The winter carnival at SDCI was in full swing, and the air buzzed with excitement and laughter. Snowflakes gently fell from the cloud-filled sky, softly kissing the noses of students as they darted between booths. Rodney stood beside Derek, his breath curling into misty tendrils in front of him. He'd never imagined he'd be looking forward to a school event, but the anticipation of spending the day with Derek and participating in the festivities had him practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Man, this is going to be great!" Derek said as they walked through the carnival together. "Have you ever done a snow race before?"
"Can't say that I have," Rodney admitted, his cheeks flushed with a mixture of cold and excitement. Thoughts of Ally still lingered in his mind, but today, he was determined to just have fun. "But there's a first time for everything, right?"
"Exactly!" Derek grinned. Together, they found their way to the snow race starting line, joining a small group of eager participants. The race was simple enough: run from one end of the designated area to the other, all while avoiding obstacles made of snow and ice. Rodney could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he crouched down, ready to sprint.
"Ready?" the volunteer shouted, and everyone nodded. "Set... Go!" In an instant, Rodney was off, adrenaline surging through his veins. His feet slipped and slid in the snow, but somehow, he managed to keep his balance. Laughter bubbled up inside him as he watched Derek stumble and fall, only to pick himself up and continue racing, a look of pure determination on his face.
In the end, neither Rodney nor Derek won the race, but it hardly mattered. They were both grinning from ear to ear as they cheered for the winner, their breaths coming in short, frosty puffs. "That was awesome!" Rodney declared, high-fiving Derek.
"Absolutely," Derek agreed, grinning broadly. "Now we did to refuel, food?"
"Food." Rodney agreed.
As they wandered through the carnival, enjoying the various winter-themed games and activities, Rodney couldn't help but feel a lightness in his chest. For once, he wasn't overthinking everything, and it felt like a weight had been lifted.
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As Rodney and Derek passed the Beaver Tail booth, Jordan and Steven were hard at work—or at least, that's what they wanted people to think. In reality, they were engaged in a full-on food fight, lobbing bits of dough and toppings at each other with wild abandon. Luke had joined them in the booth, eager to put his culinary skills to the test, only to be disappointed by the pre-determined recipes.
"Come on, guys, we're supposed to be making these for the customers," Luke chided, although his grin betrayed his amusement.
"Lighten up, Luke! We have had like four customers all day," Steven retorted, flicking some whipped cream at him. "Besides, I've got a Mr. Greenburg's right here ready to go." With a wicked grin, Steven carefully placed a few jalapenos into the unsuspecting teacher's cookies-and-cream Beaver Tail. He couldn't help but snicker as Luke handed the teacher the treat.
"Alright, alright," Jordan conceded, handing Luke a paper towel for the whipped cream on his shirt. "I promise I will take this volunteer position more seriously, only because..."
"Son of a," Mr. Greenburg's voice rang out, the boys turned to watch the man's face turn beat red as he desperately clawed at the cap of his water bottle.
Jordan and Luke turned to look at Steven "What?" Steven asked, trying to hide the smile creeping across his face.
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As Rodney and Derek enjoyed their maple toffee on a stick, they stumbled upon Ally, her cheeks flushed from the cold, concentrating on a ring toss game. Despite her best efforts, the rings refused to cooperate, slipping off the bottles time after time.
YOU ARE READING
Bi the Way
Teen Fiction(Complete) (Bi the Book 1) Rodney was excited to start high school, he had a plan. He was going to ask his best friend to be his girlfriend, but then everything changed. Now he is moving from the big city to the small town of Strathroy, and new frie...
