Page 81 of Collision

“I’m up, I’m up. Go get mommy,” he mumbled.

“I’ll get him up. You go get your parents.”

She nodded her head and left the room, like a tiny soldier reporting for duty. I heard her squeals, followed by multiple pairs of feet shuffling around down the hall. I glanced at the clock on Chase’s nightstand, and wrapped my arms around his warm, sleepy body.

“What time is it?”

“Early bird catches the Christmas worm.”

He peeked out from under his pillow and opened one eye, straining to see the numbers on the digital alarm clock. “Does that say five thirty?”

“It does.” I giggled seeing his hair sticking up on all sides. “Let’s go.” I threw the covers off of us, smacked his ass, and hopped out of bed. I threw my sweatshirt on over my head, and checked the hallway to see if anyone was in the bathroom.

“When I get back here, I want to see you vertical.”

Chase groaned, as I closed the door behind me.

Tanner suddenly stepped out into the hallway, his dark hair in the same disarray as Chase’s was. He was shirtless, sporting nothing but a pair of loose-fitting boxers. His frame was thinner than his brother’s, but his muscles were just as prominent.

“You going in?”

“Yeah, uh… but you can go ahead.” I tried to act casual, as if my hair did not look like a giant squid monster was taking over my head.

“I just need to take a leak.” He shuffled past me into the bathroom. “Then it’s all yours.”

I stood awkwardly in the hallway, while the sound of a firehose unleashed into the toilet. I did not hear a flush, nor did I hear the sound of the sink faucet. However, I did hear other gaseous sounds being expelled. I must have been making a face when he swung the door open, due to his amused grin.

“It better not smell in there,” I warned, carefully stepping into the bathroom. I was immediately hit with an impressively foul odor. “Oh, God! Tanner! That smell can’t be normal.”

He chuckled. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“You couldn’t have ripped that out there?! I rapidly began brushing my teeth, trying to breathe through my mouth.

Tanner laughed all the way into his bedroom.

“Real nice,” Chase called into Tanner’s room as he passed by. He leaned against the doorframe, watching me swish and spit into the sink. “I smell just as bad, you know.”

I cringed at the thought. “Well, I’m not in any hurry to find out.” I splashed water onto my face, and dried off on the towel hanging over the shower curtain.

“Hurry up, people!” Khloe screamed from the bottom of the stairs.

Chase, Tanner, and I trotted down the stairs. In the living room, Beverly and Tim were sitting under the tree, surrounded by presents. Chase sat on the nearby couch, and I sat on the floor in between his legs. His hand gently massaged my neck.

“Shit,” Tanner said, plopping onto the couch. “Santa went all out this year, didn’t he?”

“Tanner, it’s Christmas. Why don’t you watch your mouth? Just for today.” Tim looked tired, his eyelids heavy and worn. His usual darkened skin tone was pale and greyish.

“Can we get this party started already?!”

We all winced in pain from Khloe’s screech, but nobody told her to calm down. It was her last Christmas with her father, and we wanted her to enjoy it to the fullest.

She began tearing into the wrapping paper, opening one present after another. I asked Chase to get me a garbage bag, and began cleaning up all the scraps so the family did not have to worry about a mess afterwards. Khloe screamed as each present was revealed, even if it was a pack of underwear. Everything was equally exciting when it was from Santa Claus.

The family began exchanging gifts next, and I had an unexpected pile waiting to be opened next to me. To my surprise, one of the gifts was from Tanner. I decided to open that one first.

Inside the red gift bag was a pair of “New Car Smell” scented car fresheners, windshield cleaner, dashboard wipes, and a handmade coupon for one free carwash.

“Tanner, this is so thoughtful.” I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

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