The Girl From the Hallway

0.2

I didn't sleep well that night. Cassidy didn't contact me at all for days, and I was starting to get worried. It was just the beginning of winter break, and maybe I was overreacting. Maybe she was going somewhere with her family? Maybe I had nothing to worry about. I had absolutely no holiday plans, all my friend's were gone out of the country. Even Cass wouldn't talk to me for days.

On the fifth day of the first week without school, I heard a tapping outside my window. It was already a sleepless night, and the constant ratting against the glass at 3:00 am wasn't very helpful. I groaned and rolled out of bed, creeping to the window. I slowly lifted it open, scared that something might pop out, and I didn't need to shit myself. I looked around until I saw a faint light illuminating the brown waves of Cassidy Evans. I looked down at her attire, she was dressed in a tank top, flannel, and black jeans. It was pretty typical, but she looked so stunning that night. I glanced down at my self, noting that I was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt.

"Come down!" Cassidy waved.

"Nah, the whole "throwing rocks at your window" bit is too cliché for me," I joked, and I saw her roll her blue eyes.

"Put on some pants and get down here!" she demanded.

"Or i'm coming up."

"I have no objection!" I shouted down with a smirk as I pulled on a pair of jeans and shoved my bare feet into a ratted pair of converse. I tied them sloppily and basically hopped out of the second-story window. I slowly climbed down the ledges, as if I were reverse-rock climbing, and landed promptly onto Cassidy.

"Well hello there," Cassidy smiled as I landed into her arms, similarly to a trust-fall. I giggled a little, and covered my mouth.

"I just giggled."

"I found it cute," she said, blushing a deep rose shade. As soon as the words escaped her lips, she shook her head and spat apologies repeatedly as I laughed.

"Don't worry," I whispered, "I found it cute."

She rolled her eyes, and began to walk away. I immediately followed her quickened pace, desperately trying to keep up. It was 3am and I was walking the streets with a girl I had known for barely a month. At the moment, I didn't care.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked along. Cassie brought her pointer finger to her lips and looked at me.

"Shhhh," she sounded, a smirk peeking behind her silencing finger gesture. A sudden pulse of adrenaline, confidence, or both, surged through me and I leapt forward, clutching her hand in mine. Her cheeks flushed deeply and she bit back a grin, but I could see right through it. Neither of us spoke, we just walked in the night, hand in hand, for blocks on end.

"We're here," she said after what felt like an eternity of walking.

"Thank god, my legs were getting sore," I complained. Cassidy pulled her hand out of mine and ruffled my bed head.

"So why did you drag me out here?" I wondered, not seeing anything significant in sight.

"We are going to ice skate," she smiled. God, her smile was so radiant, I could actually feel it lifting me off of the ground.

"Ice skating?" I cocked my head to the side, flummoxed.

"Yes, ice skating. Tie your shoes tighter and follow me, the pond is only a little ways down," she started off, not even waiting for me to finish knotting my laces again. I sped over to her and shoved my hands in my pockets, shivering.

"How cold is it?" I chattered. I was wearing just a coat over my t-shirt, but she was barely wearing anything. Just a flannel over a tank.

"Meh, 10 degrees?" she shrugged. I stared at her in awe.