Winter Wakes

“Spit it out.”

I bit my lip, keeping my eyes set on the straw sticking out of my grande caramel frap. I wondered just why I had called her here.

“It’s nothing.” I lied.

The caramel frap was suddenly snatched away from me. I glanced across the table only to receive a stare that reflected a significant amount of irritation.

The corners of Chassie’s lips pulled upwards into a wry smile, “You’re a dirty liar. You never order one of these unless you’re stressed. If you weren’t stressed you would have ordered the mint mocha frap. And you wouldn’t have called me here. So what’s up? And don’t tell me not to worry about it.”

Yesterday had been when Simon’s mother had approached me with an offer to attend Brown University. I’d been contemplating what the reason behind her actions had been since then, and I still didn’t understand it. Offering me a chance to attend and Ivy League school, tuition covered, was mind boggling.

This morning I hadn’t been rudely awakened like the past two, actually I didn’t get up until 10:30, the latest I’d slept in days. Simon hadn’t been there. He’d been acting oddly yesterday after his mother’s departure, only tossing books at me from across the room as opposed to pain induced from actual physical contact. Not that the insults hadn’t flown, but they lacked their luster for a change. He had been half-assing anything he did then. Simon had also blatantly ignored every question I had thrown at him pertaining to this Brown University deal, and just what the hell was going on. Now he was gone. I was sure it wasn’t permanent, but I certainly wasn’t going to miss the chance for freedom.

Now I was wondering just why I’d drug my best friend out for coffee. It wasn’t like I could tell her about my ghost problem. Again, I’d sound crazy. That’s just not what I wanted.

“Family issues,” I huffed. She’d want some answer, and as of now that was the best I could do. I really shouldn’t have called her here. “Now give me my damn caramel frap.”

One of her ginger eyebrows raised slightly, “You and your dad fighting? Really now?”

“Yes. Now hand over the drink before I kick you.”

With a shrug the cold caramel treat was slid back across the table to me. I immediately latched on to the straw, sulking slightly as I sucked up some of the whipped cream. I hated whipped cream.

“So what happened?”

I tried not to cringe. Chassie liked to probe. She had to know details, no matter the situation. It was just her I guess. She was the bubbly, sometimes irritating friend most girls had. Most days she was a person you wanted to be around, but on occasion she was the girl you wanted to throw off a roof. Today, with her thin strawberry blonde hair bouncing lightly and dark blue eyes fixated curiously on me, she was the latter.

The breath I slowly inhaled was to prevent myself from saying something scalding to her, “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“You called me,” The edge in her voice didn’t go unnoticed. Neither did the fact she immediately tensed up. This was exactly what she hated; not being let in on what she presumed to be “secrets.” Well, this was a pretty damn big secret, like hell I was spilling this.

“I do apologize for that,” Usually, apologizing when you’re not doing anything wrong even though the other person thinks you are works. “But I just needed to get away from my house and see someone.”

“Jeez, Maggie! If you’re that stressed out about it just talk to me!” The pity was evident in the look she shot me from across the table.

If only, if only. I sighed in my seat. I really shouldn’t have called her here. Sliding my purse off the back of my chair I stood up. Her mouth dropped open slightly, probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

“I can’t. I need to deal with this on my own. I’m sorry I called you here. Just forget about it, alright?” I tried to smile at her apologetically, her eyes hardened.

“Whatever, Maggie. Darren’s right, you’re acting weird. Call me once you get your shit together and decide you actually want to talk to your best friend.”

I was the one left with my mouth open as she stomped past me and out into the wintry day. A few of the customers as well as employees eyed me curiously. I left immediately. In the matter of one measly weekend an unfortunate coincidence was managing to tear my little world apart. Absolutely lovely.

The caramel frap didn’t survive the ride home. Once there I trudged warily up the stairs and into the privacy of my room and collapsed face first onto my bed. Dad wasn’t home; we had barely spoken any since his return last night from the funeral home. He hadn’t asked about Mrs. Dreyton to my surprise. He hadn’t said much of anything to me, let alone looked at me. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t say anything; ask questions I know he was dying to get answers to. Did he feel the same way about me Chassie and apparently Darren did?

“Where have you been?”

Even facedown in my navy comforter, I could feel his presence further darken the air of the room. Satan cometh.

I turned my head so my nose was no longer pressing directly into the navy silk, “I could ask the same of you but I doubt I’d get an answer.”

“What I do is none of your business,” Simon replied curtly. I hadn’t expected any different of an answer.

“But what I do is certainly yours. Right,” The fingers on my left hand idly toyed with the antique princess ring that had belonged to my great-grandmother.

“Tantrums won’t get you anywhere, brat. Shouldn’t you be grateful? This is Brown University we’re talking about.”

My eye twitched; grateful? In one motion I quickly rolled over and pushed myself up into a sitting position. Simon was in his normal spot by the window, leaning idly against my bookcase. My glare was met with a blank gaze.

“Grateful?” I hissed. “How can I be grateful when I can’t help but wonder just what fucking kind of catch there is to this deal? Nineteen year olds just don’t fucking get free rides to Ivy League schools! There is no logical reason for it I can think of. So that means you’ve got to fucking have something up that translucent sleeve of yours, and until you tell me just what, I’m not going to accept that damn offer. I mean, you’re ruining my life already, in the what, four, maybe five days I’ve known you? My best friend hates me, my boyfriend’s been talking about me, and now my dad’s even treating me differently! I don’t want to get involved any further in whatever this shit is without you telling me just what the hell is going on!”

The silence left the anger in the room almost tangible. It wasn’t just me who was clearly livid by the end of my speech though; frozen flames had sprung up in those daunting eyes of his. He lightly pushed himself off the bookshelf, coming my way with slow, deliberate steps.

“I don’t think you heard me yesterday. You don’t have an option about Brown University. You. Are. Going. Pitch your tantrums all you want, but you know what I’m capable of and unhesitant about doing. So we can do this the easy way, which means you stop inquiring about my personal affairs and accept the offer, or you can make your life a lot more painful for a brief period of time before giving in and accepting. Either way you’re not going to say no,” Just how he managed to pin both my arms above me on the bed with one hand, while pressing his forearm into my throat I’ll never know. Aside from blazing eyes, his face was completely emotionless above me. Loose white-blonde curls hung around his face. “Is that clear?”

Desperate screams of “no” echoed continually through my brain; giving in and blindly accepting this offer seemed ridiculous. Airway restriction seemed to say otherwise, my head nodded frantically against the cold pressure. Bodily needs such as oxygen won over mental desires.

Simon’s face remained blank, “Perhaps it’s a good thing you have such little resolve. It makes this so much easier. It’s too bad you’re not completely docile, though.”

He moved away, but the chill of his presence seemed to linger. Similarly so, my suspicions about the situation and my anger at the dead prick wouldn’t budge.

“People I care about are treating me differently, thanks to you. Whatever is going on better be fucking important,” I shot. It felt like the only thing I could say to even remotely express how I felt.

“No one would go through this for something trivial, or are you really that stupid? I’ll tell you this much, this isn’t a petty matter.”

I huffed, glaring at his back as he stood a few feet away with his arms probably crossed in front of him, “That’s all I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” His head turned a fraction so he was looking over his shoulder at me. “Keep asking though and you’ll certainly get another book thrown at you, or something worse.”

I bit my lip to refrain from screaming how unfair and ridiculous he was.

“I do have one more question, and no it does not involve why you’re doing this or anything like that,” I paused. His eyebrow quirked up, but he gave me a short nod.

“Do you even care that you may be destroying my life?”

“Brown University isn’t destroying your life,” I went to protest but he held up a finger to silence me. “And you should just be grateful you have a life to ‘destroy.’”

I didn’t respond to that. There was no way I could without feeling like a complete bitch. Valid point: At least I was breathing.

Two days later I confirmed my attendance to Brown University with Caroline Dreyton.