Restart, Reset

Chapter 11

  "Brantley, what happened to your arm?" Mr.DeKamino asked as soon as I walked into class.
   "Sledding accident," I said without emotion. However it was nice, the teacher watched me pop a mortin during class.
   "Oh... Well, I hope you feel better soon."
   I'm not gonna lie, life has been a total pile of crap since last Wednesday. I've tried to make myself happy about it, but it's hard going around school with people turning their heads and giggling at you.
   This is the first time breaking my wrist. The seven-ish footfall that I tried breaking with my right arm had fractured one of the bones I'm my right wrist. That coupled with the fact I was sledding, something the kids around here do like its toddler-play.
   Science went relatively smoothly. Sandra had tried to mock me but ended up with a stern warning from both Winter and Mr.DeKamino.
   As Winter and I sat down for lunch there were mute giggles heard from the crowd of girls surrounding Sandra.
   "Jesus, I hate her so much," Winter muttered after glancing back, "Y'know they're just tryin' to make you feel like crap, right?"
     "I realize that," I muttered, gazing into the lunch bag in front of me. Ramen noodle soup and a juice box.
I took out the Juice box and stabbed it with its straw.
  "You're not telling me their Bull is working, I hope"
   "I am," I said smiling at her, and returned to sucking in my juice box.
    I  had just sucked down the rest of my juice box when Noah and Genisis plopped down their lunch opposite to Winter and me.
   "Where were you two?" Winter asked.
   "Making out in the janitors closet," I stated without hesitation.
   Winter punched me while gasping.
   "I wish," Noah laughed, "We'll be graduated by the time she finally lets me kiss her,"
    "Not true, I'm just waiting for the right time, that's all," Genisis stated with lovey eyes towards Noah after telling winter off for punching me so harshly. "Say, Brantley, you planning on eating that ramen?"
    "Not especially," I responded.
    "Oh you're eating it" Winter replied as a matter of factly.
    "Whaddaya gonna do force feed it to me?" I asked with sarcasm.
  "If that's what it takes, Mum said that you're eating your food, you need it"
   "Its ramen, all its got is salt, salt, and more salt!"
   "Doc said your blood sugar and pressure is too low, you're a borderline diabetic, what'd your mom do, starve you for the whole 13 years?" Winter said grabbing my lunch bag and fast walking to the water fountain.
   After some wide eyes, Genisis followed.
   "Dude, sorry if I'm sounding a little like Sandra, but I think she likes you," Noah said between bites of spaghetti once Genesis was out of earshot.
   "What, no," I quickly retorted. I had had a little crush on her when I first saw her, but after becoming sort of brotherly-sisterly, it was dropped.
   "She likes you more than a brother dude, have you seen the way she reacts when people get at you?"
   "What do you mean?" I said, thinking about how she acted. "I always viewed it as she was trying to crush rumors before they got too far."
   "And why would she want to do that," Noah pressed
   Good point, I thought,"She's a teenage girl who doesn't want drama, simple as that"
    "Fine then, But If I was a betting man, I'd say," his eyes darted up "Shit, pretend-that-didn't-happen," He pushed out those last words as fast as a shooting star on a cold winters night.
    I was confused, "You'd what?," I said as my confusion was taken away from me.
    "What would you say, Noah?" Genisis asked as she sat.
    "Uuuuhhhmm ..... that... I'd..." He stuttered
     "Probably get a perfect score on the upcoming math quiz," I finished for him.
      Genisis did bot look convinced
      "Yeah, I'm gonna ace it, Apple's not even gonna need that pen!" Noah said enthusiastically.
       I shot him a 'shut up before you get us in trouble' look and he shut up.
     Seemingly convinced, Genisis took in a breath to breathe, "yeah, because when has that ever happened?"
     "I'm telling ya, I feel good about this one, Gen, at least a 95%," Noah argued unforced.
      Winter arrived at the table and threw the Tupperware full of boiling ramen noodles back and threw the seasoning to me.
       "Aww, Winter got to make her Boyfriends lunch now that he had his accident," Sandra taunted from the next table over.
        "Bugger off, ye bloody wanker!" Noah called in a British accent.
        Winter looked flustered but blushed.
       
Winter and I braved the storm out to the fort to do out homework.
     The fort was looking better, we had added some a light that ran from a chain of extension chords we pilfered from the garage ., Two chairs, a table and a small refrigerator that held An assortment of Vernors, Sprite, and Coca-Cola. Today we hauled heater and 5 pounds of propane to power it on high for the night.
    "I suppose we can turn the fridge off, eh Brantley," Winter smirked as we dropped into the fort after excavating 6 inches of snow off of the entrance.
     "Everything probably is frozen inside of it" I chartered, setting down the space heater that was in my left hand. "Well have to put it in front of the heater before we can open it,"
     "Nah the stuff inside the cans can't freeze, its something to do with the physics of it being sealed, but as soon as we open it and give it a nice shock, boom, slushies," Winter said.
      "Its 28 degrees in here, we have a space heater we stole from your dad's barn," I began to explain.
      "Shhh Brantley, Slushies,"
      It must be something with growing up where summer seemingly lasts a month and winter hardly ever shows mercy.
       I threw down my backpack in my chair and started twisting one of the propane cylinders (of which we had five of) to the heater and lit it. The heat started to radiate outwards.
         There was definite thump as winter she's the doors to the fort. Encasing her and I in near darkness, only illuminated by the dim red-orange glow of the heater
        Winter swore as she tripped over something in the darkness. Shortly thereafter she stumbled the short distance between her and I and toppled the two of us over. Her on top of me.
         Taken aback by the moment's proceedings. I did little to nothing to stop it or get up. Winter herself didn't move for a couple of seconds. She looked up, and in the pale red light, I could see her face deepen in color.
        "Sorry," she said quickly having realized what had happened. She frantically pushed herself up, in the process hitting my arm.
        I hissed at the sudden outbreak of pain. Swore a little and struggled to sit up.
       "Oh damn it all, first I fall on you then I kick ya," She cursed herself.
       "Oh no, Winter you're fine, it's not that bad," I said, trying to quell her self-bashing.
       "Are you sure?" She asked
      "Yes, just turn on the light and we'll be fine."
       Five minutes later we were working on our Math homework. We had one textbook out, sharing it. The light was a daylight white, we could see everything clearly, but we didn't have to worry about it being too terribly bright.
         "How do you find the circumference of a circle again?" I asked, stumped on a question, " I missed it in my notes.
         She sighed, "I bet Noah didn't either, um, I think its pi-r-squared."
        "Thanks," I replied, starting the equation out on my notebook.
        "You're welcome, just don't quote me on it."
        After a half hour or so, Winters phone buzzed.
        "Whos that?" I ask
       "Oh, just Gen, eggin' me on," she replied airily "Nothing important."
        "Whats she egging ya on about?"
        "Oh nothing"
        My phone buzzed. Winters face twisted as mine had done when hers went off.
         I slid my hand into my pocket. I retrieved it and clicked it on.
        It was a message from Noah that read "Genisis just leaked to me that winter wants u to ask her out 2 the spring frmal"
        "Who was it?"
        "Noah," I replied hastily, "its nothing,"  I pocketed my phone and set my arm elbow down on the table.
        "What did it say?" She asked, looking worried.
        "Oh nothing of importance, just a meme," I replied.
         To be honest, I was not sure how I felt. I liked Winter, but I have always been able to keep it under control. Now that I have a lot of evidence telling me its mutual, I'm torn.
         "Whatever you say," she said, taking a swig of her vernors slushie.
         "When's the spring formal?"