Chapter 4: Shattered Ice, Warming Hearts
660 Words
Marisol
Monday morning at school, the seniors gathered to order their graduation supplies. During the chaos, Frank Mathis pulled Marisol aside.
"You coming to my party this weekend?" he asked casually.
Marisol hesitated. "I don’t know. After what happened at your last party, I’m surprised you even want me there."
Frank grinned. "If you don’t come, I’ll take it as an insult and never host another party. Besides, all your friends will be there."
"And so will Carmine and Ali," she said pointedly.
"You’re not coming for them. You’re coming for me," he said with a wink.
Marisol couldn’t help but laugh. "Alright, I’ll go. I wouldn’t want to make you cry."
As she walked to her locker, Marisol caught herself smiling. Why hadn’t she noticed how cute Frank was before? If she’d realized it sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have wasted so much time with Carmine. "Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve," she muttered, shaking her head as she headed to her car.
Later that evening, Marisol’s phone buzzed with a text from Frank.
Frank: What’s up?
Marisol: Not much. You?
Frank: Want to go ice skating tonight?
Her heart skipped a beat.
Marisol: Just us?
Frank: Just us.
Marisol grinned. For the first time since her breakup, she felt excitement stirring in her chest. She quickly called Roxie to share the news.
"You’ll never guess what happened!" Marisol squealed into the phone.
"What?" Roxie asked eagerly.
"Frank asked me to go ice skating!"
Roxie gasped. "Are you serious? What did you say?"
"I said yes, but I don’t know what to wear!" Marisol admitted.
"That’s what Kai and I are here for!" Roxie said with a laugh.
Marisol couldn’t stop smiling as she rifled through her closet. For the first time in a long while, it felt like things were starting to look up.
Kai
Monday morning, Kai lingered at her locker, trying to focus on her schedule for the week. Even with Ethan still in town, he hadn’t texted yet that morning, and she wasn’t sure why that bothered her. She barely knew him—but somehow, it already felt like more.
She let out a breath, wondering if she was overthinking it. But the way he made her laugh, the way he looked at her like he saw all of her—it wasn’t nothing.
She scrolled through her phone during lunch and saw a photo of the group from over the weekend. Her eyes lingered on Ethan, and she couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at her lips. A second later, her phone buzzed.
Ethan: You’ve been quiet today. Miss me already?
Kai rolled her eyes but grinned. She started typing a reply, erased it, then tried again. Somehow, this felt like the start of something she hadn’t expected—but maybe something she needed.
Roxie
Monday at school, Roxie leaned against her locker and spotted Kai down the hall, distracted by her phone. She looked just as conflicted as Roxie felt.
Marisol already knew about the phone call with Mateo—about how he admitted he used to like her, about how they talked for hours—but there were pieces Roxie had held back. How often she thought about his voice. How nervous she’d been seeing him again. How her stomach flipped when he smiled at her.
Those weren’t things she could say out loud. Not yet.
During her last class, someone asked about the Diaz siblings, and Roxie had to pretend she wasn’t beaming at the mention of Mateo’s name. She hated how obvious she was becoming.
She spotted Kai again just before the final bell and walked toward her.
"You okay?" Roxie asked.
Kai blinked up from her phone. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Roxie nodded. "Same."
She hesitated, then added, "I might text him tonight. Just to say hi."
Kai gave her a small, knowing smile. "You should."
They walked to class in comfortable silence, both carrying secrets they weren’t quite ready to say out loud.
- Writer
