Jack’s HOLIDAY HEART

Chapter 01

“Jackie! I can’t believe winter break is finally here!” Frankie tossed his books into his locker with a dramatic flourish. “Two whole weeks of sleeping in, catching up on my reading, and no homework!”

Jack chuckled. “Catching up on your reading? What happened to no homework?”

Frankie didn’t quite roll his eyes. “Come on, Jackie. There’s reading, then there’s reading. You know?”

Jack snorted. He wasn’t much of a reader, not like Frankie, who was working on his own book. But Jack was the same way about music, so he understood. Not that he’d let Frankie off the hook that easily. “Sorry, but that would cut into my precious time playing Chaos Siren.”

“Oh yeah?” Frankie slammed his locker door closed and grinned. “Is that what you call it when you and Damon–”

Jack playfully smacked Frankie’s arm. “Absolutely not. You know our love is pure as the driven snow.”

“Sure it is,” Frankie replied with a wink. “Speaking of which, where is the big guy, anyway? Doesn’t he usually take you home?”

“Ah, yeah.” Jack shrugged, adding a breezy smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “He’s working a double shift at Hot Shot tonight. He’s, uh–he picked up a bunch of them over break.”

“A pizza delivery boy’s work is never done, eh?” Frankie, ever perceptive, must’ve caught the hesitation in Jack’s voice. “But you don’t exactly sound too thrilled about it.”

“It’s fine.” Jack tried to put more confidence in his voice than he felt. “We’ll still get to hang out plenty.”

“Okay,” Frankie agreed with narrowed eyes. “Then what’s bothering you?”

Jack frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Jackie. It’s me, remember? I can always tell when someone pissed in your cereal.”

Jack sighed, leaning against the row of lockers. “I don’t know, Frankie. I guess it’s cuz this is my first Christmas in San Francisco. It’s weird. It’s not that cold and there’s no snow. It doesn’t feel like Christmas at all.”

“Seriously?” Frankie offered a narrow-eyed frown. “You’re bummed cuz it’s not 30 below?”

Jack snorted. “Okay, maybe not that part.”

“At least you’d have Damon to keep you warm, right?” Frankie winked, and Jack couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jack admitted, a faint blush warming his cheeks. “And maybe I’m freaking out a little about what to get him for Christmas.”

Frankie’s eyes immediately lit up. “Ooh, gift-giving anxiety? That’s such a classic trope! What’s got you so stressed?”

“Ugh, I don’t know,” Jack complained, lightly banging his head on the locker. “It’s our first Christmas, so I want to get him something special, something that shows how much I love him. But I don’t want to be too cheesy or over-the-top, you know?”

Frankie nodded. “Yeah, That’s a tough one. Damon definitely doesn’t go for flashy or extravagant.”

“I know, right?” Jack chuckled. “He told me that last year Nick bought him a TV for Christmas.”

Frankie snorted. “Lemme guess. An 80 inch OLED with discrete backlighting and 4K upscaling?”

Jack chuckled. “Something like that, yeah. But he gave it to his Grams so she could watch her soaps.”

“Nice. But you weren’t thinking about buying him a TV.”

Jack shook his head. “No way. But I don’t have the first clue about what he wants or needs that he doesn’t already have. And, every time I ask about it, he just brushes it off like it’s no big deal.”

“That sounds like him, yeah.” Frankie briefly pursed his lips under furrowed brows. “Maybe you could make him something? You’re a talented musician, Jackie. Write him a song!”

Jack had already considered that, of course. He’d even fooled around on his guitar a few times trying to come up with something. But he’d been spending so much time writing songs with Cody and Viv for their upcoming Heartbreak Queens album, he thought he might be a little tapped out.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jack conceded anyway. “Maybe I should do that.”

“As long as it comes from the heart,” Frankie suggested, “I’m sure he’ll love it. Plus, it’ll be something he can keep forever. And–” He stopped when his pocket suddenly buzzed. Frowning, he pulled out his phone. “Shit. My mom’s waiting outside. Gotta go, Jackie.”

“Your mom’s picking you up?”

“Yeah.” Frankie nodded as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. “My cousins are coming up from LA for the week and she’s picking them up at the airport. Told her I’d come along.” Then he smiled, spreading his arms wide to invite Jack into a hug. “Bring it in, buddy.”

Jack’s shoulders relaxed as he sank into Frankie’s hug, the warmth of his friend’s embrace temporarily easing the knot of anxiety in his chest. “Later, Sarge,” Jack cheerfully called out as he watched Frankie disappear down the hallway, his footsteps echoing in the emptying school.

After visiting the music room to pick up his guitar, Jack weaved his way through the crowd of students out front eager to start their vacation and walked to the bus stop. It was mostly empty when the bus arrived, just a handful of students getting onboard with him to join the early workers headed home from their Financial District offices. He found a window seat and settled in as the bus pulled away from the curb, gazing at the passing scenery. Golden Gate Park’s fragrant eucalyptus trees gently swayed in the mild December breeze. No rain, but the heavy gray marine layer had already blanketed the sky. People strolled along the sidewalks in light jackets–some even wearing shorts. It had to be at least 50 degrees.

It felt wrong.

Jack frowned. It was almost the end of December, just days before Christmas, and no hint of winter in the air. No snow-covered streets, no frosty windows, no biting wind. He closed his eyes, picturing the winters he remembered back in Minneapolis.

Crisp air. The crunch of snow underfoot. The world blanketed in white. Building snowmen with Isaac in their backyard. Epic snowball fights with him and their dad.

Did he really miss the snow and the cold?
Jack opened his eyes, shaking off his rosy nostalgia as a more recent memory surfaced. His last freezing night in Minneapolis, sitting with Paige in her bedroom drinking crappy hot cocoa and commiserating about the fight at school that made his mother send him packing to his brother’s house.

Jack sighed, unavoidable melancholy settling in his chest. Yeah, it was his first Christmas away from home. His old home. His first Christmas in a place where winter felt like an extended autumn. His first Christmas without his mom. But his mom already had her replacement family with Leonard and the twins. They’d probably already set up a giant tree and filled the space beneath it with presents, too.

Jack huffed, shaking those thoughts away. It’s not like he was alone. He had Isaac, who’d made more of a home for Jack than their mother ever did. He had his friends and his band. And he had Damon. Warmth filled Jack’s chest as he thought of Damon, with his bright smile and easygoing nature.

No, Jack wasn’t alone. He had people who cared about him–people who would make this Christmas special, even if it didn’t look like the ones he was used to.

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