11. First for everything
Winter.
The air becomes colder. So cold you can see your breath freezing around you. When the skies start to cry, a magical wonderland forms in front of you. It is the season of joy and happiness. Lighting the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate or eggnog, without the alcohol of course. Snuggling up in fuzzy blankets on a cold night and watching the snow fall. Then there are the snowball fights. Lots of snowball fights.
Winter would have to be my absolute favorite time of the year. You can't help, but smile when you see the first snowfall of the year. It's just an amazing feeling.
I waited outside Blake's apartment. Again he was taking forever, but this time there were no excuses.
Now that the football seasons over (we got eliminated from playoffs after we lost the third game) it can't be because he's getting ready. It's not his birthday so he can't be trying to look nice. Also, it's a Monday, who the heck tries to look good on a Monday? Oh, that's right, a girl who starts with a 'T' and ends with 'are'.
Tara, being the person she is; doesn't understand why I'm still tutoring Blake. He has a C in her class so she thinks I did all I needed to do. The only reason why he is passing that class is every day, I write down what we learned and reteach it to him. In a matter that he'll understand. If I just stopped doing that, He'd be back where he was the first week he asked me to tutor him. Failing.
Finally, his door opens and out walks Blake. He raked through his semi-long brown hair with his fingers, which were slowly losing the tan he gained during the football season. Shame, absolute shame.
"You know. I thought girls were supposed to take longer than guys at getting ready?" I joke around with him.
"That's a little sexist isn't it." He pushes me slightly before we ran down the stairs. "Besides it takes time to look like this."
"Like a dork?" I joke.
"Exactly." He grins.
A couple tiny flurries began to fall from the sky. I lifted up my head to look at the sky.
"Ow!" I yell even though I wasn't in any pain. I quickly rub my eye.
"You know you're supposed to catch snowflakes with your tongue, right?" Blake looks over the truck at me. Smiling.
After sending him a quick glare, I stuck my tongue out. It was a cold, refreshing feeling when the snowflake hit your tongue. It wasn't like ice or water because it dissolved right when it made contact. It doesn't taste like anything, it just feels cold.
I looked over to Blake who was watching me the whole time.
"I wish I could just stay home today," I tell him once I got into the car.
"Why don't you?" He asks.
"You mean, sluff school?" I grin. "My dad would have my head on a platter.
"Blame it all on me." He smiles.
"No." I quickly say. "I won't drag you down with me."
"Come on, have you ever ditched school before?" He asks.
"No."
"You're a senior in high school. Come on." Next thing I knew he was getting out of the truck.
"Blake!" I yelled.
My side door opened and he stood there. Waiting for me to get out. I slid out, landing on the ground with both of my feet.
"Trust me." The corners of his lips curl upwards.
"If I'm dead tomorrow. You will be responsible." I glare.
"Then we better make this day amazing." He walks backward yet somehow keeps talking to me.
"Watch out!" I yell.
I was too late.
Blake tripped backward on the curb and landed hard on the grass ground. Luckily it wasn't the concrete, he got lucky.
"Ouch." He mumbled.
I couldn't help but laugh. "You know for being an athlete you can't stay on your feet."
"Oh really?" He grins.
I held out my hand for him which he grabbed. Except, instead of getting up; he pulled me down with him.
We both began to laugh at the little squeal that escaped my mouth. Blake rotated his head to face me. Laughing even harder.
"Let's stop by the café and get some hot chocolate." He suggests.
"I always get hot chocolate though." I grin.
"Well, now they won't think you're weird." He adds.
He proceeds to pull himself off the ground then held his hand out for me. I accepted and he pulled me up and popped my elbow. Which surprisingly felt nice.
Then we began our walk to the café for some breakfast.
"So you're telling me you've never been to the mountains before?" Blake seemed so confused. "And you've lived here your whole life?"
"What, my family didn't do hikes all the time." I grin.
We found a booth and waited patiently for our orders. I wasn't shocked by the morning crowd of people here. Mostly college students and adult just stopping by for their daily coffee dose.
"Well now that this day is gonna be amazing, the mountains is our first stop." He grins.
Out the giant window, the snow started to cover the ground. Creating the famous white blanket ever book says about snow.
"Here are your orders." The male barista placed our orders in front of us. We both nodded off a thank you and dug in.
I sipped my hot chocolate in Blake's car. He was right, I didn't receive any weird looks now for drinking hot chocolate. Blake was doing his signature move while driving. One hand on the steering wheel, except this time he was holding his hot chocolate in his hand.
"Any plans for the winter formal?" Blake asked right after turning down the pop-rock band that was playing on the radio.
"Is that this week?" I turn quickly to face him.
He nodded with a wide grin.
Football games might have not been my thing, but when it comes to dances. I actually do enjoy then, only when I'm with friends though. Rebecca would design our dresses, which were amazing, and I would research and learn how to do fancy hairstyles. We considered it to be a tradition for our friendships. Back in the dark ages, when we first attended a dance, we started the tradition. Now that she's in Italy and Elliot and I are no longer a thing, I might just skip it this year. Do other important things in my time.
"You planning on attending?" He asked.
"Probably not. It would be weird without Rebecca by my side." I tell him.
"You can't just skip the winter formal." He sounds like every teenage girl when it comes to prom season. "What if you come with my group?" He suggests.
"You seriously want me to come to this, don't you?" I grin.
"This is your last winter formal." He grins. "You have to show up."
"Just because I'm getting tired of you begging." I roll my eyes. "I'll go."
"Yay!" He cheered.
"But only to one thing." I grin.
"What thing?"
"Don't try to get me a date." I glare. "I am definitely not ready for that
"Deal." He smiles.
We found an available parking spot, which isn't a shock because no one was here, and walked to the trail.
About halfway through the walk, I felt everything in my body freeze.
"Oh my god," I say through a series of shivers.
"Here." Blake took off his lettermen and placed them gently on my shoulders. "Told you to bring a coat."
I glared at him. The only thing he did was laugh.
I walked ahead of him and that's when I felt something cold hit my back.
Turning around I see Blake holding a snowball in his hand.
"Are you just trying to make me freeze to death?" I let slide through my teeth.
"Maybe." He smiled before throwing his only snowball left. Hitting me right in the shoulder.
"You're on!" I yell. Collecting a ball of snow together and with a quick, deep breath. I aimed and threw it.
Blake watched as the small snowball flee last him in little to no speed.
"At least you tried." He joked. Quickly walking to catch up with me. "No wonder you didn't play sports."
"I played sports!" I say in defense. "I just wasn't...the best."
"Right." He smirked.
When I saw the ledge, I knew we were almost there. Blake laughed while I ran ahead like a tiny child.
Standing right behind the small metal fence, I looked at the valley below. It was covered in a fresh layer of pure white snow. The sparkly ice was being reflected off each bit of snow, making the world look like a white starry night sky. I wanted to hug it, even though it is some what impossible since I couldn't hug it all at one time.
"It's beautiful," I mumbled under my breath.
"I knew you'd like it," Blake said. Scaring me. He caught my arm just before I fell, probably to my death.
"You can't do that to me!" I yell. Not in anger, more like embarrassment at what I just did.
"Noted." He grinned.
I admired the view a little longer. Taking it all in at once. I didn't want to leave, but I had no choice.
"So for our next stop. I think ice skating." I grin up at Blake.
We were almost to the car when he answered.
"You know, I'm a really bad ice-skater." He explains.
"Well lucky for you. You have a master in your presence." I pulled a Blake and gestured to myself.
"The tree?" He smiles.
"Very funny." I glare.
"I think I'm hilarious." He says. Pulling me.
We're rubbing off on each other. Not in that way, though.