Frostbitten

by Heather Beck

  “I’d love to hear them,” Anastasia pried gently.

  “I have been working on something new.” Looking somewhat shy but still keeping his gaze on Anastasia, Frost began to sing in a low, husky voice:

  As if by chance

  It only took one glance

  Girl with green eyes, let’s not say our goodbyes

  I know life’s rough

  But I feel you’re tough

  Wish you could see, how good you look to me

  Then all your tears

  And even all those fears

  Will disappear, forever far from here

  Silence fell over the woods once Frost had finished singing, and his cheeks flushed a pale shade of red. “I know it’s not perfect, and I swear I play the guitar better than I write.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Anastasia whispered, deeply touched by the sentiment of Frost’s lyrics.

  “The inspiration just sort of hit me,” Frost whispered back.

  Swept up in the moment, Anastasia’s pulse quickened, and ever so slowly, she leaned in closer.

  “The assembly will be over soon,” Frost pointed out, standing up abruptly. In one swift move, he poured the rest of the mix onto the pond for the ducks.

  “Um, sure,” Anastasia replied, feeling a little rejected and confused.

  As they began to walk back to the school, Anastasia thought about the mixed signals Frost was giving her. He was interested in her – the song certainly proved that much – but there seemed to be something holding him back. Not wanting to consider the hurtful possibility that she liked him more than he liked her, she concluded that he didn’t have much experience with girls or was even just shy.

  “I really like spending time with you,” Frost said, as if he could sense her worries, “and I think you won the ducks over, too.”

  “Then we’ll have to do it again,” Anastasia said.

  “Definitely.”

  When they reached the school, Frost opened the door, allowing Anastasia to enter first. As soon as she walked into the school, she collided with another student who’d been on her way to exit. Although they’d hit into each other hard, Anastasia was more concerned about who was standing in front of her rather than her pain.

  “Chloe,” Anastasia gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  Chloe was silent as she looked at Anastasia and Frost, her expression of surprise very much apparent. “I was starting to worry about you,” she answered, regaining her composure. “I hadn’t heard from you since the morning, and when I couldn’t find you at the assembly, I thought maybe you’d gone outside to get away from everyone.”

  “That’s so sweet, but I’m fine.”

  “I can see that,” Chloe muttered, her eyes averting to Frost for a second. “Anyway, are you ready to go home?”

  “Yeah,” Anastasia replied, before casting Frost a small smile as if to say goodbye.

  As Anastasia and Chloe walked away, the hallway began to fill with noisy students, who were eager to leave school for the day. However, a silence hung over the two girls, neither of them willing to discuss what had just happened. But even without words, Chloe’s feelings were crystal clear – she wholeheartedly disapproved of Anastasia’s new relationship.

  * * *

  It was six o’clock on Friday night as Anastasia and Chloe drove to Kate’s house. They were going to her sleepover, and Anastasia wasn’t dreading it as much as she would’ve thought. In fact, she was looking forward to spending time with Marissa. Although Anastasia had only seen Marissa once in the last three days, she’d been very kind and told her not to worry about the rumors because they would soon pass. As for Kate, Anastasia hadn’t seen her at all, and she was fine with that. She’d pretend to like her for Chloe’s sake, but that would be the extent of Anastasia’s relationship with Kate. She just didn’t want or need any more fake friends.

  “Kate’s house isn’t much further,” Chloe said, coming to a stop at the street sign and then making a left turn.

  “Do you guys hang out there a lot?” Anastasia asked, wondering just how close Chloe and Marissa were to Kate.

  “Whenever we have the chance,” Chloe admitted. “I’m always hounding Kate to have more parties. You’ll understand why when we get there.”

  As they neared Kate’s house, the roads began to look familiar. It didn’t take Anastasia long to realize that these were the roads where she’d become lost. That meant Kate’s house was close to Frost’s. However, it was hard to believe that any other family lived nearby as Kate’s brightly-lit multi-million dollar house came into view. Their immaculately kept property was likely several acres and there wasn’t a single neighbor in sight. Anastasia’s suspicion that Kate came from Cedar Falls’ wealthiest family was instantly confirmed.

  “You can close your mouth now,” Chloe joked as she stopped her car on the flagstone driveway that was free of snow, probably due to the labor of a groundskeeper. “It’s a nice place, huh? Just wait until you see inside.”

  Anastasia tried to suppress her jealousy as they walked toward Kate’s decorative glass front door. She wasn’t usually obsessed with material items, but it was hard to see someone she didn’t particularly like have so much, especially when her financial situation had never been good.

  Exactly three seconds after ringing the whimsical-sounding bell, Kate opened the door. “Welcome to my house,” she greeted with an air of superiority. “Come in.”

  Unsurprisingly, the interior of the house was as grand as the exterior, but Anastasia pretended not to notice. “Thanks for inviting me,” she said diplomatically.

  “It was her idea,” Kate commented, while wrapping her arms around Chloe’s shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. “Isn’t she the sweetest?”

  “Totally,” Anastasia replied sarcastically, analyzing how Kate appeared almost desperate to be in control. It was like she viewed Anastasia as a threat, but that couldn’t possibly be true. The only person Anastasia had ever been a threat to was herself.

  “Is Marissa here?” Chloe asked as she awkwardly broke from Kate’s embrace.

  “She’s picking up the pizza,” Kate answered with a roll of her eyes. “I told her delivery is the only way to order fast food, but she wouldn’t listen. She has a crush on one of the pizza boys, though, so I guess she’s hoping he’ll ask her out. It’s kind of pathetic, huh?” Quickly, Kate turned to Anastasia. “So, have you had any luck with the Cedar Falls hotties?”

  “Not at all,” Anastasia lied. The truth was she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Frost. Every day he would leave sweet notes in her locker to express his growing affection for her. This had given Anastasia something to look forward to, making school a much more pleasant experience.

  “Odd,” Kate muttered in a leading tone of voice. “Anyway, did you guys hear about the fiasco at Dale’s Diner a few days ago? Supposedly, Frost totally lost it for no apparent reason and began destroying the place.”

  “That’s not what happened,” Anastasia corrected Kate, deeply annoyed that yet another false rumor was being spread. It was a perfect example of how easily a situation could be misconstrued, and she was getting more than a little sick of this reoccurrence.

  “How would you know?” Kate pried, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “We were getting breakfast there and saw the whole thing,” Chloe intervened. “Honestly, it wasn’t a big deal.”

  Kate said nothing else about the matter, but from the way she studied Anastasia, it was obvious that her curiosity had been piqued. She stood a little taller and with her hands on her hips, as if trying to put Anastasia in her place. Instinctively, Anastasia straightened her posture and looked right back at her. It was definitely a passive-aggressive staring contest, even though Anastasia had no idea what had prompted it.

  The doorbell rang again, breaking the silence. Reluctantly, Kate shifted from her self-dignified pose to answer the door. On the other side stood Marissa, who had a friendly smile on her face and a large box of
pizza in her hands.

  “Let’s get this party started,” Marissa said excitedly as she stepped inside.

  Unintentionally, Anastasia raised her eyebrows, hardly considering their small gathering to be a party. If these girls could see some of the parties she’d been to in Toronto, they’d be shocked. Not that she wanted to relive those nights. In fact, Anastasia was more than happy with a quiet, uneventful sleepover.

  For the next hour, the girls sat in Kate’s luxurious living room, while chatting, eating pizza and enjoying the upbeat music coming from the super expensive sound system. Anastasia was having a great time catching up with Chloe and getting to know Marissa. Chloe had so many funny stories to share, and Marissa’s sweet and charming personality made it impossible not to like her. Unfortunately, Kate was being more unfriendly than ever; she’d hardly said anything since Marissa arrived, but no one seemed to notice far less care. Against her will, Anastasia felt bad for Kate, sensing that she was being used for her money and popularity.

  “So, how about a round of never have I ever, girls?” Marissa asked with a mischievous smile, interrupting Anastasia’s thoughts.

  “Never have I ever?” Anastasia repeated, while furrowing her brow.

  “Don’t make that expression, honey,” Kate advised in a condescending manner. “You’ll get premature wrinkles.” She paused slightly before adding, “Never have I ever is a game. You say you’ve never done something even though it’s a lie.”

  “I’ll go first,” Marissa said eagerly. “Never have I ever been asked out by a hot pizza boy!”

  “That’s great!” Anastasia said, sincerely happy for her new friend. “What’s his name?”

  “Mitch,” Marissa replied with a wide smile. “While I was waiting for the pizza, we started to talk and that’s when he asked me to go to a movie tomorrow night.”

  “Great!” Kate said mockingly. “Now you two can get matching initial accessories!”

  “What are you talking about?” Marissa demanded, obviously hurt.

  “You can do so much better than some pizza boy.”

  “You don’t even know him!”

  “Let’s keep it that way,” Kate snapped.

  Any sympathy Anastasia had felt for Kate instantly disappeared. She was rude, conceited and didn’t care about other people’s feelings. It was no wonder that even her friends didn’t like her – she was such a bitch.

  “It’s my turn,” Kate continued, staring straight at Anastasia. “Never have I ever seen Anastasia and Frost meeting secretly behind the school and acting very friendly.”

  Anastasia’s face flushed. How the hell did Kate know about that? One look at Chloe’s surprised expression assured her that she’d said nothing about the matter.

  “Seriously?” Marissa asked with wide eyes, apparently forgetting how upset she was with Kate. “What’s it like to talk to him?”

  “You’ve never talked to Frost, like ever?” Anastasia asked in shock, realizing that the segregation in Cedar Falls was worse than she’d initially thought.

  “Of course not,” Kate replied for Marissa, “but that doesn’t mean we’re not curious. After all, every town needs a freak, and I’m starting to wonder just how weird Frost really is.”

  “He may be different but that doesn’t make him weird,” Anastasia argued, trying to control her anger.

  “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Kate said in her signature leading tone of voice. “Perhaps we should pay Frost a visit and see what he’s like when he thinks no one is watching. It’s the only way to reveal someone’s true nature.”

  “By spying on him?” Anastasia was horrified by the idea.

  “Consider it a field experiment,” Kate said nonchalantly as she began to get ready.

  “I heard Frost lives deeper in the woods than anyone else in Cedar Falls,” Marissa commented with a shiver.

  “This doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Chloe added.

  “With my parents out of town, I can’t leave you guys alone in my house. So, it looks like you’re coming with me, bitches.” With that said, Kate grabbed her coat and then sauntered out of her house, causing Chloe, Marissa and Anastasia to hurry after her.

  As Kate drove down the deserted road on route to Frost’s house, Anastasia began to feel uneasy. She’d only come to keep Chloe and Marissa safe, but what protection could she really offer them? Anastasia was a city girl who knew very little about the way of the woods.

  All too soon, Kate pulled over at the side of the road and then instructed in a bossy tone, “Everyone out!”

  “Here?” Marissa asked, her eyes wide with fear.

  “It’s not like I can park in his driveway,” Kate snapped, before getting out of the car.

  Obediently, Chloe and Marissa exited the car. Not wanting to be alone, Anastasia followed them just in time to see Kate disappear into the woods. She gulped. It was a still, cloudless night, and the full moon shone brightly, casting creepy shadows everywhere. The air was frigid, and the sound of Kate treading quickly over the snow seemed to echo eerily throughout the woods.

  “We shouldn’t let her go alone,” Marissa said, her voice almost shaking.

  Anastasia nodded, while quickly deciding that the best way to get out of this situation was by convincing Kate to return home. With Chloe and Marissa by her side, she took a deep breath and then entered the woods. Using the light from the moon, Anastasia navigated in between the trees, following the sound of Kate’s footsteps until she found her.

  “This is stupid,” Anastasia said, after the three of them had caught up to Kate. “Everyone is saying there’s a potentially dangerous animal on the loose, and I swear I saw something in the woods.” Hesitating, she finally added, “Frost was with me and he claims it was a cougar.”

  Kate’s speed increased, but she seemed to be driven by anger instead of fear. She was like a girl possessed, hell bent on getting to Frost’s house as quickly as possible. Confused, Anastasia wondered what was wrong with Kate – and with all of them for following her in the first place.

  “Anastasia’s right,” Chloe said firmly. “This isn’t safe.”

  “There are no dangerous animals in Cedar Falls,” Kate retorted. “It’s just a myth to keep kids out of the woods.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Anastasia snapped, gesturing toward a large live-catch trap that was positioned off to the side, less than twenty feet away. It was the smell of the bait – a chunk of raw meat – that had allowed her to make the disconcerting discovery. She could only guess that Mr. Stone had been the one to set the trap.

  “We’re almost there,” Kate remained steadfast, although Anastasia was certain that she heard a quiver in her voice.

  Within minutes, the comforting glow of lights appeared nearby, illuminating a medium-sized house. Under Kate’s command, they crept closer until they were outside a window at the back of the house. A light flickered in the room, and the curtains were parted ever so slightly, probably making it difficult but not impossible to see inside.

  Kate gestured for the three girls to stay back, before leaning closer to the window and peering in. She was silent for several moments, even though something had definitely caught her attention. “Frost is in there,” she finally spoke in a hushed tone.

  Unable to control her curiosity, Anastasia stepped forward and looked over Kate’s shoulder. Her pulse raced as she saw Frost sitting in front of a fireplace, topless and tuning his guitar. The flickering glow from the fire danced over Frost’s body, highlighting his muscular build. When he put his guitar down and stood up, both Anastasia and Kate ducked. However, they continued to watch as Frost stretched his upper body before reaching for a notebook that lay upon the mantle. He then sat back down, interchanging between writing in his notebook and strumming on his guitar.

  “Damn,” Kate muttered, most definitely unintentionally.

  “Let me see,” Marissa demanded impatiently.

  “Shhh...” Chloe warned sternly, despite pushing forward in an at
tempt to peek in the window.

  Knowing how wrong this was, Anastasia backed away. Frost had gone from being talked about because people thought he was a freak, to being spied upon because of his hot, unbelievably toned body. Either way, he was constantly being dehumanized. Anastasia was disgusted by her friends’ treatment of him, but she was also ashamed that she’d stooped to their level.

  “Wow,” Marissa muttered, almost pressing her face against the glass.

  “This isn’t right,” Anastasia began to say. However, she was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps fast approaching.

  “Hey!” a loud voice suddenly echoed throughout the woods.

  Spinning around, Anastasia saw a man hurrying toward them. As he came closer, she felt her heart leap into her throat – it was Mr. Stone. She blushed deeply, mortified that he’d caught them spying on Frost.

  “It’s okay,” Mr. Stone assured Anastasia as he slowed his pace. He was now only a few feet away from her.

  “Move,” Chloe said desperately, while pulling Anastasia away from Mr. Stone.

  Anastasia turned around to see that Kate and Marissa had left the window and were already running deeper into the woods. Not thinking twice, Anastasia and Chloe followed their lead and began to run.

  “Come back!” Mr. Stone called after them. “It’s dangerous out there!”

  Ignoring Mr. Stone’s warning, the four girls continued running and didn’t stop until their lungs ached and they had stitches in their sides. Several times, Anastasia had called out to Kate, begging her to stop, but she’d just kept on going. Now shivering in the cold, unforgiving night, they were far from their car and likely lost in the middle of nowhere. The prospects did nothing to instill confidence in Anastasia.

  “We need help,” Chloe said breathlessly, confirming Anastasia’s fear.

  Quickly, Anastasia retrieved her cell phone and was disappointed, although not surprised, to find that she had no reception. One by one, Kate, Chloe and Marissa discovered that their cell phones also didn’t work.