Frostbitten Hearts

Chapter 3: Shadows and Silver Linings

Marisol

Sunday morning, the girls woke up and decided to cook breakfast. The smell of grits, eggs, bacon, and pancakes filled the air, wafting through the house and rousing everyone from their deep sleep. Mateo and Ethan, drawn in by the enticing aroma, wandered into the kitchen and immediately began piling food onto their plates.

"Stop it, pig. That’s not for you!" Marisol yelled, swatting Mateo’s hand as he grabbed a strip of bacon.

"You know it’s rude not to cook for everyone," Mateo retorted, taking a big bite of the stolen bacon.

"Whatever," Marisol replied with a roll of her eyes.

The phone rang, breaking up the lively kitchen scene. Moments later, Ms. Diaz called for Marisol to pick it up. Marisol sighed, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she went to answer.

"Hello?" she said, her tone cautious.

"Don’t hang up," said a familiar voice on the other end.

Her stomach twisted. "What do you want, Carmine?" she asked, her voice clipped.

"We need to talk," he pleaded.

"There’s nothing to talk about," she snapped.

"Please, Marisol," he began to beg, his voice desperate.

"No!" she shouted and slammed the phone down. For a moment, she stood there, taking deep breaths to calm herself. When she returned to the kitchen, the lively chatter stopped as everyone stared at her.

"So... who was that?" Roxie asked, her curiosity impossible to hide.

Marisol looked at her friend and sighed. "You already know," she replied flatly.

In unison, everyone but Ethan said, "Carmine."

"Yup," she answered simply, eliciting a wave of laughter from the group.

After breakfast everyone decided to play a game. An hour after playing Lyrically Correct, everyone got dressed and headed out to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. The festive decorations were in full swing, with garlands, wreaths, and twinkling lights adorning every storefront. Carolers sang in the distance, and the scent of cinnamon and pine wafted through the air.

As they strolled through the mall, Marisol froze in her tracks when she spotted Ali Taylor. Her blood boiled, but her anger shifted to satisfaction when she noticed Ali’s face—bruised and swollen. Marisol knew it was wrong to feel a twisted sense of pride, but she couldn’t help herself. Ali had earned it.

"You should say something," Roxie whispered, egging her on.

Marisol finally gave in and approached Ali with a smirk. "How’s your face?" she asked, her voice dripping with mock concern.

Ali glared. "Why are you talking to me?"

"Oh, I was just admiring my work of art, that’s all," Marisol replied with a smug grin.

Ali’s eyes narrowed. "Get away from me, right now!"

"And if I don’t?" Marisol challenged, stepping closer. Before Ali could respond, Marisol shoved her. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Ali’s voice trembled as she said, "This time you’re not catching me off guard."

Marisol began to remove her earrings, her fists clenched and ready. Just as she moved toward Ali, Mateo intervened, pulling his sister back.

"Stop! I can’t let you beat this poor defenseless girl again," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Poor defenseless girl?" Ali spat, her bravado returning.

Mateo smirked. "Yup, that’s you."

Sensing an opportunity, Ali bolted before Marisol could break free. "Why did you stop me?" Marisol shouted at Mateo.

"Because I don’t feel like explaining to mom why she had to bail you out of jail," he said simply.

"You good?" Roxie asked, falling in step beside her.

Marisol hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, I just... I don’t know. I thought I’d feel better after that."

Roxie gave her a knowing look. "And?"

Marisol sighed. "And I still feel pissed off. And maybe a little guilty? I don’t know. She deserved it, but—"

"But it didn’t fix anything," Roxie finished.

Marisol nodded slowly. "Exactly."

Roxie nudged her playfully. "Let’s get some cinnamon rolls. Sugar fixes everything."

Marisol huffed a laugh and let herself be led toward the food court, hoping that maybe, just maybe, something as simple as warm, gooey pastries could melt the ice still clinging to her heart.

Kai

Sunday morning after breakfast, Kai offered to clean up the kitchen while everyone else migrated to the living room to watch television. As she washed dishes, she began humming to herself, her soft voice rising in confidence until she was singing outright. She thought she was alone until she heard faint giggling behind her. Startled, she turned to find Ethan standing in the doorway, an amused grin on his face.

"I’m so sorry if I scared you," he said, still chuckling. "I was just coming to get a glass of water."

Kai’s face turned pink, and she stammered, "Oh, uh, okay."

Ethan walked in and gestured toward the sink. "Do you need any help?"

"Only if you want," she said, her voice quieter than usual.

The two of them started cleaning together, and before long, Kai began to relax. They exchanged jokes, talked about school, and even shared stories about their families. Ethan’s easygoing nature made Kai feel at ease, and she couldn’t help but notice how his laugh made her heart flutter.

The moment was interrupted when Roxie burst into the kitchen.

"What’s taking you so long?" she asked, narrowing her eyes playfully at the two.

"We were just talking," Kai said, trying not to sound defensive.

"About what?" Roxie pressed, wedging herself between them.

"School," Kai replied, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, that’s boring," Roxie teased. "Come on, we’re about to play Lyrically Correct."

The three of them headed to the living room, Ethan and Kai still chatting quietly. Mateo looked up as they entered and smirked. "Took you long enough."

"I started talking to Kai and forgot about the game," Ethan admitted.

Later, at the mall, Kai stayed close to Marisol and Roxie. She wasn’t the type to stir drama, but even she felt a flicker of satisfaction seeing Ali’s bruised face. Still, she flinched when the fight nearly started again. She hated conflict—but more than that, she hated seeing her friends hurt.

When it was all over, and they were finally sitting at the food court with warm cinnamon rolls, Kai looked over at Marisol. "You did what you had to do," she said softly, offering a small smile. "But I’m really glad Mateo stepped in."

She knew Marisol was strong—but even the strongest needed someone to pull them back sometimes.

Roxie

Sunday at the mall, Roxie had Marisol’s back. She wasn’t about to let her friend deal with Ali alone. She didn’t need to throw punches—Marisol had that covered—but Roxie made sure Ali knew they were a united front.

After the chaos, she stayed close to Marisol, nudging her toward cinnamon rolls and away from another fight. That was her job—being the one who knew when enough was enough, even when she was usually the wild one.

Later that evening, Roxie flopped onto the bed in Marisol’s room, one leg dangling off the edge, the other tucked beneath her. “Okay, can we talk about what happened at the mall?”

Marisol groaned from her spot on the floor, hugging a throw pillow. “Do we have to?”

“Yes,” Kai chimed in, cross-legged beside her. “Because I need to know if we’re all going to jail, or if this was just a one-time thing.”

Roxie laughed, tossing a pillow at Kai. “Relax. No one’s getting arrested. Ali deserved it.”

“She did,” Marisol admitted, a smirk tugging at her lips. “But I still feel a little bad.”

“Then we’ll eat our guilt away with cookies,” Roxie declared, grabbing the box of snacks from the nightstand. “And maybe plot a little revenge. You know, just for fun.”

They spent the next hour joking about ridiculous pranks, playing music, and letting the tension from earlier melt into laughter. For Roxie, this was the best kind of night—her girls, chaos, and just enough trouble to keep things interesting.