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  “The food actually looks decent today,” Tyler said in greeting.

  “Oddly enough, it does,” Parker agreed. “They must be getting in the Christmas spirit.”

  “Well how could they not when they’ve been confronted with an ugly Christmas sweater every day of the month?” Greta said.

  “Told you this was a good idea,” Tyler said smugly. “Look at all the good that came out of it.”

  “I’m not sure I would consider one good meal worth it.”

  “Oh please, a good meal in this cafeteria is a legitimate Christmas miracle.”

  “I’ll give you that. But I don’t think it’s correlated to the sweaters.” He frowned and glanced in his bag. “I think I forgot my water bottle at home. Do either of you have a spare dollar so I can buy one from the vending machine?”

  “Yeah, I think I do,” Tyler said. He put down his fork and went to get his wallet but then froze.

  “Tyler?” Parker prompted.

  “Oh my gosh,” Tyler said. Parker and Greta looked at him, but he simply pointed at the entrance of the cafeteria, over Parker’s shoulder. Parker looked back and saw a group of ten football players entering the cafeteria, all of them wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, in lieu of the jerseys they’d been wearing just that morning. At the front of the pack was Tom.

  “Are… all those football players wearing ugly Christmas sweaters?” Parker asked in awe.

  “Yes, they are,” Greta said. Parker turned back around to face Greta and Tyler.

  “I’m not going crazy right? They did call us losers for participating this morning, right?”

  “Yes, they did,” Greta said. She stared for a moment longer then shrugged and went back to eating her lunch.

  “Do you not find this really weird?” Parker asked. “I mean, what made them change their mind so quickly?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Tyler asked. “They’re trying to impress Greta. She said it was cool to wear an ugly sweater, so they all found some.”

  Greta snorted. “I doubt that’s their reasoning.”

  “Do you have a better idea?” Tyler asked.

  Greta looked at the football guys again.

  “I don’t try to understand them,” she said.

  “You have to admit that they’re into you,” Parker said.

  “What makes you say that?” Greta asked.

  “Mainly the fact that at least one of them asked you to the Winter Formal,” Parker said flatly.

  Greta laughed. “Why do you think they were the ones who asked me?”

  “They’re the only guys you talk to! Are you telling me some random strangers asked you to the dance?”

  “I had never even heard of one of the guys who asked me. I think he got my number from his friend and thought I would be somehow impressed by his ingenuity.”

  “Were you?”

  “Of course not. It was creepy and weird.” She took a sip of water. “To answer your question, though, the two other guys who called me that night were both on the football team. One of them was Tom, and the other one was a guy in grade eleven who showed me around at the beginning of the year.”

  “Who did you say yes to?” Parker asked.

  Greta narrowed her eyes. “None of them.”

  Tyler choked on his food.

  “Three different guys asked you to the dance and you said no to all of them?” He asked.

  “Well actually, more than three guys asked me, it was just three guys that one day. And yes, I turned them all down. I’m not currently looking for a date to a dance that is over a month away.”

  Greta leaned over to get something from her bag that was at her feet. While she was distracted, Tyler pointed at her and mouthed to Parker: ‘ask her out’. Parker vehemently shook his head. Tyler rolled his eyes and looked exasperated but didn’t argue, as Greta sat back up.

  “So how were your classes this morning, Tyler?” Greta asked.

  “Fantastic,” Tyler said dryly. “Much better than spending the morning at Tim Hortons.”

  Greta grinned. “Sorry?”

  “Are you actually going to class this afternoon?”

  “Oh yeah, our Advanced Functions teacher promised us food,” Greta said. She paused and thought for a moment. “I feel like all we’ve done today is eat.”

  “That’s because that is all you’ve done,” Tyler said.

  Tom and Gaylen walked up to their table.

  “Hey Greta,” Tom said. “What do you think of our sweaters?”

  “Very ugly,” Greta said. “Job well done. Did you go home to get them?”

  “I did,” Tom said. “My mom had a bunch stashed in our basement, so I brought them back for everyone.”

  “So, does this mean you are all self-identifying as losers now?” Greta asked sweetly. The grins dropped off both their faces.

  “Hey, I said I was sorry about that,” Gaylen said.

  “Actually, no you didn’t,” Greta said. “But I’m glad to see you’ve changed your minds. Everyone here needs a little more school spirit.”

  “You know us football players are all about school spirit,” Tom boasted. “That’s why we lead all those pep rallies.”

  “Uh-huh, I can definitely see that,” Greta said politely.

  “Mind if we join you?” Gaylen asked.

  “Oh.” Greta looked between Tyler and Parker. They were both clearly uncomfortable but there was no way for them to say no. “I guess you can.”

  “Thanks,” Tom said. He sat next to Greta, so she was sandwiched between him and Tyler, while Gaylen took the spot next to Parker. As he sat, he made sure to shove Parker over, so Parker ended up across from Tyler instead of Greta. Greta looked shocked at the move and mouthed ‘sorry’ to Parker. Parker didn’t react. Instead, he just continued eating and tried to pretend the two jocks weren’t there.

  For the next fifteen minutes of lunch, Tom and Gaylen interacted exclusively with Greta. Greta continuously tried to bring Parker and Tyler into the conversation but anytime they tried to say anything, the other boys would talk over them. It soon became clear that there was no use in them bothering to try getting a word in edgewise and they gave up. As soon as the bell rang, Greta shot to her feet and grabbed her stuff.

  “Sorry boys, I have to get to class,” she said.

  “We can walk you,” Tom said quickly. “What do you have? Math with Mr. Smith?”

  “Uh… yes… Are you in that class? I’ve never seen you.”

  “Nah, I have chemistry. I’ve just seen you walking that direction every day.”

  “Oh… okay, that’s not weird…” she muttered. “Thanks for the offer but Parker’s actually going to walk with me.”

  Tom frowned. “Parker? Why?”

  “Well because he’s actually in the class,” Greta said slowly. “It just makes sense that he would walk with me. Right, Parker?”

  “Right!” Parker said. At that point, he would take any excuse to get out of there. He jumped up and cleared his throat. “We should get going. You know how mad Mr. Smith gets when people are late to his class.”

  “Yeah, let’s go,” Greta agreed. “Tyler, you too, come on.”

  Tyler stood up and grabbed his stuff as well. They all put their trays back and walked into the hallway. Tyler glanced behind them then said, “I’m not in your class, Greta.”

  She looked at him like he was crazy. “I know.”

  “So why am I walking with you?”

  “Would you rather we left you there with Tom and Gaylen?”

  “Definitely not.”

  “There you go.” They reached their math class. “We’ll see you later. Have fun in your classes!”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tyler muttered as he walked off.

  “He seems like he’s in a bad mood,” Greta said. They sat down at their desk.

  “Can’t imagine why,” Parker muttered.

  “So you’re in a bad mood too, then?”

  “I guess I am,” he snapped. She flinched at his tone.


  “Okay. I’ll, uh, just leave you alone then.” She pulled out her notebook and started doing some homework for another class. Parker almost said sorry but, remembering how it felt to get shoved over on that bench by Gaylen as if he wasn’t even there, snapped his mouth shut and focused on his own work as well.

  Neither of them spoke for the entire class and they went their separate ways for final period. Parker resigned himself to the fact that that was the end of what was supposed to be their great day and he wasn’t going to see Greta again before the break. He knew that it was partially his fault, but he would also argue, if anybody asked him, that it was her fault too. Greta, after all, was the one feeding into the other boys’ ideas that they might stand a chance with her. Though she hadn’t looked very happy when they sat down at lunch, she had been the one to allow them to do so. She was the one who talked to them every day and allowed them to think they were friends — or worse yet, she was the one who chose to be friends with them. Admittedly, he couldn’t tell whether she was genuinely friends with them or simply didn’t know how to tell them that she wasn’t interested in spending time with them but at that point, it didn’t matter to him. No matter her reasons, Greta was the one who chose to lead them on, despite how awful they all were.

  The more he thought about it, the angrier Parker got. Why did it always have to end like this? He should have realized by now that cool girls like Greta simply didn’t fall for guys like him. He was nerdy and on the student council and had parents who tried to force the first girl he brought home to be his girlfriend the second he introduced her. He was nothing like Tom or Gaylen, who were athletic and cool, and who had dated multiple girls over the course of their high school career. He had been kidding himself when he thought he had a chance.

  Over the course of the afternoon, he built this idea up so much in his mind that by the time the final bell rang, he convinced himself that he was just never going to talk to Greta again. It would be a clean break, he figured, and that way she could go ahead and say yes to somebody else who asked her to the dance without worrying about his feelings. Of course, when creating this plan in his mind, he failed to consider that Greta might seek him out. The reality of that possibility hit him in the face when he went to his locker at the end of the day, only to find her leaning against it.

  “Hey!” The peppiness in her voice was clearly faked but neither of them commented on it. She moved over so he could open his locker. “How was your last class?”

  “Fine,” he said. He pulled on his coat as quickly as he could then threw his backpack back on and walked off.

  “Parker,” Greta said. She hurried after him. “Parker, will you slow down?”

  “Have to get home,” he said. He slammed the front doors of the school open with a little more force than necessary.

  Greta followed him out and put a hand on his arm to stop him.

  “What’s up with you today?” She asked.

  He kicked the ground. “Nothing. Sorry. I’m just going to head home.”

  “What? I thought we were going to the movies.”

  “Are you sure you want to go with me?”

  “What are you talking about Parker?”

  “I just figured you might want to go with Tom or one of the other football players instead.”

  “One of the other… Parker, what are you on about? I’m the one who asked you to go out, why would I bail on you?”

  “I don’t know! Why are you friends with them in the first place?”

  “Because I—” She lowered her voice back to a normal speaking level. “Look, do you know how hard it is to move schools in senior year? I was desperate for somebody to talk to and they were the first people to introduce themselves to me. Yeah, I know they can be jerks sometimes but literally no one else even made an effort. None of the girls like me, and yes I know the football guys only talk to me because they think I’m pretty, but what do you want me to do about that?”

  “Well—” Parker could see where she was coming from and it did make some of his anger dissipate but not all of it. “Well, if they’re only friends with you because you’re pretty then why do you keep turning them down, huh? It’s obvious that they all like you and I’m sure you like at least one of them back. Why are you pretending that you don’t?”

  “Is that what this is about? That some guys asked me to the dance, and I rejected them? Why does that bother you so much?”

  “Because I have feelings for you, Greta!” He yelled. Everyone in the front hallway and front steps turned to stare at them. “I like you! Can’t you see that?”

  “Of course, I can see it, you idiot! I’ve been waiting for you to say something for the past two weeks!”

  He blinked a couple of times. “Wait, what? Does that mean that you…”

  “Like you back? Yes! Not Tom or Gaylen or any of them. I like you.”

  “Oh.” Parker still looked confused and shocked. Greta laughed and shook her head.

  “You’re such a dork, Parker,” she said, before grabbing his face and kissing him in front of the whole school.

  THE MAGIC OF A DOOR DECORATING COMPETITION

  Year: 2012

  Jared first met Henry on the first day of university when Henry went around introducing himself to everyone on their residence floor. As per Ellie and Parker's suggestion, Jared had left his door propped open while he unpacked so people could come by and say hi if they so wished. He had always assumed that nobody would stop by, but Henry actually had, much to his surprise. They had gotten along well right from the beginning and from then on, were nearly inseparable. They were both pretty shy, Jared especially so, and didn't reach out to other people as often as they probably should have, which lead to them mostly spending time with each other for the entire first semester. This situation was also what led to the epic door decorating competition.

  Technically, their entire floor was participating in the door decorating competition, with the prize of a $20 Starbucks gift card fuelling their antics, but Jared and Henry had taken it a step further. One day, in early December, Jared had challenged Henry to their own competition, with Henry's roommate as the judge. The competition was to make the best Christmas-themed door. They each had one week to complete the task however they could. Unlike the rest of the floor, who viewed the general competition as a bit of light-hearted fun and perhaps a good reason to procrastinate studying, Jared and Henry viewed it as a matter of pride.

  “What’s the prize, then?” Henry asked when Jared suggested it.

  “I hadn’t thought about it,” Jared said. He took a bite of his lunch. “Do you have any ideas?”

  “You know I’m terrible at coming up with ideas like that, Jared.”

  “Okay, then we’ll ask Daniel for some ideas.”

  “What? Why Daniel?”

  “Well, we’re using him as a judge, anyway, why not let him decide the prize as well?”

  “Maybe he isn’t the best person to be the judge.” Henry frowned. “He already thinks I’m weird enough as it is without adding this in.”

  “He doesn’t think you’re weird. But even if he did, this can’t possibly make it any worse. And he’s pretty much the only other person here that we talk to with any sort of frequency.”

  “I guess you’re right,” he muttered. He stabbed at his pasta salad. “Do you ever worry that we’re missing out on the university experience?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone told me that I would make so many friends in residence and I haven’t met anyone but you and Daniel. I wonder if we should try to put ourselves out there more.”

  “We’re participating in a floor activity. That’s the most I’m willing to do.”

  Henry sighed. “Okay. That’s fair.”

  “Where’s this coming from, Henry?”

  “I don’t know, it just occurred to me the other day. But I guess doing this door decorating competition is a step in the right direction. Even if we’re making our own competition within i
t.”

  “That is a completely normal thing to do.”

  “Not sure it is but good sentiment,” Henry said.

  Jared grinned. “Anyway, what does it matter if we have other friends? We’ve got each other and that’s a step up from the summer.”

  Henry laughed. “Okay, you’ve got me there.”

  Ellie happened to visit Jared just after this competition had been decided upon so naturally, she got dragged into it too. When she arrived at his door room, Jared forgot that she didn’t know about the competition and therefore wouldn’t know why he had craft supplies strewn across his room when he invited her inside.

  “Why does it look like a craft store exploded in here?” She asked as soon as she stepped in the door.

  “Oh,” Jared said, “it’s kind of a long story.”

  “Tell me your room isn’t usually this messy, Jared. Mom is picking you up for Christmas break and if your room looks like this, she will kill you!”

  “It’s not normally like this,” he assured her. “It’s just… well my floor is having a door decorating competition…”

  “Oh, my floor did that too when I was in residence,” Ellie said. “Although I’m not sure I took it quite this seriously.”

  “I wasn’t going to take it too seriously either but then my neighbour, Henry, and I decided to have our own competition and…” He looked at her seriously. “I absolutely must win.”

  “Understandable. What’s the prize?”

  “You mean beyond keeping my pride? Just a $20 Starbucks gift card. We weren’t creative enough to come up with our own prize idea so we’re just copying the floor competition.” He sighed. “I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off.”

  “That’s okay, we’ll figure it out. What’s your plan here?” Ellie asked.

  “Well, it’s very interesting, actually. I got this brown wrapping paper to cover the whole door with, then I’m going to create some shapes from that paper and maybe buy some premade decorations since that’s easier than doing it myself and make my door into a gingerbread house.

  Ellie nodded and looked over the materials thoughtfully.