The courtyard was deserted and silent. unfortunately the eerie scenery also created a great deal of paranoia.
i stand still and look behind me.
sure stark house gave me the creeps but i'd never felt this bad. i was so unlike myself and the dreary sense of heaviness fit me like dark angry clouds above me.
i laugh once i discovered it wasn't a person that was following me rather mother nature composing all that noise. tree branches swaying were what had caused my most recent hair-raising scare.
giggling to myself i keep my head down to prevent the cold harsh wind from biting my delicate skin raw. i came prepared for my trek complete with heavy boots and my old wintertime jacket.
one foot after the other i traveled ahead where the gate was open without managing to sink a trail of marks behind me.
the ground was mostly cement with small heaps of fresh snow now forming in patches. by noonish it would a sea of snow and stay like that until the janitor came by for another sweep at it.
from detailed observation i knew the caretaker plowed the area multiple times a day which i was thankful for. what more could you expect from an academy like stark house that taught the kids of rich powerful people.
however, i wasn't sure if the accommodations were such a good thing getting used to after all.
here i was going in town where excellent maintenance was not provided. which meant i was walking in a blanket of ankle deep snow without the reassurance of a flat surface to ease the painful cramping in my calves. fun times.
looking at the covered mountains i see an extensive compass of white that connected the parallel trees that went on for miles as far as the eye could see.
i keep momentum going by not stopping for a break. get out of campus, check.
past the lone road their was a taxi station with a chauffeur waiting for me.
like a flash chanel appears.
her sensible choice of attire was lost on me since temperature was no longer an issue.
i recognized the outfit, a light blue turtleneck shirt and deep purple ski pants from a winter break sleepover we'd had though we hardly shut our eyes the entire week.
"are you kidding me? you've gone mountain man Adams on me." she gestures disgustedly pointing at my outfit as if there were a spider on me.
"we cant all put on anything and make it work like some people." i huff. i watched as a vapor billowed past my cold lips and curled into the morning air.
"where are we going exactly?" she asks hand on hip.
that's right, we got a manicure that day. her dad was at work and for the holiday her mom took all three of us to one of those all star resorts that had reflexology and offered your pick from eleven different types of massages.
i got the deep shiatsu. it was the most relaxed i'd ever felt.
i puff a cold breath as i drag my suitcase along beside me. why did i bring this thing again?
"to grandmas house." my arms were getting exhausted and i was overthinking what a stupid idea it was to bring it when i had plenty of clothes over at her place.
chanel stops walking and turns around suddenly like she hears something.
"what are you looking for?" i ask unsure whether or not i was being followed. see? it wasn't just me. that was a thought.
the dark secluded road had a way of insuring compulsive mental behavior. there could have been someone lurking behind a tree and i would never know.
"Where is Wesley?" she asks eagle-eyed.
i scoff. "honestly, chanel. it's good to hear some things never change." i snort.
chanel snorts. "like that coat. honey, i love you, but you need to change it up a bit, otherwise wesley is going to move on. i suggest a bon fire. then we can talk about your tragic approval of sweatpants."
using my free hand i count off the many ways to put her judgement to shame. i was on a roll and there was no silencing me when i started rattling.
"first off, you gave me this coat. secondly, there is nothing between me and Wesley. we're friends. end of discussion." it was not like her to let this go until everything needed to be said was.
"i thought you liked my sweatpants." i say, refereeing to the pink, yes, pink, sweetheart pants i had on. i didn't understand why she hated it all of a sudden when she was the one who picked it out in the store.
when chanel giggles the white orbs around her turn indigo. "change is a part of life and hunny quite frankly, your hiding because you're scared. but you don't have anything to be scared about." she glides past me without stopping and grins. "you are so naïve. how are you going to get your boy if you keep hiding your legs?" she gushed.
no matter how many times it was said i didn't get the point. Me and Wesley were not an item.
for no particular reason i laugh much like the crazy person i sometimes felt like i was. "this may be the first, but i actually have no idea what you're saying."
i stay close to the edge of the road in case i get hit by a car and raise my arm out dangling the suitcase hoping that a car would come speeding by and flatten the shabby thing into a pancake. that would solve my most immediate problem.
because of her love for travel grandma had plenty of suitcases in her garage that i could use. this being one of them.
"you can't have a good looking guy as a friend and not sleep with him." chanel says in her nonsense logic.
to chanel that was sound advice. but i wasn't into the dating scene. heck, i wasn't even thinking about tiptoeing into that pond.
while talking i keep my sight ahead to prevent a slip and fall. i snort at the insult.
"that is so far from my day-to-day concrete routine that i wouldn't know how to begin disputing such a despicable innuendo." i tell her not expecting she would understand. seriously. she never could sound out metamorphosis let alone spell it.
chanel didn't have a passion for the English word.
"boo." chanel pouts. "you are no fun when you use big words."
we endure the hike in average silence.
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