Blizzard

chapter 12

On Tuesday evening, Shelby ran at a calm pace through the forest, lit by the setting sun. The sunlight shone through the trees, glinting off the snow. The past two days she had snuck out at night after her parents had gone to sleep. She hoped she hadn't caused Toni to be as sleep-deprived as she was. She didn't seem to be, not at school at least. Those late few hours she'd spent with Toni, yesterday, had been the only time she had been able to get some actual sleep in.

Today, Shelby's father had a meeting that ran late. He wasn't going to be home until later tonight, so she had decided to sneak out sooner. Well, not as much 'sneaking out' as her mother turning a blind eye to her going out. She was pretty sure her mom was aware of her nightly endeavors, but she hadn't said anything so Shelby wasn't going to either, just in case she wasn't after all.

As she was trotting through the trees, feeling a light breeze ruffle her fur, she thought back to Toni's admission. Toni hadn't exactly looked happy at the realization that she might like Shelby. Not that Shelby wanted her to like her, of course not. But would it really be that bad if she did? Did Toni really hate the thought of liking her like that? Was she disgusted by the thought? Not because she thought it was a sin–there was no way the brunette believed that–but because she was deterred by the idea of being with Shelby–a rich, religious, white girl, as Toni had put it. Or had her scars repelled her? Shelby knew it wasn't a pretty sight, but there was more to her than her body. And she always kept it covered up anyway; so really, that shouldn't be a reason for Toni not to like her. Again, not that Shelby wanted her to; it was more of a hypothetical thing, of course.

Shelby's instinct on Monday had been to keep her distance from Toni, but that hadn't stopped her from being intrigued. Just because she had been trying to avoid the brunette at school ever since her confession, didn't mean she had stopped noticing her. On the contrary, it was as if Toni was a magnet, constantly pulling on her mind for her attention whenever they were in the same room. It was now even worse than before. Shelby chalked it up to curiosity. She actually was very curious as to whether the hotheaded basketball player would act differently around her after her realization from Sunday.

Shelby had, in fact, noticed a change in her demeanor. Though, not in an adamant everyone-would-notice kind of way. It was more subtle, in slight changes in things that were already there. There was one thing that had stood out to her most. Shelby had caught Toni staring at her more often than usual–which had already been quite a lot–but that was not the significant part. The significant part was that now, each time Shelby caught her in the act, instead of glaring at her or simply looking indifferent as she averted her eyes like she used to, now she would quickly turn away with a blush coloring her cheeks, often combined with her jaw clenched.

Today, Toni had also even offered her a frickin' pencil. She had just sat down when Toni had approached her desk with a small, awkward smile; pencil in hand. Shelby had never needed anyone else's pencil in her life. She always came meticulously prepared to class. And she was pretty sure Toni knew that. Which could only mean that Toni had been looking for an excuse to talk to her. That or Shelby was just imagining things, overthinking and such, adding meaning to coincidental things.

When Shelby was able to see Toni's figure in the distance, she stopped for a second, letting herself take in the sight. She was wearing her beige Carhartt jacket, jeans, and boots. Her hair was down. The faint sunlight of the setting sun was lighting the outline of her hair a lighter, golden brown than the rest of her dark brown, almost black, locks. The sight took Shelby's breath away. She was so darn beautiful.

After a few seconds of allowing herself to look at the brunette, she shook herself out of her daze and continued approaching her. As she got closer she couldn't help but take notice of the agitated state of the brunette, who had started pacing, still not having noticed Shelby. Toni's jaw was clenched tightly shut, as were her red-tinged fists. She had even forgotten to wear her gloves again. Her chest and shoulders rose quickly with every breath she took. Shelby frowned and quickened her pace. As she darted towards her, she wondered what had made the brunette so upset.