February came and with it came the snow. One Thursday morning Melanie awoke to a world of white. They whole world had been erased as it was covered in a huge, white, fluffy blanket.
A little boy accompanied with a large grin came hurtling into Melanie’s room like a snow storm. “Snow! Snow! Come on Mels Bels. Get up, there’s snow!” Melanie swatted him away as she rolled out of bed. She went down to the kitchen and switched on the radio to hear if their schools were closed, which as luck would have it, they were.
They breakfasted (nice warm porridge with honey) and readied themselves in wellies, hats, gloves, jumpers, coats and scarves, they then launched themselves into the snow. Max got the first shot as a snowball ricocheted off Melanie’s arm. She retaliated by grabbing a huge chunk of snow and lobbing it at her brother.
As snowball after snowball was thrown, all that could be heard were squeals of delight. They were having an amazing time till a snowball hurtled out of nowhere and hit Melanie in the face. She glanced at Max who looked as confused as she felt. Melanie turned around to be greeted by the grinning face of Jackson Hughes-Taylor. Melanie felt herself go read as she glanced from him to Max then back again. An awkward silence captured the garden but it was abruptly stopped by Max who shrieked “BEN!” really loudly as his best friend threw a giant snowball into his face. The two of them engaged in a snowball fight whilst Melanie stepped towards the boy who still remained a mystery to her.
“Wh-“
“I believe the answer you are looking for is coincidence” he laughed at Melanie’s confused face and continued to say “it appears that my little brother is your little brothers’ best mate. So when he said he needed to go to Max’s to throw a snowball at him, I could harldy say no.”
“Well ain't that wizard?” Melanie said as she bent down, grabbed some snow and hurtled it into his face.
“Life is magic, doll” he said hurtling snowballs at her.
“The name is Melanie, Jackson Hughes-smug-face-Taylor”. They joined Ben and Max in their snow war. The Whyte’s versus the Hughes-Taylors. They passed an hour before they came to an arrangement to stop the war, each individual was caked in snow and panting.
Melanie invited them all into the house, which was a huge step for her. At first the boys, who she could know see the resemblance between them, refused, but eventually she lured them in with the promise of her famous hot chocolate with squirty cream, marshmallows and a flake.
Fifteen minutes later they were all huddled around the dining table holding hot mugs of Hot Chocolate. All the radiators were draped with wet clothes, a pile of sodden wellies lay in the corner of the kitchen and the fire was roaring, warming the house up. The windows had steamed up and life was cosy.
Melanie sat quietly as she watched Max and Ben argue over who won the snow battle, occasionally glancing at Jackson Hughes-Taylor. Do I speak to him? What do I say if I do? Am I ready to have Max know about him? She was in turmoil over her feelings and her thoughts. Then she was snapped to attention as Ben told her that he was taking Max upstairs to show him something. Leaving Melanie and Jackson sat with their half drank mugs of hot chocolate.
“So…” he said as the left the room, leaving a faint buzz at the sudden stop of the noise.
“Yeah…” their eyes met and suddenly they started laughing for they knew how ridiculous they were being. Once the laughter died away Melanie got to her feet and pulled Jackson Hughes-Taylor into the living room where they sat on the settee, legs-crossed, facing one another.
“Ben was right, we so did win” his eyes sparkled as he said this.
“You wish, I distinctly remember you lying on the ground as Max hit you in the face, calling for a time-out.”
“Lies!”
“Even if you think you won” Melanie reasoned “you know only one I will always win” they continued on like that for a while, debating who won and who didn’t. The whole time they looked at each other. Melanie searching into those rainforest eyes, looking at how his hair was perfect tousled but untroubled by the weather outside, he was wearing a sweater and a baggy pair of jeans, different to what he normally wore, this way he looked more natural, which she preferred. Even now he managed to take her breath away.
Time passed, the afternoon was flying away from them, and everyone in the Whyte household was on cloud nine. At around three in the afternoon Jackson Hughes-Taylor and Ben left after pulling on their half-dry coats and hats. Melanie and Ben watched them as they got smaller and smaller into the distance. Before they turned the corner, Melanie received a message on her phone, ‘Magic’ it said, as she read it both the boys at the corner turned to wave at Max and Melanie before disappearing altogether. Melanie shut the front door and came with it, the end to a perfect day.
YOU ARE READING
A Portrait of Whyte
Teenfikce"She could jump; she had done it before, a simple movement that even three year olds can do. She stretched her leg, feeling the force of the wind. And then, still with her leg out, she held her breath and lent forward..." Melanie's life is a grey...
