31 Days

20 - Winter

Warning(s): none

A soft light poured in the windows and spilled over the light grey sheets of the bed. All was quiet, with the exception of a few birds singing somewhere, their voices muffled by the fresh layer of snow that had fallen overnight. Helen opened her eyes slowly to see the gentle light filling the room. She grinned.

She slowly rose from the bed and looked outside to see the beautiful white snow that had fallen the night before.

The first snowfall.

She smiled and went to the bathroom to get herself ready. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled a sweatshirt over her head quickly before running to Amanda's room. Her roommate and best friend was still dead asleep, her room dark. Helen sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Amanda," she said softly, shaking her gently.

No response.

"Mandy, wake up."

Amanda groaned and shifted.

"Mandy, c'mon, get up lazy," Helen began to shake her a little harder.

"No," Amanda whined into her pillow.

Helen continued to shake Amanda with a mischievous grin. She received a pillow to the face and a "piss off" from Amanda.

"Mandy. It snowed last night."

This caught Amanda's attention. She sat up, her eyes wide.

"It snowed?"

Helen nodded with a smile.

Amanda grinned and rubbed her eyes. "Now you tell me."

Helen giggled and threw Amanda's pillow back at her. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Winter was Amanda's favorite season. Helen personally preferred autumn, but she also loved the winter. She loved the colder weather and the magical feeling of a fresh snowfall, and she especially loved seeing her best friend smiling throughout the winter. As she made her way to the kitchen, she could hear Amanda pulling on some clothes and getting ready in her bathroom. She grabbed a mug and began the process of making coffee for Amanda, simultaneously making toast for the pair.

The drink was still steaming and the toaster had just gone off when Amanda came into the kitchen.

"So," Amanda began, sitting down and taking a sip of her coffee. "Snow day?"

Helen smiled. "Of course."

Amanda's face lit up.

"You gotta eat your breakfast first though."

"Oh."

Helen chuckled and placed a plate with two pieces of toast with jam in front of Amanda. "You can't exactly run around all day without some fuel."

Amanda shrugged and began to eat. "Fair enough."

The pair ate breakfast in a comfortable silence. When they were finished, they began to don their winter gear. Or at least, Helen did. Amanda was used to the snow and only needed jeans and a down coat. Helen got cold incredibly easily and decided that morning that she would wear her snow pants. Amanda poked fun at her for them, but Helen didn't particularly want to be miserably cold twenty minutes into their fun.

After Helen forced Amanda to put on a pair of gloves, the two ran outside into the fresh snow. They played for hours upon hours, stopping only briefly for lunch. There were snow angels and snowmen and a few snowballs thrown. They managed to drag their sleds out of the storage shed and sledded down a small hill nearby for a while. Their cheeks and noses were pink and their toes were cold by the time the sun began to do down and they headed back inside. They parted ways briefly to take showers to warm themselves up and wash away the sweat and any potential dirt.

Helen was done first, and she walked back into the kitchen with her hair wrapped in a towel on her head. She began to make a simple dinner and hot chocolates for them, and queued up their favorite movie on the living room TV.

Amanda emerged from her bedroom just as Helen finished off the hot chocolates.

"Are you ever going to tell me how you make those so perfectly every time?"

Helen laughed. She never told Amanda how she did it and never would, mostly out of a mischievous desire to torment her friend a little.

"Nope."

Amanda swore and Helen laughed again.

And with that, the two settled down for a cozy night in as snow began to fall outside their cabin.