Mortal Enemies

by agentpizza

Things don't get any easier for April Preston, especially when moving to a new neighborhood means meeting Rodrick Heffley, a self-proclaimed awesome bad boy who is extremely annoying and stubborn. These two people are mortal enemies. But some things change right? (RodrickxOC)

33. Winter Warmth

CHAPTER 33: Winter Warmth

"What are you doing here?!" I asked, the tone of my voice almost a frantic whisper.

"I told you yesterday! We're going out of town too."

"Of all places..." I mumbled, stressed and internally panicking.

Meanwhile, the corners of Rodrick's mouth slowly turned upward. The shocked expression on his face was replaced with an excited one. "What a coincidence."

I sighed and looked at my parents. Both of them were still busy talking, which was a good thing. They hadn't noticed that Rodrick was standing right in front of me. Good.

"Weren't you heading to the restroom?" Rodrick said.

"Right." I quickly walked past him and entered the washroom.

Just when I thought I didn't have to face Rodrick for an entire week, there he was, suddenly showing up in front of me. I mean, he probably would have popped up in my mind a few times even though he wasn't physically near me—no use denying that. But this. I wasn't ready for this. Why does this always happen?!

I took my time in the washroom, just pacing around and expecting Rodrick to be gone by the time I go out.

But alas, when I opened the door, he was still there. I sighed, and just walked up to him.

"What took you so long?! Did you poop or something?" he asked.

"What?!—No!" I glared at him.

He smiled, about to laugh. "I was just kidding! Geez, what are you so angry for?"

I heaved a deep sigh again. "I'm not angry. I'm just... Ugh, nevermind."

He examined my expression for a moment. "Wow, why does it feel like you don't want to see me?"

I sounded defensive then. "No, no! It's not that. It's just—"

"So you do want to see me?" He leaned forward, teasing me.

"No, I—"

He winced and took a step back as he clutched his chest. "Ouch. That hurts, Prescott."

I hated that he was putting me on the spot. "No, no. I mean... I..."

Suddenly, he laughed. "Just kidding."

The entire conversation was stressing me out. "Whatever. Just don't let your parents know we're here too." I didn't want another one of those family dinners.

He smirked. "You think I'd do that?"

I frowned at him. "No... Just don't, okay?! Ugh. I'm going back to our table." I turned around so I could start walking away.

But he reached out and got ahold of my arm just in time. I looked at him again. Annoyance was written all over my face, though it was all a facade. A facade to hide the feeling of butterflies in my stomach.

"It's nice seeing you," he said with a smile as he held on for a moment longer.

I ended up staring at him for a few seconds, then at his hand on my arm, then back at him. I gulped. Snap out of it, April!

"Heh," was all I could say. Stupid, I know. Once he let go of my arm, I quickly shuffled back to our table. I looked back once, and he was still there. His hands were in his pockets as he watched me walk away with a cute smile on his face. I turned away immediately and resisted the urge to take another glance.

"What took you so long?" my mom asked when I got back.

"The, uh… There was a long line in the washroom. It took forever," I replied.

She nodded. I heaved a sigh. That was close, I thought.

"So are we good to go? Should we head back to the cabin?" my dad asked.

Both my mom and I agreed. So we got up and started walking.

"Oh, by the way, April, we're having dinner there later," mom said while she and dad walked side by side ahead of me.

"Sure." I got a bit excited, because the food there was really good.

She then glanced at me, a big smile on her face. "We're having dinner with the Heffleys."

I almost tripped while walking. "W-What?" I did my best to sound like I had no idea where they were. "Th-They're here too?"

"We saw them while you were at the washroom," my dad said.

My mom was obviously the most excited for this. "And it's been a while since we all got together so we both decided to have dinner. Isn't that great?"

It was the least thing I wanted to happen. "Yeah. Great."

We took a rest in our cabin the whole afternoon. Mom actually asked if we wanted to go skiing already, but both dad and I just wanted to stay there. He was tired from driving. Meanwhile, I had lost the energy to do anything else since I couldn't stop internally panicking about Rodrick being here, and the Heffleys having dinner with us that night.

A few hours after lunch, I got a text message. It was from Rodrick: excited for the family dinner?

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I replied.

Me: Of course. Not. Did you tell them we saw each other?!

Rodrick: what's the point in not telling them? they know all of you are here anyway

Me: I told you not to tell them!
Rodrick: i'm joking! why would i tell them that lmao
Me: Ugh.
Rodrick: i really didn't tell them though
Rodrick: i swear
Rodrick: lol why aren't you replying anymore
Rodrick: anyway see you later

I heaved a sigh while reading his messages, thinking why I had to deal with such stress during a supposedly relaxing vacation.

Somehow, it felt like time went faster after lunch. Next thing I knew, I was standing in front of the mirror after freshening up and changing my clothes.

Stop overthinking, I thought to myself. Right, I was just thinking too much that's why I was feeling anxious.

Time decided to slow down when we were already having dinner with the Heffleys. I just wanted to get that night over with so I could wake up the next day having one less thing to worry about.

We arrived first. Apparently they reserved a round table for our dinner that night. I sat beside my mom to lower the chances of sitting beside Rodrick.

It took a while for the Heffleys to arrive. So I went for a bathroom break first. When I came back to our table, they were already there. And guess what, Mrs. Heffley was on my seat. I thought she was probably just greeting my mom, so I stood behind their chairs for a good two minutes.

"April, honey, maybe can you sit there?" My mom pointed to the seat across her. It was the only empty seat left on the table. "So Susan and I can catch up."

Great. The only empty seat left was beside Rodrick.

I forced a smile. "Sure. No problem." Then I dragged my feet to my new seat, anxious and annoyed at the same time.

Breathe, April, I told myself. You've sat beside Rodrick a billion times so this isn't a big deal!

When I took my seat, Rodrick gave me a quick smile before directing his attention back to his phone.

I expected him to say something more annoying than that. But he only quietly scrolled on his phone. See, no big deal, I thought.

"Oh right, we should order," My mom said when the waiters gave all of us menus.

"One clubhouse sandwich," Rodrick told the waiter. "Add extra chips and fries. And one rootbeer." That was so him.

I looked at the picture of the clubhouse sandwich on the menu. It did look appetizing. "I guess I'll have the clubhouse sandwich too," I said. Just then, Rodrick suddenly glanced at me quickly and gave the slightest smile. I knew what he was thinking. "Scratch that. I'll just have the spaghetti marinara, and a glass of iced tea," I told the waiter.

Without looking at me, Rodrick smiled again and shook his head.

But there was no remark nor any irritating side comment.

That's unusual, I thought.

Once all of us finished ordering, the parents went back to chatting amongst themselves. Meanwhile, the rest of us just sat there doing our own things. Manny was licking a spoon, Greg was playing a video game on his DS, while Rodrick and I were scrolling on our phones. None of us even bothered to start a conversation.

I thought it was a total waste of time. Only the parents were talking to each other. If they wanted to catch up so bad, did they really have to drag all their kids with them? I could have been doing something more productive.

It took a while for the food to arrive. I already got bored scrolling on my phone. You know, once you've scrolled through all your social media accounts, there's really nothing else to look at. Maybe I should have downloaded a good game to pass the time, but I guess it was too late for that. I glanced at Rodrick, who was busy with his phone. He still hadn't said a thing to me since they arrived. It was a good thing that he wasn't bugging me—I mean, I was grateful at first, but it also felt so weird.

Minutes passed. It felt longer for those who weren't actually doing anything, like me. I looked at Rodrick again. He was playing a game on his phone. He looked bored, but the kind who could tolerate it. Meanwhile, I felt the opposite.

Why isn't he talking to me?

I couldn't believe it, but it actually bothered me that he wasn't bothering me.

After what seemed like forever, the food finally arrived. Half of the round table remained quiet while the other half was still talkative. The only time they took a break from chatting was when they told us to put our gadgets away. After that, it was back to regular programming.

We all kept our phones then and focused on eating. The pasta I ordered was tasty. It came with garlic bread and a small bowl of salad. It lightened up my mood a bit. On the other hand, Rodrick's plate was overflowing with chips and fries as he munched on his clubhouse sandwich. Even then, I expected him to say something because he was no longer distracted by his phone. He always had something to say even if his mouth was full. But he was still unusually quiet. What's weird was that he wasn't even in a bad mood because I caught him smiling a few times earlier.

I continued to eat, but with less appetite. The meal felt unsatisfying despite how delicious it was.

I sighed and looked at him again. Is he mad at me or something? I stared at his plate then. Honestly, it felt worse than being forced to attend this entire thing.

Suddenly, he started transferring fries from his plate to mine. I didn't ask for any. Maybe he caught me staring at his plate. But when I looked at him, he didn't even glance at me. He just went back to munching his sandwich. What is up with him?

I silently started eating again, trying my best to ignore the fact that Rodrick wasn't talking to me.

The night went on like that. At one point, I was getting more frustrated I accidentally dropped my fork on the ground. I was about to ask the waiter for a new one, but suddenly Rodrick slowly moved his fork and tissue towards my plate. He wasn't using it anyway. Still, it got me confused. He wasn't talking to me at all nor even looking at me, but had these small, kind gestures.

Once I finished my pasta, I got up and headed to the washroom. I just needed a break. I was so bored just watching the parents talk all night. At the same time I was frustrated by what was going on between me and Rodrick.

After washing my hands, I went on and texted him.

Are you mad at me? I asked.

Seconds passed and there was no reply. I continuously paced around the restroom. I shouldn't have sent it, I thought. It's not a big deal. Maybe he's just too hungry to chat. Maybe he was just sleepy or bored too. After a minute or so, my phone vibrated.

Rodrick: uh no
Rodrick: lol why
Me: Then why aren't you talking to me?
Rodrick: hahaha where are you?
Me: Going back from the restroom.

I walked out of the restroom door right after sending that. When I looked up, he was already walking towards me, just a few steps away. He didn't look at me so I intended to just walk back to our table. But then he pulled me and led me out the exit behind the washrooms.

I instantly crossed my arms when he let go of me. "What are we doing here? It's freezing!" I was already wearing shirt and a sweater but it was still cold. He stood right in front of me with his hands in his pockets. He was just staring at me, but I avoided it.

He was silent until I finally glanced at him. He smiled and then shook his head. "I'm not mad at you."

"So you just wanted to ignore me."

He raised his eyebrows, smirking. "What?"

I embraced myself, rubbing my arms. It was getting colder. "You haven't said a single word to me until now. Did I say something earlier that offended you?"

For a second he looked up to think, and then he shook his head. "Nope."

"Then why were you ignoring me?"

"Ignoring you?" He slowly took a few steps closer. "I smiled when you transferred beside me, gave you fries when you were staring ay my food, and a fork when you dropped yours. Yeah, I'm totally ignoring you."

I looked down at my shoes. I heard him laugh. When I looked at him, he was removing his thick jacket. I glared at him for a second, and then looked away again. "This isn't funny."

He sighed. "You missed me talking to you that much, huh?" he said while putting his jacket over me.

"No!" I replied instantly, masking the fact that my heart skipped a beat when he gave me his jacket in the cold. "That's not the point."

He laughed again. "Just because I didn't talk to you, it doesn't mean I'm mad at you!"

I rolled my eyes. "Psh."

He couldn't help but smile. He pulled the jacket together, giving me a bit more warmth. Then he put his hands on my shoulders. "Look. Having this stupid family dinner thing is annoying as hell already. I just didn't want to bother you even more."

I glanced at him. It did make sense. I looked away again and muttered, "That's so not you."

He straightened up and put his hands back in his pockets. "Ha! This is funny, you know? I thought you'd like that peace and quiet... Turns out you miss me annoying you, huh?"

"Ugh, I don't!" I turned away from him, trying to hide the smile forming on my face. I started walking back to the doors.

He followed closely, trying to catch my reaction. "I keep quiet for an hour and here you are getting bothered!"

"Stop it!" I was close to laughing even though he was annoying, so I walked faster.

But he had long legs so he was able to catch up in a second. Before I knew it he was right behind me. "Haha, you're so cute when you're like this," he said while ruffling my hair.

Suppressing a smile, I removed his jacket and threw it at him before quickly heading back inside the restaurant and to our table. He followed a few moments later, a smile curling on the edge of his lips.

The next day, mom, dad, and I went skiing. It was a struggle at first. I mean, I ended up toppling over a few times, but I managed to get the hang of it soon. It was fun though.

That afternoon, we were planning to try out the snowmobiles. However, Mrs. Heffley invited my mom and dad to have coffee with them. It must have been some kind of husband-wife double date thing, I don't know. The bad news was that I was really looking forward to trying the snowmobiles with them. Well, on the brighter side, I didn't have to get bored watching them talk about the same things.

After they left to meet up the Heffleys, I decided to just curl up and read a book in front of the fireplace. It was the new book I got for Christmas

It wasn't too long when someone knocked on the door. Mom must have left her phone or something, I thought.

But when I opened the door, it wasn't my mom nor my dad standing in front of me. It was Rodrick carrying a stuffed paper bag.

"Umm, what are you doing here? And how did you know our cabin number?" I asked, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Saw you guys earlier. Can I come in?" He already walked inside before I even answered yes or no.

I closed the door. "You can't just barge in our cabin like that."

He placed the paper bag on the small table in front of the couch. "Uh, correction! This isn't your cabin. You're just renting it for a few days."

I followed him to where he was. "Okay. Let me correct what I said. You can't just barge in the cabin we're renting."

He took two cups and a box from the paper bag. "I asked permission and you were probably gonna say yes anyway, so—"

I gulped. "You don't know that—"

"—Hot chocolate?" He raised one of the paper cups, offering it to me.

I sighed. It was no use arguing with him. I walked closer, got the cup, and took a sip from it. Wow. It was good. I couldn't ask for any better drink on a cold winter day.

"Oh, and this one's for you too." He took the box and gave it to me.

I placed my cup of hot chocolate on the table for a second and opened the box. "Cupcakes?" There were four of them inside.

"Yeah." He put his hands in his pockets. "I owe you some, right?"

I was a bit confused. "You do?" He nodded. I tried to remember why he owed me cupcakes. Then I couldn't help but smile and shake my head at the same time. "I can't believe you were serious about it."

He shrugged. "I told I'd get you some."

I sat down the couch. "I told you, I'm not the biggest fan of cupcakes. But thanks." It was just a tiny detail, a small promise he made during the dance a few weeks back.

He sat beside me. "Not the biggest fan, but you ate a lot during the dance—"

"You really wouldn't forget about that, huh?" I passed him the box so he could eat the cupcakes too.

At first, he just laughed. But then I heard him mumble, "Who would forget about that dance?"

It was as if someone pressed the replay button and that scene of us dancing flashed in my mind once again. Who would forget it? Anyone but us, I thought.

"So what were you doing?" he asked, relaxing on the couch as if it was his cabin.

"Right before you showed up without any warning? Uh, yeah I was reading a book." I started eating one of the cupcakes. It was surprisingly good.

He smirked and took a cupcake as well. "Nerd."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. The real question is, why are you crashing here in our cabin?"

"No reason." He shrugged. "It's boring as heck back there."

"What do you mean boring? You've got two brothers you can bond with."

"Greg just plays video games the entire time, and Manny... well he has his own world." He then ate what was left of his cupcake in one whole bite.

I took a sip from the hot chocolate. "Don't you have to watch them as the older brother?"

"You mean babysit? Ugh, no way," he replied in disbelief.

"Don't you usually just sleep when you have nothing to do?" Actually, that's what Rodrick usually does even when he has something to do.

"Meh. I had enough sleep." He shook his head. "Or I can sleep here." He shifted and laid his head on my shoulder, then closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.

I allowed him to do that for a few moments. I looked at him, annoyed but at the same time I couldn't hide the tiny smile on my face. But then I decided to shake it off after a while because his head was so heavy—and I didn't want to get so carried away.

It's not that I didn't want him to be in our cabin or right beside me. It's not like I didn't enjoy his company, because honestly I do. But now, it's just... I don't know. It wasn't helping.

He laughed, amused at what he had just done. "Just kidding. Alright, look. I came here to bring you these." He pointed to the cupcakes and the hot chocolate. You didn't even have to, I thought. "And... you still owe me a movie."

I paused to remember what it was about a movie. "Oh, the deal?" I said. He nodded while eating a cupcake. "I didn't bring my laptop though."

"Oh really?" He had a suspicious look.

I shook my head. "I'm not lying, Heffley."

He groaned. "Okay, fine. But promise we'll watch a movie when we get back from this vacation."

I hesitated. "Sure," I replied, staring at my hot chocolate. And then I took another sip. After that I placed the cup back on the table and finished what was left of the cupcake I've started eating.

"Then let's just go out and do something!"

"But it's so cold outside!"

"Oh come on. There are lots of cool activities here! Cable car, snow boarding, ice skating, or you could go skiing again." He raised his eyebrows twice, with a teasing look on his face.

"I went skiing this morning," I said, munching my cupcake.

"Yeah. You fell like five times right?" Rodrick laughed.

"No!" I denied instantly. "It only happened thrice!" I said, facing him. He started holding his laugh in. "Wait, how did you know I went skiing? Are you stalking me?!"

He shook his head and laughed once again at my absurd comment. He kept talking while reaching out for the paper bag. "We were checking out the snowmobiles and I then saw you with your parents skiing. It was funny, like when we went rollerblading before. Remember that?" He took some tissue out of the bag and offered it to me.

I glared at him, but still took the tissue. I used it to wipe my fingers."Hey, I can rollerblade now! I'm way better."

That gave him an idea on what we could do that afternoon. "Fine, then let's go ice skating."

"Fine!" I replied confidently. I finished the rest of my hot chocolate in one go, and placed it on the table with a thump. Rodrick was just watching me, still trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

He just shook his head, lips pressed.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and then said, "I'll just change my clothes. Wait here." I got up and started making my way to my room. But then I realized Rodrick was right behind me.

I turned around. "What did I sa—"

He stood so close to me as he placed his hand on my shoulder and raised the other up to my face. He was holding a tissue and then started wiping off something from the corner of my lips. He did it in the softest and most gentle way possible. "You've just got a little icing."

Oh that was probably why he was holding back laughter moments ago. How embarrassing. I was stunned for a few seconds but I still managed to reply. "Why the heck didn't you tell me?"

He laughed. "'Cause it's hilarious. You should have seen it. Like, how can you not know there's icing on your face?"

I rolled my eyes at that comment. "Says the guy who always has crumbs on his face whenever he gobbles everything up."

"Ha. All done!" He took my hand and gave me the crumpled tissue.

I gave it back to him and immediately turned around to go straight to my room. "Throw the trash!" I yelled at him before closing the door.

Ugh, what's with all these embarrassing cupcake incidents? I heaved a sigh. I put my hand over my chest, and my heart was beating a tad bit faster. This had been happening a lot lately, even with the tiniest interactions with Rodrick. And this was precisely why I was looking forward to the few days of vacation without him. Maybe not seeing him for a few days could have helped me clear my thoughts and feelings. But what's done was done. I even agreed to go ice skating with him. Oh, the choices I made. Still, I tried to convince myself, This is nothing. Forget it, April. Just get changed already.

Once I had finished putting on thicker clothes, I took my coat and gloves, and walked out of my room. Right then, a crumpled tissue hit my face. I opened my eyes with a glare.

"You told me to throw the trash!" Rodrick said, a mischievous grin painted on his face.

"Really?" I replied with a pokerface. His immaturity was showing again.

"Fine." He laughed while walking closer to pick up the trash. He then walked past me and threw it in the trash can near the kitchen.

The small table in front of the couch was already cleared out. The only thing left there was the cupcake in the box. I put my things on the couch for a moment, took the box, and kept it in the fridge.

"Let's go, let's gooo!" Rodrick was already by the coat rack, wearing his coat and scarf.

I wore my coat and gloves, and made sure I had the cabin keys, my phone, and some money.

"Come on! You're so slow." Rodrick had his hand on the doorknob already.

I walked towards him. "Ugh. Have some patience, will you?"

He only smiled as he opened the door.

"It's freezing!" I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, duh. It's winter." Rodrick said. He rubbed his hands together.

"Do you need gloves? I think my dad has an extra pair." I didn't want him to get blisters or something because of the cold.

He put his hands in his coat pockets and took a pair of gloves out of the right one. "Actually, I have my own. Don't worry... Let's go?"

I nodded and we started walking. He put on the gloves while we did so. After that, he took out a bonnet and wore it over his head.

"Which way do we go?" I asked.

"This way... I think." He started heading to the right.

"Are you sure?" I stopped walking.

He scratched his head and stopped, turning around to answer, "Maybe. Maybe not."

"You know what? Let's just go to the concierge and ask. I don't want us to get lost."

"What? We don't need to ask!"

But I already turned around and started heading there. I took a quick look behind me and he was following anyway. After a while, he already caught up and was walking beside me.

"Here's a map," the concierge guy said when we got there and asked for directions, "Just follow this trail and you'll be there in 5 minutes."

"Great. Thank you!" I said.

"You're welcome ma'am. Have fun!" he replied courteously.

"That's where we were going earlier!" Rodrick whispered to me, pointing at the trail on the map while we walked out of the lobby.

"Uh, no. We were going the opposite direction."

He grabbed the map and looked at it closer. "Fine." He gave it back to me. "Follow the map and lead the way, Dora."

I paused. "Dora? Really?"

He shrugged. "You got the map. Hey, where's your backpack?"

I rolled my eyes and continued walking. "Ha ha funny. Let's go, Boots."

"Boots?! Not even Diego?" he complained.

"Nah, you're more of a monkey," I said, focused on the map and the trail.

"Okay this joke is over," he replied immediately with a blank face. I couldn't help but smirk. I won this round.

A few minutes later, we got to the rink.

"I thought it would be like a legit frozen pond or something." Rodrick sighed, a bit disappointed.

I smirked. "This is better so I don't have to worry about you pushing me towards the freezing water when the ice cracks." I started heading to the skates rental counter.

"Hey, how'd you know I was gonna do that?" he said. I turned around and glared at him for a second. "Just kidding, I never thought of it." He followed me to the counter.

Once we got our skates, we immediately changed our shoes. Right after I put them on, my confidence started to fade away. All that 'I'm way better now' was total crap. Well, sure I may have improved a little on skating at the roller rink, but definitely not at an ice skating rink. It's been forever since I tried ice skating. Why didn't I think twice about agreeing to this?! I was supposed to be staying away from Rodrick, but there I was about to go ice skating with him.

"Ready, Prescott?" Rodrick walked back to me after he stored our shoes at the locker.

"Yeah, definitely," I said confidently, even though it was a lie. He started making his way to the rink. Meanwhile, slowly, I got up from where I was sitting.

Rodrick turned around and saw my struggle walking towards the rink. The fact that I was wearing heavy winter clothing wasn't helping either. "What's taking you so long?!" He laughed. Then he walked towards me, took both of my hands, and turned around again to start heading to the rink, pulling me along gently with him. From the bird's eye view, I imagined us looking like two penguins who were waddling towards a huge block of ice.

Soon we were both on the rink. It was more slippery than I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I stayed calm with my arms extended for balance.

Rodrick skated forward slowly and carefully. For some reason, it didn't look the same as the way he skated at the Roller Rink. He then turned around to watch me. I moved inch by inch, heading straight for the railings.

"What do you need the railings for?! I thought you're great at skating. Come on here," he challenged.

"Just wait a second! You're being impatient again."

I let go of the railing. At first, I took small steps as my legs were shaking. And then I glided little by little. Left, right. Left, right. Before I knew it, I was already skating straight towards Rodrick.

I looked up at him with a smirk on my face. Told you so, I meant to tell him. But I was moving so fast towards him, and I didn't know how to stop. Pretty soon, I knew I was was gonna be off-balance, and was sure I would end up falling face first in front of Rodrick.

But that didn't happen. Instead, my face clashed onto Rodrick's chest. He caught me immediately, his hands on my elbows. In turn, he was the one who got out of balance. We both swayed left to right, about to fall on the cold ice. I held on to his coat, and he clutched my arms tighter than usual, trying to control the situation. Luckily, he was able to regain his balance soon enough. Both of us finally relaxed a bit. I took my hands off of his coat. His hands stayed where they were.

"You okay?" he asked me.

I nodded, panting. "Yeah. You?"

He nodded too. Then he let go, slipped his hands in his back pockets for a second and then just let them fall to his sides. He cleared his throat and then said, "Are you sure you know how to ice skate?"

"How about you?" I threw the question back to him. "Are you sure you know how?"

"Me? Psh. Of course!" He said it like it was supposed to be a given fact.

I sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna be honest. The last time I went ice skating was probably more than 8 years ago—"

"Ha! I knew it."

"No, I'm not great at ice skating," I said. He gave that annoying smirk again, as if he won a bet or something. "But I'm sure I can get it right with a little bit of practice," I added.

Rodrick nodded with a smirk, looking impressed. "You said so." Then a mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Better catch me then!" Next thing I knew, he was already skating away from me.

"Wait! I—ugh!" We literally just almost fell and there he was asking me to catch him. I was far from the railing, so I had no choice but to actually skate.

I started off wobbly, while Rodrick was a few meters away watching me. Left, right, left, right. I had already done it earlier, and I was starting to get the hang of it again. The only thing I had to worry about next was controlling my speed.

I skated towards Rodrick. When he saw me getting closer to him, he turned around and started skating away again.

"Unfair!" I yelled at him.

He laughed. "There's no thrill when I just stand there!"

While everyone was enjoying the cold weather as they skated, we chased around the rink. I was only hoping we didn't bump into anyone and cause any accidents. Good thing Rodrick wasn't skating too fast.

I knew I should have been more careful, but I was not going to lose to Rodrick. So, taking the risk, I skated faster so I could reach him.

Soon enough, I was already so close to him. He had no idea, because the last time he slowed down and looked back, I was probably around 7 feet away from him. Got you, I thought. I reached out and grabbed the back of his coat.

Naturally, he was pulled back all of a sudden, and totally got out of balance. It happened too fast. He wobbled, toppled, slipped backward, and since I was holding on to him, we both fell.

It took a few seconds for both of us who were lying there to recover. His arm was extended and my head had landed on top of it. Then I realized there was nothing to protect Rodrick's head. Oh no. Was the clash too strong? I hoped he didn't get hurt nor got brain or skull damage.

I propped myself up and started checking on him. "Rodrick, are you okay?!" He winced, and didn't respond at first. I started shaking him so he would open his eyes "Rodrick!"

Suddenly, he laughed. "You're a pretty fast learner, huh," he replied finally, opening his eyes.

I heaved a sigh of relief. Then I slapped his arm repeatedly.

"Ow! What was that for?!" he said, laughing.

I laid back down on his arm. "I thought you were hurt or something!" I looked at him.

He laughed, shaking his head. With a fond smile on his face, he looked at me. Then we both just burst into laughter. Other people were probably looking at us but whatever.

We would have stayed there like that 'til we had to go home, but it probably wasn't allowed and it wasn't healthy for our backs as well. So we both got up slowly, helping each other.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him again.

He nodded, while he was taking off his scarf. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Worry about yourself. You're the one who fell quite hard there," I told him.

He smirked. Then out of the blue, he started wrapping his scarf around my neck. "Don't worry about me," he said casually while doing so.

I froze right there, just blinking, unable to say anything nor ask him why he was even doing that.

"Okay, honestly, I'm not that good in ice skating, compared to roller blading." That was why he wasn't skating super fast earlier. "The ice is more slippery. It takes a bit of time to adjust. But it's fun, right?"

It was like my saliva dried out and I couldn't respond immediately. I gulped and cleared my throat. "Y-Yeah. True."

He dusted off the tiny bits of ice and snow on my shoulders and hair, adjusted the scarf again, making sure was wrapped well over me, and gave a sweet smile after all that. "Okay. Enough chasing around." He took my hand and then looked at me one more time before we started skating around the rink.

Rodrick and I were both wearing gloves, but for some reason, my hand felt warmer holding his. It was easier to adjust to the slippery ice. I also felt more comfortable and safe while skating because I knew he was right beside me, or just close by when he let go of my hand from time to time. I almost fell a number of times, but he was able to catch me. He was right there to catch me.

When the sun started setting, we decided it was time to go back. We didn't want risk walking around the entire resort at dark.

At first, we were both quiet on the way back, tired from all the skating and laughing. We walked side by side, trudging our feet on the snow. At some point, Rodrick had to tie his shoe laces. I just kept walking slowly. Then suddenly something cold hit my shoulder.

Caught off-guard, I instantly turned around, and guess what, Rodrick was laughing like an idiot. His right hand was open, and there were traces of snow on his gloves.

"Did you just throw a snowball at me?" I asked, though the answer was already obvious.

He shook his head while he bent on the ground again, starting to gather some snow.

I bent down and formed a snowball as fast as I could. I beat him to it and threw the snowball at him just before he was about to throw one at me.

"Ow!" he yelled when the snow hit his chest. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That was how our mini snowball fight began. From afar, we looked like two children who hadn't played in the snow in forever. There was no need for fortresses. We just threw and dodged snowballs, ran after each other, and laughed and laughed and laughed. It brought me back to those simpler days when I was still a carefree kid who didn't have any problems to worry about. Just pure happiness.

At one point, Rodrick was running after me. It didn't take him long to catch me from behind with an embrace. But then we both tripped and fell on the snow. It didn't hurt. We just kept laughing it out. It was similar to what happened earlier at the skating rink. He used his arm as a support pillow for my neck.

After a few moments, the laughed died down. We just lay there quietly, taking in the beautiful view of the twilight sky. With the colors blue, orange, and purple blending in, it was an actual work of art before our eyes.

"Wow," I said in amazement.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I heard Rodrick say.

I glanced at him for a second, just as he broke his gaze at me. He stared at the sky with a genuine smile on his face. He then took a deep breath, like he was taking it all in.

I looked at the sky again. "I love this," I said. I loved the spectacular view. I loved that were were just chilling there with nothing to worry about. I loved the warmth I felt despite the coldness of winter. I loved everything about that moment.

We stayed like that for a few minutes more. Then it was starting to get dark, which meant that it was really time for us to go.

We got up and walked back to the cabins, chatting about random stuff along the way. I thought we would have separated near the restaurant or the lobby, but he walked with me until I got to our cabin.

"Is your cabin far from here?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Get inside now before you get extra cold."

I nodded. "Okay. Get back to your cabin safely."

He smiled. "Yes ma'am." Then he waited for me to get inside before he left. That was cute. And sweet.

I heaved a sigh. So much for staying away from Rodrick the entire week.

I went back to my room to change. That's when I realized Rodrick's scarf was still with me.

So I texted him, I forgot to return your scarf. Sorry. I'll give it back tomorrow.

He replied after a second: just keep it

For some reason, that made me smile. I couldn't help it.

The conversation kept going.

Me: Are you back at your cabin?
Rodrick: yeah. my parents aren't here yet
Me: Same.
Rodrick: duh cos they're together
Me: I know. I'm just saying..

He sent a laughing face emoji. We still continued messaging each other after that.

My parents arrived home about half an hour after I did, with food they ordered for me from the restaurant. It tasted great. Even then Rodrick was asking what I was eating for dinner.

While I was just reading my book and killing time before going to sleep, he asked me what I was doing, or what else I wanted to do during the vacation. He was even updating me what he was doing. Then we ended up talking about random things, like why people did snow angels but not sand angels. Weird, I know. But I wasn't complaining. In fact, it was pretty nice to have someone to chat with.

I didn't see any of the Heffleys for the next two days, but Rodrick still sent me messages every once in a while.

Our third day at the resort was quite a busy one for us. Mom, dad, and I followed a tour which required us to wear snow shoes. At first, I questioned why we had to take a tour when there wasn't much to see but snow. Well, I was wrong. It turns out there were a lot more sightseeing and photo spots in the entire resort. The entire tour was okay, but it was really tiring. We were walking all day. Who knew the entire snow resort would be that big?

That night, we went to the town outside the resort for dinner, which was great because I got to see something else other than cabins and snow.

The next day was a bit more relaxed. We were supposed to try out the snowmobiles, but unfortunately the line was too long and we didn't feel like waiting. Instead, we rode the cable car in the morning, then went out to town for lunch. In the afternoon, I decided to stay in the cabin while mom and dad rented a segway to go around the resort.

The Heffleys did some pretty similar things—resort activities and the like. I knew because Rodrick texted me about how stoked he was when he went snowboarding, and how all other activities got him bored. He was particularly annoyed about how he was being forced to bond with his brothers. Perhaps I laughed a bit when I read that message. Typical Rodrick. I just told him to be thankful he has siblings to hang out with.

Hours after I had dinner with my parents, I was just chilling in my room, reading a book. It was almost midnight then. My phone suddenly rang. Rodrick was calling. He never really did that unless he was going to say something super important, so I assumed it was that.

I put down the book I was reading and answered the call. "Hey."

"Hey," he said from the other line. He sounded like he wasn't sure what to say next.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, I'm kind of outside your cabin right now so..."

"What?" I got up from my bed and peeked through the window. I couldn't see him from where I was. He was probably on the other side.

"Yeah, could you go outside for a sec? If that's oka—"

"I'm going there, hold on." I ended the call, grabbed my coat, and made my way outside. Good thing my parents weren't hanging around in the living room anymore.

I stepped out of the cabin and saw Rodrick leaning on the wall just beside the door with his hands in his coat pockets. He immediately pushed himself off of the wall when he saw me.

"What are you doing here? You should be in the cabin getting warm." I asked him.

"What's the point of going to a snow resort, then?" He really couldn't help give a side comment.

"I'm serious. You could catch a cold for being out in this weather too long."

He didn't argue anymore. Instead, he just smiled. Then he pulled something out of his right coat pocket. "I just went here to give you this." It was a pouch. He handed it to me.

"What's this?" I started opening it. I pulled out what's inside. It was a cute silver necklace with a tiny book pendant. I looked at him, not sure how to react. I was flattered, surprised, happy, and nervous all at the same time. Meanwhile, he was just smiling as he watched me. "Wow, I don't know what to say..."

His smile faded a bit. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. It's really cute, actually. I just... You didn't have to... I mean, I feel bad didn't get you anything—"

That charming smile of his appeared again. He took a step closer and gently took the necklace from my hand. "We went to the town bazaar today," he said. "I came across this and I thought you'd like it." Then he stood behind me. I felt his fingers brush against my skin as he swept my hair aside and put the necklace around my neck. He then turned me around so I faced him again.

I looked at the necklace, fiddled with the book pendant for a second. I couldn't help but smile then.

Rodrick took a step back as he continued telling his story, although it felt like he was over-explaining it. He gestured a lot, shook his head, shrugged, stuttered a bit. It was lowkey adorable to watch. "I didn't really, like, go there just to get you something. I just saw it, and you know... I remembered you like books, so—"

"I love it, Rodrick. Thank you." It was the first time someone gave me something like this. And it wasn't just any necklace. He chose it specifically because he knew I liked books. I was touched that he remembered those little things.

He stopped and relaxed a bit. With a smile, he nodded.

We were both silent for a while. I was still nervous, so I took a deep breath. "We didn't see the bazaar on our way back," I managed to say.

"I think it's like a night market or something."

"Oh, that's why… My mom might want to check it out."

"What is it with moms and bazaars? My mom bought a bunch of stuff too." He gave a little laugh.

"I guess it's a mom thing?" I couldn't stop fiddling with the pendant of the necklace he gave me.

"Anyway, it's in the center of town. Not really hard to find. There are huge signs and tents everywhere." He drew some rectangles on the air.

I nodded. "I'll tell her about it tomorrow."

"Yeah." He put his hands back in his coat pockets. "Well, it's getting colder. Maybe you should go inside. Sorry for disturbing you this late."

"No, no, you didn't disturb me. I wasn't really doing anything so it's okay. Besides, I wouldn't be getting this pretty necklace if you hadn't come here," I said. He gave another shy smile after hearing that. I tucked my hands in my coat pockets too. "Thanks again. You should rest too. You must be tired."

He yawned and stretched. "Yeah, I'm sleepy."

I shook my head, grinning. "Good night, Heffley." I walked past him, headed for the door.

"Wait," Rodrick said. I turned and he was facing me already, a bit more serious this time. It took him a moment to continue. He gulped, and then cleared his throat. "I was thinking… Maybe—if you want… Maybe we can grab breakfast together tomorrow?"

Is he asking me out? That was my first thought, which I immediately turned down. It would have been too bold of me to assume that it was a date or something like that. I mean, why would it be a date? We're friends. Friends could totally go grab breakfast together.

"If you want," he said, after noticing I still hadn't answered a few seconds later. "If you don't, it's fine—"

"Sure. Why not?" I said.

He relaxed again, a smile spreading on his face. "Cool. Great... I'll see you here at 7?"

"Seven in the morning?"

"Why? You can't be up by 7?" he said jokingly.

"No, I can be standing right here by 7am. It's you I'm worried about, sleepyhead." I pointed at him.

He paused to think. "Fine, 7:30 then."

I smirked as I took a step backward. "Whatever you say."

He shook his head with a smile. "Good night, Prescott."

I laughed. "Good night." As usual, he waited for me to get inside before he left.

I went back to my room, fiddling with the necklace pendant again and feeling all giggly inside. I took my coat off, and hung it inside the wardrobe, where I saw a scarf. Rodrick's scarf. I totally forgot to give it back to him. I took it out and placed it on the edge of my bed so I could bring it to breakfast with him the next day.

Breakfast with Rodrick. It sounded so weird. I couldn't help but smile.

I woke up at 7 the next morning. I immediately took a quick shower and got dressed. I made sure to wear the necklace Rodrick gave me, and to bring his scarf that was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Since we were meeting right outside our cabin, I decided to wait for him to get there. However, it was already 7:35 and I hadn't gotten any call or text from him. I decided to call him then.

He didn't pick up until the fourth ring. "Hello?" he said from the other line. Oddly, he was panting.

"Uh, hi. Are you outside already?" I asked.

Still panting, he answered, "Yeah, of course."

"Okay, I'm going out. See you." I hung up and sneaked out of the cabin. My parents were still asleep.

When I stepped out, I saw Rodrick crouching with his hands on his knees. He was trying to catch his breath.

When he saw me, he immediately stood straight. "You're late," he said. I could still sense his heavy breathing.

"You woke up late and ran here, didn't you?" I said, walking towards him.

He stared at me for a second. "No," he denied. "I woke up, took a shower, and then ran here." I narrowed my eyes at him until he finally said the complete truth. "Okay I woke up like 10 minutes ago."

"Knew it." I smirked, and then handed him back his scarf.

He just stared at it. "I told you to keep it."

"It's yours. I'm just giving it back."

He groaned, but finally took it. Instead of wearing it, though, he started putting it around my neck just like he did at the ice skating rink. "You wear it first. I can get it later—Hey, pretty necklace. I wonder who gave you that." He smirked as he finished what he was doing. I rolled my eyes at his comment, but still couldn't help show a little smile.

We had breakfast at the cafe. Rodrick got cereal while I got pancakes. Our conversation was pretty stupid at first. We debated on which was better: coffee or tea. Although I drink coffee, I like tea more, because coffee can hype you up too much. Rodrick said tea didn't taste like anything, so coffee was better. In the end, we both decided hot chocolate was the best.

We also ended up talking about how our parents chatted about almost the same things whenever we had dinner together. Somehow, this conversation somehow led to what we wanted to take up for college, what we wanted to do after college. It was probably because the parents mentioned colleges a lot during the last time we met up.

Rodrick shrugged. "You know, something related to music."

I nodded. "Of course. At least you're sure about what you really want."

He then shook his head. "But my mom and dad probably won't allow me to take that."

"Why not?"

"They probably think it's useless and a waste of money." He stared at his cereal while saying that.

"I don't know, Rodrick. I think they'd support you," I said.

He looked up, a little confused. "What makes you say that?"

I started counting the reasons with my fingers. "I mean, they were the ones who gave you your first guitar. They let your band practice in your house, and you even have gigs every now and then."

He scoffed. "You know I sneak out most of the time if I have a gig."

"Well, that wasn't my point but they're strict with you a lot of times because you don't really balance it well with stuff you have to do for school—"

"Yeah, I get your point." He paused to chew his cereal. "Well, I haven't talked to them about it… I hope you're right though." He took a sip of his orange juice. "How about you?"

I chewed my pancakes, thinking of an answer. Then I just sighed. "I'm not even sure yet."

He nodded, trying to understand. "Well, you're good in school anyway, so I doubt you'd have any problem choosing later on."

"That's the thing." I was slicing one of the pancakes, but I stopped and put my utensils down. "I know I do okay in school, but I don't think I've found one thing I really like and I'm really good at, you know?"

Rodrick put his spoon back on the cereal bowl. "Okay, first of all, you don't do 'okay' in school. You're some kind of academic rockstar. Second… I don't know, maybe you can start with the things you like, then see what you're good at from there."

"Easier said than done, Rodrick." I paused and took a bite.

"What things do you like anyway? Science? Math? Art?"

I shrugged. "Uhh, there are things I like about all those."

"Hmm… I've got it. You can read for a living!" he joked, trying to cheer me up.

"Very funny." I ended up smiling anyway. "But honestly, I'd do that if I could."

He sighed. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about it now, because like I said, you're good at a lot of things and you're hardworking, unlike me who has, like, this hit or miss future, you know?"

I smiled and shook my head. "A lot of people think that people who do well or work hard in school will automatically be successful in the future. It's a lot of pressure. What if we make the wrong choices? What if we can't find that one thing that's really meant for us, that we can be, like, an expert in, and we just end up being mediocre in life? Or worse, we end up failing?"

He stared at me for a second, processing everything I had just said. "I see. Did I just add to that pressure? I'm sorry. "

"Oh no, don't apologize. I'm just thinking out loud." I gestured like I was shooing a fly away, shooing the topic away.

"I really suck at giving advice and stuff like that. And this might sound cheesy and cliché, but failure is a part of life. I've failed a lot in school too and you know that." He paused, and I just stared at him with an eyebrow raised. He was really using that as an example. It was a really bad one, and I think he got that. "Okay, maybe it wasn't the right thing to say—see I told you I suck at these things, ugh." He sounded disgusted at himself for sounding like a preachy counselor. I couldn't hide my tiny laugh. "But you get my point, right? Plus, you'll find that thing you want and you're good at. I believe in you." Then there was that tiny smile in the corner of his lips as he glanced at me for a second and went back to eating his cereal.

I believe in you. Those words meant a lot, coming from him.

"Thanks, Counselor Heffley," I said.

He rolled his eyes. "Ew, don't call me that ever again or I'm gonna copy all your homework when we get back to school."

I laughed. "But seriously, thanks."

After breakfast, we took a walk outside. The sun had just risen so we took advantage of the view and breathed in the morning air. It was still cold but we did feel a little bit of warmth.

It was a pretty quiet walk, compared to our life discussions during breakfast. We mostly observed the people walking around. Rodrick trudged his shoes through the snow, creating this track. And then at some point he just had to make a comment on my footsteps on the snow.

"Your feet are so small," he said.

"So what?"

"They're cute."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and just laughed.

We reached a good viewpoint, and took our time just standing there.

While I took a picture of the view, Rodrick breathed in, and breathed out, looking at the snowy landscape. "For once, I don't regret waking up early." He then looked at me, and smiled.

It was a beautiful smile that shined even more under the morning rays of the sun. I couldn't believe I was looking at the person I initially intended to avoid all week. I didn't say anything, but I didn't have any regrets spending those moments with him that week. And who knew waking up early just to have breakfast with Rodrick Heffley was worth it?

I turned back to the view ahead of us, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened my eyes again. What a beautiful morning indeed.

I heard a camera shutter sound. I turned, and Rodrick was holding his phone up in front of me.

"Oops, forgot to silent that." He fiddled with the volume buttons.

"Hey, delete that!" I tried to grab the phone from him, but he pulled it away.

"No way!" He laughed and put it back in his pocket. He ran back to where we passed earlier.

I ran after him. "Why are you taking pictures?!"

He shrugged and extended his arms out while jogging backwards. "Hey, I couldn't help it if the view was so pretty!"

I only heard the sound from his phone once, and it was directed to me when I heard it. Was he referring to me? Was it safe to assume that?

My cheeks flushed red, but I did my best to distract him from noticing it by balling up some snow and throwing it at him. I tried to hide and ignore the giggly feeling boiling inside me.

He laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I'll delete it later."

I had already caught up to him and stopped throwing snowballs. "You better delete that or you're dead."

"That doesn't sound really threatening," he said when we started walking calmly again. I slapped his shoulder, trying to contain my laugh. "Ow! Okay, I get it, I will!" He rubbed his shoulder.

We walked back to the cabins quietly, just like we did earlier. Our hands were tucked in our own coat pockets, but our arms would brush against each other under the snow. Honestly, that morning felt warmer than it should have been.

When I got back to our cabin, my parents were just getting ready to go out for breakfast.

"Oh, hi April. Where have you been honey?" mom asked.

"I just... went out for a walk," I said.

"Did you have breakfast already?"

"Yeah, I already ate on my way back." I smiled nervously. I didn't have any intention of telling them my morning adventures with Rodrick. That would just lead to too many questions.

"Well then, we'll have breakfast now," dad said.

They both walked past me, headed for the door. I was only hoping Rodrick had already left before they went out.

"Yeah. Happy eating!" I cheered awkwardly.

They didn't call me out so Rodrick had probably made his way back to their cabin.

A moment later, I got a message from him on Facebook. It was the photo he took earlier—a side view shot of me smiling with my eyes closed.

His message read: i'll delete it from my phone but i'll just leave it here first hahaha

I shook my head and sent an angry emoji. He then replied with a laughing emoji.

. . . . . . . . . .

It was New Year's Eve. And also our last night at the winter lodges.

A lot of the guests were out of their cabins, doing stuff while waiting for the fireworks. They were either at the party in one of the function rooms, eating dinner at the restaurant, or just getting warm near the fireplace at the common area.

Personally, I would have just stayed in my bedroom until the last 10 seconds of the countdown because it was so noisy everywhere. However, my parents forced me to go out with them. We had dinner first, then they told me to go out and socialize or something.

"Go on. Just meet us at the restaurant entrance by 11:30," my mom said after we finished eating. It was past 9:30pm then.

Both keys were with them so I couldn't go back to our cabin. I made the mistake of not bringing my book too. Ugh. What to do?

I didn't feel like partying hard that night, so I went to the common area. It was like this bigger cabin where people can just chill, sit down. It was probably the least rowdy out of the possible places I could have gone to. There was a huge fireplace in the ground floor, a number of couches, and even some bean bags. Most of the people in the common area were gathered there, so I chose to sat on one of the bean bags near the window.

After a while, my phone vibrated. I received a text from Rodrick.

Rodrick: ugh so bored
Me: Same.
Rodrick: are you with your fam right now
Me: No I'm at the common area.
Rodrick: i'll go there

A few minutes later, he arrived and sat comfortably on the bean bag beside me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"So where are your folks?"

"I don't know. Chilling at the restaurant or something. They made me leave and told me to 'socialize'." I made a face when I said that last word.

He smirked and shook his head. "At least they let you out to party. My parents wanted us to stay in the cabin and play party games with each other 'til the countdown."

I laughed. "What?! What did you do, sneak out?"

"Hmm… Sort of, but not really. Greg and I told them we'd go out and bond, and be back before midnight. Mom thought it was a good 'brotherly initiative', so they allowed us to go." He looked proud of himself for getting away with that excuse.

"So where's Greg right now?"

He shrugged. "He probably went to the games room, or maybe the party… I don't know. As long as he doesn't drink alcohol, it's okay. And he knows that. I warned him."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow, Your such a big brother now. I'm impressed." He just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Obviously, he didn't want to talk about those things. "Anyway, I thought you'd be the type to party on New Year's Eve."

"I did check it out. It was pretty lame."

I couldn't see how Rodrick would pass up the opportunity to get wild that night. "Are you serious? What did you eat today? You'd literally give up doing homework just to party, even on school nights!"

He shrugged again. "Ehh… I just don't feel like partying right now, you know?"

"Wow," I said with a smile as I looked at the window again. "Ha. Remember that time when you ditched me and our project for a huge party?"

"That we ended up getting kicked out from," Rodrick continued the story.

"And then we fought about it and didn't talk to each other for, like, weeks," I said.

We both smiled and laughed at the memory.

He sat up straight as he remembered something. "How about that time when you drenched me in milkshake at the country club?"

"Ugh?!" I shot him a glare and hit him playfully. "That was an accident! Besides, it was your fault for ordering too much. You weren't even supposed to be in the country club!"

He held his finger up in front of his lips, leaning closer to me. "Sssh. That's a secret."

I smirked and looked away from him. I only faced him again because I remembered something. "Oh, and don't forget how you threw me to the pool that same day."

"It was an accident!" he said mockingly, imitating the tone I used earlier. He had already scooted a bit closer to me by then.

I rolled my eyes. "Liar."

That starter conversation triggered a string of memories for both of us. We ended up reminiscing a lot of our moments together—particularly those when we hated each other a lot.

I stared out the window after we've retold our side of the stories and laughed about them. "Gosh, we really fought a lot, didn't we?"

"Yeah."

"I mean, we still do, but it was way worse a few months ago. Especially during that English project." I groaned. "That was like, the peak of our war with each other."

"Well, you nagged me 90% of the time, like a complete mom. That's why we always ended up fighting," he replied in a teasing manner.

I laughed sarcastically. "Oh please, you know you were being lazy and trying to skip meetings 90% of the time."

"That's..." He paused, trying to think of a good rebuttal. "...also true."

"We only made legit progress after the…" I trailed off.

"The party." Rodrick said. His smile faded a bit as he pressed his lips.

We looked at each other for a second and then looked away again. Vague images from stories I've heard about that night flashed in my mind. I didn't feel like talking about it. Rodrick probably felt the same.

"W-Wow. The year's really ending soon, huh? Heh. All those things we talked about happened just a few months ago, but it really felt like ages since," I said while rubbing my hands on my knees anxiously.

Rodrick cleared his throat. "Y-Yeah." He let a few seconds pass before saying something again. "Come to think of it, we wouldn't have been friends if we hadn't fought that much."

I nodded. "Friends... Yeah," I muttered. Friends.

Like I said, it was never safe to assume.

We let a moment pass as we just looked out the window. There were fewer stars that night, but the moon was shining bright. We were seated real close to each other. I literally felt his shoulder brush against mine a number of times, even with the smallest of his movements.

He glanced at me more than once, observing. Maybe he noticed that I grew quiet after he said that.

He coughed. "But I gotta admit... Even though you nag me a lot, and you're such a study freak, and you bury yourself in school work—"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not that bad... Okay maybe I'm a little bit like that."

"You're a lot like that," Rodrick said. I just agreed to it. It was the truth anyway. He continued, "But even though you're like that, I actually... kinda like spending time with you," he said.

As if I wasn't already confused enough.

I looked at him, but I couldn't muster any words to say.

He stared at his shoes. "Maybe..." Then he looked at me and shrugged. "Maybe that's why I'm here right now instead of partying."

I just stared at him and gulped, too nervous, too confused to react. I breathed in, breathed out, and finally forced a tiny smile.

I like spending time with you too, I wanted to say. But I couldn't. I felt like I wasn't ready to. Maybe I was afraid. Instead, I just ended up giving a shy laugh as I looked out the window again.

Rodrick kept glancing at me, while I just avoided it and remained silent. A few moments later, my phone rang. It was my mom calling.

"April Preston, where are you? It's already a quarter before 12!" she said.

"Okay, okay. I'm going there," I replied. I hung up and turned to Rodrick. "I gotta go. My mom's looking for me already. The fireworks are starting soon."

"Right, right." He got up, and then helped me up. After which, his hands went straight to the pockets of his jacket. "I gotta go find Greg too."

We parted ways outside the common area. I met my parents right outside the restaurant as we had agreed on earlier. Only 8 minutes left.

Most of the guests were gathering at the open space outside the function room, getting ready for the final countdown and fireworks. We joined them and waited. Three minutes left.

More people started crowding in the area. I looked up at the huge countdown clock across us. Two minutes left.

Time really flew fast. First, we moved into this new neighborhood. Next thing we knew, the year was about to end. A lot of things happened in between—some bad, some were good. Sixty seconds left.

Sure, there were ups and downs, successes and failures… even risks I have yet to take. Thirty seconds.

Still, I smiled, grateful for all the things that happened that year: new home, new friends. I could say that it was definitely good year.

Everyone around me started cheering, "Ten! Nine! Eight!"

"Seven! Six! Five! Four!" I shouted along at the top of my lungs. "Three! Two! One!"

"Happy New Year!"

All the people cheered, screamed, jumped as the fireworks exploded with different colors in the sky. The peaceful winter lodges turned festive with the music, confetti, and the beautiful fireworks display. My parents and I all hugged each other with the biggest smiles on our faces.

I looked around. Couples kissed, people danced, welcoming the new year with great joy and happiness.

Then not so far away, I saw Rodrick. He was with his family. Perhaps it was one of the few times I saw him happy while he was with his family.

Then he saw me. His smile grew wider.

"Happy New Year," he mouthed. Then I whispered the same words back.

After the fireworks display, the people started making their way back to their cabins.

"April, your dad and I are getting some celebratory wine with Susan and Frank," mom said while we walked.

"Oh right. We agreed on it when they saw us at the restaurant earlier," dad said. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Nah. I think I'm good," I replied. Sure I was in a festive mood, but I didn't feel like drinking wine with my parents and their friends. Besides, they deserved to have fun on their own anyway. "I think I'll just go back to our cabin."

"Okay then. Here." Mom handed me the keys.

"Thanks. You have yours?"

"Got 'em," dad replied.

"Okay. Have fun, you guys." I waved goodbye as they went straight to the restaurant.

I walked back to our cabin. Midway there, I felt a tap my shoulder. I turned around and saw Rodrick, who looked like he jogged to catch up.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" I said, as coolly as I could. I wasn't completely over our conversation earlier.

We continued walking. "Aside from New Year, and our parents having another double date…" He shrugged. "Nothing really."

I gave a laugh. "I mean, why are you here?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just… wanna walk around."

"Go back to your cabin and rest. It must have been a tiring day for you too."

"I can do that later. Right now, I'm your bodyguard, in case some abominable snowman shows up." He put his hand over one ear, extended his arm as if he was showing me the way, and looked around, wary of danger.

I laughed at his bodyguard impression. He instantly shifted back to his normal self, satisfied with my reaction. I replied, "I can probably take down an abominable snowman."

"Oh really?" he said sarcastically.

"Or run away from it at least."

He nodded. "That seems more realistic."

"Psh." I shook my head.

Rodrick sighed. "Anyway... What a year, huh?"

"I know. It's been… a pretty different one for me."

"Same." He smiled. "Lots of stuff to remember."

"Definitely."

We just continued walking side by side to the cabin, our arms and hands brushing against each other from time to time. Although there were a few people who were also walking back to their cabins in the distance, it was extremely quiet. Under the moonlight, I caught Rodrick's hidden glances and smiles every once in a while. He made sure to look away whenever I noticed. I still didn't know why he was sticking around, but I didn't force him to leave anyway.

When we got to the cabin my parents and I were staying at, I sighed and faced him. "We're here. Heh." That came out more awkwardly than I thought it would.

He didn't reply. He suppressed a smile and just stood there.

"What?" I asked.

"What what?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"You look like you wanna say something but you forgot it or you don't—you know what, nevermind."

He stared at me for a second, and then gulped. "Well, I don't really have... anything to say." He tried to keep his cool, even though he was stuttering a bit.

There was a moment of silence between us. At first we both looked elsewhere, avoiding eye contact. But then after that, he just looked at me again.

I cleared my throat. "A-Anyway, thanks for keeping me company and protecting me from the abominable snowman," I told him.

He looked at his shoes and let out a tiny laugh.

"I'll go inside now." I took a step back. He looked at me again, his smile gradually fading. "You should get some rest too." By then, I assumed that he was just gonna let me go ahead inside, so I took another step.

"Wait." He heaved a deep sigh. It made me stop in my tracks and observe him. He looked away, bit his lip for a second, like he was thinking hard. Was there something that was bothering him? Was there really something that he wanted to say?

Then finally he looked at me with this longing gaze. "Remember…" He paused and cleared his throat. It seemed like he had a bit of trouble spitting out the words. I waited patiently. "Remember that night?" he asked.

"Which night?" I replied casually, though I might have already had a clue. The warm feeling despite the cold surroundings, the way he gazed at me with an expression I couldn't quite read, his long silence.

"The night of the winter dance," he said.

It took a few seconds for me to reply. I gave a nervous laugh. "Of course. How could I forget that?" I forced a smile. "Why'd you ask?" We never really talked about that night—not that there was anything to talk about. but it was that night that started making me all confused internally.

He shrugged. "I... It's just one of those nights you can't easily forget."

"Yeah. Me too."

He took a few steps closer. "We danced. We drove around—"

"We ate, listened to music." I added. "It was a long night."

"Yeah." He looked away for a second and cleared his throat. "Well, that… that night…" he stuttered. He then breathed in and out, and looked at me, looked at my eyes intently, again with that longing gaze.

Meanwhile, my internal thoughts and emotions were a mess. I was speechless.

"That night, I really wanted to…" He gulped. His gaze shifted back and forth from my eyes to my lips then back to my eyes.

My entire body was tense. My heart raced even faster than it already was. "Y-You… wanted to?"

He took another deep breath. Then he swiftly stepped closer to me. Way closer. Next thing I knew he was right in front of me, his hands on both sides of my face.

Then he leaned in, tilted his head and closed his eyes…

Then he kissed me.

Rodrick kissed me.

I froze, my eyes wide open. I was too stunned to react. All I knew was that my heart wanted to burst out of my chest and explode.

His lips were surprisingly softer than I thought they would be. I could feel his uneven breathing as his thumbs brushed softly on my cheeks.

I closed my eyes as the cold wind blew. It was freezing, yet it felt like it was the heat of the summer breeze that surrounded us.

The people making their way back to their cabins were nowhere near us. At that moment, there was only us. Just us, alone in the dark, the moonlight the only witness to what had happened.