offending Allison. She hadn’t wanted to commit to spending two nights in Providence if it turned out to be a disaster.
“Right. Need to make sure you get your 8-hours of sleep,” Allison snorted.
“My sleep schedule is very important to me.” R eagan dug her toe-picks into the ice and pushed off, forcing her body to scoot across the ice, closer to where Allison still lay. She used her elbows to army-crawl until their bodies were parallel. Other skaters veered widely to avoid them.
“Are you a human zamboni now?” Allison cracked.
“No,” R eagan pouted. “I just wanted to get closer to you.”
“Oh.” Allison sat up on the ice. She couldn’t believe they’d been lounging on the ice surface for the past few minutes. “Are you hungry?”
Reagan sat up as well. She fluffed at her hair, knocking a few bits of shaved ice from the back. “Salad again?”
Allison frowned guiltily. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been a very good hostess have I?”
R eagan stood up on shaky skates and wiped at her backside and coat where ice shavings had collected from the fall. “You’ve done an admirable job. I know accommodating someone with special diet needs isn’t easy. My dad lived with me for 18 years and even he had problems with it.”
Allison allowed Reagan to help her to her skated feet. They teetered once, threatening to spill back onto the ice, but Allison stuck her blades hard into the ice, determined not to fall again. “You don’t have to be so nice to me, Reagan,” she murmured. “I don’t deserve it.”
Reagan gave Allison a lopsided grin. “I know,” she agreed. “But I also know you’re working on it.”
+++++
By the time they left the ice rink, the afternoon sun had sunk lower in the sky. Reagan squealed suddenly and ran off the sidewalk and onto the snowy campus green, which was currently covered in at least two feet of puffy snow. She stopped and flopped backwards onto the ground, giggling manically.
“What are you doing?” Allison asked, hugging herself as a brisk wind sliced through the New England afternoon. She glanced around, feeling anxious about the few pairs of eyes trained on them from fellow students. She really didn’t care what they thought, but old habits were hard to break.
“I’m making a snow angel, obviously. Hop on in,” Reagan crowed, “the snow’s great!“
“I’m not going to do that,” Allison stubbornly protested. “I’ll get wet and cold. And I’m already sore from ice skating.”
Reagan flapped her arms and legs back and forth in the powdered snow. “Don’t make me make a snow angel all on my own, Allison,” she pouted.
Allison rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine,” she conceded, far too easily for her liking. “What am I supposed to do?”
“You don’t know how to make a snow angel?” R eagan asked, suddenly stopping her flailing. “Seriously. Are you an alien?”
“Murphy, just tell me what to do,” Allison snapped in an irritated tone.
“Just fall backwards,” R eagan instructed as she went back to moving her arms and legs.
Allison warily eyeballed the frozen ground. “Won’t it hurt?”
“The snow is soft,” R eagan stated. “It’ll break your fall. It’s much better than falling on the ice.”
Allison worried her bottom lip between her teeth and hesitated.
“Hurry up!” Reagan urged. “My butt is getting cold and wet. Just fall already!”
Allison sucked in a sharp breath. She hated not being in control, and she hated that Reagan Murphy was bossing her around. But more than anything, she didn’t want to look like a stick-in-the-mud. That was the old Allison Hoge; that wasn’t who she was anymore.
Taking one las t fleeting glance behind her, she closed her eyes, tipped back on her heels, and let herself fall.
+++++
The sound of hospital sirens screaming in the background made Allison wince. The harsh fluorescent lights
“Right. Need to make sure you get your 8-hours of sleep,” Allison snorted.
“My sleep schedule is very important to me.” R eagan dug her toe-picks into the ice and pushed off, forcing her body to scoot across the ice, closer to where Allison still lay. She used her elbows to army-crawl until their bodies were parallel. Other skaters veered widely to avoid them.
“Are you a human zamboni now?” Allison cracked.
“No,” R eagan pouted. “I just wanted to get closer to you.”
“Oh.” Allison sat up on the ice. She couldn’t believe they’d been lounging on the ice surface for the past few minutes. “Are you hungry?”
Reagan sat up as well. She fluffed at her hair, knocking a few bits of shaved ice from the back. “Salad again?”
Allison frowned guiltily. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been a very good hostess have I?”
R eagan stood up on shaky skates and wiped at her backside and coat where ice shavings had collected from the fall. “You’ve done an admirable job. I know accommodating someone with special diet needs isn’t easy. My dad lived with me for 18 years and even he had problems with it.”
Allison allowed Reagan to help her to her skated feet. They teetered once, threatening to spill back onto the ice, but Allison stuck her blades hard into the ice, determined not to fall again. “You don’t have to be so nice to me, Reagan,” she murmured. “I don’t deserve it.”
Reagan gave Allison a lopsided grin. “I know,” she agreed. “But I also know you’re working on it.”
+++++
By the time they left the ice rink, the afternoon sun had sunk lower in the sky. Reagan squealed suddenly and ran off the sidewalk and onto the snowy campus green, which was currently covered in at least two feet of puffy snow. She stopped and flopped backwards onto the ground, giggling manically.
“What are you doing?” Allison asked, hugging herself as a brisk wind sliced through the New England afternoon. She glanced around, feeling anxious about the few pairs of eyes trained on them from fellow students. She really didn’t care what they thought, but old habits were hard to break.
“I’m making a snow angel, obviously. Hop on in,” Reagan crowed, “the snow’s great!“
“I’m not going to do that,” Allison stubbornly protested. “I’ll get wet and cold. And I’m already sore from ice skating.”
Reagan flapped her arms and legs back and forth in the powdered snow. “Don’t make me make a snow angel all on my own, Allison,” she pouted.
Allison rolled her eyes and sighed. “Fine,” she conceded, far too easily for her liking. “What am I supposed to do?”
“You don’t know how to make a snow angel?” R eagan asked, suddenly stopping her flailing. “Seriously. Are you an alien?”
“Murphy, just tell me what to do,” Allison snapped in an irritated tone.
“Just fall backwards,” R eagan instructed as she went back to moving her arms and legs.
Allison warily eyeballed the frozen ground. “Won’t it hurt?”
“The snow is soft,” R eagan stated. “It’ll break your fall. It’s much better than falling on the ice.”
Allison worried her bottom lip between her teeth and hesitated.
“Hurry up!” Reagan urged. “My butt is getting cold and wet. Just fall already!”
Allison sucked in a sharp breath. She hated not being in control, and she hated that Reagan Murphy was bossing her around. But more than anything, she didn’t want to look like a stick-in-the-mud. That was the old Allison Hoge; that wasn’t who she was anymore.
Taking one las t fleeting glance behind her, she closed her eyes, tipped back on her heels, and let herself fall.
+++++
The sound of hospital sirens screaming in the background made Allison wince. The harsh fluorescent lights
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