Creative Writing Shorts

#6 Character Flaw

I stood at the edge of the circle, arms crossed with my hands seeking warmth under my worn jacket. Brynlee was trying to convince Vince to buy her a coffee or lunch. Kinsley was updating Mia about the guy that asked out Bryn. The air conditioning was blasting in the commons in the middle of an icy February morning, cold weather wasn't good for me to be around others. Looking around at the other groups of people talking and laughing in their heavy jackets, only a few dared to not wear a jacket in this weather. Exhaling heavily, I pulled my arms tight around my torso to keep the little body heat that I emit to go to my hands if I could.

"Hey, Cali, we're going mini golfing later today. Do you want to go? I have a few more spots open in my group." Kinsley asked me quietly.

"Uh," caught off guard, I didn't know how to respond. I haven't been mini-golfing in a long time, but I had work. "I have work..."

"When do you get off work? We aren't going until 6:30 anyways. Kaia is off at 5, so."

"Um, 5:30-ish? It depends on if the parents pick-up their kids on time."

"Right, well you can meet us at my place and we'll carpool there unless you want to meet us there?"

Opening my mouth, feeling the sticky dryness, I attempted to decide. It's going to get down to mid-40's at 6:00, "I can meet at your place, I guess. Are we going to get food too?"

"Definitely!" I could only nod at this point. A shudder wracked through my body just as the bell rang.
"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yep. Happens all the time." I brushed off and walked off to my first class praying it would be warm.

That night, I never thought I'd be this close to death as I shivered through a dizzy spell, sitting in the secret employee lounge. The guy running the mini golf desk was really nice to cover me with the employee nap blankets and sit me by the baby foot heater with hot cocoa from the mini diner, a sweet attempt to help my body produce heat.