Thick Ice

Chandler's

Chapter 1

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"Do my boobs look too big in this?"

"No." I toss the tiny soccer ball into the air and keep my hands up to catch it. "You're good," I tell her. The ball lands in my palms.

"You didn't even look," Addy whines, presumably still inspecting herself in the mirror.

Another toss. "I don't need to." Another catch. "They always look great."

Addy groans before the sound of shuffling feet on carpet grows louder. I glance over, and to no surprise, her figure looms beside me. "Just look," she demands, and then softens her voice. "Please."

I sigh and push myself up from my comfortable and preferred spot on the bed. My eyes run up and down her body, clad in a flowy white sundress that compliments her sun-kissed skin and golden hair. The body part in question looks no different than they normally do.

"You look hot," I reassure her, laying back down and throwing the ball towards the ceiling. "Alec will love it, and if he says anything otherwise, I would love to punch him. Right in his nose."

Addy lets out a nervous laugh and drifts back to her spot in front of the mirror. I plop my head back onto her pillow, my bright hair sprawling out underneath me reminding me that it was in dire need of a trim.

Tonight's the beloved by all 'Meet the Ol' Folks' night for Addy and her boyfriend, Alec. They've been together for about three months and Alec had been holding out on bringing her home for quite some time. I guess there was an entire conversation between the two about why she hadn't been introduced yet. When she told me about it, she only briefly mentioned the key points, so I imagined it was more of an argument than a conversation. I chose not to pry.

I always wondered how Addy grew attracted to him. At a glance, they were the polar opposite. Even their personalities often clashed, leading to late night phone calls where I listened to Addy cry it out. I never mind though; Addy is the closest thing I have to a sister and I'll protect her at all costs. Even if it means punching Savor's college campus' notorious "bad boy" in his face.

"I don't even know why you're worried," I say, once again tossing up the ball. "Alec is obsessed with you, dude."

I look over at Addy hastily running her fingers through her curled hair (courtesy of my own talent, thank you very much). Though the dress wasn't personally my style, it really did match her figure well, cinching in right above her waist and cropping off at her mid-thigh.

"I'm not worried about him," she emphasizes.

I raise my eyebrows at her.

"Well, what if his parents don't like me?"

It's my turn to groan. I throw my legs onto the side of the bed and tilt my head, accusingly. "When have you ever met someone's parents and they didn't like you?"

"Yours," she answers matter-of-factly.

"Honey, they got issues." I wave my hand passively. "And plus, we were, like, six. You're nineteen years old now and don't throw fits anymore... mostly."

Addy scoffs and catches my eye in the reflection. "Sadie, we were in middle school. Middle schoolers aren't six." Then, as an afterthought, she adds, "And I don't throw fits."

"Close enough," I say. "My point is that my parents don't even like each other. And, you know, they eventually grew to like you."

A few moments pass. It's silent for me, but I can guess all the thoughts swarming around inside her head. Finally, her shoulders slowly rise as she takes a deep breath and runs her hands down her dress. "I got this."