"Hoowah!" Shawn jumped on the table in the middle of the living room. He held his baguette above his head taking the form of a Japanese samurai. His voice was lower, hoarse. "You shall never beat me young apprentice. I have taught you almost everything."

I laughed deeply and held the two bananas in my hands swing them like nunchucks. I used the same tone, making it sound like I was some animated cartoon from Dragon Ball Z. "But you still know nothing of me, Shawn-ator."

He grinned, "I know far more about you than you'd like to think, Tor-bo."

My knees were bent down as I held the bannanas in front of me. Shawn kept making noises like, Heeya! "You may have never taught me some secret moves of Kung-Fu, but I learned from a different master." I smirked.

He shot me a confused look, "And what master is this?"

"The Tube of You." I made it sound dramatic before I stood straight with my hands crossed on my chest like a mummy in a sarcophagus. "Haaai."

Shawn cursed under this breath. His stance went limp for a moment before he was up and ready again, holding the baguette in front of him. "I shall win Tor-bo!" We both dramatically glanced at the table where the Frappuccino was at. Then we looked back at each other, "The magical Frap from Buck of Stars shall be mine!" He raised the bread over his head and did a war cry.

"Over my unconscious body!" I brought the bananas in front of me and we both did a high pitched cry.

This is what happens when your TV breaks and there's nothing to do.

I was having fun though. About an hour ago our TV had broken for unknown reasons while Shawn and I were watching SpongeBob. Dad had gone down to the basement to see if he could fix it, and while he was working there Blake had gone to Starbucks and gotten us a frap. Sadly, he only got one. So Shawn and I resorted into fighting like ninjas over the frap. He got the large baguette while I held the bananas ready to stab him in the eye.

"What is going on here?" Cole nearly shouted as he walked into the living room. Shawn had stopped the baguette from hitting me, but he held it over my head, frozen in place. As for myself, I was about implant the banana into Shawn's stomach.

Shawn jumped off the table doing a kick in the air before landing in front of Cole. "Hoowah! This is none of your business Cole of the Fireplace." He said with the same tone.

Cole raised his eyebrow and looked at me. "I expect this behavior from him, but you Tori?"

"I have not been called Tori in a thousand millennia." I took a stance, "It's Tor-bo, Cole of the Fireplace."

Cole shook his head, "Your craziness is contagious." He said to Shawn.

Now I could understand why Shawn loved being the way he is. It's fun to act goofy, and act like a kid again. This roleplaying thing over the Frap from Buck of Stars is so stupid. But it's so much fun. It takes every ounce in me not to laugh.

"What are you fighting over anyways?" Cole asked.

"The magical drink." Shawn said. Cole looked clueless so Shawn rolled his eyes and answered, "The Frap from Buck of Stars."

Cole made an O shape with his mouth. "Right...well...I'll leave you two to it." He walked away muttering things under his breath on how weird and crazy we are.

"Now where were we Tor-bo." Shawn asked turning to me.

"Right here. Hiya!" I threw the banana at his face making his stumble back.

By the end of our episode, there was a broken lamp that Shawn had kicked when he tried doing his crane trick. I told him I had the monkey trick and ended up with a giant bruise on my shin. The baguette was demolished all over the floor, and all left from my banana was a peel.

There were two straws in the frap while we both drank if happily while watching SpongeBob. "What happened here?" Dad hollered as he walked into the living room. Thank god he fixed the TV.

Shawn grinned, "It. Was. Awesome!"

******************************

I was so glad it was Christmas break. Two weeks away from school would be helpful. Exams had been painful the last week before break. I had locked myself in my room and didn't leave no matter what. My phone kept buzzing with texts so I had to turn it off to concentrate. Shawn and I had worked downstairs studying for math together. Cole joined in later, though I realized he had seemed bored.

Stupid Harvard mind.

On the last day of exams everyone was wished to have a Merry Christmas before we all left. Cole had given me a ride so I wouldn't have to bike home in the cold. That bike was really starting to annoy me. Luckily, Mark didn't ask any questions this time. But he did invite me to complete our traditional gingerbread houses. Every year we'd go to his house and make a gingerbread house. We'd also bring Christmas presents and open them early. Usually on Christmas day we were with our families, so we had come up with a tradition where we'd go to each others house and have an early Christmas.

"Wait wait wait." I was stopped in the living room as I tried heading to the garage. Shawn had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood in front of me. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"Suzie and I are headed to Mark's." I fiddled with the wrapped gift in my hands. I had simply gotten Mark the videogame he had constantly been groaning and moaning about. It was a two player game, so I remembered to pack my controller in my backpack along with my pajamas and toothbrush.

Cole chimed in, "But wouldn't you rather hang out with us?"

I laughed. Sure they were cool and all, but I live with them. I need to get out of the house. After the ninja incident Shawn and I had, we were grounded and weren't allowed to do any more role play in the house. It was worth it though. Point is, I've been hanging out with the guys a lot, sometimes even acting like them, I need to get out of here before I become a Parris. "Tori I'm ready." Suzie called as she bounced down the stairs.

"Dad's waiting for us in the car." I said to her.

She nodded and started heading in the direction of the garage. Before she had time to escape, Cole swept her up and held her upside down. Suzie screamed and laughed. "Where do you think you're going missy?" Cole said. "I need your lunch money."

She giggled, "I don't have any money!"

Cole exaggerated a gasp. "What? I don't believe you." He started shaking her and a quarter fell from her pocket. "I knew you were lying!"

"I didn't know!" She started screaming again when Cole put her on the ground and started tickling her sides.

It took forever, but we finally managed to get Suzie in the car. "Have fun ok?" Cole told me before hugging me. "Not too much fun though."

I laughed in his chest. "Don't worry." When he pulled back Shawn came over and hugged me too. His hug though, involved squeezing the life out of me and taking my feet off the ground. "Shawn I can't breathe."

He placed me down and smiled, "If you go by the store, get a baguette for me ok?"

I rolled my eyes, "Ok."

I slid into shot gun while dad spoke with mom. They smiled and gave each other a peck on the lips before dad took his seat behind the wheel. "Ready?" He asked us.

"Yup," Suzie and I said.

"Got the presents?"

"Yup."

He started the car, "Good."

I was slightly disappointed that Blake hadn't come out. He knew I was leaving for the day and wouldn't be back till tomorrow. Then again, he had completely locked himself in his room the last two days. Only coming out when he was hungry or wanted something to drink. Whenever I'd walk past his room, I"d hear the music blasting but nothing more.

"So what'd you get Conlan?" Dad asked Suzie.

"He wanted a new pair of gloves for hockey. So I got him those." She smiled.

"I got him a Nerf gun." I shrugged.

Dad chuckled. "What about Mark?"

"I didn't know what to get him," Suzie answered first, "So I got him a gift card."

"New videogame he's been asking for." The rest of the ride to Mark's house was like that. We made small talk and exchanged ideas on what to get the boys for Christmas. I wasn't sure what they would want. Maybe I could figure something out for Shawn, he was simple. Cole I had to put more thought into. As for Blake...my mind goes completely blank there.

My thoughts came to a stop when dad pulled into Mark's driveway. My lips automatically curled into a smile as I saw the Christmas lights circling the bushes and roof of the house. Even though they weren't turned on, I knew they'd look awesome at night. I rushed out of the car, Suzie catching up to me and we raced to the door. She rang the door bell and we waited.

It was mid-day and it was freezing outside. "Ho ho ho!" Mr. Bennett opened the door. "Merry Christmas!" He spread his arms out. Suzie and I rushed to give him a bear hug. He looked so happy. I couldn't even remember the last time he got to spend Christmas with his family.

"Hey Mr. Bennett." I smiled.

"Hi Mr. B." Suzie added.

"Hey Mike." Dad said from behind us. Suzie and I let go from our hug and let dad shake Mr. Bennett's hand. "What's been going on?"

Mike let us pass by and we went ahead while dad walked at his side. "Not a lot." He said turning his wheelchair. "It's been hard not being able to move around. But I've been going to the therapy and we'll have the prosthetics done by spring."

Dad and Mr. Bennett kept on talking while Suzie and I ran upstairs after saying a short hi to Mrs. Bennett. She only smiled and shook her head at us while we placed the presents under their Christmas tree. Then we ran upstairs where Suzie went to Conlan's room and I headed to Mark. I knocked on his door. "Who is it?"

"The most awesomest person you will ever know." I said using a deeper tone in my voice.

"Pee Wee Sherman?" Mark opened the door and grinned at me. "Hey Tori. Where's Pee Wee Sherman?"

I smacked his arm and walked in. "Hurtful."

"You're the one that hit me." He chuckled and I took a seat on his rolly chair as I threw my backpack into the corner of his room. I spun around and around while Mark finished wrapping a present. "Done." He laid back on his bed and groaned, "Do you know how hard it is to wrap up a gun?"

I stopped moving, "What?"

He held up the nicely wrapped item. Sure enough it looked like a rifle. "Dad wants to take me hunting. He wanted a new gun. So ta-da!"

I laughed and kept spinning. "Just don't kill a bunny ok?"

"No promises." He smirked and placed the rifle under his bed. Then he got up and grabbed the back of my chair pulling me to him. He spun me around so I was facing him and smiled. "Merry Christmas Tori."

I smiled back, "Merry Christmas."

He grinned picking me up and setting me on his lap while he laid back on his bed. His knees were up so I rested my back on his legs while I fiddled with his hand. "So what'd you get me?" He asked.

I laughed, "I can't tell you."

"Yes you can." He gave me a playful smile, "I'll act surprised."

"I'll tell you, if you tell me." That was lie. Even if he told me, I'd never tell him.

Mark laughed, "I know you Tori. You always say that but never mean it."

"Darn." I pouted, "You know me too well."

He smirked and traced his thumb across my pouting lips. "Don't be sad baby. It's not my fault I know everything about you."

I flinched involuntary. There's just three little things he doesn't know about me. Well, three major things. I moved his hand away from my lips and entwined his fingers with mine. "Yup," I said softly, "Everything. Including my tricks."

He didn't say anything. For a moment I thought he caught onto my lie. But when I looked up, he was staring at my finger. The one that had Blake's ring on it. "Who's is that?" He asked confused.

I panicked for a moment. "It's mine."

"There's a P on it." He turned my hand around so I he could see it a bit more clearly. "That's a guy's ring Tori."

I rolled my eyes trying to play it cool. "Cali got it for me when she went to Europe in the summer. She got it in Paris. That's what the P stands for." It wasn't as if Mark would go ask Cali. She'd completely blocked herself from us, occasionally talking to us, but never for a long amount of time. Then there was the day at the ice rink where I wondered what she and Mark talked about.

"Oh..." He said sounding a bit embarrassed. "I've just never seen it on you."

I tried another lie. "I lost it but recently found it."

He nodded and started playing around with my hand again. I was glad he hadn't taken it off. Inside the ring the name Jacob Parris was inscribed across the gold. It made me proud knowing that Blake trusted me with the ring. It obviously meant a lot to him. "So when are we making the gingerbread house?" I asked.

Mark smiled, "Whenever you want."

"Let's go now then." I got up and tugged at his hand. He laughed and followed after me down the steps. All the adults were huddled in the living room, lounging and talking. They had coffee in their hands as they laughed about unknown things dad was talking about. My lungs felt tighter and I prayed he wasn't talking about the Trips.

Mark took my hand and quickly led me to the kitchen. "We're going to make the house now mom." He said before walking through his swinging doors that led to the kitchen.

"Ok try not to make a mess!" We heard Mrs. Bennett shout. Even though we all knew that was going to be impossible. Gingerbread houses with Mark meant a huge mess in the kitchen. Luckily, Mrs. Bennett had already set everything up. The house was on the island in the kitchen, surrounded by frosting bags and different bowls of candies.

I grabbed the icing bag and started squeezing the white frosting onto the roof of the house. "What do you think you're doing?" Mark asked me lifting his eyebrow.

"Putting shingles on the roof." I stopped the frosting and looked up at Mark.

"We did shingles last year. I want bricks." He took the frosting from my hands. I stared at him my mouth open. Mark looked up at me and smirked before putting a glob of frosting in my mouth. "Shut your mouth or cobwebs will start appearing."

A glare formed in my gaze while I closed my mouth and savored the icing. "You're no fair. I want shingles. They're cooler."

"Bricks are the way to go." Mark stated matter of factly as he squeezed some frosting on the roof. He slowly made a few bricks before setting the bag of icing down. "I mean the three little pigies liked bricks."

I rolled my eyes. "Because the mean wolf kept blowing everything down."

"Well," Mark picked up the gumdrop, "There won't be any blowing down in this house." He grinned and placed the gumdrop on the corner of the roof. He took up the red frosting and started squeezing it inside the bricks of the house.

I sighed and went around the island so I was on the other side. The blue icing was the only color left other than green for the trees. So I took up the blue, climbed onto the counter laying down on my stomach and started tracing windows on the side. When I did the basic outline, I took one of the pretzel sticks and placed it on the bottom line as if it were a railing. "Look!" I said enthusiastically. "My window is so beautiful!"

Mark turned the house around so he could see the window I had made. "It's plain." I mocked a hurt expression and pretended to sniffle. "I mean I would have done a white outlining and fit the inside with blue. Then the pretzel like you did."

"Well sorry," I exaggerated the word, "Mr. Gingerbread-perfectionist-house-man! If your so keen on doing this then do it yourself." I threw the frosting bag on the counter and placed my head in my hands while my elbows held me up. My legs were crossed and i was swinging them up and down in the air.

Mark lifted his eyebrow and stared at me in wonder. "Is it that time of the month Tori?"

I groaned and covered my face up with my hands. It wasn't awkward talking about this with Mark. Most people would think so, but in honesty it wasn't. He was the first person I told, on top of that he understands it's natural and knows no girl can help it. If we could, I think we'd all curse men to have periods to understand the pain and suffering we go through.

"No but it's getting around there." I muttered. He chuckled and I felt something stick to my face. When I opened my eyes I had to cross them to see what was stuck to my nose. A marshmallow with frosting at one end. "What a waste of a perfectly good marshmallow." I stated before popping it into my mouth.

"Doesn't seem like a waste now." Mark smirked, "It's probably like, 'No! Tori how could you eat me! After that perfect moment we share. I liked your nose!'"

I rolled my eyes and threw a few candies at Mark, "Shut up. Before I make you stay quiet."

Mark threw his head back and laughed. "What could you possibly do to shut me up?"

I glared at him before grabbing the bag of blue icing it and directed the nozzle at his face. "I could do this," I gave the plastic bag a hard squeeze. Mark had just enough time to close his eyes before blue frosting hung on his nose and stuck to his face.

I rolled on my back and laughed hysterically. Every time my laughing calmed down I'd look at him again and my laughing would start up. He opened his eyes and smiled. It didn't look friendly. More like a I'm going to kill you smile. "That was just so funny." He said with that same smile.

"Yeah it was!" I laughed again at realized I got some blue in his hair. "Now you just need lipstick." I set the gingerbread house to the side and sat at the edge of the counter. Mark sighed and closed his eyes again when I started spreading blue icing on his lips.

I should probably take a picture of this.

When I finished putting the 'lipstick' on his lips I gave him a moustache and extra freckles on his cheeks. He grinned when I stopped using the frosting. "My turn."

I sighed but closed my eyes. It was only fair for him to decorate my face after I decorated his. There was small sound of the frosting leaving the nozzle before I felt the cool substance on my lips. It took every ounce in me not to lick my licks. After my lips, the frosting moved to my cheeks and forehead. "Done." Mark said before I heard the familiar click of a camera.

He laughed and I quickly opened my eyes to look at the picture. It was me with red frosting on my lips, two red circles on my cheeks, and the word clown written across my forehead. "Hey!" I exclaimed before taking my phone out. I quickly snapped a picture of him and he glanced at it.

"I look ugly!" Was the first thing he said. Then he smirked and turned to look at me, "This is why guys don't wear lipstick."

I laughed, "It could work. Maybe if the color went with your tone of skin."

He smirked again, "Well you look like Miley Cyrus with those red lips."

"You look like a smurf." I countered lamely.

He laughed, "Red and blue lips. Wanna make purple?" He winked and I threw a Fun Size chocolate at him. Mark laughed again before we started having more frosting and candy wars.