“Want to watch a movie?” Will asked.
“You owe me a romantic comedy,” Jennifer reminded him.
Will flicked through a stack of DVDs. “We don’t have any of those, but how does Mean Girls sound?”
“After the night we just had? Perfect!”
After Will popped in the DVD, he shut off the lights and sat on the opposite end of the couch. Jennifer didn’t know why, but she found herself wishing that Will were sitting closer to her. But why would he? Now that they were alone, they were no longer JENNIFERANDWILL, the couple. They were just Jennifer and Will.
By the time the movie was over, Maureen had returned with the dress.
“As good as new!” she proclaimed.
“The stain is gone,” Jennifer marveled in amazement as she studied the front of the dress. “How’d you do it?”
“A little baking soda and a couple of other tricks I have up my sleeve.”
After Jennifer changed back into the dress, Will offered to drive her home. They were both quiet during the drive. There was none of their usual bickering. When they reached her house, Will walked her to the front door.
“Looks like phase one of our plan was a success,” he said.
Jennifer crossed her fingers. “So far. Now all we have to do is wait and see what happens on Monday.”
Will stared at his cowboy boots. Then he looked up at Jennifer. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”
A hank of Will’s jet-black hair had fallen across his forehead. Jennifer was tempted to smooth it away. But she didn’t. It seemed like something a real girlfriend would do. “Me too.”
They stared at each other awkwardly.
Is he waiting for me to do something? Jennifer wondered. Like kiss him?
Before she could decide what to do, Will gave her a quick hug. Jennifer didn’t even have a chance to wrap her arms around him before he pulled away. “I’ll see you Monday at school. Unless you get a craving for pizza. I’ll be delivering tomorrow.”
Jennifer watched Will head back to his car and drive away.
The hug had been nice, but it wasn’t what she’d been expecting.
She hated to admit it, but she’d been hoping for a good-night kiss.
There was no school on Monday. It had started snowing heavily on Sunday afternoon and didn’t stop until early Monday morning. When the storm was over, there was a foot of snow on the ground. As a result, all classes were canceled.
After lying in bed for an extra hour, Natalie got up and went down to the kitchen, where she found a note from her mother. Unfortunately, her parents hadn’t gotten a snow day and were at work. Natalie’s mother had left her a list of groceries to buy and also asked her to do the laundry.
Natalie munched on a slice of toasted raisin bread while watching morning TV. Then she cleaned up the kitchen, did two loads of laundry, folded and put everything away, and made her bed. The temperature was in the low teens so she bundled herself up in a black turtleneck, gray pullover sweater, black corduroy jeans, snow boots, and jacket. Then she wrapped a red knit scarf around her face and pulled her hood over her head before leaving the house.
With piles of snow on the ground, it was slow going, but Natalie finally made it to the supermarket. After finding what she needed, she walked back home, only this time she went past Leo’s house. She was hoping she’d see him outside, shoveling the front walk, but he wasn’t there.
Natalie stood in front of Leo’s house, teeth chattering, wondering what to do. She wanted to talk to him about Saturday night and had been planning to do it this morning at school. But the snowstorm had changed that. She could probably wait until tomorrow, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to talk to Leo today.
Should she just walk up to his front door and ring the bell?
Then she got an idea, a great idea, and hurried home.
An hour later, Natalie was back at Leo’s, holding a small shopping bag. She rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.
“What do you want?” a surly Leo asked when he opened the front door and saw it was her.
That wasn’t the reaction Natalie had been expecting.
“Here to finish what you started on Saturday night?” he sneered.
Natalie was confused.
“How could I be such an idiot!” he raged. “I should have known you were exactly like them!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You set me up!” Leo shouted. “You had me come to that party so Claudia could have everyone laugh at me! And like an idiot, I fell for it!”
Natalie could see the hurt on Leo’s face. He truly believed what he was saying. “How could you think such a thing?” she gasped.
“Was it a dare?” Leo asked. “Were you all supposed to get a fat guy to show up and I was the only sucker who fell for it?”
“That’s not true!” Natalie insisted. She placed a hand on Leo’s arm, but he shook it off.
“Save it! I don’t want to hear it. You’re just like Claudia. Mean and horrible and spiteful.” Leo started to close the door in Natalie’s face. “Well, you’ve had your laugh. Now get lost!”
Natalie stuck her foot in the door. “Please. Let me explain. Can I come in? It’s freezing out here.”
“No!”
“Just for a minute,” Natalie begged. “One minute.”
Leo grudgingly held the door open and Natalie walked into the foyer. Instantly, she was blanketed with heat. But the look Leo gave her was just as cold as the icicles hanging from the trees.
“Start talking,” Leo said. “You’re running out of time.”
“I didn’t set you up. I swear it. I invited you to the party because I thought we could hang out together.”
“Why would you want to hang out with me? I’m not blind. I have a mirror. I don’t look anything like the guys you usually hang out with. I’m Blubber Boy, remember?”
“I don’t care what you look like! I just want to be friends with you!”
“Why?”
“I don’t know!” Natalie exclaimed. “I like talking with you! And you’re great with Bonnie. I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together. That’s how people become friends. By spending more time with each other. That’s all I wanted to do. Become your friend.” Natalie checked her watch. “My minute’s up. I’ll go.”
She turned to leave but Leo put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
“Do you think it’s easy being me?” he asked in a soft voice. “Having people laugh at me? Point at me? Make fun of me? You don’t know what it’s like.”
Suddenly, Natalie wanted to confess to Leo about her past. She wanted to tell him that she did know what it was like. But she was afraid. She’d never told anyone in North Ridge her secret before. Instead, she faced him and said, “Would I be here if I wasn’t sorry?”
“Maybe you’re setting me up again.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
Leo sighed, running a hand through his curls. “I don’t know what to believe. Stuff like this has happened to me before.”
“Leo, I am sorry. It wasn’t a joke. If you don’t believe me, ask Jennifer Harris. She can tell you how upset I was. I wanted to run after you, but she told me not to. She told me you needed some time alone. I guess I should have given you a couple more days, huh?”
“I went to that party on Saturday night because I trusted you,” Leo admitted. “Because I wanted to be your friend.”
“We can still be friends,” Natalie said. “If you want.”
“Apology accepted,” Leo said.
Natalie smiled. Leo’s words were the sweetest ones she’d ever heard.
“That’s not the only reason I came by,” she said.
“It’s not?”
Natalie held up her shopping bag. “I thought we could have that movie marathon.”
Natalie held her breath, waiting for Leo’s answer.
“Follow me!” he exclaimed.
Eden knew she should be using her snow day to c
atch up on her studying. Instead, she was cleaning out her bedroom closet. The spring sales would be starting soon and she needed to make some room.
She began pulling out sweaters, dresses, skirts, tops, and jeans. What was the rule? If you only wore it once, get rid of it!
Forty-five minutes later, Eden had much more space in her closet and a pile of clothes on her bedroom floor. Her father would flip out if he saw how much stuff she was getting rid of. Good thing he was at work!
Eden was closing her closet door when a flash of white in the far corner caught her eye. She reached in and pulled out her ice skates. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d used them. Maybe a year ago? She wondered if they still fit. She kicked off her sneakers and slipped her feet into them. They did!
For three years she had gone for weekly lessons, and even had competed in some amateur-level competitions, but then gave up the lessons because she grew tired of having to practice every day and on the weekends.
Staring at the skates, Eden wondered if she still knew her way around the ice.
There was only one way to find out.
Even though it had snowed, DeVille’s was open. And Jennifer was stuck working. Mrs. Hudson had called that morning and asked if she could come in for a few hours. Caught off guard, Jennifer hadn’t been able to think of an excuse. So, instead of enjoying her day off like everyone else, she was standing behind a cash register. She hadn’t had one customer the entire morning. Luckily, she was only working until one o’clock.
Deciding she needed to do something to keep herself busy, Jennifer began dusting the shelves that held the wedding favors. She had just finished with the first shelf when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around with a professional smile, expecting to find a customer.
It was Will.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in surprise.
“I was riding up on the escalator and saw you. I need to buy a suit.”
“For the dance?” Jennifer asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t given any thought to what she’d be wearing.
“Something like that,” Will answered.
“DeVille’s has a great men’s department. If you don’t mind sticking around, I can help you.” After all, he was dressing for her. Why not get a sneak peek and steer him away from any fashion disasters? The last thing she wanted was him showing up wearing a suit with sneakers! Or a suit with a T-shirt! “I get off in half an hour. Can you wait?”
Relief washed over Will’s face. “That would be great. I don’t know anything about fancy clothes.”
Thirty minutes later, Jennifer was going through the racks in the men’s department, collecting shirts, ties, and suits.
“Let’s start with these,” she said, handing the pile to Will. “And remember, whatever we buy, you have to wear dress shoes! No sneakers!”
“How’d it go with the dress?” he asked as he stepped into a dressing room and pulled the blue curtain closed.
“I returned it yesterday. No questions were asked. But that’s the last time I do something stupid like that.”
“Until you tangle with Claudia again,” Will teased as he came out wearing the first combo of shirt, suit, and tie that Jennifer had suggested.
“I don’t like the shirt and tie together. The colors clash.” She pushed him back into the dressing room. “Go change.”
After much mixing and matching, Will went with a charcoal gray suit, a white shirt, and a black tie decorated with tiny red hearts.
“Are you sure these hearts don’t look dippy?” Will asked as he walked out of the dressing room in his own clothes.
“They look classy!”
At the cash register, Jennifer insisted on letting Will use her employee discount.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t, but I want to. It’s the least I can do. After all, you’re helping me out.”
“Thanks.”
After Will paid for his purchase, they left DeVille’s and walked outside. The streets were piled high with snowbanks although the sidewalks had been cleared.
“Guess I won’t be getting that motorcycle ride today,” Jennifer said.
“’Fraid not.”
They started down the block, walking side by side. Even though the snow was gone, the sidewalk was slippery in spots.
“I feel like I’m about to fall on my butt,” Jennifer joked.
Seconds later, Jennifer slipped on a patch of ice. She tried to regain her balance, but couldn’t. As she fell, Will tried to catch her, but slipped as well and they both crashed to the ground.
Jennifer fell first, with Will landing on top of her.
They were face-to-face, with their lips only inches apart.
Staring into Will’s blue eyes, Jennifer was unaware of the hard ground or the cold snow seeping into the back of her jacket.
All she was aware of was Will’s lips.
They were temptingly close.
She wanted to lift her head up and wrap her hands around his head, weave her fingers through his long, silky hair, drawing him close as she pressed her lips against his.
They looked so soft.
And kissable!
Where were these thoughts coming from? Had she suffered a concussion? She wasn’t supposed to be falling for Will. This was all pretend!
But she wanted to kiss him!
And Will had said that they should kiss.
As research.
Did she dare?
She wasn’t the kind of girl who usually made the first move. She always let the guy do that.
Although she did know how to send out signals.
Jennifer stared into Will’s eyes, trying to telegraph her thoughts.
Come on, Will! Take charge. Kiss me. Kiss me!
But he didn’t.
Instead, he jumped off her and pulled her back on her feet.
“Are you okay?” he asked, wiping snow off her jacket before collecting his shopping bags.
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
Although I would have been better if you’d kissed me!
“We better take things slow,” Will said as they started walking again.
Slow was not what Jennifer wanted.
Eden was in the middle of doing a figure eight when she heard her name called.
“Eden!”
She looked across the pond where she was iceskating and saw a little girl waving at her. At first she didn’t recognize her, she was so bundled up. But then, when her name was called again, she recognized the voice. It was Dexter’s little sister, Yvonne.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said, skating over to her. “Are you here by yourself?”
Yvonne shook her head. “Everyone else is coming.”
Seconds later, Dexter, Angie, and Thelma walked out of the woods, ice skates tossed over their shoulders.
“Look who’s here!” Yvonne called out, her voice filled with excitement.
“I didn’t know you ice-skated,” Dexter said as he sat on a bench by the side of the pond and put on his skates, lacing them up.
“I haven’t in awhile. I was cleaning out my closet and found my old skates. I thought I’d give it a whirl.”
“And?”
“I’ve still got it,” Eden proudly said.
“Let’s see.”
Eden skated back onto the ice and did another figure eight. Then she did a double axel.
“You’re just like the skaters on TV!” Yvonne exclaimed.
Eden shook her head. “I’m nowhere near as good as they are.”
“Yes, you are,” Yvonne stubbornly said as she stepped onto the ice, her ankles wobbly. “And you’re prettier, too!”
“How are you on the ice?” Eden asked Dexter.
Angie laughed. “If they gave grades for iceskating, Dexter would get an F!”
“You mean Dexter isn’t perfect at everything?” Eden teased.
“When it comes to ice-skating, Mr. Perfect is Mr. Imperfect,” Thelma added.
“No fair,” Dexter grumbled, carefully stepping onto the ice. “These three pick on me all the time. They don’t need you helping them.”
“How about I give you some lessons?” Eden asked. “Let me be the tutor for a change.”
“I’m all yours,” Dexter said as his sisters abandoned them.
“Skate for me,” Eden said. “Let me see your moves.”
Eden cringed as she watched Dexter shuffle across the ice. She kept expecting him to fall flat on his face.
“Don’t look down,” she instructed him. “Keep your head up, your back straight, and yours arms out.”
Eden watched as Dexter did what she told him. Instantly, she saw an improvement.
“Very good,” she said as she skated alongside him. “Let your feet do the work. Watch me.”
Eden glided smoothly across the ice, picking up speed, keeping one leg out behind her. Even though she didn’t have any music, she decided to do one of her old routines, complete with jumps and spins. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to show Dexter that she was good at something. That she wasn’t just a mindless cheerleader who cried over her ex-boyfriends.
When she was finished, she skated over to Dexter. The look of amazement on his face was priceless.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “Yvonne was right. You are better than those skaters on TV.”
“I told you!” Yvonne piped up, clapping madly. “She’s an ice princess.”
For the rest of the afternoon, Eden divided her time between Dexter and his sisters, giving them all pointers. Dexter fell on his butt a couple of times, causing his sisters to laugh, but he was a good sport about it. He always pulled himself back up, blushing with embarrassment, and then started skating again. He also wasn’t afraid to ask Eden what he was doing wrong. Only when it started to get dark did they realize they had lost track of time.
“We’ve been out here all afternoon,” Dexter said as he unlaced his skates.
“I’ve got so much homework left to do,” Eden groaned. “And I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with all those clothes I’m getting rid of.”
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