Cali sat in her truck, reluctant to open to door. Here, safe in her little Ford truck, she felt only warmth. Which was a stark contrast to to the feelings she knew awaited her in the snow-filled world outside of her warm cocoon. She checked her phone, again. Eight forty-eight. Twelve minutes until the bell rang at nine. Twenty-two to get to her first period class before the tardy bell rang.

She flicked down the visor in her truck, revealing the mirror. She proceeded to recheck her pale face, frizzy long blonde hair, and sparkly, eye-shadow-rimmed green eyes. Things she had already checked before. She could only prolong getting out for so long.

Cali started at the knock on her window. Glancing sideways she saw Dylan laughing at her. His breath forming a mist and floating through the air. She shivered, mist, eww. If it was cold enough for her breath to freeze then it was too cold. Dylan, however, did not share her concerns. He stood looking at her expectantly, a bemused expression settled on his face.

“I really hate January,” she muttered, forcing herself to get out of the truck.

Dylan smiled, obviously happy to see her after the two week winter break. She tried to offer him a smile, which was truthfully closer to a grimace, in return. She let him carry the conversation as they headed inside. She even took his teasing about her quick pace and wimpiness about the cold with no complaint. Her only response to his words being to walk that much faster.
If Dylan noticed how withdrawn she was acting then he must have blamed it on the temperature. He did not ask her about it once.

Stepping into the gym she mumbled an excuse and sped away. She thought she muttered something to do with the locker room, at least she hoped so, since that was the direction she headed. Halfway across the gym a body caught up next to hers.

“What’s so important in the locker room?” Her best friend Lillian asked. Cali looked over at her and noticed she had make-up on, her hair was straightened, and she even had a matching scarf and boots on. So that is was being in love did to you.

“The lack of Dylan,” Cali replied as she heaved open door. She could not stop a sigh of relief from escaping as she sat on the step in front of her locker.

Lillian gave her a sympathetic look, “He just can’t take no for an answer, huh?”

The bell cut off Cali’s reply, but neither girl moved as it sounded, or as other girls began filing in.

“It would be different if he wasn’t so obviously desperate,” Cali shook her head in frustration. “Like I have given him every hint in the book, just like every other single girl he tries to talk to.”

The two girls stood up and began pulling clothes out of their lockers to change out. Cali grabbed her sweatpant pants and longsleeve t-shirt. Once it was winter, they should stop having to dress out. It was just too cold.

“Well the whole ‘saying yes to the winter dance’ thing was probably all the encouragement he needed.” Lillian pointed out.

“You know I didn’t have a choice. Him or Tristan? What kind of options are those?”

Lillian just laughed at Cali’s situation, not feeling Cali’s pain since she was going with the guy she ‘looooooved.’ Cali asked Lillian about her own boy drama, easily putting Dylan out of her mind since she would not see him for the rest of the day.

~~~



Enrique stared across the car. Most guys at list flinched when under his stare, his intimidation assisted by his stocky build inherited from generations of MMA fighters. But the idiot across from him had seen it enough times that he was not even fazed. And of course, he was an idiot and too stupid to know when to back down.

“She doesn’t like you dude,” Enrique stated. “And we both know she doesn’t want to date anyone.”

Dylan shook his head, refusing to listen to him. Just as he had the hundred other times Enrique had tried to warn him.
“She doesn’t have to like me!” Dylan cried. “And I don’t wanna date anymore than she does. Just ‘cause we aren’t dating doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun!” Dylan’s voice got louder and more animated with each word.

Enrique glanced around, hoping their conversation had not collected any stares from random students or, even worse, friends of Cali. Why did Dylan have to be such an imbecile? He had just learned the word from his best friend, Cade, and it fit Dylan perfectly.

“Just get in the car,” Enrique growled, moving to get in the car himself. But Dylan remained where he was, staring at something behind Enrique. Enrique turned and almost could not believe their bad luck. The object of their argument was walking across the parking lot. Luckily, too far away to have heard their conversation.
By her side was faithful sidekick, Lillian, smiling and listening as Cali waved her hands in the process of telling some story. They were just as different as they were similar walking by each other. Cali’s long blonde hair next to Lillian’s short brown layers. They were both incredibly pale and skinny, although Lillian’s glasses and small legs gave her less of a sporty appearance that Cali. However, you could tell the Lillian was they shy, sweet one, while Cali tended to be more abrupt. Enrique was sure it was probably their geekiness that brought them together, they were both very intelligent and proud book worms.
Dylan, who never did have a lot good judgement- or any for that matter- was walking around the car towards them. Enrique glowered as he opened his door and sat heavily in his seat. He could not even force Dylan to leave since they were in Dylan’s car today. He groaned in embarrassment for his friend, knowing Dylan would not even recognize he was embarrassing himself.
Dylan smiled as he reached the pair of girls. Ducking in between them, he looped each of his arms through one of theirs. While, Cali did not seem to mind, Lillian looked slightly perturbed. Dylan maintained his position, chatting animatedly with both girls, all the way to the far side of the parking lot, where Cali’s truck was sitting.
Lillian was the first the extract herself from Dylan’s grasp, while Cali lingered for a little longer. If Enrique did not know better he would of said Cali’s stance was flirty: one arm through Dylans, hip out, face turned up, and a constant laugh dancing on her lips. He bit his own lip in frustration, he just wanted to leave.
Enrique turned his attention to the other student working their way to their cars. He moved so he was leaning against Dylan’s car, facing the current of student flooding down the parking lot. He exchanged waves, head nods, and hellos with different friends as they passed by.
He was just rare enough to be special here, Small Town, USA. Although there were a lot hispanics and mexicans here, he was the only student from Spain. He had spent enough of his life there to have not only the looks, but the accent and small cultural differences as well. He was as exotic as a high school as small as Lebon High ever got. His slightly mysterious heritage served him well with impressing all the girls. Girls that though it would be “so cool to date a Spaniard.” Well, most of them anyways.
He was abruptly jerked from his musings as the car’s weight shifted and the driver’s door slammed. Finally, Dylan was ready to leave. But as they pulled out, Enrique sent one last through the parking lot , where Lillian and Cali stood talking to several other guys by the truck.
Enrique looked at Dylan, “Drop me off at Cades,” he requested.

~~~

Cali three herself down on the bed. Turning, she grabbed a pillow.
“Aghhhhhhhh!” She screamed into it.
Lillian’s laughter caused Cali to turn around in time to see her friend’s amused face. She answered it with her most menacing glare.

“This is so not funny,” Cali mumbled. Her words were muffled by the pillow she has turned back to for comfort, since Lillian was not going to offer any.

“So baby,” Lillian punctuated her words with an overly dramatic hair flip, “wouldn’t you feel lucky to go the dance with me? Cause guess what? It’s your lucky day! I’m free.” Lillian did not even finish her imitation before she burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Stop, stop, stop! It’s not funny.” Cali screamed, throwing her pillow at Lillian.
“You’re right...it’s hilarious!” Lillian was laughing so hard she could not even catch the pillow Cali threw at her. She just let it hit her and kept going. “Like, how do you even stand there and say that with a straight face!?”
“I don’t know! But it was embarrassing. For both of us.”
“Bet you are glad Dylan is your date now. You had a good reason to say no to Kyle. I can’t believe he asked you after school today even though he knew you told Tristan no so you could go with Dylan.”
“Shoot me.”
“Anytime, but get off my bedspread first. It’s brand new.”
~

As Cali sat in her beloved truck outside her house, she still could not believe her bad luck. How did she get asked by not one, not two, but three losers to the winter dance? Muttering words she knew her mother would not approve of she threw herself out of the truck and stalked to the door. She had the worst luck, she did not even get to be home alone today. Her mother, brother, and sister were all here.
“Hey sweetie. Just set the milk on the counter. How was your day at school?” Her mom called from somewhere in the house as she walked into the kitchen.
Oh shoot. “Mom I am so sorry. I totally forgot about picking up the milk. I’ll go back to the store right now and get some really quick.” Cali could not believe she had forgotten. Her mom had texted her just when school was getting out.
Her mom poked her head out of her bedroom doorway. “You forgot? Well, no need to waste gas. I’ll just get your dad to get some on his way home from work. Can you text him for me? I have lost my phone again…”
Cali groaned. This day could not possibly get any worse. “I will text him right now,” she called to her mom, who had disappeared once again. Hopefully she was finding her phone. She pulled out her own phone, she could do this right at least. Probably.
She was just about to trudge up the stairs to sulk in her room when the door opened.
“Hey Cade, I thought you were already…” her words trailed off as she turned and saw not her older brother, Cade, behind her, but his best friend, Enrique.

“Did I get so bad looking as to be mistaken for Cade?” Enrique teased, wiggling his eyebrows. She had always wondered just how he did that.

~~~


Enrique watched as Cali’s eyes started to sparkle.

“Not at all,” she returned. “You only started to smell as bad as him is all.”

Enrique grabbed his heart dramatically and faltered. “My lady, how you wound me with your hateful words.”

Playing up the theatrics, Cali grabbed his hand. “Oh Enrique, you know I could never hurt you.”

He was not sure who was more surprised when he tightened his grip, pulling her close against his chest, all traces of jesting gone. He certainly could not tell who was more confused as his arms moved around her and his head lowered. But even they were both shocked and clueless, it did not stop her from tilting her head towards his, nor him from lowering his lips so they softly touched hers,

He did not know if her arms went around his neck, or if his arms moved around her waist first, but that is how they ended up. If he had to guess, he would of said it was she who moved back against the wall, but he was the one who took the kiss deeper…

Until a pointed throat clearing broke them apart.

“Well,” Cade said, standing in the hallway they had somehow ended up in, “That is certainly not a sight I ever thought I would see.”

Enrique had yet to move his eyes from Cali’s face, and he saw in her eyes a reflection of the same reluctance to part that he felt.

“If you would allow me just a few more minutes, I have a question I would like to ask your sister.” Enrique pleaded, slowly turning his head.

“Of course, but I will be back in five. And just a warning: if my dad were to walk in on that instead of me, well, he would not react exactly the same.” Without waiting for a response, Cade turned and went back to his room.

“I’m 16, I can do what I want!” Cali yelled after him.

“He has a point,” Enrique reasoned. “And it would do more no good for your father to be mad at me, seeing how I would be honored if you would go the the winter dance with me? That is if your feelings are not too deeply entangled with Dylan’s.” Enrique kept his arms around her, but pulled his face back enough to see Cali’s as she answered.

“I would be even more honored to accept. Dylan was but a poor substitute for the guy I wanted to go with anyways. You don’t think he will be to upset do you?” Cali was blushing as she responded.

“I will take care of Dylan.”

And not another words was spoken until Cade came back, allowing just a few minutes over five.

~~~


Cali looked up at Enrique, maybe January was not that bad after all.