Frozen

Chapter 6: Cigarette Stubs

(Holiday)

I am sitting quietly in Spanish class with Shay, minding my own business when Sloan appears with a smirk on her face from a spiraling cloud of black smoke. Not really, for she is not a villain from an innocent princess movie, and second, my life is not a fairy tale. I recoil inwardly, wondering what it was that I did to deserve this. Her unfeeling blue eyes dart around and finally pin my downcast hazel ones, her gaze so cold I could swear I could feel frost beginning to bite my pupils. With a manicured hand she flips her already perfect, straight pale hair. If a look could kil... I would be long dead.

Suddenly a switch flips and Sloan and her ice-cold followers turn their attention away from me, moving like a unit. In fact, they ignore me completely and I feel warm blood rushing back into my body, though it quickly leaves again as my freckled face pales. I see that Sloan has turned her deadly gaze to Shaylee. And though it's hard to tell with her mocha skin tone, I think Shay pales too.

"Hey," Sloan says icily, but then suddenly melts, "I was wondering if you'd want to hang out with us tomorow, we're going for manicures and it seemed like you might need one." she says this as a statement, not a question. Though I've only know her for a week, I know that this is just like Sloan as I watch Shay glance self-conciously at her nails, starkly unlike her regular personality. Invitation mixed with insult, the combination that when baked would not make a delicious cake. Unfortunately. To my surprise, Shay perks up when she gets past the insult part, and like a child offered a toy, she reaches out to snatch it,

"How weird, I was just thinking the same thing! I would love to come!" I watch silently as Shay practically eats out of her hand, and I see that she's drooling at the chance to be a temporary needle in their tightly knitted clique. My eyes darken behind the curtain of wavy red hair I've been peering through. I always throught that Shay was the kind of girl who chose her place with us, that she was above them and their endless popularity contest.

I guess I was wrong.

The Shay I know is still there, I see her behind her tall sandal wedges as she reads my mind and intentions and tries to escape the classroom before I catch her. Finally she stops at her locker, which I know the combination to, and grab her arm. She immediately blurts out,

 "Sorry I offended you mother, but in case you haven't noticed, I make my own choices. Am I not allowed to have fun?" I recoil, the hurt plain in my eyes, it's like just talking to Sloan has made Shay already begin to freeze. Just then I see the facade beginning to melt, genuine with her, unlike the ice queen herself.

"Ok, I'm sorry for overreacting, but it's not like I'm ever going to abandon you and Kat for the bitch squad," she says, "...It just sounded like fun and if I missed out and said no, when I am old and married to Orlando Bloom," I stifle a laugh at that as she says it with complete seriousness, she is such a middle school fangirl sometimes, "I will look back and always wonder what it would've been like to hang out with them. Like a cigarette, you know? Just once and then you're done for life." I am reluctant at first but finally accept her apology.

"Ok, fine, go have fun, I forgive you. Just be back by 9 o' clock sharp, young lady or you are grounded." we crack up for a second, "Comparing them to drugs really won me over though, Shay. Don't know how you came up with that one," at that I let a beaming smile out that she returns, though in my head I'm thinking, one too many and you'll be addicted.

..............................

"...and she's going. When she accepted it she seriously tried to run away from me, like I would scold her. Usually that's Kat," I laugh a little bit but Alex is staring at me with a weird look on his face, a rumpled piece of brown hair dangling tauntingly over a murky green eye. Mysterious, deep eyes like a swamp with any number of lurking secrets- What am I doing. We are just friends, and I am thinking nearly as guy crazy as I assume Shay thinks, as that is all she says and she seems to say whatever she thinks. I sigh. I probably sound bratty and overdramatic right now, but if I don't spew this to him this will all come up when I'm talking to Shay. I thought we could just talk about anything like we were elementary, middle school again, and it felt like it the past week that we've been actually talking. Even my embarassing, idiotic blushing crush-mumbling thing faded and now I can speak like a normal person. Maybe even more than that, more like a close friend. But based on his expression after that, maybe I was wrong.

Just then the shiny red bell rings like a hollywood set and we walk down the hall that pulses with life as we head out of the afterschool sport study hall. I shove my chipped nail-polish hands in the tiny girl-pockets of my jeans. I am heading for the pool for the varsity swim team that I made this year in only 10th grade when someone runs up behind me,

"Hey, Holiday!"

I whirl around and am surprised to see Alex come up next to me, and I notice the gym bag in his hand, remembering that he's going to basketball.

"Not that I don't want you around, but, uhm, aren't you supposed to be going the other way?"

"Yeah, I know," The weird expression  is back on his face and I wonder if I said that like I really did mean that I didn't want him around. Jeez, I am on a roll today with offending people. Either that or I have toilet paper stuck to my shoe and he's too embarassed to tell me. Embarassed, that's what his espression looked li-

"Hey, Holly, I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie on Saturday with me?" my nonchalance evaporates in a second. He's asking me out. Inside I am in shock, and outside I am paralyzed, red seeping into my cheekbones. Immediately I retreat within myself, having just gotten comfortable around him I revert back to the shy girl I usually am, the girl who never speaks up and when she does it's just an unintelligable whisper. I thought I'd changed. But apparently not as thoughts rush through my head on overload, what if it's just a dare, he lost a bet? Worry courses through me because I know that I won't be able to bring myself to say no. There is also the strong possibly that I won't be able to bring myself to say yes, either, as I am currently frozen in place and my face is as red as if I just ran a mile. I dart a look at Alex's expression, he seems sincere, well, the sincere is fading and being replaced with doubt and then embarassment as I can't get my mouth to move. I think he looks so cute, like the shy little boy he was when we used to play together.

"You can just forget I asked if-"

"Yes"

'What?"

"I said yes. I mean, sure, I'll go with you." With that I can't help but beam a great-white shark of a smile. All thoughs of how traitorous Shay is swimming with smile-infested, treacherous waters with sloan and her followers have slipped out of my mind.

For now.