Melody

Carson and I spent a couple hours skating before I started shivering like crazy. We thought it was best to leave before I lost any extremities to frost bite. Luckily for me, we arrived after dinner, so Harper had put away leftovers for us. Deciding it was okay if I had some salad, I sat down with Carson to eat dinner.

Once we finished dinner, we walked over to the living room and sat on the couch, spreading blankets across our bodies to keep us warm.

"What movie are we watching?" I asked.

"The Polar Express," Carson grinned.

"Did I just hear the words The Polar Express come out of someone's mouth?" I heard from the hallway. Footsteps followed, and Chloe White appeared in her raven-haired glory. "Aw! Look at you two all cuddled up!"

"Hey Chlo," Carson said.

"Hey Cars, hey Melody!" Chloe smiled brightly at me and I waved at her. "Can I join this snuggle-fest?"

"Only if you make popcorn," Carson replied.

"Deal," Chloe sang, dancing off to the kitchen.

***

When the movie was over, Carson and I went up to his room. Carson put his phone on a dock and began looking for music. I sat on his bed; legs crossed and stared out the window, eyes focused on the dimly lit trees. Soft music poured out of the speakers, the bed dipped beside me and I felt Carson's fingers intertwine with mine. I tore my gaze away from the snowy forest and looked at Carson.

"Would you rather go parasailing or white-water rafting?" Carson asked. I gave him a curious look but thought about it anyways.

"Parasailing," I responded. "I like that floating feeling. What's your dream car?"

"Most guys want a Lamborghini or something crazy, but I'd rather a really sleek Mercedes," Carson smiled. "A black one. Oh! Or navy blue."

"Those are nice," I replied, pulling Carson out of his car-related reverie.

"If you could visit anywhere, where would it be?" Carson asked, lying back on the bed.

"Greece. Santorini specifically," I replied. "What's your middle name?"

"I don't have one," Carson said, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "I know. It's because Carson White sounded so beautiful, my parents didn't want to ruin it with another name in the middle." I laughed out loud at that. "What's yours?"

"Victoria. And that doesn't count as your question," I said, crossing my legs on the bed.

"Melody Victoria Reese," Carson repeated, softly. It sounded like magic coming out of his mouth. I smiled in response. "What kind of art do you enjoy most?"

"Ah! That's hard! I love lots of different artists...van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Kahlo, Munch. I can't choose,' I said running my hand through my hair. Carson chuckled at me and propped himself up on an arm. "Okay, if you could go to any fictional place, what would it be?"

"Terabithia," Carson replied without even blinking.

"You didn't even think!" I exclaimed laughing.

"Okay, but have you seen that movie?"

"Of course, I've seen it! I'm still emotionally scarred," I replied, making Carson laugh.

"But before the tragedy, there was magic. Bridge to Terabithia had Chloe and I roaming around the forest, climbing trees and pretending we could see trolls and monsters or whatever," Carson explained.

As he spoke, my heart swelled at the idea of tiny Chloe and Carson running through trees, making the world around them more magical than it could ever be.

We stayed there talking and laughing until around midnight, when I thought it was best to go home. We were quiet on the drive, and I stared out the window, staring at the snow-covered lawns and houses.

"What are you thinking about?" Carson asked.

"How slippery the bricks are outside my house," I said without thinking. I looked at Carson, to see his forehead creased in confusion. "I have to sneak into my house."

"I thought your parents weren't home?" Carson replied.

"They aren't," I said.

"So, you have to sneak in... because Mia doesn't want you at that party?" Carson asked incredulously.

"It's fine. I locked my room door when we left anyways, so it's easier to get in through the window. It's better no one sees me at the party anyways."

We pulled up to the house to see cars everywhere. The music was loud and there were lights being flashing through the windows. I rolled my eyes.

"You should just walk in there and tell Mia to screw off," Carson said, turning off the car. "You deserve to be treated better."

I shrugged in response to that. Did I?

I didn't believe it, but it didn't matter. It wasn't going to change, so it was easier to take the path of least resistance. My window.

***

On Saturday morning, I woke up feeling a little light-headed, but I shook it off when I got text messages from Alani and Emma, asking if I wanted to go to the mall with them. They were doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. I had gotten most of my presents in New York, after the photoshoot, gift cards for Mia and Margot (because they were too picky to shop for), a nice tie for my father, and for Carson a sleek watch. However, I hadn't gotten anything for Leslie, or Emma and Alani, so I thought it would be good to tag along.

"Okay, so when we get there, we'll split up so we can do what we need, and then meet at the food court at noon?" Emma suggested as we drove.

"Sounds like a plan," Alani said.

"Agreed," I replied.

We pulled up to the mall, and after looking around for ten minutes, finally parked. By the time we saw the amount of people inside the mall, I was already overwhelmed, but I tried to focus on breathing deeply, as I separated from the girls.

I saw a store that had music and movies, so I decided to pop in and take a look. I glanced at the DVDs first, hoping to find a scary one for Alani. I leafed through them looking at the terrifying faces from Chucky to Ghostface.

Eventually, I found the newest releases and grabbed the movie Leatherface. I had no idea what it was about, but all I knew is that I hoped I didn't have to watch it with her. I made my way over to the records, then looking through them as well. I smiled when I saw one of the records that Carson played for me. This Empty Northern Hemisphere.

As a woman that worked there passed by me, I mustered up the courage to wave her over.

"How can I help you?" she asked, a polite smile on her face.

"Do you know what other records might have similar sounds or vibes to it?" I asked. I felt like a little bit of an idiot. I didn't know the first thing about music, but I thought that Carson might like a new record.

"Hmm... Lord Huron!" The lady decided after thinking. She walked a little down the aisle and picked up an album that read Strange Trails. "You won't regret it."

"Okay, thank you," I replied, a small smile on my lips.

After waiting in line for what felt like forever, I paid for my items and left the store. I walked through the packed mall, occasionally getting jostled from individuals fed up with the pace of the people in front of them. I felt hot, and regretted not leaving my jacket in the car, so I pulled it off and held it in my hands as I walked.

I saw a store that was selling cute pajamas, so I walked inside there, thinking of Emma. I looked around before seeing a pair that had cute penguins on them. They were fuzzy and blue and white, and screamed Emma, so I picked them up and paid for them. I left the store, bags and jacket in hand, and wandered around looking for something for Leslie.

I blinked away the light-headedness that threatened to come back and I kept moving until I found a store that sold cute jewellery. A little necklace seemed to call out to me, and I picked it up, thinking of Leslie when I saw the soft greyish purple stone that reminded me of her eyes.

After purchasing it, I went to get the gifts professionally wrapped before heading to the food court. A couple got up, and I made my way over there and sat down at the now vacant table. Soon, the girls came and sat down across from me.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" I asked them.

"Yes!" Alani and Emma said in unison.

"They had the cutest Grinch slippers and I grabbed matching ones for my parents!" Emma explained, pulling them out of one of her bags.

"Oh! Those are so cute!" Alani said. "I got my little brother this Batman onesie!"

"Aww!" Emma cooed.

"Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale," Alani said suddenly. Emma glanced over at me and nodded with concern.

"We were thinking of eating here. Did you want to get your lunch first?" Emma asked. "We'll watch your stuff!" I shook my head.

"I'm not really hungry, but you guys go. Get your lunch," I said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, and I nodded,squirming uncomfortably under her gaze. She and Alani got up and went theirseparate ways to get food, while I sat there hoping to get through the next fewhours.

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Author's Note: YAY! A new chapter! I rushed to get this one done because I wanted to celebrate the fact that Paper Thin has over 100,000 reads and 4000 votes on it!! WOO!! Also the fact that it was #32 in Teen Fiction!! I am so thankful for each and everyone of you that contributed to this and support me and this book!

Special shout outs this chapter goes to: MadMajor, isaviolet, jaccella__, and notesandpaint for voting! :)

I hope you liked this chapter, it was fun to write! What do you think of Carson and Melody's little moments? What about the shopping trip? What do you think might happen?

Ps. Who watched Bridge to Terabithia as a kid?? I'm still not over it! LOL