the girl named winter

| 68 |

s i x t y  - e i g h t
d a y s
b e f o r e

Veronica stretches her arms before placing it behind her to support her weight. "You weren't at school yesterday."

I bite my lip and play with the grass beneath me as I straighten my legs. "I wasn't."

"Why? Were you sick?"

"I'm sick of this bullshit," I hiss.

She looks at me worriedly. "What bullshit? Is it the Rey-left-me-without-an-explanation-bullshit or -?"

I nod. "Exactly."

She stands up, removing the grasses left on her floral skirt. She holds a hand out to me, smiling cheerfully. "Maybe an ice cream could cheer you up?"

I hug my knees to my chest, hiding my face. "Nothing could cheer me up, Veronica," I murmur. "Only Rey."

Veronica coughs. "Well," she says as a matter-of-fact, "speaking of the devil."

My head pops up immediately, searching the park for the familiar head of black hair shining. There are faces, but I didn't see his, until I hear a familiar voice from behind me.

"Winter?"

I look up, craning my neck painfully.

There he stands in all his glory.

Rey, with his surprised wide black eyes and common disheveled hair is there, gaping at me, holding a brown teddy bear.

I melodramatically stand  up, removing the grass that sticked at my jeans in the process, never taking my eyes off him. "Rey," I say breathlessly.

Veronica is no where to be seen.

We continue to stare at each other, and each passing second, my heart contracts more painfully at the sight of his visage.

After a few moments, his eyes widens. "Winter, it is you!" He approaches me, taking huge steps.

My brain sends  a mental warning to my body that any amount of physical contact may break the walls I've built. I back a few steps but he didn't see my guarded stance.

He hugs me. "I miss you!" he tells me in my hair.

For a moment, I let all regards go out the window. I encircle my arms around his neck, toes up, embracing him with all my might as I close my eyes in his neck.

A feeling of deja vu hits me and I almost choke.

He's here, hugging me.

He's really here.

He looks at me, never removing his arms around my waist. "Damn, you gained weight."

I cock an eyebrow. "As if that makes it better. I haven't been exercising in a while."

He huskily laughs. "Winter, you can't even do two push-ups."

I blink and gulp before placing the smile I've been putting on for weeks. "I can do jump ropes," I say, my voice cracking.

"Do those. You need to lose weight."

"Am I that fat?"

"No! Certainly, not. It's just..." He studies me, looking more solemn into my eyes. "Wow, you look prettier than before."

A single statement brings all of the walls I've built to the ground.

Clearing my hazy head, I ask, "Is this the part where one of us is supposed to ask 'how are you?'"

His smile widens. "I -"

A voice cuts him, stops him from talking, and makes him take two steps farther from me. "Rey, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

I gulp as my hands fell down to my sides.

A girl in a brown dress floats towards us in her brown wedges.

I watch Rey's smile grow wider. "Tiffany."

He pulls the trigger and shoots me dead.

The girl with red hair and freckles on her cheeks stands beside Rey, grinning.

"Tiffany, I need you to meet Winter."

Tiffany shakes my hand. "Hey, Winter! That's such a pretty name for an adorable girl."

Rey looks at her. "Not as adorable as you are."

She giggles. "Not in public, Rey."

Rey laughs. "No, I'm just telling you the truth."

Tiffany slaps his shoulder painfully. "Stop it."

How naive of me to think that Rey wouldn't get sick of me and find someone better and more happy-go-lucky.

The evidence is right here in front of me.

Tiffany looks at me and her brown eyes twinkled. "Are you Rey's classmate in Math? Is he listening to the teacher or is he being the idle boy he is?"

I shrug my shoulders to appear nonchalant, even though the both of them are practically stepping on me. "Kind of both." I clear my throat and smile. "So you're a couple now?"

"Actually -"

Rey places an arm over Tiffany's shoulders. "Yes. We are," he announces, grinning, then whispering something in her ear.

I blink twice.

I blink back the tears.

I gaze at how handsome he looks like and how he used to be mine, and I gaze at how she must look perfect in her eyes, how she must've made him feel.

I have to go or I will die.

"I-I have to go." I bite my lip then take a deep breath. I crank a smile, and fingers crossed that it looked like one. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Tiffany."

It isn't.

I stare at Rey and how his smile disappears. I give him a small smile. "Rey, I miss you," I whisper. "I hope you take care of her like the way you took care of me."

Rey's eyes grow sadder. He breaks free from Tiffany and tries to reach out for me. "Winter."

I give him a wider smile as tears make my vision go blurry. "Oh, and Rey? Don't break her the way you broke me."

With that, I turn around and walk towards Veronica, quickly spotted, feeding the ducks at a nearby pond.

I sit at the bench beside her, looking back to see if Rey followed me.

My heart sinks as I see Rey and Tiffany walking around aimlessly.

The thought that he never bothered to give me a second glance hurt.

"So," Veronica starts, angling herself to face me. "What did he say?"

I shake my head, blinking away the tears. "He told me I was fat."