Winter

It seemed autumn had finally decided to end after a few weeks of teasing. Snow had already lightly dusted the grounds, but more kept falling. The weatherman said we would get at least four inches by tomorrow morning. I wondered if we were going to get a snow day.

I should ask if Chloe wants to spend the night. If we got lucky and tomorrow was a free day…

Hands in my pockets, I walked down the halls. My destination was a moving target, but she couldn’t escape me; her Noise a steadfast beacon.

“Chloe.”

Turning, she had a granola bar wrapper in her mouth as she shuffled things around in her bag. She caught the bar as it fell, giving me a big smile. “Jake.” Letting out a sigh, she pushed things back into her bag and zipped it up.

“Something wrong?”

“Just grabbing lunch,” she said, holding up the granola bar victoriously.

“Didn’t pack?” I asked as she grabbed me and pulled me down the hall.

“I overslept.” Her Noise rippled with something too quick for me to see. I stopped her, gently pushing her towards the wall. Leaning down, I put my face near hers. She was blushing wildly, eyes darting around. “J-Jake…”

My fingers brushed her cheeks as I searched her features. “You look tired.” I stared at her. “Are you feeling sick?” The back of my hand pressed against her forehead.

“Jeez. I’m not sick,” she said, pushing against my chest. “I just haven’t slept that well the past couple days.”

I didn’t let her escape, stepping in close. She was looking around, but I didn’t care if other people saw us. All I could see was her. “How about staying at my place tonight?” I whispered, leaning in closer.

“And just how is that going to help me sleep?”

My fingers ran over her forehead, brushing the hair aside. “Who said anything about helping you sleep?”

Grinning, her finger pressed against my nose, pushing my face away. “I need to separate you from Alexis. She is a bad influence on you.”

“I don’t think she’s the bad influence.”

“Are you implying I’m the bad influence?”

“You most definitely are.” I leaned in for a kiss. Her eyes closed as her head tilted slightly. The moment our lips touched, a sharp Noise cut in.

“Ms. Reed!” We separated, and I looked down the hall to see the principal marching toward us. Annoyance circled Mr. Palmer’s Noise. What caught my attention were the cracks there. Nothing to be concerned about, but curiosity to see. The only reason I caught it was because it wasn’t the first time I’d seen it. A withdrawal symptom, perhaps? “My office. Now,” he ordered, not slowing as he marched past us.

Fear spiked in her Noise, quickly replaced by resignation as she looked up at me. She was doing her best to keep her smile up. We both knew why Mr. Palmer wanted to see her. “Guess we’ll have to do a rain check on lunch.” She glanced out the window. “Or snow check.”

My gaze lingered, taking in her Noise. “You’re upset.”

“Well, yeah. I'm not exactly showing off my best side here.” She pouted. “Not to mention I’m going to be missing lunch.” She made a show of putting her granola bar away as if burying an old friend.

“You don’t have to go.”

Not even she could muster the strength to hide her sad smile. “We both know that isn’t true. My grades may not need adjusting anymore, but I need to keep admin on my side. Love being able to skip without too much fuss.”

“I’ll stay close. Make sure you are okay.”

She smiled. “Sweet, but no. I know you are ‘okay’ with all this, but I like to keep some, uh, separation between business and personal life.

Besides, Mr. Palmer is a pushover. Dude loves to put on a front, but give it a little push and you’ll discover he’s actually an invertebrate in disguise.” Her voice lowered, Noise taking on a malicious edge as she grinned. “He’s a one-minute wonder, so I have that going for me. This won't take long.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond to that. Placing a chaste kiss on my cheek, she spun me and gave me a playful shove.

“Go. Get some food while I take care of this. See you after school?”

“Be careful,” I said, looking back.

“Always am.” With a brave smile, she headed down the hall.