Page 7 of Oh No, My Best Friend Hates Christmas!

“I only need five– no, ten minutes to get ready! Then we can go! Do you have the ATV with you? We can go up the trail to the big hill! If you don’t have it, go grab it real quick while I get ready! Twenty minutes, then meet back here!” I’m absolutely buzzing.

I whip around and nearly smack face-first into Bazzy’s chest. Whoops.

He grabs my elbows to steady me, his eyes crinkling when I shoot him a wide grin.

You’re a menace to society, Dee.

I bat my eyelashes at him, and he gives my elbows three quick squeezes.

I love you.

My smile softens, and I blow him a kiss.I love you, too.

His lips twitch, barely a movement at all, and my heart takes flight.

Archie clears his throat.

Forgetting I’ve decided not to be cross with him today, I turn around and scowl in his direction. He ruined amoment– and I get so precious few of them!

He gives me a grin of pure evil, then points it at Baz as well. Uh oh.

I feel the brush of Bazzy’s arm on my back, and I glance behind me to see that he’s crossed his arms and adopted hisyou’re a pestface. I turn back toward Archie and cross my own arms, screwing my face up to mimic Baz’s, going for intimidation. Judging by the way Archie’s grin turns from manic to amused, I have missed the mark.

“Basil has to come too,” he says, and my brows furrow.

“Baz doesn’t like sledding,” I inform him of something he should already know. Baz hasneverliked sledding or anything even remotely resembling holiday fun.

“You both go, or no one goes. That’s my deal.”

My eyes narrow. Aha. I see what he’s doing, the little twerp.

“Then I guess it’s no deal. Goodbye.” I slam the door – scratch that, Itryto slam the door, but Baz shoots his hand out lightning-quick to stop it before it shuts. My whole body twists to face him, swinging the knife in my back toward Archie, who stands in the once again open doorway.

“Basil,” I hiss. He ignores me, and the knife digs deeper.

His dark eyebrows rise in Archie’s direction.

“I’m not Heidi,” Archie tells him, a touch of disdain in his voice. I hiss at him. “I don’t know what that,” he gestures to Baz’s face, “means.”

I huff. What an idiot. Baz isclearlyasking why Archie wants him to go. Even a monkey could see that!

Baz addresses me instead.

Help him out.

I scoff.

“No way! I’m going back upstairs and calling your mom for a movie marathon. Let Archie go be weird somewhere else.”

I turn, making to scoot around Baz to do just that. His hand lands on my arm, holding me in place. I stop, rolling my eyes to meet his, which gaze down at me under furrowed brows.

But you love sledding.

“So what? I love Christmas movies too.”

This is the only chance you’ll get this year.

“I can go by myself some other time.” What am I, a child? I don’t need a buddy system to slide down a hill.

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