Prologue

Wanna know a secret?

December 2017

One by one. Crystal snow fell upon your little head, creating a winter wonderland around you. The rest danced through the cold, inviting, sending tingles to your little fingers. But recklessness dismissed the feeling as you galloped through the park. The park near your house was now covered in snow, the once familiar landscape was transformed into a magical scene.

Pure white spruce trees marched all around, adorned in a blanket of snow. Your recklessness dismissed the chilly sensation as you ran.. and ran until you were stopped by a single.. majestic tree. Its strong branches were covered in snow, and it seemed to bow, welcoming you to its wintry realm. Joy spread over your bow-shaped lips as you grinned and shouted, "Come on! You're so slow!"

"Well you calm down!"

Snow spluttered everywhere as his little black boots made an entrance. Bob cut-jet black hair bounced over his shoulders, only his emerald beanie prevented his hair from slapping his chubby cheeks. "We're here! Stop running around like an idiot!" protested the boy with hazel eyes. His breathing fast, tired from keeping pace with your excited feet.

You turned dramatically, making your brunette locks bounced effortlessly. Scrunching your nose in disgust, you winced, "A what?! Oh just you see! I will tell your mom~" Grinning mischievously, you ran 50 meters away from him and stuck out your tongue, mocking him.

As the boy stood in front of the majestic tree, he found himself tiptoeing near the crest of the frozen lake. Each step was taken with caution, as he was careful not to disturb the now solid surface. After he made sure he's steady, he pouted his wide lips with hands crossed over his chest, and glared at you in defeat. However, in a second, it already turned into a sinister grin as if he had found a way to move Earth to Mars,

"No sugar cane for today I see."

Now that's a declaration of war.

Your green eyes round in horror as a war played in your head, 'No sugar cane for today..? No sugar cane for today you say—' You saw him grinning, waiting in delight. He knew he flipped the coin right then and there. There's just no logical explanation, nor reason—to cancel a free sugar cane.

Anyways, sugar cane is sacred, sugar cane is life.

Pouting in defeat, little you recollected yourself. Still wanting to keep your pride, you crossed your hands over your chest with a smug face, mumbling,

"Maybe.. I'll let this one slide."

Finally letting out a smug smirk, the boy nodded aggressively in satisfaction before challenging you, "Whoever gets to the house first can do whatever they want!" Now his feet are planted on the snow, ready to run.

In a hurried response, you ran to him with round eyes and shouted, "Hey! We just got here!"

"Still want that sugar cane?" he teased.

Oh, his tone.

How you wanted to smack him so much for it—and of course, among.. a million other reasons too. Rolling your eyes in resignation, you felt annoyance bubbling up as you recognized that he always seemed to know which card to pull when it comes to you. You dilly-dally beside him lazily, like it or not, you readied yourself to fight.

He smirked, hands and feet ready to plunge whenever he liked. Your funny expression urged him to tease you even more, so he ruffled your hair despite knowing how much you hated it.

With a disgusted expression, you slapped his hands away from any area of your head in panic, sending him into relentless chuckles. Huffing in annoyance, you fixed your standing, planting your foot steady with hands raised beside your body. You creased your forehead warily before turning to him, pouting. Once he made sure you're in position, he gave you a lopsided grin and whispered,

"Ready..."

Your glare transformed into a playful ambition as you shouted cheerfully,

"Set.."

His eyes lit up, excitement filled his lungs. However, it was as if he suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned into one of surprise. Immediately, he let out his pinkie to you, chanting with a playful seriousness,

"Bestfriends?"

You giggled at the same time he let out a chuckle, and you quickly wrapped your pinkie around his. Your matching friendship bracelets dangled on your wrists, catching the light. Then, you both turned, your bodies starting to rock back and forth in unison. His movement depended on you, mirroring every slight shift.

Just one more mantra to chant.

And when you playfully tried to steal your chance to win, both of you shouted with the top of your lungs..

"Forever!"

I have a best friend.

I've known him since forever. Heh—and when I say forever, I literally mean forever, forever. We've known each other since we're just babies, can you imagine?! We experienced ‘em all together. We shared our first steps together, we bathed together (ew). We play together.. cry together—first snow, first playground outing, first Truth or Dare—first Tiktok challenge..

First everything.

And we kind of.. made a list of friendship rules, which—based on our agreement—sorry, yeah—of course, Em, no shit. Ok, anyways, for example..

Rule Number 7: If the other tried to steal—

OH! Uh.. we can skip that part—cut that out please—yes, thank you.

For your convenience, we already struck out that rule with a red pen. Sorry, wrong start. The point is, well, you get the gist on how close we are, right?

Ok first rule.. drumroll please~

What I meant was—ok why don't you take a guess?! Here's some eazy peazy clues since I'm so nice:

Same kindergarten. Same elementary. Same junior high—

Just as you're about to pass the school gate, an unexpected arm flings around you. Alarmed, you jump, and.. kinda let out a little bit of a cursing. Annoyance takes over as you give a hard sigh, making a bored face as you mumble, "this guy.."

Oookay, not turning around.. he's still behind me.. but I know. I. just. know.

Eyebrows raised—annoying smirk on..

As you cautiously take a peek to your left..

There he is, sporting the same school uniform as yours, smirking. His slick jet black hair is perfectly styled, but a rebellious strand dangles over his eyes, adding a touch of charm. His striking RayBan sunglasses on his face, which, take most of the spotlight, still can't hide the mischievous wink he flung at you.

Right about the smirk. Wrong about the eyebrow raise though, it's a wink this time.

The smirk on his face deepens as he catches your gaze, clearly reveling in the surprise he caused. He chuckles at your expression, giving you a lopsided grin. Without missing a beat, as usual, he attempts to ruffle your hair—to have you swiftly tackled his hands in a quick movement.

You yell at him before nudging his head out of annoyance. However, after a moment sits in, also amused by his antics, you grab his waist, and clutch his hand that's been dangling over your shoulders, holding back a chuckle. Flashing his eyebrows as he grins, he smugly shouts,

"Ready to hit some logs, Winters?"

...and~

Same high school.

Rule #3: Always go to the same school as your best friend

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to vote, comment, and add to your library!

Check out some additional content on social media:

@lifelorestudio

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! I'll reveal the Playlist by the end of this story, so.. Stay Tuned!

The song that matches this Prologue's vibe:

Ariana Grande - Winter Things (Lyrics)

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***