December 17, 2011
"Hey, you alright?" Gisella asked the girl with the light cherry blonde hair over the phone, "I haven't seen you since our performance three days ago."
"I've just been busy with things," Rosa stammered. Gisella could clearly hear the nervousness in Rosa's voice.
"Rosa, if you're still all caught up about missing your cues, it's alright. We still won anyways," Gisella said, trying to comfort the guitarist.
"I know," Rosa said, "Hmph, the lights were in my eyes and the crowd was too loud for me to hear when I hit any wrong notes."
"I'm sure that's what happened," Gisella teased. Rosa muttered on the other end of the line, but Gisella couldn't make out what she said.
"How many bands are left in the tournament?"
"I think Isabella said that there was only 64 bands remaining."
"Huh, wow. We're really getting close to the ending now, aren't we?"
"Yeah, we are... So, how are classes going for you, Rosa?"
There was a long pause before Rosa said anything. "Gisella," Rosa said, her voice a little hoarse, "Don't do this."
"Don't do what?" Gisella asked, a little cautious.
"Don't act like we're all good buddy chums, alright? We both know that we aren't and that the only reason you're bothering to talk to me is because you need another band mate."
Gisella coughed a few times before she could catch her breath. "What? No, that's not it!"
"It's not?"
"No... Well, not entirely," Gisella's voice got softer. "I thought that-"
"That what? That this band thing was about to change things between us?"
"Well," Gisella stammered, "I kind of hoped for that."
"Did you just expect me to just be able to change everything like that?" Gisella could hear Rosa snap her fingers together. "That things would be like how you would be able to just come over whenever you wanted?"
"Well, I wasn't thinking ab-"
"Did you think that we'd be sharing every little thing that goes on between us?"
"What? Rosa, you're talking irrationally now."
There was another long pause before Rosa picked up the phone again. "I have to go. Talk to me about when the next session is!" With that, Rosa hung up the phone. Gisella was a little confused, but shrugged. She put her phone in one of the inner pockets of Ivanna's jacket and laid down on her couch. Gisella looked up and stared at her white ceiling, utterly bored. Larissa was working on a school project and couldn't be disturbed and Isabella was out of town. She didn't have the number for Naomi either, nor had any idea where to find her.
The birds chirped outside calmly while a soft breeze brushed through the trees, knocking the snow off the branches. A few trucks passed through the streets, clearing the roads from the freshly laiden snow. The skies were clear, except for a few clouds that dotted the blue background.
Gisella sighed and closed her eyes. She coughed a few more times before catching her breath again. Just what is Rosa's problem?
December 22, 2011
"Yeesh, Christmas is in just three days, mon," Larissa complained, twirling her knife. She sweeped the remains of vegetables that had stuck to her grill into the trash and placed the trash can beneath her grill.
"I know. I'm just glad that I got all my Christmas shopping done back in November," Naomi said, taking a drink of Caribbean Splash.
"I've been trying to think of a good gift to get Gisella and Isabella, but I can't think of anything good, mon," Larissa said, scratching her chin, "I want to give them something really good to help cheer up their spirits after Ivanna's death, but I'm not sure what could."
"What do you think Larissa would want to get for Christmas?" Gisella asked, walking around the mall.
"I don't know. Maybe some new cooking utensils?" Isabella replied, but then laughed, "Never mind, that was stupid of me to suggest."
"Yeah," Gisella chuckled with her, "like Larissa needs anything besides that knife of hers."
"Seriously, what is up with that knife?" Isabella asked, "Never in my life have I seen any kind of kitchen utensil be able to take that much abuse and not have a single scratch on it."
"I don't even know what it's made of," Gisella said.
"Neither do I."
"I can't really say either, since I haven't known them for a long time like you have," Naomi pointed out.
"Yeah, that's true, mon." Larissa sighed and continued to chop away at vegetables. "Make I could cook them something really nice."
"Didn't you say you already have a Christmas dinner event at your house each year anyways?" Naomi asked, drinking more Caribbean Splash.
"Ugh, yeah, I do host that, mon," Larissa groaned, "Great, I'm going to show up empty handed. Isabella will probably give something her company's created lately and Gisella... Actually, I'm not to sure what Gisella will bring, but I'm sure it's better than anything I could come up with."
"Man, I bet Larissa's going to come up with some amazing gift for each of us and we're going to barely have something to present to her," Gisella said, still wandering the mall.
"We haven't found anything worthwhile to present to Larissa as a gift," Isabella complained.
"We're never going to find anything," Gisella said, putting her hands in Ivanna's jacket, "After all, there's not really anything that Larissa would want as a gift. She can basically cook anything and she doesn't even need anything. She can do nearly anything with that knife of hers."
"Yeah. What could we possibly get her?"
"Hmm, well, maybe for Gisella, you could do something soccer related for her? She does seem to wear that soccer jersey of hers nearly all the time from what I've seen," Naomi mentioned.
Larissa pondered and scratched her chin. "It's a good idea, mon, but I don't know what I could do. It's not like I can get some famous soccer player to sign something for her out here in Utah."
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe Isabella could get someone to?" Naomi suggested, but Larissa shook her head.
"Not likely with the season coming up, mon," Larissa pointed out, "No famous soccer player would be able to come up here, or be able to send something signed up in time."
"Darn," Naomi said, drinking more of her Caribbean Splash. She looked at the glass and got an idea. "Hey, what if you make a popular drink and name it after them? After all, you managed to make Caribbean Splash popular."
Larissa thought and twirled her knife in her fingers. "So, how much virgin rum do you think suits Gisella, mon?"
"Ugh, we've been at this mall for two hours now and have found nothing," Gisella complained. She held her head between her hands and rested her elbows on a table in the food court.
"I know," Isabella said, sitting across from Gisella, "There's been nothing in this entire mall we could possibly give to Larissa as a Christmas present."
Gisella sighed and looked around again. "Larissa isn't one to dress up or do anything like that, so both clothing and make-up are out of the option."
"And she doesn't need any kind of cooking utensils, so that's out."
"She already has the lastest album of her favorite band, so music's out."
"Larissa's not really a big book reader, so those are out."
"Ugh, what could we possibly get her?" Isabella asked, rubbing her temples, "What do you-? Gisella?" Isabella stopped when she saw that Gisella's eyes had widen up about something. Isabella turned around to follow Gisella's gaze and saw exactly what she was looking at.
"No way," Gisella whispered.
December 25, 2011 5:00 PM
"Hey, Merry Christmas, mon," Larissa said, twirling her knife in her fingers. She wore a red and white Santa hat while also wearing a warm Santa jacket.
"You always seem to out do yourself, don't you?" Gisella said, laughing. She set a box wrapped in green wrapping paper and a red bow on a table nearby and looked all over the display of food Larissa had set out. Gisella couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of it all.
"You know, I've known you for years and probably will know you for years to come," Isabella said, hanging her jacket up, "and yet I will never understand how you manage to cook all this in a few days."
"Hey, a girl has to have her secrets, mon," Larissa chuckled. She continued to twirl her knife while the other two girls were nearly drooling over the buffet. "Hey now, don't you be digging in just yet."
"Oh, and why not?" Gisella asked in an almost dream like state. She was eyeing up the freshly made pecan pie and sighed.
"We're waiting for Naomi to join us, mon," Larissa said, shooing Isabella away from taking a large ham that was made this morning.
"Is she going to be long?" Isabella asked, also in a dream like state.
"She should only be a few minutes, mon," Larissa replied. The other girls sighed and took a seat at the table, sighing and leaning in to the symphony of smells. The scents of the glorious turkey and Persimmon pudding danced in the air, breezing past Isabella and Gisella's noses. Maashed potatoes and Larissa's personal recipe for Lefse teased the girls and they had to restrain themselves from devouring the food before them. A fireplace behind Larissa crackled softly as the flames licked away at the wood while a large Christmas tree sat off a few feet to the right in the corner.
"Ooh, why can't Naomi get here sooner?" Gisella whined. She hadn't eaten since breakfast so she could have more room for all of Larissa's cooking.
"Well, the roads are a little icy," Isabella mentioned, "So, it might be taking her a bit of time to get through safely."
"Don't you worry, mon. She should be here soon," Larissa said, taking her seat. She stabbed her knife into a block of oak wood next to her and leaned back.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Gisella quickly sprung up to get it, saying, "Finally Naomi!" She opened the door and in came Naomi, dressed in a thick winter jacket and a heavy layer of snow.
"Sheesh!" Isabella exclaimed, "How'd you get that much snow on you from the driveway to the door?"
"It wasn't from the driveway to the door," Naomi said, shivering. She placed three boxes down on the table with Gisella and Isabella's gifts and took of her wet boots. Isabella hopped up and brought Naomi close to the warm fire. "A blizzard started half an hour ago and my car got stranded. Don't worry, I parked it safely somewhere, but the roads are impassable. No one's going to be driving anywhere and you'd have to be really destined to go somewhere in this weather."
Larissa got her a thick blanket and led her away from the fire. She sat Naomi down at the seat closest to the fire and pour a warm glass of hot buttered rum. "Well, that fire will be nice, but if you really want warmed up, you got to warm from the inside out, mon."
"Thank you for inviting me," Naomi stammered from the cold and shivered as she held the glass. She took a large sig and sighed. "That's so nice and warm."
Larissa clapped her hands, stood up, and said the words that both Gisella and Isabella had been dying to hear.
"Time to eat, mon."
December 25, 2011 7:00 PM
"I. Am. Stuffed!" Isabella happily sighed, her stomach full of food and drinks, "It's been years since I've been able to come to one of your Christmas dinners, Larissa."
"Every year, the food always gets better by a miracle. I can't ever imagine the food getting better in any possible way, and yet it does," Gisella said, licking her lips, "My stomach says 'no more,' but my mouth wants it all."
Larissa laughed as she picked her teeth with a toothpick. "Glad you enjoyed it, mon. At least I never have to worry about leftovers," she said as she surveyed the table, "You girls always pick nearly everything clean." She looked over at Naomi, who still had an entire full plate next to her. "Something wrong, mon?"
"Huh? No, not at all. The food is lovely, Larissa," Naomi said, drinking some more of the hot buttered rum.
"Then why do you have an extra plate full of food?" Gisella asked, eyeing it up despite her stomach fighting against her eating more.
"Well, in my culture, food is an offering to the deceased at times. I just thought it'd be nice to have a plate as an offering to Ivanna," Naomi said, "I know I didn't know her like you girls did, but I feel that she did have a great impact on me." The other girls smiled as Larissa walked over to Naomi.
"Ivanna would have been proud to have a friend like you, mon," Larissa said, "Is there a special place to put the plate?"
"Usually we put it on an alter near the deceased's picture," Naomi said, looking around for a spot.
"Then I know the perfect spot," Isabella said. She walked over and picked up the plate. She walked over to the fire and placed it above the mantle, just below a framed picture of Ivanna, Gisella, and Larissa that was hanging on the wall.
"I'm sure Ivanna's smiling down on us all," Gisella said, admiring the make-shift alter. She walked over to the window and looked up at the sky, but all she could see was snow flying by the windows. "Naomi wasn't kidding when she said there was a blizzard that stranded her car... Huh?" Gisella stopped to look at what she thought she saw as a figure moving. "I think the snow is playing tricks on my eyes."
"No, I saw it too," Isabella said, watching out the same window as Gisella. They both saw a figure that appeared to be stumbling around in the cold. It was snowing too hard to see who it was, but they appeared to be approaching Larissa's house. Larissa saw the figure too and grabbed her knife, ready to deal with any threat. The figure stumbled a few feet before collapsing onto the ground.
"Hey! We have to help that person!" Gisella exclaimed, bolting for the door.
"Wait, we don't know who it is, mon!" Larissa responded, "It could be some maniac!"
"Who in their right mind would threaten you?" Isabella asked Larissa, heading to help Gisella. Naomi went to go help, but Larissa held her back.
"No, you go get that blanket you were wearing earlier, mon," Larissa commanded, still holding her knife. Naomi nodded while Isabella and Gisella brought the figure in. Larissa approached the figure and wiped the snow off, revealing a wool hat, a large winter jacket, and light cherry blonde hair.
December 25, 2011 7:30 PM
"I ain't happy about having her here, mon," Larissa said, bringing up some more firewood from her basement.
"Look, I know you aren't on the best of terms with her," Isabella gestured to the woman with the light cherry blonde hair, "but it's Christmas. The least you can do is be nice to her like any of us, alright?"
Larissa groaned while Naomi brought Rosa near the fire. Gisella handed a plate of food and some warm hot chocolate to Rosa and sat down next to her. "Thank you," Rosa said, shivering. She clutched the blanket around her tighter and drank some of the hot chocolate.
"So, the princess actually knows those words, mon?" Larissa said, placing the wood near the fire pit. Rosa tried to scowl at Larissa, but was too cold to turn her face away from the flames.
Isabella nudged Larissa in the side, whispering, "Hey! I said to be nice." Larissa huffed and took a seat from the table. "So, Rosa, why did you come here? You must have really wanted to come here to get through this weather."
Rosa shivered and clutched the blanket tighter. "I heard that Larissa always hosted a Christmas dinner every year," Rosa stuttered, "I wanted to see it."
"What's stopped you from coming before?" Gisella asked, curious about Rosa's motives, "You could have come any other year."
"Well, I didn't have any reason to come before," Rosa made out between her chattering teeth. She ate some of the ham on the plate and drank some more hot chocolate. "This food is really good, Larissa."
"I know it is, mon," Larissa sternly said, "You listen, you little princess. If you came here just to ruin our good times, I will not hestitate to send you out into that blizzard. You got it?" Rosa nodded and continued to eat.
"Come on, I'm sure she's not so hell-bent on making our lives miserable that she would have tormented herself through that blizzard," Gisella said.
"Well, whatever the reason, she's here now," Isabella said. The girls didn't say anything for the next few minutes while Rosa ate and warmed up until Isabella broke the silence, "Guess it's time to give gifts."
December 25, 2011 7:45 PM
Larissa laughed and grabbed her knife from the wood block. Isabella, Naomi, and the woman with the light cherry blonde hair all recoiled a bit, but not Gisella. "Ah, good ol' fashioned Knife Roulette, eh Larissa?" Gisella chuckled.
"This wouldn't happen to be anything like Russian Roulette, would it?" Isabella cautiously asked.
"No, it's really simple, mon. I just spin my knife, and whoever it lands on goes," Larissa explained. The other girls nodded and they formed a circle. Larissa placed her knife on the ground and spun it, the other girls anxious about who it would land on. The knife stopped and the girls followed the knife to Gisella.
"Okay, well, first, let me say I wasn't exepcting Naomi or Rosa here, so I'm sorry I dont have a gift for either of you," Gisella said, going to get the green box.
"It's alright," Rosa said, still huddling in the blanket.
"I understand," Naomi said, wondering what could be in the box.
"Also," Gisella added, setting the box at Larissa's lap, "This is from both Isabella and me."
"Oh, thanks, mon," Larissa said as she tore through the paper and opened the box. Her mouth fell agape as she looked inside. Tears began to form in her eyes as she gazed upon the gift she had been given.
"What is it?" Naomi asked as Larissa lifted up a beautiful gold and turquoise broach. It was shaped like a scarab and was no bigger than Larissa's own hand.
"This...this is...Ivanna's, mon," Larissa gulped and fought back tears.
"I'm a bit lost," Naomi said, "What's special about it?"
"This was a gift that Larissa had given Ivanna, but it was stolen by a crook and sold to a roaming pawn shop years ago. Turns out, that pawn shop had never been able to sell it to anyone because the person who sold it had been a crook. Once the owner realized that he had gotten a stolen item, he wouldn't sell it to anyone if they didn't have proof they owned it before. He scoured the country looking for the owner, setting shop up in all states around America, " Gisella explained.
"Wow, that's a good man," Naomi said.
"Ivanna had made that broach back in grade school, fashioned out of sea glass and gold painted copper wire. A photo I always keep in my wallet of Ivanna has her wearing the broach, which is why we got it back. I figured it was the best present we could give Larissa," Isabella said, tucking the photo back into her wallet after admiring it.
"Well, you two really then put my gift to shame, mon," Larissa said after the put the broach on her Santa outfit. She got up and headed towards the kitchen.
"Ooh! More of Larissa's cooking!" Gisella purred, despite her stomach not being able to hold any more.
Larissa returned with three massive jugs with a piece of paper attached to each and set them down in front of each of the girls except Rosa, "Naomi gave me the idea for this, mon," Larissa said as each of the girls inspected the jug before them. Rosa leaned over and looked at Gisella's. "I made you each your own drinks, custom made to based off you. The paper on the is so you can make your own."
Gisella was the first to try hers and had to quickly stop in order to breath. "Easy!" Isabella said, "A drink should be drank, not inhaled!"
"Sorry," Gisella chuckled, "but it's so good! Try yours!"
Isabella shrugged and tried her, frist slowly, then quickly trying to get as much as she could in one gulp. "Wow, that is good," she laughed. Naomi had the same result with hers, and Larissa had to swipe the jugs away from them to make sure they didn't drink all of their gift in one go.
"Easy there, mon. Try to atleast make your gifts last more than one night," Larissa chuckled, "I figured I'd leave the naming up to yous."
"Thanks Larissa. I think that will be my regular at the Five Point Dine, not that I have anything against your Caribbean Splash," Gisella said, eyeing up her jug. Larissa chuckled and turned to Naomi.
"I guess it's my turn," Naomi said, going and getting her gifts. She turned with a three small boxes and gave them to each of the girls, minus Rosa. "I know it's not much, but I hope you enjoy them."
Gisella gasped as she opened hers up, quickly clutching it to her chest. "An autographed picture of Lionel Messi!? He's my favorite soccer player and my idol! How did you get this!?"
"Turns out my aunt met him before he was as famous as he is now and got his signature. She said it really deserved to go to someone who truly idolized him," Naomi explained, watching Gisella's grin spread from ear to ear.
"Thanks Naomi."
"Well, ain't this fancy, mon," Larissa said, admiring her gift. She held up a large, stainless steel knife with a handle carved to resemble an owl head.
"I just thought, since you're always using that one knife, that you might want a secondary back up knife on hand," Naomi said, glancing over to Larissa's other kitchen knife laying on the floor.
"I'll probably keep using my original knife for cooking, mon," Larissa said, holding the knife up to the light, "But, this will make for a great ceremonial knife. Thanks, mon."
"Looks like I'll be using my gift a lot more than you will, Larissa," Isabella said, holding up a large quill pen, "This is quite fancy, Naomi. Thank you."
"Oh, you're welcome, all of you. I know it's probably a bit strange to give gifts like these to friends you've only known for less than a few months, but, hey, I'm that kind of strange." The girls all shared a laugh, except for Rosa. She sat their, awe struck by how strong the bonds of friendship was between these four.
"So, mon," Larissa said, turning her attention to Rosa, "I guess you got some sort of gift or something?"
"Yes, actually," Rosa said, "I wrote a song that I thought we could use for this round."
January 5, 2012
"...So watch your step around the shattered hearts." Gisella sang as Larissa finished up her part. The soft chords of the woman with the light cherry blonde hair's guitar softly faded out along side Gisella's bass guitar notes.
"And that's a wrap," Isabella said, ending the recording on the camera. She took the camera to the computer and began to upload the Bad Good Girl's latest song.
"Sorry that took so long to complete," Gisella said, stepping away from the microphone to cough rather harshly.
"It's alright, Gisella. It can't be helped," Isabella said, turning to the girls.
"Thanks. Those were...rather depressing lyrics, Rosa," Gisella said, "Any reason for that?"
"Why does there have to be a reason for it?" Rosa stammered. She put her guitar in its case and set it upright.
"Because you don't just write a song with depressing lyrics without inspiration, mon," Larissa said, twirling her drum sticks.
"Look, I don't need a reason to justify anything to you girls," Rosa replied defensively, "Besides, you two used a depressing song before."
"That's because Ivanna had died," Gisella responded, "Your song just seemed to come out of the blue!"
"It's supposed to be a heart-felt song that people who are down on their luck can relate to!" Rosa said, defending her song.
"Who's it really talking about, mon?" Larissa asked, leaning back on her wall.
"I...I don't need this and I don't need you! Any of you!" Rosa exclaimed. With that, she grabbed her guitar case and fled out the front door.
"Wait! Rosa!" Gisella called out, putting her bass guitar in its stand. She quickly ran after her while Larissa just sat at her drums.
"You aren't going after her?" Isabella asked after witnessing the scene before her.
"And why should I, mon? Just because I was nice to her at Christmas doesn't mean I have to keep being nice to her," Larissa said, looking down at Ivanna's broach, which she had clipped onto her shirt.
"Rosa!" Gisella called out after she had caught up to Rosa. Ivanna's jacket fluttered in the breeze while Gisella caught her breath.
"What do you want?" Rosa asked, scowling.
"I want to know what's wrong with you," Gisella said after she had caught her breath. She rubbed her bad leg and winced a bit in pain. Gisella thought she saw Rosa's expression turn to concern, but it quickly changed back to scowling.
"What's wrong with me!?" Rosa defensively asked, "What's wrong with you!?"
"Well excuse me, but I broke my leg three years ago and I have to wear this stupid thing for who knows how long!" Gisella replied with anger filling her voice. Rosa was a bit started by the ferocity in Gisella's voice, but didn't let it show.
"Look, I don't need you or your help! You got it!?" Rosa quickly shoved Gisella into a nearby snow bank and took off. Gisella grunted and watched Rosa take off, heavily breathing from the impact.
January 14, 2012
"Well, you girls definitely beat out the Nine Toed Ninjas," Naomi said, looking at her phone, "I guess it kind of helped no one really knew what they were saying."
"Yeah, that's really great," Gisella responded, drinking some Soccer Shocker, the drink that Larissa had made based of Gisella, "So glad that song managed to help us win this round.
"You see, mon," Larissa said, cutting up some beef, "I told you that light cherry blonde hair was bad news and that she's nothing but a jerk!"
"I know, I know, Larissa," Gisella said drinking more Soccer Shocker, "But we need her as part of the band if we're ever going to have a fighting chance."
"Looks like next you'll be going againts the Mute-ants," Naomi said, looking at her phone still.
"We don't need her as any part of our band, mon. We could do just fine without her!" Larissa said, chopping up some onions.
"I know, but, I really thought I'd be able to turn Rosa around," Gisella said, "It seemed like she was really starting to be different to us."
"Ugh, Tyrell's band is still dominating the competition," Naomi said.
"Would you shut up!?" Gisella exclaimed, breathing heavily. Both Larissa and Naomi stared at Gisella, since Gisella always managed to usually keep her cool. Gisella looked at Larissa, then to Naomi, then down at the counter. "I'm sorry Naomi."
"It's alright," Naomi hesitantly said, putting her phone in her pocket.
"No, it's not," Gisella said, coughing harshly before taking a drink of water that Larissa handed her, "I've just been under a lot of stress lately."
"Stress from what, mon?" Larissa asked, a little confused.
"Trying to deal with Rosa, juggling school work, and this," Gisella coughed a few more times, "horrible cough. I shouldn't be taking it out on you." Gisella breathed rather heavily before taking another drink of water.
"No, I understand," Naomi said, drinking some of her own drink that Larissa had made on Christmas, the Mexican Oasis, "If I was under that sort of stress, I would lash out at someone too."
"You should really go see a doctor about that cough, mon," Larissa said, but Gisella shook her head.
"I'm fine, really," Gisella said, "It's probably just a little something from when Rosa shoved me into the snow bank. It's no big deal."
"If you say so, mon," Larissa said, returning to the beef on her grill. She twirled her knife in her fingers and kissed the spine of it.
"Ugh, and things were going so well," Gisella muttered.
"Hey, you alright?" Gisella asked the girl with the light cherry blonde hair over the phone, "I haven't seen you since our performance three days ago."
"I've just been busy with things," Rosa stammered. Gisella could clearly hear the nervousness in Rosa's voice.
"Rosa, if you're still all caught up about missing your cues, it's alright. We still won anyways," Gisella said, trying to comfort the guitarist.
"I know," Rosa said, "Hmph, the lights were in my eyes and the crowd was too loud for me to hear when I hit any wrong notes."
"I'm sure that's what happened," Gisella teased. Rosa muttered on the other end of the line, but Gisella couldn't make out what she said.
"How many bands are left in the tournament?"
"I think Isabella said that there was only 64 bands remaining."
"Huh, wow. We're really getting close to the ending now, aren't we?"
"Yeah, we are... So, how are classes going for you, Rosa?"
There was a long pause before Rosa said anything. "Gisella," Rosa said, her voice a little hoarse, "Don't do this."
"Don't do what?" Gisella asked, a little cautious.
"Don't act like we're all good buddy chums, alright? We both know that we aren't and that the only reason you're bothering to talk to me is because you need another band mate."
Gisella coughed a few times before she could catch her breath. "What? No, that's not it!"
"It's not?"
"No... Well, not entirely," Gisella's voice got softer. "I thought that-"
"That what? That this band thing was about to change things between us?"
"Well," Gisella stammered, "I kind of hoped for that."
"Did you just expect me to just be able to change everything like that?" Gisella could hear Rosa snap her fingers together. "That things would be like how you would be able to just come over whenever you wanted?"
"Well, I wasn't thinking ab-"
"Did you think that we'd be sharing every little thing that goes on between us?"
"What? Rosa, you're talking irrationally now."
There was another long pause before Rosa picked up the phone again. "I have to go. Talk to me about when the next session is!" With that, Rosa hung up the phone. Gisella was a little confused, but shrugged. She put her phone in one of the inner pockets of Ivanna's jacket and laid down on her couch. Gisella looked up and stared at her white ceiling, utterly bored. Larissa was working on a school project and couldn't be disturbed and Isabella was out of town. She didn't have the number for Naomi either, nor had any idea where to find her.
The birds chirped outside calmly while a soft breeze brushed through the trees, knocking the snow off the branches. A few trucks passed through the streets, clearing the roads from the freshly laiden snow. The skies were clear, except for a few clouds that dotted the blue background.
Gisella sighed and closed her eyes. She coughed a few more times before catching her breath again. Just what is Rosa's problem?
December 22, 2011
"Yeesh, Christmas is in just three days, mon," Larissa complained, twirling her knife. She sweeped the remains of vegetables that had stuck to her grill into the trash and placed the trash can beneath her grill.
"I know. I'm just glad that I got all my Christmas shopping done back in November," Naomi said, taking a drink of Caribbean Splash.
"I've been trying to think of a good gift to get Gisella and Isabella, but I can't think of anything good, mon," Larissa said, scratching her chin, "I want to give them something really good to help cheer up their spirits after Ivanna's death, but I'm not sure what could."
"What do you think Larissa would want to get for Christmas?" Gisella asked, walking around the mall.
"I don't know. Maybe some new cooking utensils?" Isabella replied, but then laughed, "Never mind, that was stupid of me to suggest."
"Yeah," Gisella chuckled with her, "like Larissa needs anything besides that knife of hers."
"Seriously, what is up with that knife?" Isabella asked, "Never in my life have I seen any kind of kitchen utensil be able to take that much abuse and not have a single scratch on it."
"I don't even know what it's made of," Gisella said.
"Neither do I."
"I can't really say either, since I haven't known them for a long time like you have," Naomi pointed out.
"Yeah, that's true, mon." Larissa sighed and continued to chop away at vegetables. "Make I could cook them something really nice."
"Didn't you say you already have a Christmas dinner event at your house each year anyways?" Naomi asked, drinking more Caribbean Splash.
"Ugh, yeah, I do host that, mon," Larissa groaned, "Great, I'm going to show up empty handed. Isabella will probably give something her company's created lately and Gisella... Actually, I'm not to sure what Gisella will bring, but I'm sure it's better than anything I could come up with."
"Man, I bet Larissa's going to come up with some amazing gift for each of us and we're going to barely have something to present to her," Gisella said, still wandering the mall.
"We haven't found anything worthwhile to present to Larissa as a gift," Isabella complained.
"We're never going to find anything," Gisella said, putting her hands in Ivanna's jacket, "After all, there's not really anything that Larissa would want as a gift. She can basically cook anything and she doesn't even need anything. She can do nearly anything with that knife of hers."
"Yeah. What could we possibly get her?"
"Hmm, well, maybe for Gisella, you could do something soccer related for her? She does seem to wear that soccer jersey of hers nearly all the time from what I've seen," Naomi mentioned.
Larissa pondered and scratched her chin. "It's a good idea, mon, but I don't know what I could do. It's not like I can get some famous soccer player to sign something for her out here in Utah."
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe Isabella could get someone to?" Naomi suggested, but Larissa shook her head.
"Not likely with the season coming up, mon," Larissa pointed out, "No famous soccer player would be able to come up here, or be able to send something signed up in time."
"Darn," Naomi said, drinking more of her Caribbean Splash. She looked at the glass and got an idea. "Hey, what if you make a popular drink and name it after them? After all, you managed to make Caribbean Splash popular."
Larissa thought and twirled her knife in her fingers. "So, how much virgin rum do you think suits Gisella, mon?"
"Ugh, we've been at this mall for two hours now and have found nothing," Gisella complained. She held her head between her hands and rested her elbows on a table in the food court.
"I know," Isabella said, sitting across from Gisella, "There's been nothing in this entire mall we could possibly give to Larissa as a Christmas present."
Gisella sighed and looked around again. "Larissa isn't one to dress up or do anything like that, so both clothing and make-up are out of the option."
"And she doesn't need any kind of cooking utensils, so that's out."
"She already has the lastest album of her favorite band, so music's out."
"Larissa's not really a big book reader, so those are out."
"Ugh, what could we possibly get her?" Isabella asked, rubbing her temples, "What do you-? Gisella?" Isabella stopped when she saw that Gisella's eyes had widen up about something. Isabella turned around to follow Gisella's gaze and saw exactly what she was looking at.
"No way," Gisella whispered.
December 25, 2011 5:00 PM
"Hey, Merry Christmas, mon," Larissa said, twirling her knife in her fingers. She wore a red and white Santa hat while also wearing a warm Santa jacket.
"You always seem to out do yourself, don't you?" Gisella said, laughing. She set a box wrapped in green wrapping paper and a red bow on a table nearby and looked all over the display of food Larissa had set out. Gisella couldn't help but lick her lips at the sight of it all.
"You know, I've known you for years and probably will know you for years to come," Isabella said, hanging her jacket up, "and yet I will never understand how you manage to cook all this in a few days."
"Hey, a girl has to have her secrets, mon," Larissa chuckled. She continued to twirl her knife while the other two girls were nearly drooling over the buffet. "Hey now, don't you be digging in just yet."
"Oh, and why not?" Gisella asked in an almost dream like state. She was eyeing up the freshly made pecan pie and sighed.
"We're waiting for Naomi to join us, mon," Larissa said, shooing Isabella away from taking a large ham that was made this morning.
"Is she going to be long?" Isabella asked, also in a dream like state.
"She should only be a few minutes, mon," Larissa replied. The other girls sighed and took a seat at the table, sighing and leaning in to the symphony of smells. The scents of the glorious turkey and Persimmon pudding danced in the air, breezing past Isabella and Gisella's noses. Maashed potatoes and Larissa's personal recipe for Lefse teased the girls and they had to restrain themselves from devouring the food before them. A fireplace behind Larissa crackled softly as the flames licked away at the wood while a large Christmas tree sat off a few feet to the right in the corner.
"Ooh, why can't Naomi get here sooner?" Gisella whined. She hadn't eaten since breakfast so she could have more room for all of Larissa's cooking.
"Well, the roads are a little icy," Isabella mentioned, "So, it might be taking her a bit of time to get through safely."
"Don't you worry, mon. She should be here soon," Larissa said, taking her seat. She stabbed her knife into a block of oak wood next to her and leaned back.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Gisella quickly sprung up to get it, saying, "Finally Naomi!" She opened the door and in came Naomi, dressed in a thick winter jacket and a heavy layer of snow.
"Sheesh!" Isabella exclaimed, "How'd you get that much snow on you from the driveway to the door?"
"It wasn't from the driveway to the door," Naomi said, shivering. She placed three boxes down on the table with Gisella and Isabella's gifts and took of her wet boots. Isabella hopped up and brought Naomi close to the warm fire. "A blizzard started half an hour ago and my car got stranded. Don't worry, I parked it safely somewhere, but the roads are impassable. No one's going to be driving anywhere and you'd have to be really destined to go somewhere in this weather."
Larissa got her a thick blanket and led her away from the fire. She sat Naomi down at the seat closest to the fire and pour a warm glass of hot buttered rum. "Well, that fire will be nice, but if you really want warmed up, you got to warm from the inside out, mon."
"Thank you for inviting me," Naomi stammered from the cold and shivered as she held the glass. She took a large sig and sighed. "That's so nice and warm."
Larissa clapped her hands, stood up, and said the words that both Gisella and Isabella had been dying to hear.
"Time to eat, mon."
December 25, 2011 7:00 PM
"I. Am. Stuffed!" Isabella happily sighed, her stomach full of food and drinks, "It's been years since I've been able to come to one of your Christmas dinners, Larissa."
"Every year, the food always gets better by a miracle. I can't ever imagine the food getting better in any possible way, and yet it does," Gisella said, licking her lips, "My stomach says 'no more,' but my mouth wants it all."
Larissa laughed as she picked her teeth with a toothpick. "Glad you enjoyed it, mon. At least I never have to worry about leftovers," she said as she surveyed the table, "You girls always pick nearly everything clean." She looked over at Naomi, who still had an entire full plate next to her. "Something wrong, mon?"
"Huh? No, not at all. The food is lovely, Larissa," Naomi said, drinking some more of the hot buttered rum.
"Then why do you have an extra plate full of food?" Gisella asked, eyeing it up despite her stomach fighting against her eating more.
"Well, in my culture, food is an offering to the deceased at times. I just thought it'd be nice to have a plate as an offering to Ivanna," Naomi said, "I know I didn't know her like you girls did, but I feel that she did have a great impact on me." The other girls smiled as Larissa walked over to Naomi.
"Ivanna would have been proud to have a friend like you, mon," Larissa said, "Is there a special place to put the plate?"
"Usually we put it on an alter near the deceased's picture," Naomi said, looking around for a spot.
"Then I know the perfect spot," Isabella said. She walked over and picked up the plate. She walked over to the fire and placed it above the mantle, just below a framed picture of Ivanna, Gisella, and Larissa that was hanging on the wall.
"I'm sure Ivanna's smiling down on us all," Gisella said, admiring the make-shift alter. She walked over to the window and looked up at the sky, but all she could see was snow flying by the windows. "Naomi wasn't kidding when she said there was a blizzard that stranded her car... Huh?" Gisella stopped to look at what she thought she saw as a figure moving. "I think the snow is playing tricks on my eyes."
"No, I saw it too," Isabella said, watching out the same window as Gisella. They both saw a figure that appeared to be stumbling around in the cold. It was snowing too hard to see who it was, but they appeared to be approaching Larissa's house. Larissa saw the figure too and grabbed her knife, ready to deal with any threat. The figure stumbled a few feet before collapsing onto the ground.
"Hey! We have to help that person!" Gisella exclaimed, bolting for the door.
"Wait, we don't know who it is, mon!" Larissa responded, "It could be some maniac!"
"Who in their right mind would threaten you?" Isabella asked Larissa, heading to help Gisella. Naomi went to go help, but Larissa held her back.
"No, you go get that blanket you were wearing earlier, mon," Larissa commanded, still holding her knife. Naomi nodded while Isabella and Gisella brought the figure in. Larissa approached the figure and wiped the snow off, revealing a wool hat, a large winter jacket, and light cherry blonde hair.
December 25, 2011 7:30 PM
"I ain't happy about having her here, mon," Larissa said, bringing up some more firewood from her basement.
"Look, I know you aren't on the best of terms with her," Isabella gestured to the woman with the light cherry blonde hair, "but it's Christmas. The least you can do is be nice to her like any of us, alright?"
Larissa groaned while Naomi brought Rosa near the fire. Gisella handed a plate of food and some warm hot chocolate to Rosa and sat down next to her. "Thank you," Rosa said, shivering. She clutched the blanket around her tighter and drank some of the hot chocolate.
"So, the princess actually knows those words, mon?" Larissa said, placing the wood near the fire pit. Rosa tried to scowl at Larissa, but was too cold to turn her face away from the flames.
Isabella nudged Larissa in the side, whispering, "Hey! I said to be nice." Larissa huffed and took a seat from the table. "So, Rosa, why did you come here? You must have really wanted to come here to get through this weather."
Rosa shivered and clutched the blanket tighter. "I heard that Larissa always hosted a Christmas dinner every year," Rosa stuttered, "I wanted to see it."
"What's stopped you from coming before?" Gisella asked, curious about Rosa's motives, "You could have come any other year."
"Well, I didn't have any reason to come before," Rosa made out between her chattering teeth. She ate some of the ham on the plate and drank some more hot chocolate. "This food is really good, Larissa."
"I know it is, mon," Larissa sternly said, "You listen, you little princess. If you came here just to ruin our good times, I will not hestitate to send you out into that blizzard. You got it?" Rosa nodded and continued to eat.
"Come on, I'm sure she's not so hell-bent on making our lives miserable that she would have tormented herself through that blizzard," Gisella said.
"Well, whatever the reason, she's here now," Isabella said. The girls didn't say anything for the next few minutes while Rosa ate and warmed up until Isabella broke the silence, "Guess it's time to give gifts."
December 25, 2011 7:45 PM
Larissa laughed and grabbed her knife from the wood block. Isabella, Naomi, and the woman with the light cherry blonde hair all recoiled a bit, but not Gisella. "Ah, good ol' fashioned Knife Roulette, eh Larissa?" Gisella chuckled.
"This wouldn't happen to be anything like Russian Roulette, would it?" Isabella cautiously asked.
"No, it's really simple, mon. I just spin my knife, and whoever it lands on goes," Larissa explained. The other girls nodded and they formed a circle. Larissa placed her knife on the ground and spun it, the other girls anxious about who it would land on. The knife stopped and the girls followed the knife to Gisella.
"Okay, well, first, let me say I wasn't exepcting Naomi or Rosa here, so I'm sorry I dont have a gift for either of you," Gisella said, going to get the green box.
"It's alright," Rosa said, still huddling in the blanket.
"I understand," Naomi said, wondering what could be in the box.
"Also," Gisella added, setting the box at Larissa's lap, "This is from both Isabella and me."
"Oh, thanks, mon," Larissa said as she tore through the paper and opened the box. Her mouth fell agape as she looked inside. Tears began to form in her eyes as she gazed upon the gift she had been given.
"What is it?" Naomi asked as Larissa lifted up a beautiful gold and turquoise broach. It was shaped like a scarab and was no bigger than Larissa's own hand.
"This...this is...Ivanna's, mon," Larissa gulped and fought back tears.
"I'm a bit lost," Naomi said, "What's special about it?"
"This was a gift that Larissa had given Ivanna, but it was stolen by a crook and sold to a roaming pawn shop years ago. Turns out, that pawn shop had never been able to sell it to anyone because the person who sold it had been a crook. Once the owner realized that he had gotten a stolen item, he wouldn't sell it to anyone if they didn't have proof they owned it before. He scoured the country looking for the owner, setting shop up in all states around America, " Gisella explained.
"Wow, that's a good man," Naomi said.
"Ivanna had made that broach back in grade school, fashioned out of sea glass and gold painted copper wire. A photo I always keep in my wallet of Ivanna has her wearing the broach, which is why we got it back. I figured it was the best present we could give Larissa," Isabella said, tucking the photo back into her wallet after admiring it.
"Well, you two really then put my gift to shame, mon," Larissa said after the put the broach on her Santa outfit. She got up and headed towards the kitchen.
"Ooh! More of Larissa's cooking!" Gisella purred, despite her stomach not being able to hold any more.
Larissa returned with three massive jugs with a piece of paper attached to each and set them down in front of each of the girls except Rosa, "Naomi gave me the idea for this, mon," Larissa said as each of the girls inspected the jug before them. Rosa leaned over and looked at Gisella's. "I made you each your own drinks, custom made to based off you. The paper on the is so you can make your own."
Gisella was the first to try hers and had to quickly stop in order to breath. "Easy!" Isabella said, "A drink should be drank, not inhaled!"
"Sorry," Gisella chuckled, "but it's so good! Try yours!"
Isabella shrugged and tried her, frist slowly, then quickly trying to get as much as she could in one gulp. "Wow, that is good," she laughed. Naomi had the same result with hers, and Larissa had to swipe the jugs away from them to make sure they didn't drink all of their gift in one go.
"Easy there, mon. Try to atleast make your gifts last more than one night," Larissa chuckled, "I figured I'd leave the naming up to yous."
"Thanks Larissa. I think that will be my regular at the Five Point Dine, not that I have anything against your Caribbean Splash," Gisella said, eyeing up her jug. Larissa chuckled and turned to Naomi.
"I guess it's my turn," Naomi said, going and getting her gifts. She turned with a three small boxes and gave them to each of the girls, minus Rosa. "I know it's not much, but I hope you enjoy them."
Gisella gasped as she opened hers up, quickly clutching it to her chest. "An autographed picture of Lionel Messi!? He's my favorite soccer player and my idol! How did you get this!?"
"Turns out my aunt met him before he was as famous as he is now and got his signature. She said it really deserved to go to someone who truly idolized him," Naomi explained, watching Gisella's grin spread from ear to ear.
"Thanks Naomi."
"Well, ain't this fancy, mon," Larissa said, admiring her gift. She held up a large, stainless steel knife with a handle carved to resemble an owl head.
"I just thought, since you're always using that one knife, that you might want a secondary back up knife on hand," Naomi said, glancing over to Larissa's other kitchen knife laying on the floor.
"I'll probably keep using my original knife for cooking, mon," Larissa said, holding the knife up to the light, "But, this will make for a great ceremonial knife. Thanks, mon."
"Looks like I'll be using my gift a lot more than you will, Larissa," Isabella said, holding up a large quill pen, "This is quite fancy, Naomi. Thank you."
"Oh, you're welcome, all of you. I know it's probably a bit strange to give gifts like these to friends you've only known for less than a few months, but, hey, I'm that kind of strange." The girls all shared a laugh, except for Rosa. She sat their, awe struck by how strong the bonds of friendship was between these four.
"So, mon," Larissa said, turning her attention to Rosa, "I guess you got some sort of gift or something?"
"Yes, actually," Rosa said, "I wrote a song that I thought we could use for this round."
January 5, 2012
"...So watch your step around the shattered hearts." Gisella sang as Larissa finished up her part. The soft chords of the woman with the light cherry blonde hair's guitar softly faded out along side Gisella's bass guitar notes.
"And that's a wrap," Isabella said, ending the recording on the camera. She took the camera to the computer and began to upload the Bad Good Girl's latest song.
"Sorry that took so long to complete," Gisella said, stepping away from the microphone to cough rather harshly.
"It's alright, Gisella. It can't be helped," Isabella said, turning to the girls.
"Thanks. Those were...rather depressing lyrics, Rosa," Gisella said, "Any reason for that?"
"Why does there have to be a reason for it?" Rosa stammered. She put her guitar in its case and set it upright.
"Because you don't just write a song with depressing lyrics without inspiration, mon," Larissa said, twirling her drum sticks.
"Look, I don't need a reason to justify anything to you girls," Rosa replied defensively, "Besides, you two used a depressing song before."
"That's because Ivanna had died," Gisella responded, "Your song just seemed to come out of the blue!"
"It's supposed to be a heart-felt song that people who are down on their luck can relate to!" Rosa said, defending her song.
"Who's it really talking about, mon?" Larissa asked, leaning back on her wall.
"I...I don't need this and I don't need you! Any of you!" Rosa exclaimed. With that, she grabbed her guitar case and fled out the front door.
"Wait! Rosa!" Gisella called out, putting her bass guitar in its stand. She quickly ran after her while Larissa just sat at her drums.
"You aren't going after her?" Isabella asked after witnessing the scene before her.
"And why should I, mon? Just because I was nice to her at Christmas doesn't mean I have to keep being nice to her," Larissa said, looking down at Ivanna's broach, which she had clipped onto her shirt.
"Rosa!" Gisella called out after she had caught up to Rosa. Ivanna's jacket fluttered in the breeze while Gisella caught her breath.
"What do you want?" Rosa asked, scowling.
"I want to know what's wrong with you," Gisella said after she had caught her breath. She rubbed her bad leg and winced a bit in pain. Gisella thought she saw Rosa's expression turn to concern, but it quickly changed back to scowling.
"What's wrong with me!?" Rosa defensively asked, "What's wrong with you!?"
"Well excuse me, but I broke my leg three years ago and I have to wear this stupid thing for who knows how long!" Gisella replied with anger filling her voice. Rosa was a bit started by the ferocity in Gisella's voice, but didn't let it show.
"Look, I don't need you or your help! You got it!?" Rosa quickly shoved Gisella into a nearby snow bank and took off. Gisella grunted and watched Rosa take off, heavily breathing from the impact.
January 14, 2012
"Well, you girls definitely beat out the Nine Toed Ninjas," Naomi said, looking at her phone, "I guess it kind of helped no one really knew what they were saying."
"Yeah, that's really great," Gisella responded, drinking some Soccer Shocker, the drink that Larissa had made based of Gisella, "So glad that song managed to help us win this round.
"You see, mon," Larissa said, cutting up some beef, "I told you that light cherry blonde hair was bad news and that she's nothing but a jerk!"
"I know, I know, Larissa," Gisella said drinking more Soccer Shocker, "But we need her as part of the band if we're ever going to have a fighting chance."
"Looks like next you'll be going againts the Mute-ants," Naomi said, looking at her phone still.
"We don't need her as any part of our band, mon. We could do just fine without her!" Larissa said, chopping up some onions.
"I know, but, I really thought I'd be able to turn Rosa around," Gisella said, "It seemed like she was really starting to be different to us."
"Ugh, Tyrell's band is still dominating the competition," Naomi said.
"Would you shut up!?" Gisella exclaimed, breathing heavily. Both Larissa and Naomi stared at Gisella, since Gisella always managed to usually keep her cool. Gisella looked at Larissa, then to Naomi, then down at the counter. "I'm sorry Naomi."
"It's alright," Naomi hesitantly said, putting her phone in her pocket.
"No, it's not," Gisella said, coughing harshly before taking a drink of water that Larissa handed her, "I've just been under a lot of stress lately."
"Stress from what, mon?" Larissa asked, a little confused.
"Trying to deal with Rosa, juggling school work, and this," Gisella coughed a few more times, "horrible cough. I shouldn't be taking it out on you." Gisella breathed rather heavily before taking another drink of water.
"No, I understand," Naomi said, drinking some of her own drink that Larissa had made on Christmas, the Mexican Oasis, "If I was under that sort of stress, I would lash out at someone too."
"You should really go see a doctor about that cough, mon," Larissa said, but Gisella shook her head.
"I'm fine, really," Gisella said, "It's probably just a little something from when Rosa shoved me into the snow bank. It's no big deal."
"If you say so, mon," Larissa said, returning to the beef on her grill. She twirled her knife in her fingers and kissed the spine of it.
"Ugh, and things were going so well," Gisella muttered.