How To Build A Flower Shop

Chapter TWENTY FOUR

'Want me to walk you home? I don't mind, and winter is coming along with the early nights. It's only half-four and it looks like it's six or seven.' Roberto says when they exit the school building.

The sky has become a dark blue. The sun clocking out for the day, leaving in its trails some purple and pink tones that outline some grey clouds from underneath. The moon is starting to show under some clouds, the top half peeking out like it doesn't want to do the night shift, keeping the cloud as a blanket covering it.

'The sky is pretty. You can walk with me if you like. I can't help I'm amazing and you want to spend more time with me, Bert.'

Captured by the pretty sky, she hasn't noticed Roberto stopped walking beside her until something freezing cold and hard hits her shoulder. Rubs the area and sees it's snow, melting between her fingers and wetting her coat. He just threw a snowball at me. Turns around to see a lopsided smile on him, then he looks vacantly around him and whistles.

'What was that for?'

'For calling me Bert. Stop it. Enough. Bold.' He points a finger at her, his tone authoritative.

'I'm not a dog,' she states, unimpressed with her arms crossed, and steps forward to him.

He points his finger out again, and she stops. 'Ah, stay. Good girl.' A teasing glint shines in his eyes knowing he's getting to her.

She creates a snowball and chases him with it on the school grounds. Threatens to throw it at him but he keeps blocking and flinching.

'You call me Gold, so I don't see why I can't have a nickname for you!' she calls out to him. They stopped with a distance between them, moving from side to side as they throw snowballs at each other but miss.

'But I've been calling you Gold since forever. It's second nature to me,' he says as he rolls up a smooth snowball in his hands.

'Well then, Bert has become second nature to me.' She leans on one leg, making the biggest snowball she could. Both of their hands are red from the freezing snow, but they don't care. It has become a game where one of them has to forfeit.

Roberto looks up and blinks, his lips slightly parting when he sees the size of her snowball. 'Are you gonna throw that at me?'

'Duh.'

The surprise on his face grows but he brushes it off. 'You won't get me,' he teases as he starts to move around, taunting her.

She throws the snowball at a random moment and it hits him in the chest. He doesn't flinch but she still cheers to herself and sticks her tongue out at him. When he's done wiping the snow off his chest, he bends over to pick up more snow but stops half way, his hand on his back, a little yelp escaping his lips.

'My back,' he groans, his face contorting into pain. He takes a couple steps back and sits on the school wall behind him, his hand still rubbing his back.

Instantly, Bobbi drops her snowball and jogs over to him, her anger towards Nicholas bubbles up inside of her, with worry washing over her. Crouches down in front of him, concern in her eyes as she hopes Nick hasn't caused a serious injury to his back. She puts her hand on his knee to console him.

'Are you alright? I'm sorry about Nick, what he did was harsh and rough and he shouldn't have done that to you; it was too much.'

'Gold, it was a fight – a fight I started. He wouldn't leave you alone and I was in a bad mood, but I don't regret it. He should get over you. Did you tell him straight out you've moved on?'

'Of course I did. I don't wanna talk about him, how's your back?'

'Okay- ooh.' He hisses and tilts over to the left, his right hand still behind his back, and Bobbi mirrors him as she tilts to the right, grimacing. Then, as sly as he could, he brings his right hand around and slaps a snowball on her left cheek, but not harsh, and a smirk pulls at his pouted lips.