"Gwen look at the snow"
"So pretty," She looks so excited. It is adorable. She acts like it is her first time seeing the snow. The snow starts to fall faster and in bigger amounts. How are we supposed to get to the central park if all this snow starts to accumulate? The ride ends because of the snow, we all get off the ride. We meet up at the exit.
"So are we still going to Central Park with all of this snow?" Jane asks worriedly.
"Do not worry too much Jane. I think New York City is always prepared for these snowstorms," Gwen reassures Jane.
"Yeah, but from central park to wall street is a little far," TJ says.
"Aren't the cars going to get stuck in the snow though if we park them?" Hunter mentions.
"But we do not have to stay at the park for long we can just play in the snow for a while because once we get there it is going to be full of snow," Ann-Marie laughs.
"Yeah, that is a good idea so we can make more memories together," Azul smiles.
"All Right, y'all stop talking and let's get going to the cars but we have to go running so everyone grabs onto everyone like we are in kindergarten okay?" Rosaline orders. We all grab each other's hands.
"On the count of 3, we run to the parking lot and no getting tired...," I wait for everyone to nod their heads. "In 3...2...1," We all start running the way to the parking lot. Full of laughs everywhere.
20 minutes later...
Our cars are in front of our eyes now we all let out a sigh of relief. Ross Rosaline Gwen and I get in Gwen's Camaro. Azul, TJ, Akio, Ann-Marie, Hunter, and Jane get in Azul's truck. Time passes quickly and the car is silent.
"Hey, you two love birds back there," Gwen glares at Ross and Rosaline through the rearview mirror. "Are you not going to say what happened?"
"We broke up," Rosa says leaving us shocked.
"We did break up..." Ross bumps Rosaline in the head "...so I had a job offer that was really goo-" Rosa interrupts.
"And he so-called thought that it would be a good opportunity for him and our future but he was going to be gone for a while so I insisted for him to not go but he did not want to listen to me so that is when he called me telling me he wants to break up. I blame myself for overreacting"
"So what lesson did you learn young ones"
"Ugh Gwen you are annoying," Rosaline tells Gwen.
"My best quality," Gwen says lifting her right hand off the wheel and putting it under her chin as if she is posing.
"...Well, We learned that we should talk it out if we have a problem..." Ross grabs Rosaline's hand "Especially if we are going to get married"
"Hey Siri, call Azul"
"Calling Azul..." Siri responds.
"Hey, what's up Gwen"
"I found a place we can park, it is a street parking because the parking garage you have to pay"
"Where is it?"
"You see the street in front of us"
"Yeah"
"In New York City, the signs are what matters when you street park and this sign says do not park from 3 a.m to 6 a.m and right now it is 12:45 a.m., so you see the side road in front of us?"
"Yeah, I see it"
"I will park first and you park behind me"
"Ok, Talk to you soon"
"Oh, wait, We are all staying at my place for tonight for tomorrow's trip?"
"If that is okay with you?" I respond.
"Yes, of course it is," Rosaline and Gwen respond at the same time. We park. I check the temperature and it is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature is continuing to drop. We walk into the park. Wow, it is freezing but the snow is so beautiful. I go to the side and make a snowball quickly. I throw it to the person behind me which is Gwen. I turn around.
"Hey, no fair I did not get to get a snowball yet." That is not Gwen... "That hurt!" It is Ann-Marie.
"I am sorry Ann-Marie, I did not mean to," But Ann-Marie is quick and throws a bigger snowball at my face with even more force. "Oh, it is on!" I make another snowball and look at where Ann-Marie was. Where did she go? Then I hear footsteps behind me and before I had time to see whose footsteps it is. I get a snowball in my face again.
"Ha got you," But then I throw my snowball in her face.
"Your face is so red from the cold what are you a clown now?"
"No, look at your face"
"Where?" I push her to the ground.
"Wow is that all you got?" She starts to build a fort with the snow and I do the same.
"What are you two doing?" Jane asks as she laughs but we ignore her and continue to build our forts. I thought I would be the one to build the fort quicker but she starts throwing millions at me. Is she the flash?
"Ok, ok, I surrender!" I put my hands up and get on my knees. Ann-Marie walks up to me and starts to take something out of her bag. I close my eyes afraid she is going to take out a snowball. Suddenly I feel something warm around my neck. I open my eyes to see what it is.
"Your neck is all exposed you must be cold because of all the snow," A scarf? I just look at her while she ties the scarf around me "Don't you get sick." All I can do is nod my head. She finishes tying the scarf around me and helps me up.
"Thank you," I hesitate to say because I didn't think Ann-Marie would do something like this. I didn't know that she was this thoughtful.
"Where have you two been?" Azul asks.
"They were busy playing snowball fight," Jane says. I look to see where Gwen is and she is laying in the snow. Akio walks over to her. She glances at me. Ann-Marie grabs onto my arm but I surprisingly do not let go. Maybe it is true, Am I losing feelings for Gwen because I was infatuated? Or maybe it's because she already rejected me without me even asking? Gwen gets off the ground and gets up wobbling.
"It's too cold. Can we leave now?" Gwen says. Suddenly, I see her eyes glow bright the eyes I saw last time...
"Gwen...," I call out to her. Gwen looks at me and suddenly, she falls face down into the snow...she faints...once again.
-
"Wake up Gwen!" We all shout again. Gwen is all sweaty and shivering as if she was in the cold. She sits up instantly. All 9 of the others surrounding me. What happened to me? "She's awake," Everyone says.
"Gwen are you okay? It's me," I say as Rosaline has tears in her eyes; Ann-Marie is trying to hide her tears; Azul's eyes are full of tears and worry and Jane crying with no end.
"What happened?" Gwen asks confused.
"You fainted at the park, dead on the ground," TJ responds first.
"How?"
"What you mean 'How?' you just fainted"
"Yeah, when we were talking Gwen. You seemed like you were out of it. You seemed tired," Akio adds.
"And you said never take you to the hospital so here you are," I say.
"Thank you," Gwen gets out of the bed. She almost falls but Akio, TJ, and I catch her before she does.
"I can make dinner if you are too weak to do it, Gwen," Azul suggests.
"Thanks but I can do it. I have been waiting to make y'all this Salvadorian dish," She gives a weak smile. TJ Akio and I start to take her down the stairs as the others follow. They take me to the living room couch.
"Are you sure you can do the cooking yourself?" Hunter says.
"Yeah I'm sure," She says as she gets up to go to the kitchen. "I want to cook for them. I don't care how I am feeling right now," I hear her mumble. She is pushing herself too hard.
"Gwen," I call her moving close to her so the others don't hear.
"Yeah"
"Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay really," She laughs, "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"
"No..."
"Spill it, boy"
"I have been putting this off," She looks at me worryingly "But our eyes glow Gwen. I can't say it's just me seeing things anymore. This has happened for a while now and I don't know what it is. Every time I see your eyes glow as they did before fainting..."
"My eyes flew when I-Did anyone see it?" She hesitates.
"No only I can," We only met about half of the year or more ago, I don't understand why this happens between us.
"The thing is your eyes glow when I am close to you"
"What do you mean?" I grab her arm with pressure.
"You know what I am talking about"
"..."
"Gwen...You disappeared on that subway at Broad Street," Her eyes open wide looking towards the living room. She pulls me by my shirt and drags me to her office "Why," He asks "Don't your other friends know that you disappear?"
"Have you told anyone?" She grabs me by the hoodie nervously.
"No...that day I called you on the subway months ago, that was me, I was a little confused why you saw a little boy." She doesn't respond. "What are you?" My heart starts to speed up, "If you don't want to tell me right now...that's fine"
"There is something between us and I still need to solve that equation," She questions herself.
"Hmm....you had a dream upstairs right? Like a bad dream?"
"How did you know?"
"I have been getting like this when I dream...It started about half a year ago...these weird dreams "What have your dreams been about?" He asks me.
"About me. This girl is being hurt and a boy...," She gasps, "...the boy from the subway"
"But somehow there is a woman," Gwen and I say at the same time. Her eyes start to glow. I turn to the mirror quickly to see if mine were too. My eyes are glowing such a bright blue.
"What are you looking at?" She looks at me and then turns to the mirror. "I need to cook," She runs back to the kitchen.
"Do you need my help?" Jane asks Gwenn.
"Yeah, do you need any help?" Azul asks.
"Girl, you need some help," Rosaline asks too.
"With all of that fainting, you know?" Ann-Marie adds.
"No. It's okay," She says in a shaky voice
-
"That was the best food I ever tried," TJ says rubbing his stomach.
"Exactly," I say, smiling brightly.
"You definitely have to make it again," Everyone says.
"I will," She laughs as turns on Korean R&B music. She turns on the fireplace in the corner of the living room. The heat reaches the couches quickly. Already so warm in here. Everyone starts having conversations. Suddenly, someone's phone rings, "It is a random number but I have to answer because other businesses always call to make offers. I will be right back" Rosaline says and leaves.
"Alright, we will be here waiting" Gwen responds. Rosaline walks to one of the other rooms.
"Gwen," I call her name out like a needy baby.
"Yeah Alejandro," Gwen says in a sweet voice.
"Where is the bathroom?" I ask.
"Oh, that is right, I have not shown anyone of y'all where everything is yet..."
"Yeah, you gotta show us where everyone is Gwen," TJ says.
"We do not know anything about where anything is in this big loft," Azul smacks her head
"Yeah, I do because for the game you have to know. Let us do it this way after Alejandro finishes using the bathroom and he comes back we can start with the tour okay everyone?"
"Sounds good," Jane says smiling.
"Yeah, sounds good here," Hunter says as he puts his arm around Azul.
"I, also, have pajamas for everyone as a gift as a surprise and like to make it cozy"
"Alejandro," I love when she says my name. It is a Spanish name and since she is Hispanic and Brazilian, she knows how to pronounce my name correctly, "You see that hallway" She points at the hallway next to the stairs "The first door on the farthest wall is the bathroom"
"Ok thanks," I get up and head to the hallways, finally. She said the first door to the...why are there so many doors...wait only...1...2...3...4...oh ok so I think it is this one. I open it and it is the bathroom. Yes! Good guess! Let me just pat myself on the back real quick. The bathroom is so pretty. The floor is wooden like the rest of the bottom floor. White granite countertops like the kitchen. A mix of black, red, and white products, and towels. There is a big bath in the right corner of the room. The sinks are on the far left side corner. The bathroom is separated from everything else in a little different room in the left far corner. As I walk into the toilet room I hear Rosaline on the phone. I just happen to eavesdrop, nope actually I want to eavesdrop. I lean my ear against the wall. I hear a man's voice, it seems a business did call her.
"Yes, sir"
"I will make sure it happens"
"Yes, sir, do not worry"
"Yes, sir, I will make sure I can do it"
"When do you want me to start?"
"Ok, sir anything else?" I do my business, wash my hands and head back to the living room so Gwen can give us a tour of the place and for her to tell us what game we are going to place next. I walk back inside the warm living room, the bathroom is cold.
"Now that Alejandro is back I am going to go get the pajamas," Gwen says as she walks up the stairs quickly. We wait a few minutes and she comes running downstairs with a big box. She places the box on the table and takes out the pajamas, "There is blue." The pants are plaid with a fluffy and soft fabric. The top is a soft black sweater pajama with the tip off the sleeves a plaid pattern, "I am going to name the color of the pajamas, red and blue, and y'all are going to raise your hand if you want that color"
"I want blue," TJ yells out. Gwen gives him a death stare.
"OK, red," Gwen pulls out the red pajama. Akio, Rosaline, Hunter, and I raise our hands. Gwen smiles and nods with her head as she grabs pajamas for all of us.
"I am guessing the rest want blue, raise their hands," Azul, Ross, Jane, Ann-Marie, and TJ raise their hands. Azul gets a size medium. Jane gets a size medium. Ann-Marie gets a size small because she is the smallest and youngest out of the whole group. Ross and TJ are given large also. "I am stuck with one of my favorite colors." I knew her favorite color is red by looking inside the bathroom well, at least one of her favorite colors.
"Now let me show you to the rooms you will sleep in"
-
"Alright, everything's settled," Gwen moves to the couches. "Sit everyone. The game we are going to be playing is called Sardines. Sardines is a game that is played like hide-and-go-seek, only in reverse! One person hides, and everyone else searches for the hidden person. Whenever a person finds the hidden person, they quietly join them in their hiding spot. Soon, the hidden group starts to look like a bunch of sardines! And I know you saw all the closets in this house so don't say there is nowhere to hide because there is many"
"How do we pick who going to hide?" I ask Gwen.
"Well, the rules don't say anything so I thought... wait we didn't change yet!" We all look at each other. She's right "Ok everyone, go quickly to the bathrooms and room and change hurry!" Each person grabs their pajamas. Rosaline, Ann-Marie, Akio, and Azul rush upstairs. TJ Hunter Akio and Jane go to the different rooms in the hallway to change, "There is one room left Ross over there" It's only me Ross and Gwen left.
"By the way, I really love your black hair like it looks so fluffy and soft, What do you do it?"
"Nothing really," I laugh and feel my face is turning bright red "I just wake up like this. I don't use any products in my hair because I feel like it will ruin it or damage it and then I won't be able to fix it"
"I add conditioner to my hair but that's all," Gwen says and she starts walking towards me in that black dress and those beautiful eyes. She puts her hand up and I flinch. I feel a hand on my hair. She is touching my hair. She is touching my hair!
"It is fluffy and soft like I imagined and it smells good and you do too," Gwen laughs.
"Thanks," I know my face is cherry red now. This was the first time she gave me compliments. I felt so warm when she touched my head. This was the first
"Ok, I am done," Gwen laughs, "Sorry for making that weird." I adjust my black hair back to its place.
"That wasn't weird," I still have my eyes stuck on her. She clears her throat.
"The others have to hurry up already" Right when she says that, the ones that went to go change start to come back. Woah everyone looks so funny with blue and red pajamas. I can't wait to put mine on to see how I would look. I quickly head to the bathroom to change. I close the door behind me and lay my back against the door. My heart is beating so fast. Breathe, Alejandro, Breathe. I change into my pajamas and head back to the living room. The only seat left is next to Rosaline.
"Hey, Alejandro," Rosaline says as I sit down.
"Hi, Rosaline," I smile awkwardly. Rosaline has never talked to me individually.
"You know I know your secret," She whispers.
"What do you mean?"
"You like Gwen," She giggles.
"Shhhh What if she hears you?" I turn my head both ways.
"She is not even here," Rosaline laughs.
"How did you even know? I don't make it obvious"
"Boy don't even start with that. You know how many times I noticed?"
"Uh, Like th-"
"Like a million times. Those eyes of yours are always glued on hers. The way you talk to her. The way you walk with her. The way you smile at her. Everything you do is obvious. I don't know if the others know but I am sure they do. I know Oliver knows. Y'all two are at war. Just tell her how you feel like really. It's not that hard. Ross told me how he felt and I told him how I felt and we went out right away."
"It's not as easy as it looks," I play with the bracelet on my wrist.
"Yes it is"
"Well, then how you suppose I do? When Oliver is always here and getting her attention. I feel like he would ruin it. What if she still likes him?" I frown.
"And what if she likes you too?"
"I still do not know"
"Just try, you bum," Rosaline bumps my shoulders as Gwen comes back.
"I am back so let me start to explain the game that we are all going to play," She looks at all of us "Ok, good everyone is sitting down. As I was saying beginning to say before the players look for the hidden person. I am going to change it up a bit. No lights, still leaving on the fireplace so it is not crazy dark where we all fall off of everything"
"True," Jane laughs.
"We need the flashlights, it would be way easier to find someone," Oliver smirks and crosses his arms.
"Don't listen to him. Shut it, Oliver," TJ tells him.
"Each finder finds "it," they hide next to the hider and all get squished in the hiding spot like sardines. Ta-da!" She finishes.
"I was wondering how the game got its name," I say smiling at Gwen.
"Yeah," She smiles back at me.
"That sounds like so much fun," Ann-Marie says. She is sitting on the other side of me. She has been sticking next to me all this time. She walks with me, sits with me, talks with me, smiles at me, and helps me, just everything and I do not mind the attention.
"Yeah, where did you get that idea," Rosaline asks Gwen.
"Online," Gwen laughs, "I could never think about something like that"
"Time for Sardines," Rosa presses on her phone and all the lights of the loft turn off suddenly. The loft is so dark, it is like a dark forest.
"Wait how do we pick the 'it' person," Ann-Marie mentions.
"Oh, right I forgot about that," Gwen jumps up
"We can play rock, paper scissors. Since all the lights are off we can sit next to the fireplace and play it," I suggest. We all sit down and get ready to place.
"Wait I thought it was called 'Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot' not 'Rock, Paper, Scissors,'" We all shake our heads not paying any attention to him.
"Rock"
"Paper"
"Scissors," We all say. Jane, Oliver Hunter, and I are out.
"Yes," Oliver shouts and laughs falling on his back.
"Aw, dang it, I am still in," Ross grunts.
"You're the one girl out, must be nice," Gwen laughs.
"Yeah all our men are out," Azul says.
"Hey what about me," TJ says.
"No one cares," Ann-Marie laughs.
"Ok, come on! Next round!" Gwen, Ann-Marie, and TJ are still in.
"Why me?" TJ frowns.
"Woo Hoo! Finally! Sorry Babe," Ross shrugs his shoulders.
"Ok, this is the last time and I better win or I am going to sit on my sister," Ann-Marie says.
"I did not want to be the 'it'," Ann-Marie lets out a sigh of relief.
"I wanted to be the it" Gwen laughs.
"Ok, I am going to go hide now," Gwen gets up and leaves the room. A few minutes pass.
"I guess we can go now," Ann-Marie says. I rush up the stairs. Maybe she is in her bathroom. I walk inside and check the shower, she is not in there. I head to the closet and wow she has a lot of clothes. She has many colors and types of clothes. I trip over a shoe a fall into her clothes.
"Ow," I hear a familiar voice. It's Gwen.
"Shhh," I tell her hearing everyone talking. I turn around and find myself looking at Gwen as I get closer to the wall. "Sorry" I whisper.
"You fell on my whole body almost killed me" She whispers back "How did you find me so quickly?"
"There is something called being smart and knowing the good hiding places"
"Shh! We are hiding right now so you cannot be talking unless you want the others to find us"
"Ok, ok," I move in closer to her as I hear footsteps drawing closer to the closet. All of a sudden the swung clothes swing to one side.
"Found you!" It is Ann-Marie. "Did you miss me?"
"Yeah," I giggle softly. She scoots next to me causing me to get closer to Gwen than I was. I feel a cold shiver from her. I do not know how it came to be that way because I keep rememberings our eyes glowing when we are together. This is what keeps drawing my attention to her. Maybe it is something about her past or maybe something to do with what I saw on the subway the last time. Ross found us after Ann-Marie. Followed by TJ, and then Azul found us. At the same time, Hunter and Oliver found us. Jane found us next. Rosa still needs to find us.
"Alejandro," I turn to look at her and make us bump foreheads. She rubs her head and so do I.
"Yeah"
"Did you miss Ann-Marie?"
"I found you!" Rosaline yells. We all yell from the surprise scare she gave us.
"You are trying to kill us," Ross laughs as he reaches his hand out.
"I am so tired," Jane says as she yawns. "Are we going to play another game or is this going to be the last game?" Jane yawns again and I yawn too. Yawning is contagious. Everyone else starts to yawn too.
"Yeah, I want y'all to get your rest," Gwen looks at all of us, "I ordered clothes for each one of you according to your style for tomorrow so you do not have to go back to your houses or apartments to find some. Good Night," Gwen says as she walks towards her room. Azul and Oliver follow her. The others and I say 'good night' too as the others start to head to their rooms.
"Good Night," Rosaline and Ann-Marie say as they walk to Rosaline's room. Hunter, TJ, Jane, Ross, and I walk downstairs. Hunter and TJ go to one room. Jane goes to the other guest room. As everything is settled, it is only Ross and me now.
"You better like Gwen for the right reasons," Ross says to me giving me a serious star... "You hear?" Ross walks towards me.