Snow, Snow Is Here To Stay

Getting To Know Each Other

I was looking forward to dinner at Marco's house until I saw Marisa talking to Marco's mom. When she saw me, she waved and displayed a forced smile. But Marco got to me before she could say anything.

"Hey, Anna. I'm so glad you could make it. Really. Listen, Marisa's going home in a minute so you don't have to worry about her," Marco grinned.

"Oh! She's fine!" I stuttered. Marco nodded and led Marisa to the door. I headed after Adrien but stopped when I saw Marisa fondly touching Marco's arm as they talked. I felt a pang of jealousy and quickly ran into the dining room. Their dog Midnight greeted me excitedly. Marco walked in a moment later, taking the seat next to me.

"So how was your second day of school?" he asked me.

"Uh... it was fine," I replied. I hesitated as I took a slice of bread. The day has been good. I sat with Ben and his friends during lunch.

Marco nudged me, whispering, "Mom and Dad are the best cooks in this neighbourhood. So, dig in and enjoy!"

I laughed and took a helping of the spaghetti and meatballs. We chatted about our different backgrounds and food. Finally, my mom placed the cake pops onto the table. I had decorated the red velvet pops with pink and white frosting and red flowers. The Florences oohed and aahed. I smiled with pride when my dad announced I had decorated it.

"You have a true knack for decorating." Mrs. Florence grinned at me.

They each took a cake pop before we had a chance to take any. Adrien rolled his eyes jokingly. He knew nobody could resist our treats but always made a big show of it. Marco commented on our cake pops five times and insisted on us baking some for the Valentine's Day Dance.

"Maybe," Dad said with a wink at me and mom. I knew we would. We thanked the Florences for dinner and they thanked us for the treats. The adults decided to stay and talk for a bit.

Mom looked at me knowingly. "Why don't you kids get to know each other a little better? We'll be here for a little while anyway, and I don't know if you want to listen to 'boring adult talk' for another half hour."

Marco and I nodded and got up from the table. I waited for Adrian to follow but instead, he just slid down his seat and pulled out his phone.

I cleared my throat and gave him a pointed glance.

Adrian peeled himself away from his phone and looked up at me with a smirk. "I'll be fine here. You and Marco can acquaint yourselves a little better outside." With that, he meaningfully shoved his device back into his pockets and leaned forward, pretending to be engrossed in the conversation.

Oh, I'd get him for that, the little... Ugh. Though not to say I wouldn't welcome some alone time with Marco. Oh, who was I kidding? I just met the guy and he has a girlfriend already. I didn't stand a chance against Marisa.

I was going to say that I would be fine with the adults and Adrian, too, but before I could do that, Marco tapped my shoulder. "C'mon."

I plastered a smile on my face. "Yeah, okay."

Marco took me by the arm and led me outside. "I'm sorry for having to bring this up again but Marisa and I have talked. She needs to be nicer to you. So she will be starting tomorrow. You'll see."

I smiled. "Great, thanks. I don't want to be on bad terms with your soon-to-be-girlfriend."

Marco stared at me for a second, considering. A hint of a smile danced on his face. After a moment, he let out a laugh.

"I shouldn't be telling you this... but I am allowed to date. I, um..." He shifted uncomfortably, looking a bit timid. "I just don't think Marisa's right for me, so I never told her."

I stopped moving. What? Marco doesn't like Marisa?

He continued, "In fact, I like someone else." He caught my eye. We were so close to each other. I thought we were leaning towards each other when suddenly Mr. Florence appeared behind Marco and grabbed his shoulder.

"Marco, say goodbye to your friend. It's Matt's bedtime in an hour," he said.

I sighed as he gave me a rushed wave and led Matt upstairs. There goes my almost-kiss.