Frostbitten

St. Patrick's Day

I jumped up from my bed in the middle of the night. It was one of those moments where you thought you heard something and it woke you up but you weren't exactly sure. I scratched my head and was about to check on Mom but then I heard a knock on the window. I stumbled to the window and opened it. It was Cupid. Who else?

"Hey Jacky," he said, his voice sounding slightly higher.

"Hi, Cupid," I yawned. "Wh-" I stopped suddenly when he grabbed my chin and looked at me. His eyes were glassy and red and his breath smelt horrible. He was leaning against the window and had a hard time looking at me.

He was drunk.

Why wouldn't he be? It's St. Patrick's Day. I sighed and helped him into the house. He stumbled around and fell back against the wall with a loud bang. "Sh," I hissed. "My mom will wake up."

"No she won't," he slurred. "She's partying. Duh. But look at you. All by your lonesome. Nobody wants to party with Jack Frost. He'll keep your beer cold! That doesn't matter. He's an ice queen.

Queen. Queenie queenie queenie queen. Yep. You're a queen 'cause you're a little queer boy. Queeeeer. Ear. Have I ever told you you're gay?"

"Sure, Cupid."

"If I were you and I had a drunk bitch with me I'd take advantage of that slut faster than you can say...something."

I suppressed my laughter. Dear lord...

"Why doesn't anyone love you?"

"Because no one likes snow."

"It's more than that, Jacky boy. Mary and Lady and 'em love you but don't love winter."

I blinked. "I don't know then."

"I know. You're just yourself, which means you're different and people freak out about different." He slowly got up, stumbling around. "I love different Jacky boy," he said, grabbing my cheeks with both hands. "All these people are so similar. Ya know? That's why I'm not like my father." He let go of my cheeks, looking serious - but still drunk. He fell onto my bed, giving a groan. "Take my shoes off."

I rolled my eyes but took his shoes off anyway. I helped him get into the bed comfortably and set him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his vomit if he threw up. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the bed. "What if my parents get a divorce? How do you think people will feel or what will they think?" he asked, seriously.

"Uh..." I wasn't sure what to say because it was a big question but also he was close to me which made me nervous and his breath was right in my face. "I don't know."

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "I don't know either." He looked at me once and then closed his eyes again. "I came across this person who really enjoys snow. He's really artistic and designs snowflakes, but they're weirder snowflakes. He said he uses snow as his media and make sculptures, too. There are some people out there who really love the snow surprisingly..."

I ended up falling asleep really quickly since I had already been asleep. When I woke up, we were entwined in each others arms and I wasn't using him as a pillow. He was using me as part of the mattress because he was lying almost completely on top of me. His neck was basically right over my face and he strayed away from me along our legs. It would've been nice if he was spooning against me or something else, but this was just unpleasant. I shoved him off of me and climbed off the bed. He groaned something inaudible and curled into fetal position. I used the bathroom and noticed it was eight o'clock. I sighed and climbed back into the bed. Cupid turned and looked at me, eyes bloodshot.

"Did you really meet someone who loves snow?" I asked.

"Yeah. Plenty of people."

I smiled faintly. "Do you really hate snow?"

"To an extent."

"Why?"

He sighed. "I don't hate it as bad as other people. I was born in winter, during a blizzard. There are parts of it I love. I guess it's mostly the cold I can't stand, and I hate it when snow sticks to me and my clothing." He shrugged. "I think so many people have it in their heads that winter is a bad thing, but when it rolls around it's not as bad as they think. People just prefer summer."

"Well I wish they would learn to find something good about winter. Snow is my thing. Winter is my Mom's. It can be winter all year and it could snow all year but everyone else can still have their thing. You can still have all your love stuff. Mary and Boogey can still scare people. Winter and snow don't prevent people from their passions. I wish people would simply sacrifice something."

"But then you wouldn't be sacrificing anything. Give a little to get a little."

"I've sacrificed snow for eight or nine months every year."

"You should just deal with it, Jack."

I frowned. "How come I have to deal with everything? I deal with people telling me what I love they absolutely hate. I deal with people judging me because of the stuff I love. I have people bully me, too, because of what I love. People hate me because of the things I love. How would you feel if people felt that way about you?"

"I have felt that way Jack. I've made countless mistakes when making people fall in love or hate each other and they will hate me forever but I just deal with it."

"Because you have countless other opportunities to make things right with other people. How would you feel if you had a month of not being able to control people's love?"

"I hate my job, Jack," he said. "I don't want to control the fate of people. People should control their own fate. People should learn for themselves how to love and how to hate. Why should I control them?"

"Well why should I have people control me?"

He sighed and sat up. "You know, I don't think you'll ever quit being a brat."

I sat up, too. "Why can't you just look at it from my point of view?"

"Look, I know it sucks having people pick on you and hate you, but even if people loved you and loved winter and snow, it's a season. There is a specific reason why winter lasts for a few months. What about Mr. Green? He hates having to give up warm weather for your cold weather. He has to deal with the same thing you deal with. He's seasonal. So are you." He got off the bed and put his shoes on. "You want what so many other people have, but so many other people want what you have. I would much rather have a seasonal job than an all year, all day, every hour and every second job. How do you think Grim feels knowing he has to take souls away from people every day?"

"But people here still like Grim. I get that I'm not the only one suffering, but...why can't people like me?"

"Because you think about yourself too much." He tucked his shirt in and said, "I'll see you later, Jack."

I fell back against the bed and looked at my blue and white ceiling. I wasn't selfish. I was just desperate and lonely. I just wanted somebody to understand me, and even though some people suffer the way I do, they're still liked by people. I guess it's not really the fact that people hate snow. It's that they hate me, and it's not just because of the snow. They hate me for other reasons, which is what really upsets me. I've never really complained about people not liking snow in front of a bunch of people, just in front of Cupid, Mary, Lady, Drake, and Boogey. Cupid doesn't like me because he knows I complain and thinks I'm selfish, when really I just want people to try and understand. Then other people don't like me because...Cupid hates me. Everyone knows that if Cupid loves something, everyone loves it. If he hates something, they hate it. Thinking about it, people have told me that they don't like me while bringing Cupid into it. It's because of him. He's the reason why people hate me.

Well, I guess that just means I have to make Cupid love me.

---

I sneezed and pulled the blanket over me. Every year, a few days before Ostara, the vernal equinox, I got sick. It's because the warm weather and sunlight took a toll on me. It took a while for my body to get use to it because my body repelled summer. Mom got sick, too. When Dad was alive, it was almost like a holiday for us. We'd all sit on the living room floor, watch TV, and geth healthy together. Now, Mom just slept forever in her room while I moped around the house, watching TV and trying to find something to do so I wouldn't die of boredom.

Eventually, after school was over, Mary and Lady came over. They sat on the couch with me and told me what happened through the day, which wasn't much.

"Drake kept acting weird today, though," Mary said, and I completely understood why he would. Mary was wearing a shirt that would make any guy drool.

"It's 'cause your boobs are hanging out," I said, and when I was sick I was a little loopy and said whatever was on my mind.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you're oblivious to your cleavage. And don't think Drake doesn't find you attractive. He flirts with you all the time, and it's not just to make fun of you or annoy you. He really flirts with you. I'm certain a date with him would be fun for you two. I mean, you seem to have fun when you bicker."

"You think a date would be fun?" she asked.

"Yeah. Ask him to the barbeque or something and look sexy. You'll freak him out."

"That would be fun," she said, looking out the window, a smirk on her face. "Who you going with Lady?"

"I don't think I'll go," she said.

"What? You have to," Mary said.

"You say you won't go but you always do."

"I know. It's just I never really want to go but you guys drag me to it anyway."

"So what should we wear?" Mary asked.

"I wish we could go naked," I said absentmindedly.

Mary laughed and I managed a smile from Lady.

"Really, it's the day that the world becomes so natural and green and we should be all natural, too."

"That's kind of true, but it won't happen." She grabbed a few magazines from her bag and we sat close, me holding the magazine and them looking at it. "I'll probably wear red."

"I'll probably wear white," Lady said.

"You guys always wear that. Wear something different."

"Like what?" Mary asked.

"Well, I think blue would look really good on you, and pink would look good on you Lady."

"Blue?"

"Yeah. It'll go great with your hair and everything. See? Picture yourself in this dress." I pointed to a blue cocktail dress.

"Not me."

"What about this one?"

"Nope."

"Mary."

"What?"

"This one seems to be you," Lady said, pointing to a sexy blue one. It had one sheer sleeve and a talon-shaped sheer part going through the bust. The back of it was all sheer and if it was red she'd freak out over it.

She shrugged. "Whatever."

"You're getting it. And you have to get this one Lady," I said and pointed to a pretty pink one.

"Okay," she said easily.

They decided to go to the store from the magazine and buy the dresses, leaving me home alone. I grabbed one of the magazines and looked at some clothes for myself. I always wore white, blue, gray, or black. I figured I could change it up, too. I saw this purple and white vertical striped shirt that looked cute. It was a light purple and I figured my dark blue jeans would compliment it nicely. I bought the shirt the following day when I felt better and I thought it looked really good on me. It made me look kind of fruity, but I was kind of fruity and who cares? The day after that, Mary asked Drake to the Ostara barbeque in the way Mary asks people.

Drake and I were sitting at the lunch table that morning and Mary came up to him in her tightest black jeans, her heels, and a red button-up shirt she unbuttoned so her cleavage was massive. She leaned down on the table on her elbows, but in the air, and looked at Drake with her red eyes. "What're you doing Friday?" she asked.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked back, and they both shared the same smirk.

"I think you're taking me to the Ostara barbeque."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and I think you'll have quite the adventurous night."

"Looks like I am."

"Good, and try not to look too much better than me."

"I'll try, but that depends on what you'll be wearing."

"I think it'll depend on what I'm not wearing." She winked at him. "Pick me up at eleven forty." The she strutted away, Drake looking after her at her big butt in her too tight jeans.

I laughed. "She is the biggest flirt I've ever met," I said.

"Did she just ask me on a date?" he asked, looking at me.

"Yeah, in a very Mary way she did."

He smiled, really happy with himself. "What do think she's wearing?"

I shook my head. "She's wearing a dress, but I think you'll only care about what she's not wearing Drake." I stood up.

"What's the dress look like?"

"You'll figure it out on Friday, Drake." I grabbed my bag and left him to his imagination. I walked down the hall towards my class, a smile on my face.

"Are you doing my job, Jack?"

I turned around to see Cupid, looking incredibly good that day in his blue jeans and blue button up shirt with a lot of buttons unbuttoned. Guys could get away with a lot of cleavage at school, and Mary was too scary for any teacher to tell her to cover up. "No. I'm just making it easier I suppose," I said, smiling, which I think threw him off because he looked at my smile a little surprised.

"I wish my job was easy everyday," he told me.

"Quit complaining."

"Look who's talking?"

"I think you're really starting to like me Cupid."

"Shut up. I hate you."

"I think you hate me a lot less."

"I think you don't know what you're thinking."

I raised a brow. "I'm pretty certain people don't like me because you don't like me," I confessed.

"You think so?" he asked.

"Yeah. I think I am so completely lovable, but you're too blind."

"You're lovable?"

"Of course I am. I'm like a little panda bear."

He cracked a slight smile. "Keep thinking that."

"You'll love me one day. If not, you're just too blind."

"Being blind is a big benefit when it comes to love and hate, Jack."

"Well it looks like you've got a big benefit for yourself. Aren't you just so lucky?" With that, I walked away, feeling a lot more lovable than I did before.

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Two updates within 24 hours? You guys should really love me now :) If only I had this much inspiration for my other stories :p

Anyway, dedicated to a fan who is quite dedicated :) Thanks!

Slideshow of some characters to the side, too!

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