Frozen Mate (boyxboy)

Chapter 1

Have to repost this story under a new account. I got locked out of my old account, Wormofbooks106.

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I've always hated the snow.

It's cold, and wet, and leaves your skin numb and irritated. We never had any snow back in California, and it was a rare occasion for the temperature to ever dip below freezing. I miss the sun, the heat, and being able to walk outside without the overwhelming likelihood of getting frostbite.

The first day of snow happens in November, before we even have the chance to unpack the winter coats we purchased in a Minneapolis strip mall. I hate Minnesota. It's freezing and desolate, and after living here for a week I can slowly feel my culture being spoiled by the Midwestern vibes. My mother says I should give it a chance, maybe make some friends or join some clubs at the new school to find my niche.

I lay by the window on a dingy couch the last tenant left behind, bundled in a fleece blanket in desperate attempt to retain my body heat. The house we rent is stranded in the heart of Suburbia, but in a town as small as Willow Lake, that's about four blocks away from the pitiful downtown and 6 miles from the next town over. Back in LA we lived in a cozy apartment with a view of the Hollywood hills, and while I enjoy the more spacious living quarters, I fervently miss living in a city of astronomical relevance. Willow Lake, named after a lake that's frozen for half of the year, doesn't even appear on most maps.

"You should go get a job," My mother calls from the kitchen. "It'll be a good way to make some friends before your first day at the new school."

"No one's gonna hire me. I don't have any experience."

"True," says she, entering the room with a box of unpacked books. "But you're polite, and smart, and very handy. I believe the bakery on Maple is hiring, you should check it out before it gets too cold outside." 

I scoff. "Gets too cold? It was too cold the moment we landed at the airport."

"Please try and make the best of this, Jack." My mother sighs dejectedly, ever disappointed in my sour attitude as of late. "Your father is excited about the company's merger and I really want us all to give him the support he needs."

The conversation fades off as my mother returns to the kitchen to resume unpacking and successfully binding my family to this new home. I decide that I no longer want to sit in this room and mope. If I want to lighten my mood, I'll need to escape the house. My options are limited to anywhere within walking distance, since I have no car and no license. I turned eighteen months ago, but I didn't see any reason to have a license in Los Angeles.

Feeling a need for company, I trudge upstairs to see if my little sister is willing to brave the frozen tundra with me. She's eight. The move was harsh on her at first, and there were many heinous tantrums in the living room of our apartment, but once she found out it snows in abundance here, all negativity dissolved into blind enthusiasm. She had friends back in California, but elementary school friendships are about as permanent as modern marriages. I had only a handful of friends, kids who were on the debate team with me, but that doesn't mean it wasn't painful to say goodbye.

My sister's room looks over the backyard, covered in a blanket of snow that my parents refuse to let her play in unless she bundles up in layers of coats thick as the stratosphere. She sits on one of her wooden chairs, drawing in a journal she got from Gramma last Christmas. As soon as she notices my presence she slams it shut.

"What are you drawing?" I ask.

She looks at me skeptically, questioning my sincerity. "That's for me to know, and you never to find out." She tells me haughtily. I laugh a bit and reach for the journal before she snatches it off the desk and races over to her bed.