Page 90 of A Very Addicted Christmas

“Are you sure Vada’s dad isn’t in there?” I say. “I heard he likes being zipped in duffels.”

Nona laughs, and she drops the duffel with Vada, both clearly not concerned about that possibility.

“Oh, I forgot about that!” Audrey exclaims, sitting beside me. “Didn’t Aunt Willow say he was zipped in the duffel forhourswithout anyone knowing? Just so he could join her at the lake house. Isn’t that so romantic?”

“Yeah,” Vada smiles fondly and leans a casual hip on the bunkbed post. “Guys at school—they wouldneverdo anything like that. I feel like they just expectus to worship them because their dad works for anawesometech company, but I’m not interested in your dad’s occupation. Like how hard is that to understand?”

“Percy,” we say together.

Webeing me, Audrey, and Nona.

“He’s so annoying,” Vada says, exasperated. “So annoying and dickish. Like please save me from myself every time I’m in Lit with him.” She slumps on the floor, and Nona joins her, sitting cross-legged.

“But he loves your gap-teeth,” I deadpan. “He finds them so shiny and cute.”

Vada groans and buries a pillow over her face.

“Vada prefers to be insulted as a form of flattery,” Audrey notes.

“I prefernotto be creeped out. That is number one. Why is it such a low bar?”

“What if it’s just Dalton guys?” Winona theorizes, shifting the duffel in front of her and Vada on the festive plaid rug. Her green sweatshirt saysGnome for the Holidays.“Most of them think they can just walk right up to you and say whatever they want.” Her cheeks heat, and Vada lowers the pillow, giving her a consoling look.

Audrey and I share one too, mostly because we know Vada and Nona have been keeping things from us. We’re not exactly sure what, but in all fairness, Audrey and I do the same.

“Who do we need to kill?” I ask.

Winona laughs but the noise sounds sad, and her smile fades too fast.

“Half the school wants to sleep with her,” Vada announces.

“We know,” I deadpan.

“Is that a problem?” Audrey contemplates.

Nona star-fishes the duffel. It would be very awkward if that were Uncle Garrison in there now. “None of them even really know me,” Nona mumbles into the canvas. She rolls over to stare at the ceiling. “I bet they’d hate me if they did. They might find me annoying or boringor weird.” Her brows bunch in thought and she picks at her fingernail.

The Winona I know is the one who’ll pretend to be a monkey at two a.m. on Christmas Eve when all of us are too wired to sleep. She’ll swing around the bunk beds and hang upside down and try to feed you gumdrops.

She did that last year.

Sad Nona is always heartbreaking. Her mood usually lifts everyone’s, so when she’s down, the whole room feels heavier in a way. God, I hate this. 2040 can go die now.

“And it’s not half the school,” Nona tells Vada.

Vada shrugs with a sympathetic look. “It’s a lot, Nona.”

It’s obviousall the guys drool over Winona, and so do some girls too. A short-lived crush is no longer a crush for that very reason. Sometimes, I do feel like an ugly goth duckling around Winona’s natural beauty, but we all know it’s brought her more problems. More comparisons to her mom. More unwanted attention from theworstof the worst at school.

“No one envies you,” Vada says. “Except Audrey.”

Audrey reasons, “I have fantasized about half the school being obsessed with my beauty, but it’s never lookedquitethe same as what Winona has gone through. For instance, no one kisses her hand every morning. That’s a must.”

Nona laughs into a mock gasp. “You mean, they aren’t supposed to tell you they’re going to fuck you against a locker?”

Audrey intakes a sharp breath.

I glare. “Wow.” She’s right, they’re bold and blunt trolls.

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