Page 5 of Oh No, My Best Friend Hates Christmas!

“Oh! I know!” I exclaim. “I ate the last cookie from those ones your mom made! Your favorites… What were they called? Hob-somethings…”

His hands convulse on my skin.

Heidi, I don’t care about the stupid cookies. Stop being obtuse.

I groan. Why must he be so stubborn? Pouting, I mostly answer his question.

“It’s just Archie. You know how he is – always scheming and plotting something nefarious.” All true. “I was giving him a friendly warning to the universe that his current ill-advisedscheme isn’t going to go well.”

I blink up at him innocently, and he eyes me suspiciously, which is a little bit offensive, actually.

“Have I ever lied to you?”

I mean, okay, only every moment of every day, but he doesn’t know that. And anyway, is itreallylying if I’m just keeping some friendship-ending information to myself? I think not!

Baz shakes his head, then moves us out of the doorway, walking the two of us inside and kicking the door shut behind him.

Uh…

Is he going to let me down? It’s cold up here.

I get my answer when he does not set me down, opting instead to carry me through the house and into the sunroom off the kitchen.

He sets me on my favorite couch, which is actually a full-sized bed on a wooden platform that hangs from the ceiling on four heavy-duty chains we stole from Archie. Baz and Stryker built it for me two summers ago, the absolute gems.

I smile up at my gem of a bestie now as he covers me with the big throw blanket we keep out here. In return, I am blessed with a rare and wondrous Baz smile – not the tiny twitch of the lips he usually gives, but a genuine tooth-brandishing thing. It’s small, of course, but glorious all the same. Soft. Caring. Heartbreakingly sweet in its rarity.

My eyes swell with tears, and his teeth disappear. His hand cradles my cheek.

It’s just a smile, Heidi. Nothing worth your tears.

I sniff. That’s what he thinks.

He shakes his head, then turns toward our fancy outdoor fireplace. It’s a huge metal affair that strongly resembles an egg with a flat top. A cylindrical metal chute goes from the top of it all the way up to the ceiling, where it disappears into the roof,shooting plumes of smoke up into the sky.

Once Bazzy has flames brewing in her belly, he wanders back into the house, patting my head as he passes.

Be right back.

I snuggle down under my blankie and watch the fire dance, waiting. I’m lightly dozing by the time he returns, carrying a mug, a bright purple book, and a bento box. I perk up.

“Your mom has lunch ready already?”

I’m salivating. There is nothing, and I meannothing, like a Rosie bento lunch. She uses animal-shaped rice molds and special nori cutters to make cute little faces to put on the rice animals. She cuts vegetables into flowers and stars. Once, she even made little octopus sausages and created an entire oceanscape out of Jell-O and graham cracker crumbs. The woman is a creative, whimsical genius.

Baz waits for me to sit up, then hands me the bento box of goodness. I squeal when I open it, revealing itty-bitty rice penguins. Their noses are carrots, and their little bellies are covered by nori wings.

They areso stinking cute.

The couch swings as I celebrate their utter adorable factor.

Baz, patient as ever, stands by until the couch – and I – settle, then he grabs a wooden tray hanging from a hook on the wall and sets it beside me. He puts down the mug, and I see that it is full of steaming hot chocolate and marshmallows –penguinshaped marshmallows. I melt.

He sets the book down next to me as well, and I see that it’s the best-friends-to-lovers book I’m halfway through. I blush, hoping he thinks the red blossoming on my cheeks is because of the cold…

You know, the cold that I can’t feel because he lit a fire for me. Mmhm. Flawless.

He gives my head a pat again, then heads to the door thatleads from the sunroom to the bad place – outside.

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