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Chapter 24

School is closed due to the inclement weather. The text wakes me in the morning, unaware that we were supposed to get any snow in the first place. I text Alyssa and ask if the college had closed for the weather. There was no doubt she was still asleep and I wouldn't hear from her for a few more hours.

My phone vibrates and Bradley's name flashes across the screen. Teres-Teres. We about to go sledding or what?

I quickly look outside to see the road and yard covered with at least a foot of white fluffy snow. I sit back down on the bed and write a reply. Yes! I have the snow tubes, but my cars won't drive in this deep of snow.

There is no way I am going to turn down an opportunity to go sledding. I loved this season when you could wake up to a completely different view from the one you fell asleep to. Don't worry about it. Be ready at noon and I'll be there. Bradley's car was the same size as my dad's so I didn't know how he expected to pick me up. I replied an 'ok' and got out of bed to go and see if my parents were awake.

Snow days are my favorite. My mom would wake up and make pancakes as my dad and brother began to shovel the sidewalk and driveway. I would help my mom in the kitchen by making the scrambled eggs and bacon. After our late breakfast it was already 11 o'clock. I got dressed with three layers of clothes and found my hat and gloves. I pulled down my boots from the shelf in the hallway closet and grabbed my phone. Here. I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and started out the front door.

I stopped in my tracks as I saw what was picking me up. At the end of my driveway stood a large black truck. Logan was here at my house. I began to walk slower down the driveway as I tried not to panic. I wasn't a fan of people being at my house unless they were really close friends. Before I could reach the end of the driveway the driver's door was opening and Logan was stepping out. He started to walk towards me as he closed the door behind him.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey, let me give you a hand with that." He responded as he grabbed the large plastic sleds from my hands. He places them into the back and jumps in to place a sandbag on top of them so they wouldn't fly out with the wind. I walked in front of the truck to get to the passenger's side. I opened the door to find the passenger's seat empty.

"Hop on in hot mama." Bradley yelled from the back seat. Sitting next to him was James. I grabbed the handle inside the lifted truck and stepped inside. The cab was nice and warm from the heat blasting through the vents.

"Hey guys." I say as I take my gloves off and place them close to the heating vent.

"You ready to go snowboarding?" Bradley asks from the back seat.

"Do you know how to snowboard?" James asks laughing. The driver's door opens and Logan climbs in and lets out a brr.

"You'll be amazed at what I know." Bradley replies in a sarcastic tone.

"Bradley, I bet you're the first one to land face first into the snow." Logan inputs.

Bradley reaches forward and grabs Logan's shoulder. "Logan" he says exaggeratedly in denial. It isn't long until I realize that we are heading back towards Logan's house. The entire way Bradley and James do most the talking with little input from Logan. We reach the park at the end of his street and he pulls to the end of the unplowed parking lot. He parks the car and we both jump out. I pull the seat forward so Bradley and James can climb out from the back. Logan tosses the sleds one by one down into the snow. We gather them up and start to walk to the top of the small hill. It is obvious that someone had sled earlier in the day so we would just use the nice slick track that ran down the incline.

"Theresa, you go first." Bradley said as he slightly hit my shoulder. "Just in case it is dangerous."

"Wow. Appreciate it man." I laugh as I place the circular sled at the top of the slide. Lifting my feet up from the snow my body begins to swiftly glide down the hill with ease. I let out a fun scream as my body and the sled pass over a make-shift ramp and go flying through the air. Too quickly, I feel my body fall into a pile of white fluffy snow. I begin to laugh as I regain my balance. I start to climb back to the top of the hill.

"I don't know. It looks pretty dangerous to me." Bradley says as he puts his gloved hand on Logan's shoulder.

"Do you want me to go down with you?" Logan asks.

Bradley drops his sled and places his other hand on Logan's other shoulder. "You would do that for me, buddy?" Logan rolls his eyes and places the two person sled onto the track. Bradley climbs in front as Logan sits in the back. They go flying down the track as Bradley screams in enjoyment. When they go over the ramp, Bradley flies off the sled and lands in the snow beside the track. Logan and the sled reach the end of the track before hitting a wall of snow.

We spend the next two hours racing down the hill on plastic boards until we are all just sitting at the starting line. "Do you guys want to hang out at my house for a while until I take you home?" Logan asks.

"Only on one condition." Bradley says as he holds his index finger in the air.

"What is that?" Logan asks. Bradley reaches over and smashes a handful of snow into Logan's face. Logan just sits there as the excess snow falls from his eyelids and beard. He looks over at Bradley and reaches down and picks up a handful of snow and throws it straight into my face. I exaggeratingly open my mouth in shock as I stand up and roll a handful of snow into a ball and throw it at James hitting him right in the chest.

"Last one to the car has to jump into the snow naked." I yell as I grab my sled and start running towards the truck. I hear everyone running and throwing snow at each other behind me. I reach the truck and turn to find James not far behind and Logan and Bradley stumbling to get each other out of the way. Logan steps away from Bradley and starts running as fast as he can in the deep snow to body slam him. Bradley falls over into the snow and Logan finishes the last few feet to the truck before Bradley gets up.

Bradley walks the rest of the way to the truck dragging the sled behind him with a pouty face. "You going to back out of a challenge?" Logan jokes.

Bradley's face snaps up. He drops the sled and puts both hands on his hips and looks straight at Logan with the most serious face. "Bradley Rogers never backs down to a challenge." He immediately begins to take off his layer of clothes and tossing them at James, who is laughing. Bradley is standing in front of us with nothing but his boxers and boots on. He puts his hands out and falls completely backwards into the freezing snow. He immediately jumps up and runs to the truck door and climbs into the back without moving the seat forward. James throws his clothes into the back and moves the seat forward and climbs in as we all continue to laugh. I hand the sleds up to Logan and climb up into the cab. The truck shakes as he closes the gate and climbs into the driver's seat.

"Did you see that Logan? Did you see that? I didn't back down from a challenge." Bradley says as he puts his last jacket back on.

"Yes Bradley! It was still pretty lame." Bradley says nothing and just looks at Logan with a dumbfounded look on his face.