Page 72 of Cross Check Christmas
"On the fifth day she drove," Hendrix cuts in, completely off-rhythm, "me to Toronto then abandoned me at the Blizzard Dome!"
"Maybe they should try 'Jingle Bell Rock' instead?" someone suggests.
"Six broken promises!" I screech, not even trying to match the melody anymore.
"Seven years of waiting for you to look at me!" Hendrix counters.
"My goodness, they're terrible," Mrs. Abernathy whispers.
“Eight hockey players missing pageant rehearsals.”
“Nine hours I stayed awake worried if you got home safely or if you stayed in Toronto because I didn’t want to call Emily in the middle of the night!”
"Should we stop them?" Janet whispers loudly.
We're nose to nose now, microphones forgotten, the music playing uselessly in the background.
"You made a bet about dating me!" I snap.
"You made a dare you could get me to leave town!" he fires back.
"Maybe they should try 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' instead?" someone suggests.
"I trusted you, Hendrix. After everything I told you that night at the cottage - about my dad, about my mom. I opened up to you!"
"Colette, please?—"
"No! You don't get to 'please' me. You made me believe..." I swipe angrily at my cheeks. "I'm such an idiot. I actually thought you'd changed. That maybe you saw me as more than just the quiet bookworm you could tease. But this whole time, I was just a game to you."
"That's not fair!" Hendrix's face flushes red. "You're acting like I'm the only one who made a bet here. What about your little scheme with Daisy? Trying to drive me out of town by Christmas Eve?"
"That's different?—"
"How? How is it different?" He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "You've been sabotaging me since day one. The carolers with their modified lyrics? Abandoning me in Toronto? At least I was trying to get closer to you. You've been doing everything possible to push me away!"
"Because that's what I do!" The words burst out before I can stop them. "I push people away before they can hurt me. And look - I was right! You were just playing with me, just like in high school."
"Playing with you? Is that what you think happened at that dance?" His voice drops dangerously low. "You have no idea what that night meant to me. No clue how long I worked up the courage to ask you to dance. And when you ran away after I kissed you..."
"You only kissed me because your friends dared you!"
"I kissed you because I was in love with you!"
The room goes dead silent. Even the DJ's music cuts out.
"I can't..." The words catch in my throat as hot tears spill down my cheeks. My face feels hot and blotchy, the way it always does when I cry. I hate that about myself - how obvious my emotions are, how I can't hide them behind a calm facade like other people.
I stumble backward, nearly tripping over my heels. The microphone slips from my hand, hitting the floor with a screech of feedback that makes everyone wince. But I barely hear it over the roaring in my ears.
My face feels hot and blotchy - I know what I must look like, red and splotchy the way I always get when I cry.
"Colette, wait-" Hendrix reaches for me.
But I'm already moving. A sob escapes as I turn and flee, pushing past Janet and her stupid reindeer antlers, past Wade and Sarah, past all my colleagues who've been betting on my lovelife like it's some kind of sport. My vision blurs as tears stream down my face.
The cold air hits my face as I burst through the door, but I don't stop. I can't stop. Not with his words chasing me, not with the weight of everyone's stares still pressing down on my shoulders.
Behind me, I hear the restaurant door open again, voices calling my name, but I don't stop. I can't stop.
