COLD HEARTS

H i m I m e t

December 22nd had officially marked itself to be the beginning of the dreadful cold season; winter. For Harper- the day had started off bad. The idle fight she had with her parents had made a sharp turn to dampen her mood. Although the fight had surfaced from pointless grounds; she still found herself thinking about it. A lot.

She had stormed off through the front door, ignoring the shouts trailing behind her. She didn't have to look back to know that they were giving her a disapproving angry stare. It was easier to just walk away from the problem at hand than facing it. She needed her cool to survive the day without further problems anyways so she shook the mere thought of the fight off her mind, just then realizing the faint, dull headache seeping in.

Trying to ignore the throb; she made her way to the park, fancying the idea of relaxing by the mini ice rink that would form every other winter. As her chest fell from exhaling deeply, a tiny haze formed. She hated winter; she found the coldness that came with it reminding her of her bitter life.

Loveless and empty.

"Jade, why does she look dead?" a kid walking alongside a woman voiced his thoughts out. She wasn't offended at all. she knew how somber her expression can get once she starts thinking about everything. The woman gave him a disapproving look that also radiated exhaustion before dragging him away, leaving her sight.

As Harper leaned her back on the cool wooden bench, she felt a sudden cold breeze hit her. The breeze almost knocked her over from her seat, flapping her hair in wild directions, which resulted in hair getting in her mouth. 

She soon recovered from her coughing fit and successfully managed to get her hair out. She had hoped that no one saw her almost death. She couldn't imagine the embarrassment she would have dealt with if she had actually chocked. 

Harper sat in silence after that. Trying to focus on her surroundings as much as possible. The little kids were excited, playing with snow, just having the time of their lives. Couples having a bit of a snow fight, a group of teenagers milling around conversing about winter holidays.

And a lone boy with hair as white as snow.

At first, Harper thought she had a tough life being an outcast among other people her age and the hard life her parents had set upon her, but just looking at the boy alone; she couldn't imagine what life he was living. 

He had sadness dancing around him in circles. He was dressed in black all over. Harper could've simply perceived him as the messenger of death. 

Harper couldn't help but notice that at acknowledging his presence, the weather had became a touch colder, making her shiver inwardly. And she had thought that the cold was kind of his thing since he never bothered to wear a jacket and was nonchalantly sporting a short sleeved shirt. 

Finally realizing that she was obsessing over a complete stranger, she looked away.

She didn't know how long she sat there, but once it occurred to her through a text, she cursed loudly.

She had arranged a tutoring session with her cousin's acquaintance. Rae, was it? Harper knew he was more than a mere acquaintance to her cousin, robin. Otherwise she wouldn't have recommended her to him. Harper didn't mind not remembering his name. She could care less about names anyways. She always referred to people using pronouns, which was way easier.

In her case, time was opposing her, and she was finding a huge difficulty in finding her way without slipping on icy pavements. She had rounded off a corner before a neighborhood of houses started showing. From the text, robin had described the house to be set far back from the curb to the left.