The snow trickled down with the utmost delicacy, dancing with the cold winter air. A thin white coat piling on the ground, making its presence known, as if to say, 'I'm here to stay.'
I turned to Puki, caressing her silver fur. "I'll be right back, okay?" I said to her as I grabbed my keys and headed out.
If you looked up at the sky, you wouldn't see what was behind its veil. It covers itself up, hiding from our prying eyes. We're all the same in that sense. We don't want others to see us down, so we hide and cower in fear of what others might think.
I glanced down at my phone, checking the time. 'I think that I should hurry and head home. I don't want to keep Puki waiting too long. After all, it's been almost an hour, and it's already dark.'
Upon arriving home, I noticed that Puki was still on the couch but in a different position; she was stretched out, showing her sharp claws. She's always been quite lazy once the weather gets cold.
As soon as I had set down my coat, I got a notification on my phone. It was a text from Nora, saying to make sure that I get enough sleep and eat well. We're the same age, yet she treats me like a kid just because she was born a few months earlier than me.
The next morning, Nora stopped by with two cups of coffee. "Hey, Mila! how'd ya sleep?" she asked, knowing that I'm not a morning person.
"Ugh, I don't understand how you're so chipper in the morning when you sleep so late," I replied.
"Well, maybe if you loosened up and looked at every day as a new opportunity for an adventure, then maybe you'd feel the same."
I don't know how she does it. It feels almost nonhuman to be this energetic at eight in the morning. At least it's only her here. I don't know what I would do if she was also with Jay.
"I do look at every day positively. Just not in the mornings." Nora giggled at my response, knowing how grumpy I get.
"Say, I was wondering if we could get the group together? It's been so long since all of us have spent time with each other. What do you think?" Nora turned to look at me, curious about my answer.
"Yeah, I think we should. Our winter break is a week away, maybe we could try planning something for then?"
"It's a good thing you said yes because I was already planning on a whole WEEK of fun!" Nora said, with an overly excited tone. 'Geez so extra!'
"We should probably go to class. It's almost time for lessons and I don't want to get yelled at again for showing up late." I wouldn't like to deal with the professor again. He's too strict for a simple general education class.
"Okay fine! You're always such a goody-two- shoes." Nora pouted.
Once we arrived on campus, we saw a girl sitting on one of the tables outside. Nora noticed who it was first.
"Hey, Alicia! Whatcha doin'?" Nora had skipped her way towards her.
"O-oh, I'm studying for an upcoming exam. Are you guys heading to your class?" asked Alicia, slightly startled by the sudden interruption.
"Yup! Mila here kept rushing me, saying that I'm the reason she shows up late!"
"To be fair, you do tend to distract others around you," critiqued Alicia.
Seemingly hurt by Alicia's words, Nora crossed her arms and turned away. "I don't distract people that much!"
"Wanna walk with us? We have some time to kill before our class starts," I asked, ignoring Nora.
"Sure. Let me put my things away."
While we walked, Nora still seemed pouty. She's always acting like she's more mature than me, when in fact she's still a little kid. I could tell that she wasn't really angry, though.
"By the way, are you planning anything next week, Ali?" I asked, somewhat hopeful that she would agree.
Alicia took the time to recall whether she had already made plans or not. "I don't think I've made any, why?"
"We were thinking of having a small gathering with the group. We haven't thought of what we were going to do, but we'll figure it out," I said, responding optimistically.
"Well, once you know what's happening, let me know."
Upon arriving at our class, Nora and I bid our farewells to Alicia. "We'll see you later Alicia!"
"Okay, take care, Nora, Mila!" Alicia waved, walking away.
Alicia has always been book smart. She had put all her efforts into maintaining a perfect school record. Unlike me, she probably has the highest chance of getting a job right after University. Although she's not exactly the social type at times, she still likes to hang out with us. When I met her during our first year of University, she didn't like loud social gatherings. I mean, it makes sense that she's studying to become a doctor, she is smart as heck. I'm really glad that she's opened up to us though.
"What do you think?" asked Nora.
"What do I think about what?"
"I mean about Jay returning, silly," she teased.
"Honestly, I hadn't thought about it. Yeah, he's been gone for a couple of months, but that doesn't mean he's gonna show up out of nowhere."
"C'mon Mils. The timing of our gathering is PERFECT! Jay had texted me about him returning."
I looked at Nora for a few minutes, gathering my thoughts. "So, you already knew he was coming back and just 'happened' to think about getting the group together?"
"W-what? N-no that's not true!" Nora looked away, embarrassed that I had called her out. Her face was heating up quickly.
"Huh? Then why's your face all red?" I said smirking.
"I-it's not! Hmph. You've been hanging around Eli too much! He's starting to rub off on you," she pouted.
Curiosity getting the best of me, I couldn't help but ask, "So, what's up with you and Jay?"
Nora immediately looked away once again, averting my gaze. "N-nothing! I-it's nothing, I swear!" Stuttering more than usual, she was becoming twitchy at the mere mention of him.
"Y'know, you're stumbling over your words. You rarely do that, except when you're wrong or when you're lying," I said, plainly.
"Stop, Eli 2.0!" retorted Nora with her tongue sticking out at me.
It's fun teasing Nora. She doesn't take what people say about her seriously. It's not that she's delusional or refuses to accept that not everyone has nice opinions about her, she just doesn't let people who don't like her dictate her life. In other words, she refuses to give negativity a voice. She's been like this since I met her freshman year of high school.
After classes were done, Nora and I decided to go get some lunch at the school's cafe. "Say, you think we should have a movie night with everyone? Or game night?" she asked me, lost in thought.
Movie night wouldn't give a big opportunity for us to catch up. I think a game night would be better. We would all be engaging in conversation, even if it's simply about the game. "I think we should have a game night," I concluded.
"Then it's settled! We'll have a game night!"
Nora's constant positivity makes me wonder sometimes if she is sane. She's like a ray of sunshine who shows up when you need her the most. That's how I got through freshman year. If it weren't for her, I don't know how I would have ended up. I'm grateful for having her by my side
"Listen, I know this might be a sensitive topic for you, but have you gotten over Isaac?" Shifting our playful conversation, Nora had asked a more serious question, making me flinch.
I thought for a moment, 'have I forgotten him?' Of course, I haven't. It's been almost a year. I hate that he has this much of a hold on me.
Nora noticed my deep thoughts and diverted the conversation. "If I ever see him, I swear I'll punch that jerk," she said while taking a bite of her salad.
"Y-yeah, I'll hold you up to that," I replied, forcing a smile.
Nora and I said our farewells; she had gone to her final class, while I went home in preparation for my work shift.
As soon as I got home, I heard my phone start ringing. I quickly answered it, seeing as though it was a call from my dad.
"Hey, dad... Yeah, I'm doing fine... No, I'm not staying up late... Money? For what... I'll see if I can send some... It's okay, you don't have to apologize. Kiana needs it for school... Of course, dad, anytime... I gotta go now. My shift starts in an hour... bye!"
Sometimes I wonder if I can help my family out. I've been working for four years now, and things haven't exactly gotten better. At least I'm able to help give Kiana and Oli the things they need. I shouldn't stress out so much. We're doing okay right now and that's all that matters.
Noticing the time, I quickly hurried and got ready for work. I left Puki with some fresh cat-food and water, seeing as though I would be gone for five hours.
While on my way to work, I spotted Eli walking towards my direction. "Hey Eli, where are you heading?"
"Oh, hey Mils. I was on my way to-" quickly cutting himself off, he caught himself about to say the wrong thing, "to the library! Yeah, the library. Where are you headed?"
Eli at the library? Something doesn't seem right. "I'm on my way to work actually." Letting go of my suspicions, I answer his question.
"Let me walk you, yeah? I'm not in a rush or anything." Now he's sounding like the Elias we all know and love.
Eli always knows what to say back to someone. He loves teasing others. It's like his hobby. He's the incredibly sassy friend in our group. Although sometimes his teasing can go a bit far, he generally knows when to stop.
"Thanks for walking me to work," I said, turning to face him.
"Dude, you would have honestly gotten lost without me," he slightly chuckled.
Smiling at his remark, I remembered that I should tell him about the gathering. "By the way, Nora and I were thinking about getting the group together next week. Do ya wanna come?"
"Are you kidding? Of course, I wanna go! Why would I wanna miss the chance to make fun of Anna?" He said, crossing his arms.
"I'll let you know the details then. See ya!" We both went our separate ways. I went inside my workplace and Eli went to the 'library'.
After my shift at work was done, it was around ten at night. I had received a message from Nora, saying that I should be careful and get home safe. I mean, I've had the same daily routine for the past few months and nothing bad has happened to me so far. 'I hope I don't jinx it.'
As I had begun to make my way home, a broad-shouldered man walked up to me. He was wearing baggy grey sweatpants, some beige work boots, and a black hoodie that covered his face.
"Excuse me miss, I don't mean to bother you, but could you point me in the direction of where the nearest gas station is? I happened to be passing through the neighborhood when my car broke down." The man had his hands in his pocket, his hoodie shadowing his face.
Startled by his sudden presence, I pointed him in the direction. "O-oh of course. If you go this way then make a left here, you should see a station called 'Gas-for-less.' It's not too far from here. If you see a grocery store with a red chili pepper sign, then you've gone too far."
The man stared at me --or what I assumed was him staring at me-- for a few seconds. He quickly thanked me and left on his way.
I think I should hurry home, I don't wanna catch the attention of any more people. I'm only 5'3" so it'd be pretty easy for me to go missing. I don't exactly work in the safest neighborhood either.