Love Above all Else

10. Snowflakes All Around

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold." -Aristotle

It is the day before winter break and the entire school is bustling with energy. The halls are filled with high-pitched voices and cheers of excitement as I walk out of my last class. Everyone runs to their destination, whether it be the parking lot or their last afternoon clubs, or even a group of friends in the hallway. I walk to the library for me and Marco's last study session of the semester. I am happy to see Chevy and Chad talking with Marco. Over the past week, Chevy and Chad had revealed their liking for one another and are now dating. We planned for today to be a stud group. The best way to spend my last day before winter break.

"Hey, guys!" I wave over at my group, finally sitting down with them.

Marco leads the group and we work on pre-calculus and a little bit of algebra to keep up. We have come a long way since the beginning of the year, Macro and I. He talks more and isn't afraid to show the extent of his knowledge, and I have regained my top spot in our class. Marco leads us in our studies, and we finish early.

All of us are ready to leave. Marco is taking me home today so I get inside his car and buckle my seat belt. I wave goodbye to Chevy in Chad's car, which is parked right beside Marco's car, and then he drives me over to my house.

~~~

"Do you want to come in? Just to hang out for a while maybe?" I get excited at the idea of Marco being in my house again.

He knows my mom so well by now even though he has never met her yet. "Are you sure? Will your mom be weird about it?" 

"She won't be home till later. She has to work late, but my sister will be home in a minute."

He pulls into the driveway and unbuckled his seat and quickly walks around the car before I can make a move. Like the gentleman, he is he opens the car door for me. I walk us to the front of my house and unlock the door. We both throw our bags down beside the door after we close it, and throw our shoes off in the shoe basket to the side.

"Popcorn and a movie?"

"Sure," I answer.

I go pop the popcorn after handing him the remote to pick a movie for us to watch together.

*pop* *pop* *pop*

After finding a bowl for the popcorn, I shake the bag into the bowl and peek my head into the living room to check on Marco. He has on the tv a movie called Beyond the stars. It looks sappy. My favorite.

"You good?" He pipes up noticing me staring into the living room

"Yeah, I'm just checking out what movie you picked. What is this?"

"It is part mystery and part romance. Something for the both of us."

Ah. So he likes mystery. He already knows I like romance and all other types of films, but I never asked him what he likes. "Before we watch the film, we should play a game."

I recommend we play 21 questions to get to know each other more. He looks excited about the idea of getting to know me even more than he already does. We sit down on the couch and play rock paper scissors to decide who asks the first question. I win and get my game face on.

"Hmm. What is a random weird fact about you?"

~~~

We are 18 questions in when I have the perfect question.

"Are you... or rather have you... ever slept with someone?"

The room grows silent. He sits and fidgets for a second before answering, "No."