Shane lugged his sleigh back up the last few metres of the hill, hoping this round would be a lot better. He wanted to go as fast as Blaine and the other older boys did. He finally made it back to the top of the hill and paused to decide where the best take off point would be.
That's when he spotted him. A small boy, about his age, stood standing off to the side. He had chubby pink cheeks and unruly blond curls that fell around his face. Shane cocked his head to the side, wondering why the boy wasn't sledding. Maybe he didn't want to get his snow suit too dirty. It looked pretty expensive. Or maybe he didn't have his own sled. Yeah, that was probably it. Shane approached the boy, remembering what his mom always told him about sharing.
"Do you want to go down with me?"
The boy looked up, unsure if he was being spoken to. "Me?" he asked cautiously.
"Yeah, you. There's plenty of space for the both of us. Come one!"
"Um. No thank you."
Shane frowned. "You can sit in the front…"
"No". The boy didn't even look up this time.
"Fine. We can take turns then. I'll even let you go first."
There was no response. Shane placed his hand on his hip. He hated when people ignored him. What was the boy's problem anyway? He was just trying to be nice! There was plenty of space for the both of them on the sled! It wasn't like they would get—
"Ohhhh," Shane said with a grin.
The smaller boy looked up in confusion.
"You're scared to go down, aren't you!"
"I..I..what? I am not!"
"Yes you are!" Shane laughed. He chased after the boy who had begun to walk away. Shane ran ahead of him and flung his arms out, blocking his path.
"Let me go!" the boy huffed angrily.
"I will if you admit that you're scared!"
"Fine! I'm scared! I'm a big baby. I already know. Now leave me alone!" The boy's voice quivered slightly.
Shane's smile faltered. He had never meant to hurt his feelings. "Hey," he said, his voice softening. "There's nothing wrong with being scared. I'm still scared of clowns. I saw one yesterday and almost peed in my snowpants." Shane sighed in relief when the boy's face lit up and he started to laugh. It was a nice laugh. The kind that made you smile too.
"So you'll go down with me?" Shane asked hopefully.
The boy laughed again. "You don't give up, do you?"
"'Give up'? I don't even know what that means," Shane replied. He held out his gloved hand to the other boy. "Come on, it'll be fun."
The boy eyed Shane warily. "You promise I won't die?" he asked seriously.
Shane bit the inside of his mouth to keep himself from smiling. "Promise." He gave the boy an encouraging grin as they walked hand in hand towards the sleigh.
Shane reluctantly let go so that he could position the sled right on the edge of the hill. "What's your name by the way?" He plopped down into the front, taking hold of the reins.
"Its Reed," the boy replied. He lowered himself down behind Shane and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist.
"Whoa!" Shane yelped in surprise.
"Sorry," Reed said, lessening his grip.
"Its alright, Reed. Are you ready?"
"You promise we wont die?" Reed breathed into his ear.
Shane twisted to face him, their faces inches apart. He stared at Reed for a moment. He could see the worry etched all over his face. "I wont let you get hurt. I swear it.
Reed nodded and buried his face into Shane's back. "Okay, do it," came his muffled reply. "I'll see you in the afterlife."
Shane smiled at his adorable new friend and tightened his grip on the reins. He used one leg to give them a push start and held his breath as the sleigh went hurling over the edge of the hill. He was faintly aware of Reed's arms squeezing the life out of him. Shane let out a howl of excitement as they hit a bump and went airborne for a moment. They hit the ground hard and went speeding down the last few metres of the hill. It was over in a matter of seconds.
"That was awesome!" Shane yelled. "Did you feel the bump? Its like we were flying!" He sat there for a moment, eyes sparkling with adrenaline. It took him a moment to realize that Reed hadn't said a word. He still had his face buried into Shane's back and was panting heavily. Shane brushed away some of the blond curls, trying to see Reed's face.
"You alright?" Shane asked quietly. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea.
A moment later, Reed lifted his head. His cheeks were stained bright red and eyes were wide with excitement. "Can we do it again!" he whispered excitedly.