December 21st: Christmas Parade
The last thing that Christmas wanted was to be cold again, but since she and Marcy had made it through their swim without ill effects, she supposed that a few hours on a float would not kill her. It had been strange, sleeping in her own bed, alone. What felt stranger, though, was going into her parents’ old room to wake Sasha and Leah, who had insisted on staying the entire night.
It was convenient, in a way, as the three of them were due to get their hair done for the parade and for the following night’s pageant. She’d missed the feeling of sleeping next to Brad’s warmth, though, and not just because of the cold. Now, she crept into the room in the pre-dawn and slipped under the covers between the two of them. Both of them groaned at the disturbance and then shrieked when she yanked back the blanket, and the chill of the morning forced them into wakefulness.
“No!” Sasha cried, “Too early!”
“Just five more minutes,” Leah mumbled, groping blindly for the blanket.
“Get up,” Christmas demanded, “quick showers and then it’s time to get gorgeous.”
The two of them sighed dramatically but slowly got out of the bed.
***
The atmosphere of getting ready for the morning with her two friends brought back memories of the house she’d shared with the girls in college. There was pleasant banter and too many bodies in the bathroom. Even though it was early, there seemed to be no time to get ready. While Leah and Sasha made coffee, Christmas snuck quietly into Brad’s room and kissed him.
He tugged her down into bed with him and, for a moment, she let him hold her there and kiss her again. His hands wandered over her body, though, and she knew that if he continued, she’d be sucking him off, with her friends waiting downstairs. Also, she would be late for their appointment.
“Stop it!” she said, breaking away, “later! I have to go make myself pretty.”
“Too late for that. You were born that way,” he said.
“Flattery will get you everywhere. I’ll see you in town, from atop a float.”
She quickly shut the door, went down, and accepted hot coffee from Leah.
***
Every hairdresser in town had a full morning, with twelve pageant girls to work on. While she had hers styled, Christmas wondered if Marcy had her own stylist, or used someone in town. At the end of the affair, she was in love with the results. Her black hair looked shinier than ever, smooth like silk. Sasha’s golden locks were curled cutely all the way down, while Leah’s fiery red was straightened, but ended in bouncy curls that were adorable.
The three of them braved the cold and walked down Main to Dressed by Diane, where they took their finished dresses, before driving over to the barn containing the parade floats. The place was a bustle of activity, all the floats having been pulled out of the barn and lined up, attached to trucks. They indulged in quick snacks and hot drinks before getting prepared.
While the three of them ate, Marcy, along with Julia and Carry, approached. Even bitchy girls could look amazing with the right styling, Christmas thought, taking in Marcy’s blonde, Julia’s brown, and Carry’s black. Christmas set her plate aside.
“Chris,” Marcy said meekly, “I… I want you to take our float. The three of you.”
“Why?” Christmas asked, genuinely curious.
“What you did for me,” Marcy said, “those skates were weighing me down. If you hadn’t come in, I don’t know that I would have made it out. I was showing off, and I was stupid. I just think… you know,” she smiled, but warmly, “the town mascot should be on that float.”
Christmas shook her head and said, “Thank you, but I can’t. You guys put in the work on that thing. It’s not about who’s on the best float. And it is the best one. It’s about the town and season. I don’t care what float I’m riding. I just want to be part of what we all have here.”
There was silence for a moment and then Carry asked, “Why are you just so goddamned… good?”
“It’s a gift,” Leah cut in.
“A Christmas gift,” Sasha added.
“Thank you,” Marcy said, and it was the most genuine thing Christmas had ever heard from her.
The three of them walked away.
“I don’t know if I like this,” Sasha said. “I can’t get used to a nice Marcy.”
“I almost hope it doesn’t last,” Leah said. “If Marcy can turn into a nice girl, it means I might end up straight someday. It doesn’t bode well.”
“All those years,” Christmas said, “and all we had to do was rescue her from the brink of death to earn her approval. Life could have been so much easier had we only known.”
***
All her life, Christmas had stood next to Sasha and Leah in the streets. She’d been part of the crowd, watching the parade floats go by, looking up at the girls on top of them as they waved to the crowd. They wore gorgeous dresses of red, green and gold. They had jewelry that glittered in the winter sun. All that time, she’d waited for her own chance to be one of them.
Then she’d gone away. Sasha and Leah had been part of it during the years she’d been gone. They’d sent her pictures. Sasha had been pageant queen for one of those years. Today, it was her turn to ride a float. Wearing the sexy, glittering green dress, and with a fur wrap around her, Christmas mounted the steps to the top of the float to join Leah and Sasha.
They sat on the top as the truck rumbled across the grass, pulling out onto the main road and creeping its way down the street to its starting position in the line. They watched the others do likewise, Marcy’s big float bringing up the rear. Once all the vehicles were in line, the various sections of the high school band filed in between them. At the head of the procession, Mayor Tinsley, in his sleigh, waited for the signal.
From somewhere within the workings of the line, the signal came. The beating of drums from up ahead reached them on top of the float, and Christmas watched as the Santa’s sleigh moved. The driver urged the reindeer on; the drums beat time, and a moment later their float crept slowly forward. In the distance, Christmas could see the streets lined with spectators, both townsfolk and visitors.
Their job was not a difficult one. The three of them simply stood and waved to the crowds, who cheered, whistled, and clapped. The floats rolled slowly through the streets, while Tinsley bellowed out his silly laughter from ahead. Christmas couldn’t help but feel a bit like a princess, standing high above the crowds, fulfilling that childhood fantasy. Below, she could see the many little girls where she’d once stood, looking up at her with that same dream in their eyes, their mouths wide and smiling as they waved back to her.
The procession wound through the streets, packed on all sides. From her vantage, it seemed like everyone in the surrounding five towns had come out for the little parade, and perhaps they had. When the float finally pulled away from the last street and began the return journey to the barn, the top of it was covered in poinsettias, tossed by the bystanders. Christmas bent and picked two of them up. The first, she tucked into Sasha’s neckline.
“I wish your mom could have seen how incredibly gorgeous you look up here,” she said.
There were tears in her friend’s eyes as she said, “Yours, too.”
She turned to Leah, tucked the second flower into her dress and said, “I hope you find the love you deserve, and that they never forget what a beautiful human you are.”
Leah pulled her close and hugged her, saying, “Why are you just so goddamned good?”
Christmas laughed and hugged her back.
***
They returned their dresses to Diane after the parade before walking down to The North Pole. There, they met Brad, who was already helping to prepare for the pageant the next evening. Carols played on the speaker system and the doors were locked. Inside, the atmosphere was busy, but festive. Kellen and Tommy Miller were with them, under the watchful eye of their father, who directed the work from the comfort of a table.
While they worked together hanging a string of lights around a doorway, Christmas muttered to Brad, “Do you mind if the girls stay again? I’d just really like to have everyone I love with me tonight. I’ll make it up to you soon, I promise.”
“Chris, it’s our home, not mine. You don’t need my permission,” he said, grinning.
“You’re the best.”
The decorating lasted for several hours, made even longer by the distractions of dancing and drinking. When they returned home, Christmas was again transported back through the years, as they sat by the fire watching holiday shows under the glow of the tree lights. On the mantel, a photo of her family, all of them, sat next to a poinsettia. Tonight, she didn’t feel alone.
***
More chapters of heartfelt friendship, erotic passion, and tearjerking tales await in the full story of Twelve Days in Christmas. Pick this story up in the shop to read all 142 pages of the beautiful story of sibling romance and the depth of true friendship.
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