Once Upon A Bus Ride

Chapter 48: I Bet I Make Your Bells Jingle

48. I Bet I Make Your Bells Jingle

Christmas Eve was finally here, and it put me in good spirits. Well, mostly good anyway, my mother wouldn't be my mother if she didn't suck at least some of the happiness out of me.

"Put that there," she ordered to the staff she hired to help get the hall ready for her Christmas party tomorrow night.

"Make sure those flowers are centered on the table...or wait...maybe I should get proper centerpieces...you know what? Leave them there for now."

"Morgan dear where are we with the tree?"

"Uh, I saw the truck pull up with it so on track I guess," I responded, crossing it off her list.

My mom became wicked witch 2.0 when she was stressed, and so when she asked me to help I just agreed. Maybe as my reward she'd lock me in my room so I wouldn't interact with her guests and embarrass her. I was still mad at her, but she looked like she could use all the help she could get judging from the way she asked.

"And the wine?"

"Several bottles of your finest are being taken from the cellar in the basement as we speak."

"And what about the music?"

"Bach and Beethoven, like you requested," I answered. "No Mozart, I know you don't really like him, and you have your Christmas tunes in the mix too."

Or I could just give them mine and Shannon's joint playlist and have them bust out Nicki Minaj in the middle of everything. Now wouldn't that make my Christmas?

"And what about your dress?" she asked.

I sighed and fished out my phone from my pocket to show her the dark green outfit in a picture I took.

"Not a dress, jumpsuit," I said. "But that's it."

"Hm...I guess I'll have to give that a pass," she said, making me roll my eyes.

You could chase a rainbow to the ends of the earth and bring her a pot of gold and she'd tell you she wanted diamonds. She was a hard woman to please.

She took in a breath. "Okay, so far so good."

"Awesome, I'll be going now," I said, putting the stuff I was holding on the table.

"Whatever sweetie," she dismissed, turning her attention to something else.

I rolled my eyes again and left. My feet were aching. Her assistants deserved everything good she could give them thats for sure.

My phone rang and I answered.

"All done helping your mom?" Aaron asked.

I chuckled. "Thankfully yes."

"Good, cause I've been waiting outside for the past twenty minutes."

"What?" I asked. "In a car I hope. It's freezing out there."

He chuckled. "Of course I'm in a car Morgan, now come on."

"Alright, alright," I said with a smile. "I'll be right there."

I ran up and got my coat as well as the backpack in which I had stuffed all the presents I bought, before coming back down and letting myself out. I walked across the long driveway. I welcomed the heat when Aaron let me into the car.

"I thought I was just going to come over to yours in the evening," I said.

"Justin's in a fat Santa suit in the park, I wasn't going to let you miss that," he explained.