To have his soul mate, his brother, get hurt by something he couldn’t prevent that wasn’t part of the normal spectrum. For him to be so helpless, so useless even though it wasn’t his fault?
It must’ve been devastating.
Chapter 14
Aria
The long weekend ended, and winter hit like lightning. Aria was all about the fall-spring cool weather sort of deal, but winter wasn’t her thing. Neither was summer, but at least in the summer she didn’t have to walk to school in the snow.
With a thick coat wrapped around her and a pair winter boots, she braced herself for the icy chill of the morning.
She wouldn’t lie. The first snowfall of the season was pretty, but everything after that was an icy cold mess. Once she was safely inside the school building, Aria was greeted by Mira who seemed to be decked out in winter clothes.
Sure, it would be a normal look a little later in the month, but it was only the first week of December. Aria thought it was just a little excessive, but then again who was she to judge?
Wait a minute, Mira is her best friend.
It’s practically her duty.
“What are you wearing?” Aria unzipped her large coat and held it in her arms.
“I’m not going to die of hypothermia.”
“It’s not that cold.” Aria packed away her coat into her locker. “I mean, it’s cold but not that cold.”
She scoffed, “Tell me that when you catch frostbite.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m serious. One day it’s like sixty degrees, then the next it’s four!”
Aria just shrugged. “Whatever works for you.”
Before Mira made another snappy retort, the other half of their friend group appeared.
Nancy was the first that the two noticed, and how could they not? Her hair was as bright as a flame, and her loud laughter was unmistakable. Next to Nancy was Henry. Henry was the smartest out of the four, but he was as quiet as a mouse. He preferred books to people and some days Aria could understand why.
“Hey guys!” Nancy was as boisterous as ever. “I just love winter, don’t you? All the snow and the icicles and hot cocoa.”
“Debatable,” Henry muttered.
“Henry over here doesn’t care for the cold.” Nancy pointed to the boy with a look on her face. “I don’t get it.”
“You’re from Missouri or something, right? You’re used to the cold,” Henry snapped back.
Someone was clearly unhappy with the fresh snow.
Mira then asked, “I thought it was Michigan?”
“Up north basically.” He shrugged, not really giving too many damns about accuracy at the moment. Aria had to wonder why he was such a grump this early in the morning.
“Minnesota!”
“Basically you’re used to all the cold, and I’m not,” Henry mumbled.
“Anyway,” Mira changed topics. “What are you guys writing about for that essay?”
“The one from Barns’s class?” Nancy looked a little perplexed. “I’m not sure yet. It’s not a super formal one is it?”
“I don’t know, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. Can we do a fun one?”
Nancy then suggested, “You could ask Barns.”
“Hell no, he scares me!” Mira shivered.
“Isn’t he the really short English teacher?” Henry wondered.
“Yeah.” Aria nodded. “But he’s a fearsome man. All of him and his five-foot-two glory.”
Henry laughed. “He can’t be that bad.”
“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up AP,” Nancy scoffed.
“AP?” Henry looked at her with a brow raised. “What kind of nickname is that?”
“Yours.”
“So original. I mean really, must’ve taken days.” Henry then looked at Aria. “I thought you already had an English class with Anderson?”
“Yeah, but I had him in junior year. Brilliant man but scary as f*ck sometimes.”
“Is he really?” Henry was as skeptical as ever.
Nancy nodded. “He’s a hard ass when it comes to grading.”
“But if you don’t try then your grade will reflect that.”
“No way, he’s biased as hell.”
“Sure, he is,” Henry continued to bicker.
“I swear they should start dating,” Mira faux whispered to Aria. “I mean they’re already at it like an old couple.”
“What? No way!”
While the ginger vehemently refused that idea, Aria found that Henry was too busy counting the lockers. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought that the two were too different to be together. Then again, there was that saying about how opposites attract and all; plus, Aria secretly shipped the two.
Nancy was loud and brash in every way, shape, and form. It was hard to mistake her for anyone else. Henry was quiet, a wallflower who didn’t really want to be noticed in the best of times. Aria could go on and on about their differences, but the stark contrast between the two made them way more compatible.
She was just waiting for someone to grow a pair, and ask the other out.
“Speaking of winter formal, who are you planning on asking?” Nancy looked at Mira and then Aria.
Mira shrugged. “Wanna make a group?”
“I have a date.” Nancy waved off. “Alex asked me a few days ago, so I’ll pass.”
Aria glanced at Henry, whose face looked as if he bit into a lemon. Her heart burned for the boy, so she quickly switched topics.
“I’ll pass too. My dad and I are going to Vegas for that weekend.”
“You’re leaving me?” Mira looked at her with a frown.
She shrugged. “We go every year. It’s nothing new. Besides, my aunt is coming from Thailand this year, she’s meeting us there.”
“Thailand?” Nancy then asked. “I thought you were Laotian?”
“I am, but they live in Thailand. Y’know, because of the Vietnam War and all.”
Mira nodded. “That was a messy war.”
