Back again! Woo!
I'm re-writing/editing the earlier chapters of this story, so this'll update even slower than usual! XD
THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A LOT OF SPOILERS FOR MY IF ONLY SERIES.
Jay was shivering as he followed Cole along the bike path out of the village, the snow and wind hitting his face and mussing up his hair. It had upset him a good amount to leave Lloyd after the boy had said so much, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to say no to Cole. So he followed his guide down the narrow, shoveled path, trying to keep his bike steady.
It didn't take long for them to come to the field, and the snow had been piled up pretty high in front of the pathway, effectively covering the two boys. They ditched their bikes and then went towards the town on foot.
"So, Skylor was saying that she had seen a girl sleeping on one of the park benches last time her and Nya's cabin was sent into town," Cole said, trudging through the snow. "She seemed young... maybe ten or so? But the girls didn't try to bring her back because she seemed okay, but that was a few weeks ago. We were told to try and bring here back with us."
"Yeah," Jay said, not really paying attention to Cole. "Nya mentioned her. She said that the girl kinda looked like you." Cole simply shrugged, walking along the road that weaved through the snow-covered fields. Within a few minutes, the town was in view.
"Watch where you step," the older boy said, sidestepping a patch of ice on the road. "I don't want you getting hurt, and I don't think you'd like to wrench you knee or ankle on any of this stuff." Jay looked over at him, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Then Cole swung his bag off of his shoulders and took out an orange beanie. He pulled it over his hair before tossing a blue one to Jay.
"Why's yours orange?" Jay asked as he pulled on his hat.
"It's my favorite color," Cole said with a smile, adjusting his hat again. Jay smiled, before adjusting the hat so his bangs were visible. The older boy looked over at him, laughing.
"What is it?" Jay asked, tilting his head to the side again.
"You," Cole replied, grabbing the blue hat off of Jay's head. "You look like a dork." Jay grabbed his hat, having to jump a little to reach it.
"Look who's talking," Jay retorted, gesturing to Cole's bright orange hat. "I could see you in the middle of the night."
"And you don't even need a hat for me to do that," Cole said, grinning. "Your hair is so bright, it's like a searchlight." Jay chuckled before rolling his eyes.
"Very funny," Jay said, using more sarcasm than needed. "Shouldn't we be finding that girl now?" Cole nodded, and the two of them headed down the main road.
The two had been walking for about ten minutes when Cole stopped walking, picking something up off the ground. Jay continued to walk for a few seconds, before realizing that Cole had stopped. He turned back to the dark-haired boy.
"Cole?" Jay asked, raising an eyebrow. "Whats behind your back?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Cole said, making Jay shake his head and roll his eyes. When Jay turned back around and continued walking, he felt something hit his shoulder. Small pieces of it fell down the back of his jacket, making him shiver. When he turned around, Cole was tossing a snowball in his left hand and catching it again.
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" Jay said, bending down and scooping up a handful of snow. The cold made his fingers and palms numb as he formed the snow into a ball, before throwing it at Cole. The older boy quickly ducked it, turning and watching the snowball hit the ground.
"Ha! Is that the best you-!"
Cole's sentence was cut short as a snowball hit him square in the face, making him cry out in surprise. Jay covered his mouth with both hands, laughing. Cole wiped the snow out of his bangs, looking over at his friend.
"Oh, you're asking for it now!" Cole yelled, scooping up more snow and running after Jay. The younger boy let out a yell, before turning and running form his friend, laughing. Jay turned a corner, skidding on the ice a little before darting around the building, Cole close behind him. Jay ran around a snowbank, before falling to the ground and letting out a yell of pain. Cole dropped the snowball, running up to his friend.
"Jay!" Cole cried. The younger boy was shakily sitting up, keeping his left knee still. "What hurts?"
"M-my knee!" Jay cried, tears running down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking.
"Okay, okay," Cole said, crouching in front of Jay and putting his hand on Jay's shoulder. "Can you walk?" Jay shook his head furiously. Cole bit his lip, not knowing what to do.
"Do you two need some help?"
Okay, okay, I know I haven't updated any of my stories in MONTHS, but I have a reason why! My laptop died recently, and school has been a pain in my neck. I quickly typed this chapter out on my tablet, but I probably won't be able to upload another chapter until after Christmas, since I'm gonna buy a new laptop then. Sorry for the cliffhanger though!
CameronNinjaDragons, signing off.
