Beneath The Seasons

[8] Christmas Connection

The days leading up to winter break are always chaotic at Harrison High, and this year, the frenzy seems even more intense. Everyone is on edge, trying to make it through the final week before two glorious weeks of freedom. The hallways are filled with students rushing between classes, exchanging hurried conversations about last-minute assignments and holiday plans. The air is a mix of stress and excitement, the kind that makes you feel alive but also desperate for a break.

The mornings are cold and dark, with a crisp bite in the air that turns your breath into small clouds. Snow has started to fall more regularly, leaving a soft blanket over Brookhaven. The snow crunches beneath our boots as we make our way to school, the trees lining the streets glittering with frost. Despite the bitter chill, there's an undeniable warmth in the way the town looks, all decked out in holiday decorations. Lights twinkle from every shop window, wreaths hang from every door, and the smell of pine and cinnamon seems to linger wherever you go.

Inside Harrison High, the holiday spirit is alive and well. The student council went all out this year with decorations-giant paper snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, red and green streamers winding around banisters, and a huge Christmas tree in the main hallway, covered in tinsel and ornaments. Each day, a different student group has a bake sale in the cafeteria, selling cookies, hot chocolate, and other treats to raise money for charity. The entire school is buzzing with a mix of holiday cheer and that frantic energy that comes from knowing the finish line is near.

Our group project has taken up more of our time than any of us anticipated, but in a weird way, it's been a welcome distraction. Spending so much time together has forced us to get to know each other better, even if it's been a bit uncomfortable at times. There's a lot of unresolved tension hanging in the air, especially between Nathan and Axel. I've caught them exchanging more than a few pointed looks, and there's this underlying current of something unspoken-something that goes beyond just the project or even the history between Nathan and me.

Rory and Abby have been lifesavers, as usual. Rory keeps things light with her easygoing nature and her knack for making people laugh, while Abby never fails to call out the bullshit when things get too tense. Will, with his calm demeanor and peacemaker attitude, has been instrumental in keeping us all from tearing each other apart. And then there's Axel. He's still as guarded as ever, but every now and then, I catch glimpses of something softer-something real. Since the almost-kiss under the mistletoe, things between us have been different. There's still a lot we don't understand about each other, but there's also this unspoken agreement that we're trying. Or at least, I think we are.

Each day seems to blur into the next, a constant stream of classes, project meetings, and hurried conversations in the hallways. My mind feels like it's constantly spinning, caught between the stress of the project, the awkwardness with Axel, and the excitement of the upcoming break. During lunch, the cafeteria is a chaotic mess of holiday cheer. Tables are packed with students, everyone talking at once, sharing their plans for the break, comparing notes on the best gifts to get, and trying to sneak bites of cookies or sips of hot chocolate from the bake sale tables.

One afternoon, I find myself staring out the window, watching the snow fall softly outside. I'm supposed to be working on our project, but my mind keeps wandering back to Axel. I keep replaying our almost-kiss over and over in my head, wondering what it would have been like if we hadn't been interrupted. Would we have kissed? What would it have meant if we did? I can't seem to shake the thought, and it's starting to drive me crazy.

"Liv, you're zoning out again," Rory says, pulling me back to the present. She's sitting across from me, her laptop open, her notes scattered around her. "We've got to finish this presentation by tomorrow. Focus."