Raven's Song

Snowball

"Get away from me!" Dove squealed as Clint came in from outside with a handful of snow. As soon as everyone had gotten to Alec's cabin, the sky cut loose and started dumping snow.

I laughed from the kitchen as Clint chased Dove around the living room. Alec was beside me frying eggs and bacon for breakfast while Ross worked on making what was supposed to be pancakes, except he couldn't properly flip them so they were deformed. Amber sat at the table with Izzy and Conner, clutching a bottle of vodka Alec had lifted from his dad's liquor cabinet so she could nurse her hangover from a party she was at the night before.

"I was thinking," Alec said as he put some of the bacon onto the plate I held, "that we could go for a hike this afternoon. Clint and Ross will probably come. Maybe Izzy. The others can stay here and do whatever."

"What makes you think I'm up for hiking?"

Alec rolled his eyes at me. "Because you go to the park behind your house all the time."

"That's not hiking, though."

"Same concept. Different terrain."

"You're right," I said as I slid the bacon into the microwave to stay warm, "I'd love to go hiking."

He shot me a grin before he turned his attention back to the stove. I watched my friends as Clint finally surrendered the snow to the sink and wiped his hands off. Dove kissed him once his hands were warm. Amber now had her head resting on her arms, talking to Conner. Izzy had gotten up to rescue Ross from the pancake fiasco.

They were my people. It didn't matter that they'd been my friends for less than a year or that they weren't rich or popular. They were there when I needed them. They were still there even though I'd caused them so much stress by being with Tylor. They hadn't abandoned me because I wasn't rich anymore or because I couldn't keep up with a lavish lifestyle. Andre and Bentley had treated me like they always did, but they would eventually make up with Constantine and Bianca. They would eventually ice me out, too.

My friends had walked away from me because they thought Tylor was bad news, but they were still there for me when I had needed them. Every friendship had disagreements, and I couldn't say that they weren't wrong. They had come back. They had been ready to fight dangerous people for me. I wasn't going to let them go.

"It'd be awesome to not have school on Monday," Clint said as he opened the microwave and took out a piece of bacon. "This is phenomenal, Alec."

"Thank you," Alec said with a wave of his tongs.

"I don't think we will if this keeps up," I told Clint.

"Are you coming back?" Amber said, sitting up quickly. She winced and pressed her hand to her forehead. "That was a bad move."

"I might. I just need to persuade my dad, but I need to wait a few days for him not to be swamped with, well, you know."

She gave me a sympathetic look before she put her head back on her arms. "Well, we can make a compelling argument if you want us to."

"For sure," Dove said as she wrapped her arms around Clin's waist. "We'll convince Mr. Alberts to make our group a threesome in anatomy. It'd be nice to have another set of hands."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amber exclaimed.

"I love you, but you are useless for the lab."