The Fall

part two

It was white everywhere.

Snow fell on my hair, but I didn't make a move to brush it off. I tightened my coat around me, and as I watched a snowflake drift away, I took another step.

Some schools already cancelled classes, but my school's headmistress didn't. She thought that the snowfall would only be light. Besides, she probably knew that her students were capable of driving through the snow.

I didn't mind my classes though. Sure, I had a ton of homework, and my projects had piled up, but I didn't care. I was passing all my subjects, and school was something I could count on. The long hours of studying forced me to think about other things, to stop remembering how happy I was when we were together.

Only a few people were outside. Several trees stood tall despite the absence of their leaves, and snow covered the leaves of some pine trees. Houses and cars were covered with white. The sun was shining, but I couldn't feel its warmth.

I loved the white scenery, but other people thought nothing was special about the area. The normal stuff was present: people, houses, cars, and sidewalks. A man was clearing his yard, and I passed a snowman missing a nose. The noise of children playing calmed me, and the normally green area was now white.

To me though, there was beauty present in this winter wonderland. Still, it was rare for someone actually see it, because they weren't looking. They saw the normal and bad stuff, but they didn't try hard enough to recognize the special things.

I continued walking, brushing some snow off my coat. Today had to be one of the coldest days of the year. If I wasn't wearing my thickest coat, I probably would be shivering already. The air in front of me fogged as I exhaled, and the tips of my ears had to be red by now.

My thoughts wandered to him. He wasn't my first boyfriend or my first kiss. I dated before him, and I wasn't unexperienced when it came to relationships.

But he was the first guy I truly loved and not just liked. He made me want to be his, and I cherished every single moment I was with him. He was the subject of my daydreams, and I thought it wasn't just one-sided.

"Ella, wait up!"

The voice was familiar, yet I hadn't heard it for a while. When we were younger, we used to talk everyday. I didn't know what happened. Sure, we were still close, but we weren't as close as we used to be.

I stopped walking, waiting for him to catch up with me, and soon I could hear his heavy breathing. Glancing at him, I saw a boy I saw everyday yet was starting to drift farther away from me. I knew I didn't have feelings for him, but he was my best friend growing up. I missed his ridiculous comments and the way he showed he cared about me.

He ran his fingers through his dark hair, a habit he hadn't done anything to get rid of. Giving me a lopsided grin, he said, "Hi, Ella."

"Hi," I said, starting to walk again. I wasn't in a hurry; we had nearly an hour before classes would start, but it felt odd to stay still in the middle of a snow-covered sidewalk.

The grin didn't disappear from his face. He slowed down, setting his pace the same as mine. "You're early. I thought you were still home."

"Yeah." I glanced at him, remembering how I would usually rush to school. "I wanted to stop being late."

"If you actually used your car, you wouldn't be late everyday," he pointed out, shaking his head and talking to me as if we talked every day.

"I don't like driving." I rolled my eyes. He didn't know why I didn't like cars. I wasn't planning on telling him anytime soon though.