A Life With Boys

Chapter 9

It was cold outside. Too cold. Winter made me depressive, because that's the time of the year in which my father died. Everything seemed to darken and people seemed to become less happy when the year approached its end. I remembered when I was young and always looked forward to the coldest season. I found it cozy and the cold was somewhat comforting. But now, the winter became worse every year. All I wanted to do was lay in bed and sleep until spring. Unfortunately, I wasn't born as a bear who hides in his cave and crawls out when it gets warmer.

Okay, it wasn't winter yet. It was only halfway October, but the point is that it was a cold day today. Vince offered to pick me up when I discovered that my car wouldn't start. He rode into my street, while I was waiting outside. Mom had a free day and I avoided her. I missed dad. Perhaps it was the wheater that made me think of him: he used to cuddle me as long as it took to get me warm after playing in the snow. Then he would tell me stories about epic snowball fights he fought in his youth. But he was honest, because he told about his lost battles as well. That made listining to his stories extra exciting: I never knew if he was going to win in the end.

"Is the heater turned on?" I asked Vince as I opened the door of his car.

"No?" he answered a little doubtful.

"Then I refuse to get in." I slammed the door shut and I could hear Vince laugh from inside.

"It's turned on now," Vince called and when I still didn't step inside: "You can come in!"

I waited a few seconds and when Vince was about to abandon the car to come and get me, I opened the door.

"What where you waiting for?"

I gave him a small smile. "For the heater to warm up."

Vince smiled back and gave me a short, tight hug. "You're crazy."

"Stop flirting with me! Let's get our butts to school or we might be late."

It went like that for three days. Vince didn't turn the heater on, on purpose - to tease me. Being as stubborn as I am, I wouldn't give in and stood beside the car for a minute or two every day. We made a little tradition of it. But on thursday morning, Vince texted me that he wouldn't come to school. When I called him to ask if he was feeling sick, he didn't pick up. I had made no effort to get my car fixed, so I asked Evan to give me a ride.

He was more than happy being able to help me out. "Feels like the old days, when you didn't know the way to school," he smiled.

"The old days," I repeated, laughing. It was just a month ago when Evan rode me to Milden High School on my first day as a junior. I remembered Russel telling me that Vince was absent very often and nobody knew where he went. I could only wonder what he was doing right now. Gaming? Hanging out with a bunch of bad boys?

"Do you know whe-" I stopped halfway my sentence. If Russel didn't know where Vince was during schooltime, than Even wouldn't know either.

"What were you saying?" Evan asked.

"Nothing." I leaned with my head on the window and thought about kissing Vince. Why had I even said I didn't know if I liked him - of course I did. From the moment I saw him, there had been something about him that grabbed my attention. But so had Russel. Russel was handsome, but strange. And angry. At me and at Vince. Vince was kind, funny and crazy. And handsome, too. All those good-looking guys at Milden started to drive me insane.

When we arrived at school, I saw Russel and Aimée kissing. Their bodies were pressed together against the side of a car.

"I had never seen them talk to each other until yesterday but now they're unseparable," Evan commented on the new couple.