Page 7 of We're At It Again

Typical. I didn’t respond, knowing it would lead to an unnecessary back-and-forth dispute between Hudson and myself. I would get riled up, allowing my impulsive anger to take control. Leaning forward in his seat, he reached into his pockets. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He removed one from the box and held it between his lips before his piercing emerald eyes locked with mine.

“Want one?”

He used the side of his lips that weren’t holding the cigarette to talk, extending the nicotine pack toward me, and I wrinkled my nose. I could smell it before he even lit it.

“No, thank you.” I said. “I care about my lungs.”

“If it’s not your lungs, something else is going to kill you,” he said. “Keep dating jockstrap and you might just die of boredom.”

“I don’t find you funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be.” He leaned forward with a satisfied grin before lighting the cigarette. He inhaled with ease. “You need to learn to relax, Snow.”

“I only get like that when I’m around you.”

My snide reply did not affect him, and he moved forward with a crooked grin as if he was having the time of his life.

“Yet you’re still here talking to me.”

I groaned, hating that he was right, but I played it stoic and squared my shoulders.

“That’s my cue to leave.”

I held my head high and distanced myself from him, but he always had to have the last word.

“It was great catching up with you, Snow.” He called. “We should do it again sometime.”

?

As the winter morning cast its pale light over the sleepy neighborhood, I stepped out of my house, pulling my coat tighter to ward off the cold. A thin layer of frost coated the ground, crunching under my boots as I made my way to the driveway. However, the roaring engine across the street shattered my peaceful morning. Hudson was revving his motorbike, the noise echoing through the quiet street like a thunderclap. I groaned, my hands flying to my temples as the noise worsened my pounding migraine.

“Hudson!” I said, my voice traveling across the street. “Can you cut that out?”

He gazed at me with a sickening grin and revved the engine louder. There was a roguish glint in his eyes.

“I can’t hear you!” he mouthed back, his lips curling into a taunting grin.

I rolled my eyes in frustration, my patience wearing thin. With an exasperated sigh, I turned away from the jerk and headed for my car. The throbbing in my head intensified with each passing second. I climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine, eager to put some distance between myself and Hudson’s noise. I pulled out of the driveway and sped past him as if I was about to complete the last lap of a Grand Prix.

?

As the school hallway buzzed with the usual hustle and bustle, I navigated through the throng of students, a stack of textbooks balanced in my arms. With each passing moment, the weight of my responsibilities pressed down on my shoulders like a heavy burden. I had a mountain of schoolwork to tackle, and deadlines loomed like dark clouds on the horizon. My mind raced with thoughts of essays, exams, and assignments, each demanding my attention.

As I reached my locker, I caught my breath, my arms straining under the weight of books. Before I could gather my thoughts, Maya appeared beside me. Her concerned expression caught my eye.

“Rough night?” she asked, her voice filled with genuine concern as she noticed the stress etched on my face.

I managed to smile, but it did little to mask the tension in my features.

“Something like that.”

“Don’t you think you’re stressing yourself out too much?” She asked. “There are other colleges.”

My stomach churned. Maya always attempted to persuade me to choose anywhere other than Stanford - other than Austin.

“We’ve spoken about this.”

She sighed. I knew she had more to say, but I appreciated her holding back.

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