“A flat no, I think.”
PHEW?! I sighed so hard with relief that my fringe went vertical. “Thank GOODNESS.” Ru looked slightly puzzled by just how relieved I was. “What the world does not need is another terrible Christmas music video, right?”
“Can I make an observation? Forget what I said earlier, I’m not sure idyllic Christmas streets and festive hot drinks are doing much for your season’s cheer, oh Jingly Lady.”
He was right. I needed to get off this bench. But that’s when I noticed what books he’d put down.
Maths text books. A French vocab test book. Wow. This guy knew how to have fun on a Saturday night.
“You brought your school stuff with you?” I flicked the French book open. “La chauve-souris?” I paused. “Means bald mouse, apparently.” I couldn’t be bothered to elaborate that it’s what they called bats. “Have you got exams or something?”
“Something like that.” Argh. Excuse me while I face plant the fake hedge. He could be worse than me at straight answers. “Oh!” He reached into his pocket. “I forgot. THIS is why I came here.” He was holding my elf hat. “Elijah asked me to give you this. Figured it was a private joke or something to do with the fundraiser?”
“Something like that.” If he could dodge questions, so could I.
“He also asked me to take a photo with you in the photobooth.” Ru nodded towards the screen with the big “Say Cheese” button blinking away.
“Nah.” I shook my head. Ru didn’t need to know that I was already doing way more than enough for Elijah. “Although it did give me the idea for a DIY photobooth for Grampy G’s Grotto!” People could donate to use it? Then we’d only have another … £650 or so left to raise.
“Your first prop could be this…” Ru passed me a mechanical robin that had fallen on the floor.
“Deffo. And if you see anything else, we’re still on the hunt for raffle prizes.” Yes, it was a bit cringe to ask, but I imagined Grace’s face if I got some proper signed merch and it made it all OK. “Like anything signed by the cast or a props that are going spare?”
“I’ll see what I can do…” Ru said, in a way that sounded almost promising. Although, if he knew about the music video, maybe he was better connected than he was letting on? Maybe his parents could pull some more strings? I stood up, but my notebook dropped off my knee and flopped open on the Christmassy lyrics I’d been working on for The POWR.
“Wait…” Ru picked it up. “Did you draw this?” Around my ideas I’d sketched Grace’s smiley face under a big “Jingle Ladies”. And on the other page my family sitting round a Christmas tree, a horse wrapped up underneath it. “You never said you were pro?!”
“Thanks,” I said, snatching it back up. For all my being careful about not letting Ru know about the stupid song and why I was really here, somehow looking at this felt like he was getting a shortcut to the real me. I stuffed it back in my bag.
“Was that Grace?” Ru asked. “She looks just how you’d described her.”
But he’d already seen too much, so I mumbled “yes” and started to walk, narrowly dodging the mistletoe. But once we were on the move, we began to leave all the weirdness behind, and I started telling him all about how Tilly had just won a pony-grooming competition with a Shetland called Spud. I put my foot in it by starting to say Billy, but styled it out with a coughing fit and blaming a rogue crumb. Ru didn’t pick up on it, and instead just asked more questions about Grampy G’s Grotto and I told him about the snow machine. And how I’d gone full YouTube tutorial to make 3D paper snowflakes. And that I was going to borrow the lights from the ‘OTT house on our road’ (aka mine). And despite not knowing Grampy G or Grace, he didn’t look bored once, and told me it was going to be awesome, and offered a hand if I needed help googling back-up venues. And his enthusiasm made me slowly forget all the stress about being Elf Girl and instead start feeling like Grace and I really could pull off something special for her granddad.
“No waaaaay.” Ru stopped dead at the end of the fake street, a big grin on his face. “Is that what I think it is?!”
I looked round the corner to where he was pointing.
Oh no. Pleeeeease no!
A pen of five of the cutest, fluffiest reindeer were chomping on some hay.
THE MONSTERS.
And Ru was walking towards them. “Are these yours?” And now he was stroking the one with massive horns that was giving me serious side-eye.
But what could I say? How many reindeer-hire firms did one film need?
“Erm … yes?” I didn’t make a single step forward though.
“So cool!” He stroked the one next to it. “You should have said the Reindeers ‘R’ Us crew were still here! I can’t believe I’m getting to meet them.”
Nor could I, Ru. Nor could I.
I shuffled slightly closer to the pen. The big one sidled towards me. Were reindeer attacks a thing? Like how hippos were surprisingly dangerous?
“Nice reindeer…” I whispered, holding my hand out.
“Look at you, pretending to be scared to make me feel better.” Ru laughed. I couldn’t smile back; I was focused on not getting a festive antler up my nose. “So what are their names?”
I swear all the reindeer simultaneously looked up at me like five big furry lie detectors. Enough shade, guys?! I had to look away. The guilt was too much.
“Erm.” C’mon, Molly, think of something. “Rodney. Derek. Malcolm.”
Why had I just named all of Mum’s library colleagues?!
“I thought you said it was the female ones who still had antlers at Christmas?”
Why was Ru a leading reindeer expert right now?!
“Yes. They are. And those are their names.”
He quietly repeated, “Rodney. Derek. Malcolm” while stroking the middle one’s neck. Derek, the big one, looked like he wanted to impale me. Not very festive, Derek! Thank goodness my phone rang, and unlike Ru I couldn’t answer quick enough.
Dad was outside, so we headed towards the entrance and stopped under the flickering light of a fake old-fashioned street light to say bye.
“Guess it’s bye then,” Ru said gently. But was he … leaning towards me?!
Why was he looking at me like that?!
