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A social klutz and certified bookworm, Autumn Lyne is content with having just books as companions--that is, until her extrovert of a sister drags her out to meet her band. But nobody has expected that this would mark the plot twis...
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It was the fourth week of December when the snow hit the dirt roads and pavements of the town. Of all the seasons, winter was my favorite. There was something magical about it—everything was covered in a white blanket of snow, festive twinkling lights were strewn across the streets, holiday carols flowed through the air, putting on fuzzy socks and sipping warm drinks to combat the cold, days became shorter, and night became longer.
I didn't hang out that much with the group before Christmas break, and I didn't receive any text messages from Michael. It felt quite lonely, but it was a productive kind of lonely as it made me concentrate more on studying for the midterms. I couldn't afford to get bad grades; otherwise, that would be another heated dinner discussion with my mom. I wasn't completely alone during those times, though. Sunny joined me in my study sessions, but what she did mostly was pig out and complain about our projects.
To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was studying because I wanted to. Maybe I was just distracting myself from the fact that I missed Michael and our talks and after-school adventures. The news article about Elodie's death hadn't left my mind, and I was waiting for the right time to talk about it with him in person.
On December 21, Nate drove the group to the neighboring city where the Winter Festival was happening. It was the last night of the event, so the place was heavily congested with people wanting to see the grand fireworks display and snow sculptures.
We didn't go there just to see the festival, though. We had planned to make a surprise birthday party for Michael later that night.
We had three hours to kill until the fireworks display and our surprise party, so we wandered around and marveled at the exhibitions. A caroling competition was being held at the amphitheater, and their symphonic tunes filled our ears until we reached the fairground, where shrieks coming from the white-knuckle rides pierced the air.
Nate and Rose argued like an old married couple over which ride we should go on first and then the next. The rest of us didn't want to interfere; we only followed whoever won the argument. We tried a few bumpy rides and laughed so hard when Clint threw up in a corner.
Our last amusement ride of the night was the Ferris wheel, though Nate and Rose were the only ones who got on. We'd had enough of their bickering, so we forced them to ride the car and left them there. The four of us stood outside the area, looking up at the big white wheel covered with flamboyant lights. It was rotating ever so slowly.
"Are they going to be fine together?" I asked.
"Totally," Clover said. "Look, they're so very happy."
From a distance, we could see Rose glaring at us and Nate waving his two middle fingers in the air.
Clover took charge of the rest of our trip around the park. "Let's check out the stores and get some souvenirs," she told us and linked arms with Clint.
"So many couples," Michael murmured, who was walking beside me. Those were the first words he said exclusively to me since we got to the city.
I observed the area. Couples were indeed everywhere. Teenage couples. Honeymoon couples. Elderly couples who probably had spent their entire lives together. Some were walking hand in hand. Some were happily taking pictures together.
