Lake Larson

The gray-covered sky blocked the low sun from heating the surface. I pulled at my beanie to cover my ears a little more. My breath fogged around my face as I exhaled into my hands. The tips of my fingers were blue from the cold while I shook and tightened my jacket around my torso.

"Are you going to make it?" Ian asked with a concerned expression.

I glanced ahead, seeing my building in the low clouds. "I t-t-think so," I said with chattering teeth. "H-h-hate the cold."

Frost covered the trees alongside the brick pathway while a squirrel ran near, chirping. Its tail slightly glitched before racing up another tree. Snow drifted from the branches, floating slowly to show off its beauty. I watched the flakes with Ian as we trailed our way to my dorm.

"I l-l-like the snow but hate the cold," I said, catching him watching me.

He glanced behind us into the darker shadows. "We should have left earlier, so it wasn't this cold for your walk," he said, peeking at the flickering light pole, trying to turn on.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I paused while the glow above shined on him.

"Yeah," he replied, watching the frost in the stream of light.

"When we talked to Emily, she said your mom was cleaning up your things in your dorm." I wrapped my arms around my torso. "But we never discovered information about you missing or dead on the internet." My eyes widened as I continued walking with him following. "Isn't that strange to you?"

"Yeah," he responded vaguely.

"What I am trying to say is, do you think your mom has anything to do with this?" I asked with my eyes averted.

"Maybe."

"What if they covered up your body, and that is why there isn't anything about your death?"

"They?" His voice seemed annoyed.

"Your parents, Ian!" I yelled, with my arms waving. "Your parents weren't good people. What if you got involved with something deep and the situation got messy?"

"You don't even know them." Ian's voice sounded irritated.

"Yeah, you don't need to know someone to see how corrupt they are. I mean, your dad is a felon on the run for being in a gang!" I yelled while fog rolled around my feet.

Ian's eyes met mine before a low chuckle escaped his lips. His laughter filled the cold air. He shook his head before fixing his gaze on the ground.

I glared at him. "Why are you laughing?"

"You have zero idea how cruel my dad is." He locked his eyes on me, stepping closer. "Yes, I think my parents are involved with me being dead." He arched his brows together while his face was only inches from mine. "But, no, we are not talking about it," he whispered before turning and walking away from me while my eyes focused on a tree.

I turned, sprinting up to him. "Why?"

"I am the cold blood on my parent's hands that they refuse to acknowledge." He stopped to face me. "You!" he yelled, bobbing his eyes between my lips and eyes. "You will not become the next blood stain."

I inhaled the frosty air. How could Ian put me before himself? He was stuck here as a ghost and refused to let me help if that meant danger. He could be stuck in limbo forever.

"I understand, but—" I said but paused when Ian shook his head and walked away.

"No buts," he said over his shoulder.

I kept my feet planted. "If you won't let me help. I will do it by myself without your permission!" I yelled.

Ian paused, bringing his hand to his messy hair. His wide eyes glanced at me while a tiny smirk formed on my face. I strolled up to him, forgetting about the cold weather.

"You wouldn't," he whispered with a glare.

I pointed at him. "Oh, Ian, I think you and I both know I—"

A shadow of a man caught my attention as I pulled my beanie tighter over my ears, acting like I wasn't talking to myself. Ian glanced at the guy while he walked in our direction. I spun with my back toward the guy as his baseball cap became familiar. Brandon in the flesh.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked as I tried to hide my face.

"Frick," I whispered, peeking behind Ian at Brandon.

He glanced up at a brick building, not knowing if it was my dorm. Brandon pulled out his phone, checking the screen before spinning in a circle, lost.

"Do you know him?" Ian asked, bouncing his head between Brandon and me.

"Yes," I whispered through my teeth, stepping away with my head down.

"And why are you hiding?" Ian chased after me.

"I don't want the guy to see me," I whispered. "Isn't that obvious?" I peeked over at Brandon, and his eyes met mine.

My face dropped and caused Ian to chuckle. "Looks like someone saw you."

I glared at Ian while Brandon waved. "Lake!" he yelled.

With a fake smile, I waved back at Brandon. "Hey," I said with attitude. "Brandon."

"Brandon?" Ian asked, confused. "Ohhh." Ian's eyes grew. "The Brandon."

Ian straightened his shoulders like Brandon could see him. He crossed his arms over his chest while Brandon slowly jogged up to me. Brandon pulled his baseball cap off, brushing his hair back before placing it back on his head. His perfect-tanned face smiled down as he towered over me.

"Why are you here?" I asked with my eyes narrowed.

"I've been trying to call you, but you wouldn't answer," he replied, trying to grab my arm, but I pulled away.

"Yeah, I know I didn't answer."

Ian chuckled. "Dude, take the hint. She's not into you."

Brandon scratched his eyebrow, confused, before looking at me. "Lake, I've been waiting for you to come around for too long. I drove all the way here to talk to you."

"You are acting like Gonzaga is a long drive." I stepped back, crossing my arms. "And there is no waiting for me." I pointed between us. "There isn't we anymore!"

I glanced at Ian while his laugh grew louder as he watched Brandon. His eyes shifted to me, and he stopped quickly.

"Sorry," Ian whispered, glancing at the ground.

Brandon grabbed for my hand again, causing me to step back aggressively. He exhaled in annoyance.

"I understand I messed up," Brandon said in a fake tone.

I glanced away from Brandon to Ian. "You made your choices," I said before looking back at Brandon.

He shook his head, bringing his hands together to pray. "I know. You need to give me another chance."

I glared, feeling a pit in my stomach. "I don't have to do anything." Shaking my head, I stepped closer to Ian. "Just leave me alone." I walked away from him.

Brandon's hand gripped my wrist, swinging me around, forcing me to face him. "We are meant to be together."

I ripped my hand away from him, hating his touch. "Nothing about us being together makes sense."

Brandon tilted his face, touching the beanie on my head. "What about friends?"

I slapped his hand away. "Friends?"

Ian shook his head, incapable of keeping his thoughts out of this. "The friend zone is a dark and lonely place, dude. Don't do it."

I glared at Ian, hating how amusing he thought this was. His eyes smirked at me, and I couldn't help but mirror his smile slightly. My gaze trailed to Brandon, and I lost the grin quickly.

"Lake?" Brandon used my name as a question, waiting for me to answer.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll think about it."

Brandon fist-pumped the air, making me regret what I said. "Yes!" he yelled.

"No, I said I would think about it," I said with irritation. "Now stop." With a huff, I turned and walked away without saying goodbye.

"Bye!" Brandon yelled from behind me, causing me to speed up my steps.

Ian raced up beside me with a vast grin on his face. I stole peeks at him while picking up my pace. I didn't want to have a conversation with Ian in the cold. My only goal was to get into my warm dorm room, so I ran away from Ian.

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled, unable to keep up.

"No," I giggled back, grabbing the door handle and stomping up the wet steps.

I could hear Ian jogging up the steps as I stopped before my door. He rounded the corner, making eye contact as his bare feet slipped from under him. Ian slid to his rear, falling through the floor. His bare feet were the last thing I saw while a loud thud sounded in the stairwell as my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Ian!" I yelled, pacing down the stairs.

"I'm okay," he said as I let out a breath, seeing him on the wet ground only a floor below.

I strolled to him, crouching. "You sure you are okay?"

Ian laughed, glancing up at the metal stairwell. "Yeah, didn't hurt at all, just—"

"Scared you?" I asked, interrupting him. "Me too." I placed my hand on my heart, standing up.

Ian stood before me, raising a brow. "Does that mean you care about me?"

I glared at Ian, turning away. "No comment."

"I'll take that as a yes."

We trailed our way into my dorm room. I found a cozy shirt and flannel shorts in my clean laundry before finding a comfortable spot on my bed. Ian jumped over my legs, shifting beside me on the sheets and smiling obnoxiously while his body faced mine.

"So—"

"No," I said, grabbing a pillow and placing it before his face.

"So," he said, with his face through the pillow. "Are you going to tell me more about Brandon?"

I rolled over, facing away from him. "Not planning on it."

Within a split second, his face was inches from mine while he lay beside me. "Okay, but can you answer me one question?"

My cheeks burned as he inched closer to me with his perfect smile. "Sure," I replied, biting my bottom lip.

His eyes softened while both brows arched in sadness. "Can we at least be friends?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

A high-pitched giggle escaped my lips as he let out a chuckle. I shook my head in disbelief, placing my palms on his chest. Warmth filled my fingers as his chest muscles flexed under my hands. He placed his hands over mine without leaving my eye contact. The greens in his eyes brightened like a flash of light beamed at them.

My eyes widened with his, and panic formed. I shoved Ian off my bed as his body flung away from me. He hit the wood floor with a loud crash as he landed on his back.

I peeked over the bed at him with a straight smile. "Sorry," I replied.

Ian's eyes met mine as he relaxed on the wood floor, laughing into the quiet space. I exhaled in relief, and his chuckles deepened, causing me to laugh with him.

"So, is that a no?" he asked.

I shook my head, grabbed my pillow, and tossed it at him. He let the pillow hit his face while I hopped off the bed, stepping over him. I peeked at him, seeing his eyes watching my bare legs.

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