A Year Without Snow

-45-

Sunday, 20th February 2016 - The Past

I sat in my bedroom's windowsill, tracing figures with my index finger on the foggy glass, as outside tiny grains of white snow fell onto the ground turning the road and the sidewalk into a giant carpet of white. I had a book on my hands and had been trying to read the same paragraph for half an hour, but it was one of those lazy Saturdays when you felt you had so much to do but no motivation.

My mom was working and would be arriving anytime soon, and my grandma was downstairs knitting something on the living room's couch. I could've gone to Bryson's house, but I was even too lazy for that.

I was writing on the window's glass a lyric of some song that was playing on my iPod when I saw a black shaped figure walk down the road. The shade of his clothes contrasting against the transparent and white background. I immediately knew who it was. My head started racing with ideas to avoid this encounter, but there was no Bryson to steal me away, no class to get to, no grandmother calling, no possible running away.

First, he smiled when he saw me by the window, then he waved. I waved back, unsure. He faded out of view as he began to walk to my front porch; I took a deep breath and stood up, leaving my book behind and the soft music playing.

Starting to get nervous but sure that there was no getting out of this, I went downstairs and put on a warm jacket as my grandma turned around on the couch tp ask me, "Are you going to Bryson's?"

"No, Jack's here."

She didn't answer, and I reluctantly opened the front door. Jack was standing there with his hands deep in his jacket's pockets and a black beanie over his black hair.

"Hi," I said, shutting the door behind me.

"Hey." He simply says as if taken back that I was standing there without any excuse. "I know you have been avoiding me-"

"No, I've just been busy..." I said while looking down at the floor.

"Don't, Daisy. You don't need to lie I know you're not half as interested in me as I am in you. And that's okay, I don't wanna pressure you or anything. But I really really like you." He confessed, looking at me straight in the eyes opposite to what I had been doing.

"I like you too, Jack... Just not-"

"But, Daisy, I'll be the best boyfriend ever; you have no idea, damn I'll be your best friend!" He said while taking a step closer. "I've always felt like you were different; I always knew you were the one. And you can't give up without giving it a real shot. Just let me prove that to you." I looked around, feeling uncertain.

I was sure I didn't like Jack. But I had no idea how to disagree with what he had said but it simply wasn't in my nature to disappoint people, so I ended up saying, "Okay."

"Only one date! And I promise you; you won't regret it." He assured me. But I wasn't so sure.

I ended up going inside a bit baffled; I wasn't so sure about any of this. I tried to convince myself that I was doing the best thing because Jack was one of my closest friends, he had always been a good guy, and I would be simply giving him a chance. Plus, I was putting myself out there, seeing that my friends had all had relationships by now, Scar with that guy from senior year and then Carson, Dallas with that blonde girl from Dragon High School, even Grace, all of them except me. And Bryson.

Bryson, I thought. He wouldn't like this news at all, and I froze inside just thinking about it; he had a major freak out just because he thought I liked Jack, let alone knowing I was going on a date with him.

I went up to my room feeling unsure about everything; the last thing I wanted was for Bryson to get mad at me, but honestly, now there wasn't much I could do; I wasn't going to call the guy and take everything back.