FALLING FOR MR FROST

KSO

Mrs. Chen nudged at me, forcing me to dro

s she practically pushed me toward the door. "I promised to help out around

windows. Thick, heavy flakes were already pourin

ck to her. "It snows every

in the background and both our attentions

it's looking pretty grim out here. A low-pressure system is moving in...and we're expecting a possible blizzard tonigh

t off with a

torious, I-told-you-so

dropped. Did she really expect me to just leave

ving you alone with still so mu

kson

the store and take you h

eks with her warm, wrinkled

pped in her voice. "I've faced worse storms than this. Plu

fé and despite being this old, she was

gain, only to see that the snow

seriously.

tely, bundling me into the coat hersel

e bookstore. I knew there was no winning this argume

oat tighter around me,

. "I hate the cold," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I tucked my chin deeper into my

er for winter break, the coffee shop on the corner-the one that usually st

d slowly, their headlights ba

lking, my boots crunching through

y minutes. I let my mind wander as I walked, prob

stmas dinner with my parents and their none-too-subtle questions ab

"Jackson, honey, Mrs. Liu says Tammy's b

and never made things awkward when I ran out of things to say. My parents loved her and her

d Tammy, but I'd given u

le from last spring? Girls who all deserved someone w

tely no connection or

said the right things, even kissed them when i

Just this hollow feeling in my chest, like I wa

ying and stopped pretending that I'd event

of needless break ups, so I made the de

avoid Tammy, I didn't want to hurt her

my glasses and melted almost immediately, leaving a wet streak

s, and my face felt raw from the wind. Good

es. If the storm really was as bad as the radio sai

d. It might still be open, but obviously not for long. It was out of

ht, toward M

er completely, and I finally gave up, shoving them into my pocket. Everything tu

he convenience store, m

arker, the owner of the store, looked up fro

to be out

rowing in everything I thought I needed. From groceri

Be careful out there, kid." He gave me a concerned look, and I

w was w

he door. Snow wasn't just falling any

ter, and started toward home. My apartment

ard something. My head snapped up at the pierc

g through the sno

es wi

through the snow and

g like a ragdoll before tumbling throu