Her idea of love, before him, was that it was a farce, a fairytale made for girls to chase empty dreams. How could one manage to endure being with only one person?
The thing was beautiful, but she felt like it was impossible and void. Until she met him.
His crimson eyes and black hair, his instantaneous smiles, his hoarse voice. The second she saw him, she understood. Her heart raced, wild beating and the feeling of clarity. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She wanted to love him, and she craved for his love
And she would do anything to have him.
Qrow Branwen was two years older than her, but had failed one year, so he was there, on her school, looking good with that disheveled hair and not well tied necktie.
Winter fell in love.
She was quick to approach him. Although her hands were shaking, their conversation moved on quite smoothly. She only had to wait a bit until they graduated and then they could be together forever. Nothing would stop her. Months passed, he got along with a lot of people on the school, and he liked her…
But then.
Winter started to notice that her love was too close to a certain group of friends. Honestly, she would have no problem with that, if one of those friends were not a girl, a girl who he was way too close to.
Summer Rose.
She was kind, had a very sweet heart, and was beautiful. It was enough to make Winter feel uneasy. But when she saw Qrow laughing with her, being so close to her, smiling to her…
It made her sick.
Since the first weeks, she started to observe all people that close to him, and people close to that people. She kept one eye on everyone inside the school, from students to teachers, and gathered information on the ones she deemed most important. Soon Winter filled with details, schedules, info sheets, and she had a lot planned already. All she could get about anyone went into the board. Their lives and deaths were planned, if she ever needed.
But Summer? She was so good, so innocent, that she had no skeletons on her closet. No secrets, nothing to use against her. Winter's mind games would be worth nothing without something to pick and torment her with, wouldn't they?
She had no problem with killing; of course, she was more than capable of doing it. To have her Qrow, anything was worth It was just too messy, that was why she would rather play mind games, wreck the person until it was nothing but a living corpse. Even because she never lost at games.
First attempt was very friendly. Just a warning, a burn phone, another number, driving away from home. Summer didn't care. She was strong.
Things started to escalate. She had scheduled messages. It didn't work. When she told her friends (Winter included, since she got near their little group), her voice didn't even shake… Much. They insisted that Summer should take the messages to the police, but she refused to. "I won't let them get to me, don't worry. I'll change my number, though."
Well, that girl's bravery (or foolishness) had helped Winter a lot, otherwise she would have to get rid of evidences and get a new cellphone and number. Good Summer, good girl.
She trusted the white-haired one more than she should, enough to give the psycho her new number. Her rival believed they were friends. And, honestly, Winter wanted them to. She would have been a good friend.
(But her lover was priority, and Summer was caught between them, standing in the way of her happiness.)
The little girl and her Qrow hanged out during lunch; the threats got worse. "Get away from him or you'll die soon." Summer didn't listen. Her love smiled at her in a way he did to no one else, not even herself. Winter was disgusted and made sure to let Summer know she would die.
"I will kill you, I swear."
"Good luck about that. Qrow and I are best friends and I won't stop talking to him because of you. Whoever you are, you won't scare me."
Summer lied about that. She admitted to be afraid, to feel under someone's watch. She was, indeed.
"Don't worry, Summer. Barking dogs never bite." The biggest lie she had ever heard. "But, if you want, I might spend the night at your home, keeping you company." Winter was so shocked and furious to hear that, she ended up choking on her drink. What would they do…? Would he…?
No. She had to be his first woman.
Later, Summer hugged her Qrow and they walked home together. They went home together. He would stay there with a woman that was not Winter. Later at home, the infatuated girl broke a mirror out of anger.
That was the very last straw.
Knowing her rival, she asked for her notebook, under the pretense of comparing notes. Her true intention was to learn her handwriting. After three hours making it perfect, she made two notes; one asking Summer to meet her in the rooftop anonymously, after the class, and a suicide note. No one went through the rooftop or was on the grounds, where they could see her and Summer.
Summer Rose, one of the purest souls she had ever met. What a shame she had to die.
When the day came, Winter felt anxious and was tempted to go straight to the roof when the time came. While her "friend" didn't arrive, the petite girl looked at her phone, not knowing she was being watched. Getting near her, she looked over her shoulder to see what Summer stared so much at.
Pictures. Of her and Winter's love. Hugging, laughing, and in one of them he was kissing her cheek.
An unfathomable rage took her entire body like a flame that had met gasoline, and without thinking twice, Winter pushed Summer off the roof.
She was so good and kind, that she didn't even scream while falling or turning her head to see her killer. That was good. Someone who committed suicide did not scream.
To act, Winter screamed while Summer fell. She dropped the fake suicide note and ran down the stairs, while stuffing her gloves on her pockets, to find a way out and go to Summer's body, pretending to be desperate for her friend who had just jumped to death. When she arrived, her acting had brought fake tears and faltering voice to her, enhancing her "pain".
Inside, she was laughing out of joy. The blood coming out of the cracked head that had hit a rock was like a death sentence itself. She had no saving. Pleasure coursed through her body, making her shiver, contemplating victory. Her lover was hers now, and hers only.
They offered themselves to go with Winter until she got home, but she refused. She wanted to celebrate as soon as she got home.
Music on her room, a piece of cake, a glass of wine and her mother's wedding dress. The girl had been adjusting its measurements to her body since she fell in love with her Qrow, hoping to wear it one day. She dreamt with that day, when they would get married. She would wear diamonds and rubies, he would carry her on his arms and they would kiss… She got shivers of pleasure only thinking about it. He would finally wear a wedding ring with her name on it…
The next day, her headache helped pretending she was actually heartbroken with Summer's "suicide". They asked her what happened, handled her the note, and she cried more. She asked about Summer's group: Taiyang (who had a crush on her, by the way) had not attended school. Raven was there, but left pretty early; so did her man.
She took two classes, pretended to get a stronger headache, and then left, willing to make more adjustments and go to her love's home and see if he needed some company or support. It was never a bad time to get closer to her Qrow.
