. Our children picked people they care about to spend this time together with you. Ren and I are happy to have you in our home. We both grew up in the foster care system, and learned early in life, sometimes the people that care about you most, are not your blood relatives. So we try to celebrate that.”
“And when we had the opportunity to open our home up to two adorable identical twin girls, we couldn’t say no.” My mother chimed in.
“It’s the best decision they ever made. I went to sleep one night wishing I had a little sister. The next morning I woke up with two.” Jaiden spoke up.
“And we know what it’s like to be alone on Christmas, or missing someone special on Christmas that you were once close to. So we wanted to do something special. Liam would you mind sharing the Christmas Eve tradition you had that you told me about?”
“Christmas was my Mom’s favorite holiday. Every Christmas Eve that I can remember she’d dress us up in these ugly Christmas sweaters
and we would go ice skating on Lake Pine. She loved to ice skate. Then she’d make us take these dorky pictures in our Christmas sweaters that matched. I miss her a lot.”
“I miss her too. I’m not adopted, but Liam’s Mom always made me feel like I was her son too. So I really get what you’re saying about family not always being blood related. She was my mom too.”
Liam hugged his brother.
My dad opened the box.
“With a little help from Riley I found some what I would think are hideously awesome ugly Christmas sweaters, and am secretly happy for your love of Star Trek too. I’m sorry Liam, you can’t be the Captain, this is mine. But this one is yours.”
“Well if I can’t be Captain, being the science officer is the next best and most logical choice.” Liam took his blue sweater graciously.
“That’s what I said! Dad please say you got me a blue sweater too.”
“I did.”
After all the sweaters were handed out, there was still one left in the box.
“Guess you guys bought this before I broke up with Nico. No big deal.”
Once everyone was dressed, they headed out to the vehicles, and Liam stuffed the extra shirt into Leo’s trunk.
“I really don’t know how this is going to go Liam.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ice skating? Do you seriously trust me with knives on my feet?”
“Well good thing you’re not just Riley Brooks today, you’re the science officer for the USS Enterprise. Live long and prosper.”
Liam expected Riley to be as horrible on ice skates as she had been on roller skates, but Riley amazingly was incredibly balanced.
“Have you ice skated before?”
“No! I don’t know how I'm good at this! I usually have no natural balance.”
“You’re a natural at skating…”
“Ice skating. Let's clarify that.”
Taylor was still sitting on the bench watching the couples skate by. “She still hasn’t gotten out on the ice yet. I think she’s feeling lonely and the extra shirt probably made her think of Nico.”
Liam’s phone beeped. “Why don’t you go sit with her for a little bit, and I’ll be back in a few with some hot cocoas for us all.”
“Is cocoa your favorite drink?”
“Yes, and my mom used to always say your heart won’t feel cold if you always have a nice warm cup of cocoa. It always makes me feel better.”
I went to sit with Taylor and Liam continued walking toward the concessions stand.
“You okay?” I asked Taylor.
“I just don’t feel like skating, and look over there.”
Nico was there, with another girl on his arm.
“To be honest I never liked him Taylor. He called you T, like you were a drink or a shirt or something. He wasn’t even really that nice. Good riddance, I say.”
“I never thanked you for standing up for me that day Riley. It really meant a lot.”
“You’re my sister Taylor. I will always have your back, even when you pull me into a tornado.”
“Not on purpose!” She laughed.
“Oh it never is.” I remarked pulling Taylor closer to me in a hug. After a few seconds she pulled away from me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Helping Liam deliver hot cocoa. This one is yours.
I don’t like all the extra stuff in mine.”
Drake handed Taylor her cocoa, as he sat down next to her.
“Just hot and cocoa pretty much then right?”
“Exactly. I’m not that difficult to understand.”
“Do you like to ice skate, Drake?”
“Like it? It’s okay, but I can. Would you like to skate Taylor?”
Drake took off his coat wearing the remaining ugly sweater.
“Okay.” Taylor said in a nonchalant voice.
Taylor’s mood picked up immediately as she skated around with Drake on the ice. She never once glanced in Nico’s direction.
“That was really nice of you to do Liam.”
“He really does like her, you know. Maybe now she can finally see him with Nico out the way.”
“You’re so adorkably sweet Liam.”
“I know Riley, I know.”