Canvas

Chapter 15

I slap my hands on my arms and start to pace around the freezer like a caged animal. My eyes go wide as I watch my breath come out of my mouth in a frozen fog.

"Oh my God. Dean, we're going to die."

Dean stops tapping on the seams of the freezer and rushes over to me. I put my hand out in front of me to stop him from getting too close as I continue to do laps around our icy tomb. He stops but won't take his eyes off me.

"Dhalia. We need to stay calm. Panic is only going to..."

"Going to what, Dean? Arnold is not going to be here for at least an hour and a half. Shiny could be asleep in front of the door right now and he would think that the hot dogs were talking to him! I'm already having trouble feeling my fingertips!"

"We're not going to freeze. I won't let us. Just relax for a second."

"How can I possibly relax, Dean? I'm about to die like a Shakespearian tragedy. It will be my own version of Romeo and Juliet. My friends will be more in love with this story than they will actually miss me! I'm not like you Dean! I have a..."

I stop short as I watch his face crumble. His face tightens and his fingers clench into tight fists.

"Come on, Dhalia, say it! You have a family while I have nobody right? So what? Does that mean I deserve to die and you should be saved? Is your life worth more than mine simply because somebody else actually cares about you while nobody gives a shit about me?"

The ferocity in his voice hits me like a slap in the face.

"Dean, I'm sorry. It's just that at times like this all I can do is think about Bibi and..."

"Forget it. It's all good. No worries."

He is so stiff right now that I could use him as a diving board. I take a step towards him but he turns away. I hang my head and sigh.

"No, it's not okay. I hurt you Dean and that isn't right. I'm freaking out and I don't know what to do. I'm freezing cold and terrified out of my mind."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I bet you are pretty warm right now."

I think about it for a moment and have to laugh when I realize that he's right.

"So what's your plan then, Dean? Keep me angry until Arnold gets here."

Dean smiles and winks at me.

"That could work for you, but I don't think I would survive it."

I smile and blush.

"Here, Dhalia. I found this. It should help!"

He holds up a huge pile of what looks like used plastic wrap.

"EW! What is that? It looks like a bunch of massive icy spider webs!"

"It's the plastic wrap that they use when they ship the boxes to us. The guy on the truck wraps the wood palette with this stuff. If we wrap it around our bodies, it will keep the heat against our skin."

"So, you are suggesting that we go against everything that we were taught as kids and actually put plastic bags over our bodies."

"Yes."

I study his face for a second to see if he is serious.

"Are you just saying this so you can make some sort of condom joke?"

He blinks his eyes for a second and then falls to the floor of the freezer laughing.

"I swear that I never even thought of that."