Baby It's Cold Outside ✔️

- 7

Monday

Whenever she felt alone, Kaylee would play a little game. She'd pretend to be her mother, scolding and reminding her to finish her homework. She'd pretend to be her father before he started drinking; how he'd tell dad jokes and give her piggyback rides.

Whenever she felt alone, Kaylee would play her little game. And she was often alone.

It had been seven years since both parents delivered her upon the doorstep of the orphanage, and seven years since she'd last felt the warmth from a mother's hug or the joy bellowing from a father's laughter.

An orchestra of noise snapped Kaylee out of her reverie, as the school bus came into view. Kaylee grabbed her backpack, glanced at the zit appearing on her forehead one last time, before yanking a black beanie on her head.

The final week of senior high, and after that, she'd be free from this hellhole. The day her acceptance letter from Berkeley arrived, Kaylee couldn't stop smiling for the rest of that morning, until she looked in the school's bathroom mirror and noticed her crooked teeth.

She didn't smile as wide after that, but she was still in a good mood. Not even her classmates' constant mocking and hair-tugging could take away the fact that she, Kaylee, was going to a prestigious university and rise up like a phoenix from the ashes.

She'd unfurl her bedazzling wings and flap all the negativity away, as she'd soar into the light the world was ready to shower her with, but instead, she went soaring towards the nearest locker as a faceless jock pushed her forcefully.

The large bang was echoed by a chorus of laughter and jeers, and Kaylee's papers flung upon the grimy school floor. Keeping her head low and holding back tears, she bent over to pick them up.

Suddenly, two strong arms shot out of nowhere and reached for the papers as well. Kaylee froze, because not once in her high-school life had someone ever did.

Once, this new exchange student offered some help, but Kaylee told her if she wanted to keep her social image, she'd walk away, so she did.

She looked up into the piercing dark eyes staring back at her, the tousled brown hair and the outstretched hand containing the rest of her papers.

Duke Florian was a name everyone knew. Kaylee heard rumors that on Friday nights he'd go racing in the shadow parts of town, and no one had ever defeated him.

Whenever he went MIA, one of his friends would indicate that he got involved with the mafia or some other gang and was currently kicking their ass.

The way people described him made it seem like he was this burly, feral delinquent who could kill you with just a glare.

So Kaylee blinked a few more times just for good measure because her brain couldn't comprehend how a guy like Duke Florian could be helping a girl like her tidy up papers?

After what seemed like forever, she shakily held out her arm and took the documents from Duke. Not once did they break eye contact.

The cacophony of noises in the hallway dulled out, as Duke began to speak,

"You're welcome." followed by a smirk.

Kaylee realized that in her stupor, she forgot to thank him. He did, after all, help pick up her papers. She stuttered out a response, but Duke was already standing up and in an instant, he disappeared into the throng of people, leaving the smell of aftershave and mystery lingering in Kaylee's mind.