“I like yours too,” I told her. “What did you make?”
“Butterfry,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Very nice,” I laughed.
“Your dog very nice too,” she grinned.
I looked down at my supposed plant and squinted, trying to picture a dog. Before I could ponder too long she smashed her “butterfry” on my “dog” and squeezed all the clay together.
“No more,” she shrugged.
“Guess not.”
She grabbed my finger again and ran to the reading station, where she pulled out all the princess books she could find. I was to read them all to her.
She listened intently as I read countless accounts of happily-ever-after to her. A couple other kids huddled around after every story and pretty soon I had the entire ground of toddlers listening to the stories and nodding off the sleep.
By the end of the eighth book the last munchkin had drifted off to sleep and the other adults silently applauded my job well done.
“You drugged all the kids,” Fox commented with disapproval, shaking his head as he leaned against the wide doorframe of the playroom with his arms crossed.
“Don’t judge my methods,” I replied, leaning on the opposite side of the doorway.
He smirked. “How was the ultrasound? Nina came back and I could’ve sworn she was ready to cry her whole weight in tears.”
I winced. “Well, she’s having a boy.”
“She’s scared?” he asked quietly.
“Oh, absolutely. She tries to hide it, but nobody is that strong,” I sighed. “The doctor brought up the father, and that subject quickly passed by. But I could tell it bothered her, and so I brought it back up and she froze up.”
“And you call me nosey,” he murmured.
I disregarded that statement. “She didn’t have too much time for men in her life, she was always at the RCC. And she basically admitted that she let him go, ‘cause he got some big promotion and she didn’t want to hold him back or, and I quote, ‘trap him’ with her and the baby.”
“Wow,” Fox managed, narrowing his eyes. “Why do women do that? Make decisions that they think are best for everyone?”
“Why do men do that?” I countered, “Just give up and leave? Make women believe they’ve moved on and make them feel completely unwanted?”
A sly smile crept onto his face as he shook his head again and kicked off the doorframe. He went over to the pile of munchkins and gently lifted Holly. She woke up briefly before nestling into his neck and dropping her chubby little arms in sleepy defeat.
“You’re sure she didn’t have some kind of guy friends? She didn’t go out on dates?”
“Pretty sure,” I nodded.
He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip for a moment. “Do you think she had anything going on with someone from the center?”
“Unless you or I got her pregnant, I don’t thin–”
“Carlos Menendez,” Fox interrupted.
I gasped at the idea and how much sense it made.
“Oh my God...” I ran a hand through my hair and started piecing things together.
“Yeah,” he nodded, readjusting Holly on his shoulder. “Knowing you and your mediator ways, you’ll probably go and try to talk to him, huh?”
“I really shouldn’t… but you know me too well, friend,” I said, a bit unsure of what I was going to do or how. “I don’t know where he lives.”
“Not yet, you don’t,” he said, heading for the door.
“What?”
“Goodnight, friend,” he chuckled.
His ability to shut me up with a few simple words had me powerless.
Chapter 28
The next morning I woke up to a shining ray of light beaming through my window – literally. I sat up reluctantly and peered out the window with squinty eyes to find a foot of fresh snow blanketing the ground. Despite all signs pointing to no school, I had to be sure.
I kept my eyes closed and blindly felt around for the wall and the banister to my rickety stairs. It was imperative to retain as much of my sleepiness as possible.
I made my way to the living room, which was thankfully dark. My father had closed all the curtains in his efforts to live a nocturnal life.
I turned on the TV to the news channel and muted the volume. Since the cancelation listings were on the letter K I closed my eyes are laid down on the carpet for a bit. Every couple seconds I’d find that the listings were progressively moving down the alphabet.
I sat up again when they hit letter C, hoping not too many schools in Connecticut started with the letters that followed and my school would come up soon. I would run up to my room and back to bed, which with any luck was still warm.
Hartford School of Arts: Closed.
I smiled sleepily and wobbled back up to my bed. The incredible feeling of returning to such a glorious place was indescribable. I buried myself beneath the covers and curled up in utter satisfaction.
A familiar, generic ringtone went off in my room, and I was immediately pulled away from the slumber I had so desperately tried to cling to.
“OH MY FUC-hello?” I asked when I finally found my phone and lifted my face from my pillow.
“Good morning, friend,” an all too familiar voice greeted at the other end.
“Why the hell are you calling me?” I groaned, face-planting into my pillow again.
“I take it someone’s not a morning person, huh?”
“I take it someone’s not a nuh-nuh-nuh?” I mimicked into the pillow. When I heard laughter on the other end I turned my face and said audibly: “Cut to the chase, before I hang up.”
“Dress warm, we’re going on a trip,” Fox stated. “Bring a snowsuit.”
“Hmm?” I murmured, “I could’ve sworn you just told me to get out of be–”
“See you in twenty, friend,” he said cheerily before he hung up.
Muttering a slew of curses I set my phone next to me and resumed my position in bed. It took a couple moments before I registered what had actually been said.
“D’aww shit,” I whined, dragging myself out of bed and going to brush my teeth and fix up my face.
I ended up braiding my hair into two short braids and wearing a striped hat with a little blue pom-pom on top. I put on a black tank and a thick grey pullover, along with some skinny jeans and black sweats. I heard the car honking outside as I slipped on some thick socks and snow boots and grabbed my suit.
“You SUCK,” I growled, opening the passenger door and climbing into Fox’s truck. How many cars does he have?
“Yeah, well, who wants to sleep in on a snow day?” Fox asked, turning up the radio to tune out my protests.
I immediately turned it down and turned to see who else was in the car. Nick and Lily sat there, looking at me sheepishly as I took in how close they were sitting.
“Hey,” I said, testing the waters.
“Hey,” they returned.
“You never called me,” I mouthed to Lily, who blushed and closed her eyes.
I turned to face Fox again, who was trying to conceal his smile as well.
“Where are we going?” I asked, leaning back and taking in the frosted bare branches of the trees on either side of the highway.
“You’ll see,” Fox responded.
I waited for further commentary, but it never came.
“Better be worth getting me out of bed at six in the morning,” I murmured with a yawn, leaning my head against the window and closing my tired eyes.
I heard Fox smirk. “You won’t do shit, Em.”
He was so right.
When I awoke, we were facing a giant snow-covered mountain. At the top little ants were skiing down the slopes.
“Uhh, guys?”
Everyone stopped and looked at me.
“I can’t ski,” I admitted.
Nick smirked. Fox narrowed his eyes. Lily just stared at Nick.
“Don’t suppose you snowboard, either…” Fox commented.
&nbs
p; “Nahh, but that’d be pretty badass, wouldn’t it?” I sighed, leaning against the car. “So what now?”
“Now, Nick and Lily take the ski lift to the top of the mountain and ski back down,” Fox stated, motioning for the pair to go on.
“While we sip hot chocolate and nap in the car?” I suggested hopefully.
“Close,” he grinned. “We’re taking the bunny slope.”
“Evans,” I whined.
“Price,” he whined back, “You’re not going last-name basis on me. And you gotta learn somehow.”
“I can’t break a leg,” I protested as he gave me a white snowboard and took a black one for himself from the trunk. “I’m grounded – I’m not even supposed to be out.” I realized what I had just said and cursed.
“Woah, woah,” Fox laughed, pulling me towards the little hill where small children were skiing. “Nobody’s breaking anything. You’re breaking the rules, Em? Good for you.”
“Why do I have a snowboard?” I questioned as he placed it on the ground and strapped it on for me.
“’Cause you want to be badass.”
“I don’t recall saying that.”
“Subconsciously you want to be badass. So you’re welcome.”
He strapped himself in and then pushed me forward. I went a couple feet and fell on my ass.
“What the he–”
“Language!” he whispered, pointing at the little kids.
“Violence!” I whispered back, getting up and rubbing my bum. “My butt hurts.” It was weird going all PG and substituting ‘butt’ for ‘ass’.
“I was merely allowing you to test your momentum before you go down this slope,” he shrugged staring down the hill.
“Who says I’m going down there?” I laughed.
He gave me a push and off I went, resisting the urge to curse his name as I swayed forward and backward the fifteen feet down. As I tried to slow down I ended up falling again.
Fox smoothly slid down the slope and joined me, offering me a hand as I struggled. I got up on my own, stubbornly and with difficulty.
“I dislike you,” I muttered, walking back up the slope. I was determined to master the bunny within the hour.
An instructor actually ended up stopping by to help me out. And a hot one, at that.
Around noon time Nick, Lily, Fox, and I all took a break and sipped some hot chocolate. We were all red in the face and extremely funny looking.
“Guys, I’m sore.”
“Is that so?” Fox smirked.
“Oh, not this again. I thought your dirty days were over,” Lily laughed.
“What gave you that idea?” Nick quipped. “Fox’ll be Fox.”
“And Emery will be Emery,” Fox stated. “Always whining and nagging.”
“Not always,” I said in my defense. “I pretty much stopped after I started getting the hang of snowboarding.”
“You mean, when Brian came over and helped you down the bunny slope a dozen times,” he corrected.
“Um, no, I would’ve been fine without Ryan’s help. I liked looking at him, though; he was definitely a good looking helper.”
“Guys,” Nick interjected with a laugh. “Um, before this lovers spat gets too out of control, I’d like to point out that Lily and I are taking the slopes a few more times. Feel free to join us.”
“Ha ha, Nick, very funny,” I smiled sardonically.
“Yeah, like Emery would actually join you guys down that mountain,” Fox joined in, grinning at my reaction to his comment.
I raised my brow at him. “Watch me.”
“Ryan won’t be up there to help you,” he joked as I stood up.
“Good. He can congratulate me at the bottom, then,” I said haughtily, grabbing my board and marching through the snow to the ski lift.
Fox ran after me. I smiled smugly as he chased me to the lift and took a seat next to me. Our seat rocked back and forth as we ascended, and I took a few deep breaths as I watched dozens of maniacs ski and snowboard down the slope.
Definitely not the bunny slope anymore… this is full on Jackrabbit.
“Emery, no offense, but I don’t think you’re ready for this kind of slope,” Fox said. He must’ve been studying my worried expression.
“Oh, so now you’re not testing me?” I smirked, looking around. “Must be ‘cause there’s no audience, huh?”
He tilted his head back and scowled. My pulse was erratic.
“Emery, you really shouldn’t– I’m sorr–”
Too late. I was off.
“Fuck,” I heard him hiss as he raced to catch up with me. I tried not to freak out as the full view of the slope opened up before me, and I saw the full extent of the mountain.
I had to stay off my ass for quite some time…
The board wobbled beneath my feet as I looked down for a split second. I focused extremely hard on my balance. My goggles were getting foggy but I could still make out the general shapes of skiers passing me by. I held my hands out, hoping it’d help me. I looked stupid, that was a given… but I’d rather look stupid than break my neck.
“Your stubborn ass is gonna get you killed!” Fox yelled, coming up next to me. I was completely caught off guard, and swayed forward and back multiple times.
“Your stupid ass is gonna get me killed!” I corrected, hating how that got a smirk out of him. Or maybe, I was just hating myself for loving how that got a smirk out of him…
“We’re almost done,” Fox promised, speeding up and shifting to the left of the slope to a small ramp where he – what’s the lingo? – ‘got some serious air’.
I was convinced there was nothing he couldn’t do.
We neared the bottom of the slope, and while I was thankful to be alive… my knees were shaking as a thought hit me: how in the hell was I going to stop?
“Em, slow down,” Fox warned, coming up behind me.
“I would if I knew how,” I yelled back.
The lodge where we’d grabbed hot chocolate was right in our path, and we were getting dangerously close. I really didn’t want to hurt myself and try to stop at such a high speed.
“Close your eyes,” Fox said.
Before I could think twice he clipped my board with his and fell right on top of me. I face-planted into the snow; got crushed by his weight.
He grunted, pushing off of me and helping me flip over onto my back.
“You okay?” he asked, checking my hands. “Anything hurt? Fingers broken?”
White is for Virgins Page 29
