Frostbitten

Easter

April was one of my favorite months, other than the winter ones. It always rained constantly in April, and I loved that. Plus, the fact that my sexuality was out in the open, I could finally do things I had wanted to do before but couldn't. I like makeup, but I knew if I wore it then people would call me gay. Then I could wear more feminine clothing. I didn't cake myself in makeup, but I did put on mascara. Then I didn't wear dresses. No, I wore more androgynous clothing. I liked to wear shorts a lot, and they were usually above my knees. Otherwise it was just sweaters, v-necks, button-ups, and very versatile clothing that could be made masculine or feminine.

Anyway, Mary, Lady, Boogey, Drake, Cupid and I decided to have a picnic one day. We went to the park and sat under a tree with a blanket. It wasn't raining yet, but we knew it would eventually. I was wearing my polyester blue shorts that were very tight and came to my knees. I was also wearing my silk, white button up and my black boots that came to my mid-calf. I felt fabulous, and much more liberated. It felt like everything was the way it was suppose to be. Mary was leaning against the tree, Drake's head in her lap. Boogey and Lady were sitting closer than they normally were. Then Cupid was telling us a story.

"So did they get together?" Mary asked after we had been gushing over the adorableness of his story.

"No," Cupid said flatly, making our smiles vanish. "No, he ended up getting killed in action. Alex was by his side when it happened. After being in such a horrible, life-sucking war, he felt that life was empty, and he ended up dying, too, walking right into enemy fire."

"War is a horrible thing."

"Everyone thinks that, and yet it still happens."

"Damn you Pandora!" Mary exclaimed.

"What?" Drake asked.

"You know the story. Zeus made Pandora, a beautiful woman for all the men. She was perfect, but he gave her curiosity. Then for some damn reason he made her watch a box. Since she was curious, she opened it and Hate, Fear, War, Greed, and all sorts of horrible things came out of it. It's her fault."

"It's just a story."

"Yeah but that's not all that came out," I said. "After all the bad things came, a small little bit of hope came out as well."

"I always wondered if there was a box of all the good things that had despair float out into the world after the good things came out."

"It's a damn story."

"Shut up. It's a folk tale, a creation story."

"A creation story?" Boogey asked.

"They're stories that explain why things are," I said. "Like, there's one about a man who created the animals. They were all differently shaped before him. The rabbit told him he needed long legs to run, and so he gave him long legs to run and jump and big ears to hear. Then he made the owl ugly because he was being impatient."

"Aw, that's mean."

"But they are kind of ugly...in a cute way maybe."

"Did you really just say that Boogey?"

"Better believe it."

We laughed and continued to talk and eat, and as I lied against the grass as my friends talked, I couldn't help but wonder if there were people in the world doing this exact same thing. These talks were not simply one person says something and another says something. No, we'd share our thoughts and develop more thoughts and opinions. We were growing, enlightening ourselves. We were connecting with one another and it was beautiful.

"Well, I gotta get going before it rains," Boogey said, because his face changed with the weather.

"Me, too," Lady said. Rain was the perfect weather for them. For Boogey to scare kids and Lady to freak out travellers.

"We're gonna go, too," Mary also said.

"For reasons too inappropriate night to share," Drake said, making Mary roll her eyes. The four departed and it was just Cupid and I. I took Mary's spot against the tree and Cupid sprawled across the blanket.

"I'm tired," he told me, closing his eyes.

"Me, too," I replied, and yawned, covering my mouth.

"Wanna go to the tree house?"

"Sure."

We had recently had a habit of going to his tree house when we didn't want to stay at my house. Just as we stood up, it started to rain. We started to run through the park and then into the woods towards his tree house. We climbed up quickly and I collapsed onto the bed. He panted and put his hands on his knees. He looked really good that day. He was shirtless, as were most guys now in this weather, even though it could still get chilly. He was wearing white pants and he just looked really good in them. Unfortunately, they were a thick fabric, and even though they were drenched, they weren't see-through. Just because I probably won't be with him doesn't mean I still can't check him out. Anyway, my shirt was thin and so yes, it did become see-through after being drenched.

"Do you have another shirt?" I asked.

"No. I took them all home to be cleaned," he said, sitting next to me. He looked down at me, the corner of his mouth twitched up.

"What?" I asked, smiling.

"Nothing," he told me.

I sat up and faced him. "Tell me."

"It's nothing, really." He grabbed a wet piece of my hair gently, getting it out of my face and just looking at me with his piercing green eyes.

I looked away, out the window. I mean...Cupid was not suppose to look at me like that. Cupid and I were not going to get together. He should have known by now and so he should not be looking at me in such a cute, romantic, hypnotizing way.

"You shave your legs?" he asked me, resting his hand on my knee.

I nodded, resorting to my silent ways.

"Are you okay, Jack?"

I looked at him briefly and then out the door. "Yeah." I stood up quickly. "So, I think I should go home if you don't mind."

"What?"

"I'll talk to you later." I started to climb down the ladder quickly. So quickly in fact my foot got caught in the handle and I fell from a little too far up to not get any scratches. I fell flat on my face and into some mud, too, to top it off. I wiped my face off and sighed, looking down at myself, my mud-covered self. Cupid jumped down, landing next to me. He pulled me to my feet and examined my face and hands and everything.

"You okay? Do you have any scratches?" He retracted his hands quickly. "Are you bleeding?"

"I'm fine," I mumbled. I started to walk away, but he grabbed my wrist and jerked me back towards him.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"Nothing," I snapped, trying to pull my hand away, but he had a firm grasp.

"Jack."

"Just leave me alone."

"Why? Why are you so pissy all of a sudden?"

"I'm not."

"Tell me."

"I just want to be alone."

He let go of my wrist and put his hands up. "Fine. Just be a brat." He shoved passed me, running out of the distance quickly before I could see where he went. I pouted, my lip trembling. It's not my fault I was confused. I mean, I felt like a school girl with a crush - a crush who was actually liking her back. It wasn't what was suppose to happen. We aren't meant to be together.

I sulked all the way home and fell onto my bed. Cupid didn't talk to me for a few days, and he avoided me at all costs.

On Easter, we gathered at the capital building again dressed in new clothing to have good luck and watched as Bunny played with the kids. I got bored because I was jealous I couldn't go hunting for eggs, so I decided to go on a walk. I was walking along the streets of the town that seemed empty when I heard something. I thought it was Lady, and so I walked down the alley. It was Lady, and she was talking to Boogey. The two were looking at each other intensely, and I was curious to know if Lady would need me because I thought he was about to run away. I crouched behind one of the blankets that were hanging on a wire to dry off, sitting on a trash can.

"I'm sorry I never noticed before," Lady was saying.

"It's fine. I think it made me like you more," Boogey replied.

"I've always been afraid of...this."

"Don't be." He took her hand gently.

She started to lift his mask, but he grabbed her other hand. They stared at each other and slowly she started to take off his mask. Before I could see his face, my eyes were covered and I nearly panicked, but then I heard a voice say, "Don't look." Cupid.

I didn't look because I'd scream and it would ruin their moment. I expected a scream from Lady since everyone saw their biggest fears in Boogey, but there was no scream.

"I've always feared falling in love with a beautiful man."

I couldn't help but look, but when I saw the Boogey Man himself I didn't see a terrifying face. He was kissing Lady, and rumor has it that if Boogey was extremely happy then his face would look like its natural form. And since he was finally kissing Lady, he was definitely happy. He had a masculine, strong face with smooth, brown skin and fine black hair, being and extremely handsome man. I smiled. Finally.

Cupid took his bow and two arrows and shot them as they embraced tightly. He grabbed my arm and pulled me along.

"Cupid," I said, stopping. He turned to me. "I'm sorry. I was just...weirded out the last time I saw you."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because..." There was nothing better to do than tell him the truth. "Because you shouldn't be looking at me like that, so-so lovingly."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because we're not meant to be so I don't want to have you flirting with me."

"Who says we're not meant to be?"

"You!"

"I've said that to you?"

"No, but...but you said that you can't tell how your true love feels, and if I'm your true love then you would've known a long time ago and would've said something."

"You think you're the only person who I can't tell how they feel?"

"What?"

"Jack, there are quite a few people I've come across that I can't tell how they feel. It means I have a connection with these people, but only one is meant for me. It could be you, but it could be someone else, too."

"But...but why are there others...?"

"Like I said, I'm connected with them. I don't know how. It's for me to figure out. How can I truly understand true love without experiencing it myself? Everyone in my family has said that after they fell in love things got easier. It's a part of my life to figure it out. I use to think I could read your feelings because you just hated me so much, but it was obvious to everyone you hated me. I mean, people can see other feelings, too. They don't understand it as much as I do, but sometimes it's obvious. Though as I got to know you more I realized that I could just obviously tell, but then you changed. I thought you started to kind of love me but I wasn't sure and I was confused. So I knew that being confused meant I truly didn't know how you felt, and that means you could just possibly be right for me."

"So...so you don't know how I feel and...?"

"Yes. Everything I said is true. Okay?"

"O...kay."

He smirked. "Do you wanna go on a date with me?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Would like to go on a date with me?"

"Uh-uh-uh...yeah." I faintly smiled.

"Good. Now let's get back."

"Okay."

He took my hand and we walked back, him not even knowing how much I was freaking out. Though the fact he didn't know I was freaking out only made it better.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D::D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

That should make you happy right!?!?!?!?! It better! If not...get lost. No, but seriously there's potential! Is it true love though??? You'll just have to read to find out!

Dedicated to le awesome fan who has commented and voted for mucho stories. Gracias!!!

SLIDESHOW OF CUPID AND JACK TO THE SIDE. THEY WOULD HAVE BEAUTIFUL BABIES, AM I RIGHT?

Mkay, bye! Love, vote, read, etc. COMMENT.