Merry Christmas, I Could Care Less
All I Want For Chistmas Is You
It was the night before Christmas, and Jack was more than prepared. He’d wake up in the morning, open the presents his parents got him, eat breakfast, and drive to Alex’s house in a rush. He had something he needed to talk to him about.
He lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear his parents rustle around in the living room with presents. When he was a kid, they’d usually wait until he was asleep to bring out presents, but byy the time he was about 15, they gave up on that. Jack didn’t care about the presents that his parents could give him anymore. The only present Jack wanted was something he’d have to win over. By convincing her older brother.
Jack fell in love with the girl when she was 14 and he was 16. They’d been sitting there, waiting for Alex to get in the shower. Valerie and him were watching a movie, some cheesy chick flick, when she confessed something to him.
“Jack,” she said, biting her lip the way she did when she got embarrassed. “Can I tell you something without you, like, judging me?”
Jack looked into her innocent eyes, and nodded slowly. “Sure,” he said. By then, he’d known her for a while. They’d grown close, just like him and Alex had. Even during parties thrown at Alex’s, he’d give her some alcohol, despite Alex’s strict rule. When he was too drunk to talk, she’d throw a blanket over him, or even clean the vomit up.
“I’ve,” she took a sigh, cheeks turning a rosy pink. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”
Jack stared at her, eyes big. “Really?” he asked in total shock. Val was attractive and popular, even for a freshman. Her not kissing someone was almost as unbelievable as the Easter Bunny was to a kid above the age of 13.
“I know, I’m a total loser,” she sighed, face almost as red as a tomato. “I’ve just never had the chance, you know?”
Jack opened his mouth, unable to speak. “It’s nothing special,” he said. He moved closer to her without realizing it. “I’d know. I do a lot of it,” he muttered. His face got closer to hers. He was going to be her first kiss. It’s just a kiss, he thought. He wasn’t taking her virginity. “It’s like…”
Before he knew it, their lips were against each other’s. He was kissing his best friend’s little sister, and he felt great about it. Their lips went together perfectly. He put his hands on her small waist the same time she put hers on his head. He felt her hips move to climb on top of him, but instead they fell, the same time she pulled away.
“Someone get me a towel!” Alex had shouted. She was up the stairs before he could say anything. His head was a total mess. He couldn’t be in love with a fourteen year old.
But now, it was 2 years later and Valerie was 16 on Christmas. Jack knew for a fact, that he
was, indeed, in love with Valerie Gaskarth. He had decided the week before, he’ll admit his love for her on her 16th birthday.
Jack rolled in his bed, anxious and nervous. His hand went to his bedside table, grabbing a small, wrapped box. He had gotten her a necklace with the help of his older sister. He toyed around with it. He grew impatient at the thought of having to go to sleep, get up, and wait at least 6 hours. She was probably sleeping by now, but was Alex?
He grabbed his phone from the table, and flipped it open. He dialed Alex and waited for an answer.
“Jack, you woke me up. Yes, I understand this is a partying night, no I am not letting you steal me, or my sister from our sleep. Go masturbate in the bathroom or something,” the older boy murmured into his phone, clearly annoyed.
Jack sat up in his bed. “First of all, fuck you. Second of all, I hate you. Third of all, we need to talk,” he said. What would Alex say to all of this?
“It’s, what, 11:45? Can’t this wait?” Alex asked.
“No. Come over. Also, leave that bad attitude at your house,” he demanded.
Alex groaned. “It’s Christmas eve.”
“Exactly. Be merry,”
“I swear to fucking God, Jack, if you’re not dying, I will have your head on a stake.”
~
15 minutes later, a very aggravated Alex showed up wearing sweat pants and a frown. Jack had decided quickly that he wasn’t going to sugar coat things, and just tell it straight up. He was good at that. He once told a girl in 10th grade that her Halloween costume made her boobs look great. Was this really any different?
“What do you want?” Alex asked, shutting the door. He sat on Jack’s bean bag, hands stuffed in his pockets.
“I’m telling this one girl I love her-”
“I’m out. Enjoy your thoughts alone,” Alex glared, shooting up.
“No!” Jack said quickly. “It’s not just any girl,”
Alex gave him a blank stare. He continued, “She’s cute. Funny. Kind of dorky, considering she’s probably watched all of the movies at Blockbuster. Her cheeks get red whenever I say her name; that’s adorable,”
“Who the hell are you talking about?” Alex snapped.
Jack sighed, looking his best friend in the eyes. “Your sister.”
Pain immediately sprung in his jaw. He fell back to his bed, hand on the area Alex punched. “Fuck man! I didn’t say I fucked her and got her pregnant, and we’re going to Georgia!”
Alex’s face was red and he was clenching fist. He paced around Jack’s room, shaking his head. “She’s 15!”
“16 tomorrow. This isn’t- fuck, my face hurts. This is going to swell!” he yelled, not caring about his parents hearing him.
Alex scoffed at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. You just told me you were in love with my little sister. It’s totally my fault. I’ll get the ice,” he rolled his eyes.
“Can you really go get ice, though? This really hurts,” Jack asked quietly, rubbing it.
Alex shook his head, heading out to get ice. He came back 30 seconds later with a pack of ice. He threw it at Jack.
“Okay so you obviously aren’t thrilled about this,” Jack said slowly, placing the ice bag up to his face. “This isn’t an excuse to do your sister. I’ve seen her when she’s sick. There’s no going back, Lex,”
Alex glared.
Jack shifted. “I don’t know. I’ve liked her since I was 16. There’s a lot to say about her. I even got this for her,” he grabbed the necklace box from his pillow and tossed it to Alex.
Alex unwrapped it, and opened it. “Your mom buy this?” he glanced at Jack.
“I did. I’ve been saving up for a year. The smoothie shop sucks at paying, so that’s all I could afford,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “I even found out what her birthstone is: turquoise,”
Alex shut it, handing it back to Jack. “She’s my baby sister,” he said quietly. “You’re my best friend,”
“I won’t hurt her. If anything, she’ll hurt me,” Jack laughed softly.
Alex sat next to Jack, head hanging. “Have you done anything with her?”
“I kissed her before. Two years ago,” Jack said.
Alex looked at him, nodding slowly. “You have my blessing, compadre.”
~
The next morning, Jack woke up around 6:50. He was feeling slightly nervous, but some of it wore down thanks to Alex. With a swollen jaw, he quickly wrapped Valerie’s birthday/Christmas present.
He quickly opened up his presents, which was the same thing. Socks, underwear, and a couple of CDs. His parents questioned him about the swollen jaw, but he smoothly said he must’ve slept on it wrong. They oddly believed that their son could sleep on his jaw wrong. Parents.
They ate breakfast quickly. Jack grew agitated in the time span, and started to worry. Would Val even feel the same way? He could’ve been the only one who felt that way after the kiss, and truthfully, it made him feel like a creep. Was it even worth it? Admitting his love to the girl he’s known since she was 11?
Before going to the Gaskarth’s, Jack thought about all this. Was it worth it? Fuck yeah it was.
The Gaskarth household never looked better. The house was decorated nicely, and everyone looked amazing. Especially Valerie. She wore a long sleeved black dress that was tight in areas needed. When she came over to him, his breath stopped.
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, Jack,” Val said, giving a small giggle.
Jack’s lips slowly turned into a smile. “You look amazing. Happy birthday,”
She smiled back. “Thank you. It’s sort of a relief I’m finally 16, y’know? Then again, it’s scary,”
He shook his head. “Don’t be scared,” he said.
“Adulthood is coming up real quick,” she frowned, taking a sip of whatever was in her cup.
Jack nudged her. “Never lose touch with your childhood. You might be old, but you still have to be a child at heart. That’s what makes you youthful.”
Valerie looked at the guy across from her, eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Jack. Honestly, if Alex never met you, I’m not sure what my life would be like.”
His brown eyes glanced away, catching Alex looking at them. Alex nodded quickly, and Jack knew he was telling him it was okay. He looked back at Valerie, touching the box in his back pocket. “Can we go somewhere private?” he asked her.
“Uh,” she looked around. Her parents, brother, cousins, Jack’s family, they were all in the house. “Sure. My room okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said. She slowly led him up the stairs. Jack’s heart started to race, and all the worries from before hit him like a tidal wave. He could feel his hands clam up, and all his confidence he worked up, wash away.
Valerie opened the door to her room. A lot of memories were in this room. One time, she had the two boys help her paint her walls from pink to blue. When Alex left to go get water, Jack and her ended up in a paint fight. When Alex came back, they threw paint at him too. Not only did they have stained clothes, but only 1 and half walls were blue.
She sat on her bed, looking up at Jack with wondering eyes. “So?” she urged.
Jack grabbed the box from his pocket, and set it in her hands. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
She stared at the box. “Jack, you didn’t have to,” she said quietly.
“Just open it,”
She did as he said. She carefully opened the golden wrapping, setting it down on her bed. She opened the box, and her mouth fell. “It’s beautiful! I want to put it on,” she said in awe.
Jack chuckled. “I’ll put it on for you,” he told her.
She moved to the side of her bed and pushed her hair to her shoulder. Jack took the light necklace, and placed it around her neck carefully. He closed the clasp slowly, listening to her breathe. He let his hand fall, onto her back. He could feel her heart beat fast. She was nervous too. Jack stood up quickly.
“It looks great with your dress,” he said as she moved her hair back.
“Thank you,” she said, touching the necklace.
“I asked to be in private because I had to tell you something,” he said quickly.
She raised a thin brow. He sat next to her, and continued, “Last night I had Alex come over and I told him something. He punched me, that’s why I have this stupid bruise. We talked about it, and he became okay with it. I don’t really know how to say this without sounding like an idiot or creep, so I’ll just say it. I’m in love with you.”
Valerie gaped.
“Say something. I’ve been thinking about this for 2 years,” he said, voice shaking.
“I’m, uh,” she said, taking a breath. “I’m in love with you too. I have been ever since I met you.”
Jack smiled. “Really? You couldn’t resist my bowl cut, could you?”
She lightly punched his shoulder. “You’re a dork,”
“I am,” he laughed. He gazed into her eyes, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Only if you don’t get a bowl cut again.”
He lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear his parents rustle around in the living room with presents. When he was a kid, they’d usually wait until he was asleep to bring out presents, but byy the time he was about 15, they gave up on that. Jack didn’t care about the presents that his parents could give him anymore. The only present Jack wanted was something he’d have to win over. By convincing her older brother.
Jack fell in love with the girl when she was 14 and he was 16. They’d been sitting there, waiting for Alex to get in the shower. Valerie and him were watching a movie, some cheesy chick flick, when she confessed something to him.
“Jack,” she said, biting her lip the way she did when she got embarrassed. “Can I tell you something without you, like, judging me?”
Jack looked into her innocent eyes, and nodded slowly. “Sure,” he said. By then, he’d known her for a while. They’d grown close, just like him and Alex had. Even during parties thrown at Alex’s, he’d give her some alcohol, despite Alex’s strict rule. When he was too drunk to talk, she’d throw a blanket over him, or even clean the vomit up.
“I’ve,” she took a sigh, cheeks turning a rosy pink. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”
Jack stared at her, eyes big. “Really?” he asked in total shock. Val was attractive and popular, even for a freshman. Her not kissing someone was almost as unbelievable as the Easter Bunny was to a kid above the age of 13.
“I know, I’m a total loser,” she sighed, face almost as red as a tomato. “I’ve just never had the chance, you know?”
Jack opened his mouth, unable to speak. “It’s nothing special,” he said. He moved closer to her without realizing it. “I’d know. I do a lot of it,” he muttered. His face got closer to hers. He was going to be her first kiss. It’s just a kiss, he thought. He wasn’t taking her virginity. “It’s like…”
Before he knew it, their lips were against each other’s. He was kissing his best friend’s little sister, and he felt great about it. Their lips went together perfectly. He put his hands on her small waist the same time she put hers on his head. He felt her hips move to climb on top of him, but instead they fell, the same time she pulled away.
“Someone get me a towel!” Alex had shouted. She was up the stairs before he could say anything. His head was a total mess. He couldn’t be in love with a fourteen year old.
But now, it was 2 years later and Valerie was 16 on Christmas. Jack knew for a fact, that he
was, indeed, in love with Valerie Gaskarth. He had decided the week before, he’ll admit his love for her on her 16th birthday.
Jack rolled in his bed, anxious and nervous. His hand went to his bedside table, grabbing a small, wrapped box. He had gotten her a necklace with the help of his older sister. He toyed around with it. He grew impatient at the thought of having to go to sleep, get up, and wait at least 6 hours. She was probably sleeping by now, but was Alex?
He grabbed his phone from the table, and flipped it open. He dialed Alex and waited for an answer.
“Jack, you woke me up. Yes, I understand this is a partying night, no I am not letting you steal me, or my sister from our sleep. Go masturbate in the bathroom or something,” the older boy murmured into his phone, clearly annoyed.
Jack sat up in his bed. “First of all, fuck you. Second of all, I hate you. Third of all, we need to talk,” he said. What would Alex say to all of this?
“It’s, what, 11:45? Can’t this wait?” Alex asked.
“No. Come over. Also, leave that bad attitude at your house,” he demanded.
Alex groaned. “It’s Christmas eve.”
“Exactly. Be merry,”
“I swear to fucking God, Jack, if you’re not dying, I will have your head on a stake.”
~
15 minutes later, a very aggravated Alex showed up wearing sweat pants and a frown. Jack had decided quickly that he wasn’t going to sugar coat things, and just tell it straight up. He was good at that. He once told a girl in 10th grade that her Halloween costume made her boobs look great. Was this really any different?
“What do you want?” Alex asked, shutting the door. He sat on Jack’s bean bag, hands stuffed in his pockets.
“I’m telling this one girl I love her-”
“I’m out. Enjoy your thoughts alone,” Alex glared, shooting up.
“No!” Jack said quickly. “It’s not just any girl,”
Alex gave him a blank stare. He continued, “She’s cute. Funny. Kind of dorky, considering she’s probably watched all of the movies at Blockbuster. Her cheeks get red whenever I say her name; that’s adorable,”
“Who the hell are you talking about?” Alex snapped.
Jack sighed, looking his best friend in the eyes. “Your sister.”
Pain immediately sprung in his jaw. He fell back to his bed, hand on the area Alex punched. “Fuck man! I didn’t say I fucked her and got her pregnant, and we’re going to Georgia!”
Alex’s face was red and he was clenching fist. He paced around Jack’s room, shaking his head. “She’s 15!”
“16 tomorrow. This isn’t- fuck, my face hurts. This is going to swell!” he yelled, not caring about his parents hearing him.
Alex scoffed at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. You just told me you were in love with my little sister. It’s totally my fault. I’ll get the ice,” he rolled his eyes.
“Can you really go get ice, though? This really hurts,” Jack asked quietly, rubbing it.
Alex shook his head, heading out to get ice. He came back 30 seconds later with a pack of ice. He threw it at Jack.
“Okay so you obviously aren’t thrilled about this,” Jack said slowly, placing the ice bag up to his face. “This isn’t an excuse to do your sister. I’ve seen her when she’s sick. There’s no going back, Lex,”
Alex glared.
Jack shifted. “I don’t know. I’ve liked her since I was 16. There’s a lot to say about her. I even got this for her,” he grabbed the necklace box from his pillow and tossed it to Alex.
Alex unwrapped it, and opened it. “Your mom buy this?” he glanced at Jack.
“I did. I’ve been saving up for a year. The smoothie shop sucks at paying, so that’s all I could afford,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “I even found out what her birthstone is: turquoise,”
Alex shut it, handing it back to Jack. “She’s my baby sister,” he said quietly. “You’re my best friend,”
“I won’t hurt her. If anything, she’ll hurt me,” Jack laughed softly.
Alex sat next to Jack, head hanging. “Have you done anything with her?”
“I kissed her before. Two years ago,” Jack said.
Alex looked at him, nodding slowly. “You have my blessing, compadre.”
~
The next morning, Jack woke up around 6:50. He was feeling slightly nervous, but some of it wore down thanks to Alex. With a swollen jaw, he quickly wrapped Valerie’s birthday/Christmas present.
He quickly opened up his presents, which was the same thing. Socks, underwear, and a couple of CDs. His parents questioned him about the swollen jaw, but he smoothly said he must’ve slept on it wrong. They oddly believed that their son could sleep on his jaw wrong. Parents.
They ate breakfast quickly. Jack grew agitated in the time span, and started to worry. Would Val even feel the same way? He could’ve been the only one who felt that way after the kiss, and truthfully, it made him feel like a creep. Was it even worth it? Admitting his love to the girl he’s known since she was 11?
Before going to the Gaskarth’s, Jack thought about all this. Was it worth it? Fuck yeah it was.
The Gaskarth household never looked better. The house was decorated nicely, and everyone looked amazing. Especially Valerie. She wore a long sleeved black dress that was tight in areas needed. When she came over to him, his breath stopped.
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost, Jack,” Val said, giving a small giggle.
Jack’s lips slowly turned into a smile. “You look amazing. Happy birthday,”
She smiled back. “Thank you. It’s sort of a relief I’m finally 16, y’know? Then again, it’s scary,”
He shook his head. “Don’t be scared,” he said.
“Adulthood is coming up real quick,” she frowned, taking a sip of whatever was in her cup.
Jack nudged her. “Never lose touch with your childhood. You might be old, but you still have to be a child at heart. That’s what makes you youthful.”
Valerie looked at the guy across from her, eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Jack. Honestly, if Alex never met you, I’m not sure what my life would be like.”
His brown eyes glanced away, catching Alex looking at them. Alex nodded quickly, and Jack knew he was telling him it was okay. He looked back at Valerie, touching the box in his back pocket. “Can we go somewhere private?” he asked her.
“Uh,” she looked around. Her parents, brother, cousins, Jack’s family, they were all in the house. “Sure. My room okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah,” he said. She slowly led him up the stairs. Jack’s heart started to race, and all the worries from before hit him like a tidal wave. He could feel his hands clam up, and all his confidence he worked up, wash away.
Valerie opened the door to her room. A lot of memories were in this room. One time, she had the two boys help her paint her walls from pink to blue. When Alex left to go get water, Jack and her ended up in a paint fight. When Alex came back, they threw paint at him too. Not only did they have stained clothes, but only 1 and half walls were blue.
She sat on her bed, looking up at Jack with wondering eyes. “So?” she urged.
Jack grabbed the box from his pocket, and set it in her hands. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
She stared at the box. “Jack, you didn’t have to,” she said quietly.
“Just open it,”
She did as he said. She carefully opened the golden wrapping, setting it down on her bed. She opened the box, and her mouth fell. “It’s beautiful! I want to put it on,” she said in awe.
Jack chuckled. “I’ll put it on for you,” he told her.
She moved to the side of her bed and pushed her hair to her shoulder. Jack took the light necklace, and placed it around her neck carefully. He closed the clasp slowly, listening to her breathe. He let his hand fall, onto her back. He could feel her heart beat fast. She was nervous too. Jack stood up quickly.
“It looks great with your dress,” he said as she moved her hair back.
“Thank you,” she said, touching the necklace.
“I asked to be in private because I had to tell you something,” he said quickly.
She raised a thin brow. He sat next to her, and continued, “Last night I had Alex come over and I told him something. He punched me, that’s why I have this stupid bruise. We talked about it, and he became okay with it. I don’t really know how to say this without sounding like an idiot or creep, so I’ll just say it. I’m in love with you.”
Valerie gaped.
“Say something. I’ve been thinking about this for 2 years,” he said, voice shaking.
“I’m, uh,” she said, taking a breath. “I’m in love with you too. I have been ever since I met you.”
Jack smiled. “Really? You couldn’t resist my bowl cut, could you?”
She lightly punched his shoulder. “You’re a dork,”
“I am,” he laughed. He gazed into her eyes, moving a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Only if you don’t get a bowl cut again.”
Notes
it's been a long time but i'm back in townno but hello it's been 6 months sorry lmao
i'm taking requests so message me or comment or whatever
