A Year of Winter

twenty-six

dedicated to bipolar_bear_ for the amazing banner! thank you so much!

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June 21st, 2013

           

“Here! Take a picture, Mrs. Carson,” Andrew asked, smiling from ear to ear. He slung both his arms around Noelle and I, pulling our faces so close together that it was hard to move. “Aw, look—I got my best girl and my best boy right here.”

“Yes,” Noelle said, out of breath. “And it’d really be nice if we didn’t both die of asphyxiation on our graduation day.”

“Oops. Sorry,” he muttered in a snap realization, loosening his grip on both of us. We laughed, on cue, just as my mother snapped a picture, my father standing beside her with an arm around her waist. The Polaroid came out and she aired it out, smiling with delight as she handed it back to us.

“You all look so great!” my mother said, waving the Polaroid rapidly in the air before tucking it away, safely in her pocketbook. “You can add that to your scrapbook—God knows you need to add a few more things in there, I mean really…”

“Okay, thanks, mom,” I laughed to myself, rolling my eyes.

All of a sudden, she looked as if she was holding a hand to her mouth to constrict whatever squeals or cries might escape. The tears began to flow rapidly, started by quite nearly nothing at all.

“Oh, my little Henry—it feels like just yesterday that you were wetting the bed and eating crayons—”

“—Thanks, mom,” I said quickly, my mouth tight at the ends of my smile.

She grinned sadly and buried me in her arms, “I love you so much, baby,” she said into my ear. My father wrapped his arms around us both.

“We’re so proud of you, Henry,” he said.

Before I could thank either of them, I felt two arms wrap around me, pulling me staggering backwards, “We are too!” Andrew exclaimed. “And hey. Salutatorian—I mean, it’s not Valedictorian, but hey, it’ll do—”

Noelle elbowed Andrew against his ribs with a sigh, “Don’t tease him. The only reason he’s second in the class is because Freddie took that AP Chem course over the summer last year.”

Andrew rolled his eyes, “Oh, please. All Freddie was doing was pretending to get hammered over the course of summer last year, and nothing else is going to change my mind.”

“Guys, I really don’t care that much,” I interjected.

Noelle nudged Andrew playfully, who chuckled and turned towards me, smiling, “You’re right. But anyway, have you written your speech?”

I patted the pocket of my clothes, hidden under my robes. “Of course,” I told her. “It’s not very good, but—”

“—Oh, shut up, you’re a writer,” Andrew sighed, exasperated. “Of course it’s amazing.”

“He’s right,” Noelle insisted, linking her arms through both of ours. She smiled wide, “Anything you write is bound to sound amazing. I’ll be moved to tears within moments, I’m sure of it.”

“It’s pretty quick,” I told her, not wanting to get her hopes up.

"Wonderful. All the more time for Freddie to come in and sweep us off our feet—”

Noelle elbowed him sharply in his gut, and he keeled over, laughing. They had to grab my shoulders to keep from tripping over their giggles, and I found myself struggling soon as well.