Wonder ❄️ | h.s. |

Chapter Two

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

"Ugh," I groan as I turn my face deep into my pillow to block out the barely risen sun. Stretching my arm out as far as I can, I slap the off button on my phone's alarm.

My head is spinning. Why did I drink so much last night?

Then the memories start flooding back. The laundry room, spilling my wine, my man-hating meltdown. I groan again, but out of embarrassment.

I peek at my phone; it's 6:30. I have to get up. How dare I have a job that starts this early in the morning.

From the room next door, I can already hear Emma in the shower. She always manages to get up before me, it's kind of miraculous.

My morning voice is barely there as I croak out what I always do on particularly rough mornings: "Alexa, play Carolina."

"Playing Carolina by Parmalee," her robotic voice announces, followed by a drum intro to some random country song.

"No never mind. Alexa, stop. Please. Alexa, play Carolina by Harry Styles," I try again, not up for her shenanigans this morning.

"Hm, I don't know that one. Here's something I think you might like: Carolina by Eric Chur—"

"Oh my god, Alexa, no, please. Stop."

I don't have time for this, I only have 15 minutes to be out the door on my way to work. So instead, I skip on the music and begin work on willing myself to leave the warm confines of my duvet.

Counting down from five, I hurl my body from the bed. It's like ripping off a Band-Aid, you gotta do it fast or else you'll chicken out.

The second my bare feet hit the cold linoleum-tiled floor, I begin hopping around until I spot my slippers. I absolutely hate sleeping in socks, but I suffer every morning because of it.

I look at myself in the mirror. "Oof, rough."

Rubbing away the caked mascara under my eyes, I start sifting through my dresser and pull out a clean Chester Pike's t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Peaking outside to check the weather, I notice the foot of freshly fallen snow. I'm gonna need to wear layers.

Adding a turtleneck under my shirt and some thick socks, I move on to fixing my face. This is never an easy feat, but it is complicated by my hungover appearance. Ultimately, I settle on tossing my hair into a messy bun, and putting on my glasses.

As I pull up my sheets to half-assed make my bed, something catches my eye. I pick it up and notice it's a greeting card—something cheap that you'd get at Hallmark for 99¢. It's has a cheesy drawing of a winter-scape on the front and the words "this winter season, enjoy the wonder of it all" painted across in script. I open the card to see who it's from, but there's nothing written in it.

I'm distracted from my confusion by the sound of Emma leaving the bathroom, already fully dressed in her uniform.

"Nice card, but you could've put some thought into it," I call to her as I throw the card on my bedside table.

"What card?" she asks as she walks into the kitchen.

"Don't play dumb," I retort, leaving my room to begin lacing up my boots.

She just shrugs me off and puts a to-go cup of coffee down next to me. I check my phone and see we only have a few minutes before we have to leave.

"Remind me again why we do this?"

"Because it's far too cold here to sell ourselves on the street corners," she answers while putting on her coat.

***