Climb | ✔

Chapter 21 | Regret

It was official: Winter's art piece would be carted off to Minnesota later that afternoon by none other than Mrs. Palladino herself. The art teacher was absolutely ecstatic when she received her submission.

"I mean, Winter just-wow! These are truly beautiful," she said honestly, a gush of pride coming through her toothy grin. There was something motherly about her image that made Winter wonder where her mother was right now.

"Thank you, Mrs. Palladino," Winter replied robotically. She knew if she stayed back any longer, she would chicken out and ask for the pieces back. If she left now, it would be done with, no chance of backing out. "I have to go help with the play now," she excused herself with a friendly but awkward wave.

Daisy and the rest of the set team were already buzzing around the stage, adding finishing touches to set pieces and scrambling to fix the remains of others.

"What can I do here?" asked Winter as she crouched down beside Daisy.

"Just need to clean up the lines on these," said Daisy, pointing to the stack of pieces just to her left.

Winter grabbed one and set her workstation beside Daisy as they got to work on the pieces. She dipped a fine-tipped brush into some blue-black paint and steadily painted over the faded line work.

"So, how's it going?" asked Winter, a dab of mischief in her voice. She of course was alluding to Joe's recent efforts at wooing Daisy.

Daisy rolled her eyes and pulled a few strands of hair out from corner of her lips to tuck them out of the way. "Don't get me started." Daisy turned away to mix some more paint, and continued on return, "he asked me out, you know."

Winter nodded. "I figured... and you said no?"

"Yeah," said Daisy. "I said no," she clarified, looking straight at Winter with a serious and somewhat remorseful look in her eyes.

Winter bumped her shoulder and smiled lightly. "Good for you."

Daisy simpered as she continued her work, and when her small smile broke out into a wide grin, Winter wondered what she could have been thinking about.

"I was actually really nervous about it and told him to let me think about it, and I was considering just saying yes for his sake. But..." Daisy grinned again.

Winter raised a brow and leaned into her friend. "But?" she coaxed.

"Well, I haven't said anything yet, but Alison and I have been talking a lot lately."

"Alison Dennis?" Winter quirked her brows high in skepticism.

"Yeah. I know! I know. We've just been talking on and off since the whole thing with Fletcher. At first she just felt really bad about everything and wanted to make it up to me, but after a while we really connected? She's been really nice and helpful, and I mean... that night, she was drunk too, you know?" Daisy said, a string of dejection and sadness threading through her last words.

Winter hummed thoughtfully and made sure Daisy was making eye contact with her when she spoke next. "I know. You don't have to justify anything to me, Daze. I'm just glad at least some good came out of that relationship."

Daisy chuckled and added, "That, and our kiss."

Winter joined in her laughter and nudged her shoulder playfully before they truly descended into the depths of their work.

With opening night fast approaching, along with a litany of other school work and tasks piling up on Winter's plate, the next week left little room for anything but tucking and rolling. It didn't help that the days since Daisy's rejection of Joe's advances only brought childish and angsty upset into their friend group. Joe was either passive-aggressively present or totally AWOL, and the boys were left scrambling after him to try and sooth his bleeding heart.