.
“Well,” says Timber, grabbing my knee, “at least she has good taste.”
Now I have no idea what to think! Does he like that his mom likes me or is that annoying? While I’m trying to puzzle through what it all means and whether or not Timber will ever like me as more than just a friend, the conversation around me takes a hundred twists and turns. By the time I clue back in to what everyone is saying, something has been decided.
“So tomorrow then?” Kenji asks.
“Works for me,” says Timber.
“Sorry, I can’t go with you,” Mercy says.
“I’m out,” says Ari.
“Briar? Zeph?” Timber asks.
I blink at my cousin, but she nods. “Yeah, we’ll meet you at ten o’clock.”
chapter 8
AT TEN O’CLOCK the next morning, Briar and I are on the train with Kenji and Timber.
“So what’s the surprise?” Briar asks Kenji when we get settled on the F to Manhattan. The train’s not very crowded since it’s Friday after Thanksgiving, so the four of us can sit in a row with Kenji and Timber on the outside and Briar and me together in the middle. Last night while I was spacing out, our friends agreed that Briar and I need to get Christmasized, only we don’t know what that means.
Kenji leans forward to look at Timber. “Should we tell them?”
Timber grins. “Sure, why not? We’ve made them wait long enough.”
“Okay,” says Kenji. “First, you have to take a quiz.” He shakes his hair out of his face. Today the streaks are red and green, and he has a red-and-white-striped scarf tied at the top of his black jacket. “Who lives at the North Pole?”
Briar and I look at each other, confused. “You mean in the Arctic?” I ask. Kenji nods. “Well.” I lean back against the hard orange seat and think as the train rocks. “Other than the animals, there are probably some scientists and some native people. Are you talking about the Inuits?”
“Bzzzz,” Kenji says. “Wrong!”
Timber snickers. “Okay, here’s another one. If someone wanted to pull a sleigh around the world, what animal would he use?”
Briar thinks about this. “What do you mean ‘a sleigh’? Like a sleigh that goes through snow?”
“Is there another kind of sleigh?” Timber asks.
“Are we still in the Arctic?” I ask.
He nods but he can barely contain the silly smirk on his face.
“Then it’d have to be dogs,” Briar says. “I mean sled dogs, of course.”
“ Bzzzz! Wrong again!” Kenji says, then he laughs like a little kid with his head thrown back and his mouth open. A few riders look up from their newspapers to stare at us for a moment.
“All right, all right. Try this one,” Timber says. “If you had a workshop and wanted to make toys for all the children in the world, who would you hire to help you?”
“Now you’re being plain weird,” I say, annoyed.
“No come on,” Kenji says. “It’s a legitimate question.”
“How is that a legitimate question? ” I ask. “First off, who’s going to make toys for all the children in the world? And second, what’s that have to do with the dog sleds and the Arctic?” They both blink at me. I think for a moment, then I stop and chuckle. “Oh, I get it. Very funny.”
“What?” Briar asks. “I don’t get it at all.”
“They’re talking about Santa Claus,” I say, thinking back to the reading I did online about how erdlers celebrate Christmas.
Briar thinks about this. “Ohhhh,” she says. “Right, lives at the North Pole, drives a sleigh, makes toys.”
“Now you can answer the question,” says Kenji. “You got the first one right: Santa lives at the North Pole.”
“And what kind of animals pull his sleigh?” Timber asks.
Briar and I look at each other. I think about the pictures I saw of Santa’s sleigh. “Um, elk?” I say, which makes Timber and Kenji snicker.
“No, no. Moose!” Briar says. The guys nearly fall out of their seats laughing at us.
Kenji catches his breath and says, “Reindeer. Santa and his
“Well,” says Timber, grabbing my knee, “at least she has good taste.”
Now I have no idea what to think! Does he like that his mom likes me or is that annoying? While I’m trying to puzzle through what it all means and whether or not Timber will ever like me as more than just a friend, the conversation around me takes a hundred twists and turns. By the time I clue back in to what everyone is saying, something has been decided.
“So tomorrow then?” Kenji asks.
“Works for me,” says Timber.
“Sorry, I can’t go with you,” Mercy says.
“I’m out,” says Ari.
“Briar? Zeph?” Timber asks.
I blink at my cousin, but she nods. “Yeah, we’ll meet you at ten o’clock.”
chapter 8
AT TEN O’CLOCK the next morning, Briar and I are on the train with Kenji and Timber.
“So what’s the surprise?” Briar asks Kenji when we get settled on the F to Manhattan. The train’s not very crowded since it’s Friday after Thanksgiving, so the four of us can sit in a row with Kenji and Timber on the outside and Briar and me together in the middle. Last night while I was spacing out, our friends agreed that Briar and I need to get Christmasized, only we don’t know what that means.
Kenji leans forward to look at Timber. “Should we tell them?”
Timber grins. “Sure, why not? We’ve made them wait long enough.”
“Okay,” says Kenji. “First, you have to take a quiz.” He shakes his hair out of his face. Today the streaks are red and green, and he has a red-and-white-striped scarf tied at the top of his black jacket. “Who lives at the North Pole?”
Briar and I look at each other, confused. “You mean in the Arctic?” I ask. Kenji nods. “Well.” I lean back against the hard orange seat and think as the train rocks. “Other than the animals, there are probably some scientists and some native people. Are you talking about the Inuits?”
“Bzzzz,” Kenji says. “Wrong!”
Timber snickers. “Okay, here’s another one. If someone wanted to pull a sleigh around the world, what animal would he use?”
Briar thinks about this. “What do you mean ‘a sleigh’? Like a sleigh that goes through snow?”
“Is there another kind of sleigh?” Timber asks.
“Are we still in the Arctic?” I ask.
He nods but he can barely contain the silly smirk on his face.
“Then it’d have to be dogs,” Briar says. “I mean sled dogs, of course.”
“ Bzzzz! Wrong again!” Kenji says, then he laughs like a little kid with his head thrown back and his mouth open. A few riders look up from their newspapers to stare at us for a moment.
“All right, all right. Try this one,” Timber says. “If you had a workshop and wanted to make toys for all the children in the world, who would you hire to help you?”
“Now you’re being plain weird,” I say, annoyed.
“No come on,” Kenji says. “It’s a legitimate question.”
“How is that a legitimate question? ” I ask. “First off, who’s going to make toys for all the children in the world? And second, what’s that have to do with the dog sleds and the Arctic?” They both blink at me. I think for a moment, then I stop and chuckle. “Oh, I get it. Very funny.”
“What?” Briar asks. “I don’t get it at all.”
“They’re talking about Santa Claus,” I say, thinking back to the reading I did online about how erdlers celebrate Christmas.
Briar thinks about this. “Ohhhh,” she says. “Right, lives at the North Pole, drives a sleigh, makes toys.”
“Now you can answer the question,” says Kenji. “You got the first one right: Santa lives at the North Pole.”
“And what kind of animals pull his sleigh?” Timber asks.
Briar and I look at each other. I think about the pictures I saw of Santa’s sleigh. “Um, elk?” I say, which makes Timber and Kenji snicker.
“No, no. Moose!” Briar says. The guys nearly fall out of their seats laughing at us.
Kenji catches his breath and says, “Reindeer. Santa and his
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