"Um, what do I ..."

"Hi, Santa!" Ms. Javorsky blurted out. "I'm so happy to meet you!"

"Uh, ho ho ho! What would you like this year?"

"Well, a Porsche would be nice," Ms. Javorsky replied with a grin.

"I'll have a little trouble getting that down the chimney," I said, stroking the beard. "How about some socks?"

Ms. Javorsky burst out laughing. "Perfect!"

"Really?" I said. "That’s all I need to do?" With a big grin, she held out her hand.

"Welcome to Bellair's, Santa!" That did it. I was psyched. Bellair's was

going to get the best Santa Claus they'd ever

seen!

Chapter 4.

Mallory.

It started out so innocently.

I was at Ben Hobart's house that Saturday. Ben's sort of my boyfriend. I mean, we don't exactly call each other boyfriend and girlfriend (I'm not sure why). But we do hang out and go to school dances together. And you know what? I even turned down a date with a really cute fifteen-year-old guy this past summer because of Ben.

If that's not boyfriend and girlfriend, I don't know what is.

Ben has a medium-size family. Well, to me it's medium. You might think otherwise. He has three younger brothers: James is eight, Mathew six, and Johnny four. All the Hobart boys have reddish-blond hair, round faces, and freckles.

You know what the cutest thing about them is? Their accents. They were born in Australia, and they say things like "hoi" for hi, "g'die" for good day, and "jumper" for sweater. Ben calls me "Mel-ry."

Anyway, we weren't doing anything special, just talking in the kitchen. Mr. Hobart was in the basement repairing something, Mrs. Hobart had gone off to do some errands, and Ben's brothers were running in and out of the house.

It was cloudy and pretty warm for a winter day. Even from the kitchen, I could hear neighborhood kids playing outside.

"Ben and Mel-ry sitting in a tree ..." James sang as he darted out the rec room and toward the back door.