Too Keen For Me

Chapter 24: I'm OK

Snow fell around me, forcing me to pull my hat over my ears. A smile formed on my lips as I watched Everly do a handstand in the snow. For that official winter snowstorm, we were all over the moon that it happened during Christmas break.

When Tristen arrived the same day I took Miles to the airport, I thought this holiday would drag on and, in some ways, it did. For the past few days, Miles consumed my thoughts. I worried about him. I was worried I said the wrong things. People like Rodger were driving him to the ground, and they didn't seem to care. Miles needed someone to talk to about it, and I feared I wasn't enough. I wanted to reach out to his parents, but I feared that I would make things worse, so instead I stayed quiet.

"Did you get that on camera?" Everly asked eagerly, snapping me back to reality.

Shoot. I forgot to film it.

"ISLA! Really? That was perfect," Everly pouted as Tristen came out of the house with a smile on his face.

He stretched with a yawn, hinting he just woke up from his nap. He looked at Everly, and his smile grew larger. He had something up his sleeve.

"No, don't Tristen," Everly said seriously as she took a step back from him.

He chuckled and before she had time to react; he ran over to her and scooped her up in his arms.

I quickly turned the camera on as Everly wiggled to get out of his arms. "Put me down," she commanded.

As much as Everly wiggled, Tristen just held her tighter, like a boa constrictor. He laughed as he turned her upside down, making her head touch the snow.

She put her hands on the ground to stop him, but only pulled them up, unwilling to get her hands cold. "Stop!!!!" Everly screamed.

However, her screams fell on deaf ears when she was upside down, hair in her mouth, and her jacket falling off. I resisted the urge to giggle as I kept the camera rolling.

"Tristen! I'm serious!" Everly screamed louder.

I sighed as I turned the camera off. The game was over. If he didn't let her go, she would start crying. And with that, he lightly put her on the ground. "Got that on camera?"

I nodded at him. "Sure did."

"Good. Now we have proof that Everly sounds like a man when she screams."

Everly quickly got up from the ground as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Nothing is questioned when you get it on camera," he said as he walked up to me to see the video. "Great job. Remember, no one can forget video." He quickly sent the video to himself as Everly ran into the house, crying.

I sighed. "You probably should go apologize."

"I should, shouldn't I?" he asked.

We were silent for a moment as we watched the snow fall around us. "So you leave in two days..." I stated, knowing that once he was gone, he would be like a ghost, unable to answer any of my phone calls.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets with a frown. "I'll be better this semester."

I knew what that meant, since he never kept his promises. "Ok."

"No, Isla, I'm serious. I made goals," he said with honesty as he wrapped his arm around me. "You're so important to me. I can't lose touch of that."

I felt my eyes well up with tears and I leaned into him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Isla." He shivered.

With a sigh, I pulled out of the embrace and walked back inside. "Let's get inside."