Chapter 30

I nestle into my seat on the charter bus. Foster plops down beside me taking my hand in his. It's going to be a long drive so he gets settled with his headphones in and his neck pillow on, leaning back in his seat as far as possible without disturbing the person behind him.

I turn and look out the window. A thick blanket of pearly snow covers the ground outside. The trees in the area are entirely bare and covered in a thin layer of frost, giving them a bluish-gray hue. The sun descends and streaks of orange, pink, and blue paint the sky. Every bird has officially fled the area to find warmer climates to pass the next few months peacefully. Without the birds around, everything has become much quieter. Quiet doesn't mean lonely though.

I open up my journal, intending to share the past few weeks' worth of memories with my dad. I like to keep him updated and even though I know he isn't necessarily reading the words I write, it still feels good to let some emotions and events loose so they don't stay bottled up inside for too long.

Hey Dad,

I miss you. The past few weeks have zipped right by. Midterms kept Foster and me at the library late, studying our butts off. When we weren't terrorizing Barb we were busy with mom discussing after-high school plans like college or work. Foster and I have looked at a few colleges, but nothing has felt quite right just yet.

All the talk of college stressed Foster out which resulted in multiple sleepless nights filled with textbooks. The poor boy was trying to teach himself the previous semester's entire calculus curriculum to get a perfect score on this midterm. Eventually, mom and I were able to convince him that his sleep and well-being were more important than some silly tests.

After midterms, winter break began. I expected things to slow down but that didn't happen at all. Mom got the craft store up and running which occupies most of our free time now. Initially, I wasn't thrilled with the idea of working for mom but she is a great boss and Foster is an incredible coworker. Dealing with Karens also isn't my cup of tea but somehow Foster can whoo any angry customer with his devilish smile and helpful demeanor.

Dawn hasn't returned from helping her sister yet. We call her every other night or so to check in and see how she is doing. It sounds like she is going to be there for much longer than anticipated. The last few phone calls have resulted in serious discussions about how to keep the cafe open when she is starting to run out of her emergency funds that she has used to pay the rent and other bills. I'm sure we will figure it out. Foster and Dawn are part of my family now and mom and I don't plan on leaving them to struggle alone.

Christmas came and went. Most of it was spent in the loft while a blizzard blew through town. It was crazy. Three feet of snow blocked us and most of the other residents of the city trapped indoors. We managed alright. Instead of our typical Christmas dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake, we ended up having pancakes and bacon. We were running out of stuff so we ate a lot of pancakes the last couple of days we were trapped.

This week the majority of the twelfth grade, Foster and I included, are going to a ski lodge. We weren't planning on going because we didn't want to leave mom all alone with the store, but she said she would be fine. I guess she pulled some strings and called in some reinforcements to cover for us so that we could go on this trip. I would have been fine staying at home, but she kept going on about missing out on the fun of high school and how I should relish in the last few trips and activities I get to do with my peers. I will let you know how this trip goes.

How are you? I hope you are doing fine wherever you are. I really wish you were here to meet Foster. I really love him, dad. I think you would love him too. I guess I am going to end this letter here. I love you.

Claudia

I close my journal and tuck it safely back into my bag. I managed to get that all written before all the light faded. Now that it's gone, I lean my head against Foster's shoulder. He rests his chin on top of my head. I can hear the faint beat of the drums and strum of the guitar from his headphones. I tap him on the shoulder, gesturing towards his ears. He smiles and passes me a headphone. I put it in my ear, making sure it's secure, before laying my head back down. We sit like that for a few hours, just holding hands and listening to music. At some point, we both fall asleep.

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The shrill screech of the air breaks jostles me from my sleep. I blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the light. The sun is already rising up above the horizon, telling us all to get off our asses to start the day.

Once the bus has come to a complete stop, I remove the headphone in my ear and stand to stretch some of the sleep out of my limbs. All of my movements must have woken up Foster because he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his lap. He plants a sloppy wet kiss on my neck. I rub some of his slobber off of the area and toss him his headphone, not wanting to accidentally lose it before it makes it back to him. He catches it, taking the other headphone out and placing them in their case before tucking them away into his backpack.

The teacher and student ambassador at the front of the bus stand and face all of us. Mr. Rennet somehow got roped into looking after all of us. A few other teachers took on the job as well but they are on the other buses full of students. After a few more moments of awkward silence, he clears his throat to address us.

"Alright guys, we've made it to the lodge. I am going to step out first and get my list of room assignments so that I can check you guys in as you exit the bus. After you check in with me you need to grab your suitcase from the driver and wait at the front entrance of the lodge with your roommate. I don't want any groaning or arguments about roommates. I didn't assign them and I'm not changing them. If it bothers you that much, take it up with the event coordinator. Once I've got everyone checked in and all the suitcases have been gathered I will do a once over with the bus driver to make sure no one has left any belongings on the bus. After that, I will head inside and grab your room keys. You guys will follow behind in some kind of order and once you and your roommate get your key you guys should head up to your room and spend some time getting unpacked and situated. This is a class trip but that doesn't mean we are going to be watching your every move. There will be a few events each day that are optional to attend. Nothing is required because this is your winter break. Do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt yourself, or anyone else, and as long as it doesn't break the law."

After finishing his spiel, a few of the guys in the back hoot and holler, showing their enthusiasm for the week to come. Mr. Rennet signals for them to quiet down just before he steps off the bus to prepare for check-in.

Foster looks up at me, still holding me in his lap. "You don't think there will be co-ed room assignments do you?" He smirks. I shake my head, trying to stand up. He just holds onto me tighter.

"I doubt the school would let horny teenagers of the opposite sex bunk together. They aren't looking to be sued by all the parents," I shrug.

"Hey, that's homophobic." He protests.

"Don't pretend like you are fighting for the rights of our LGBTQ+ peers when you know full and well that you are just trying to sleep with me."

"I'm not just trying to sleep with you. I do care about our peers. Sleeping with you is just a small part of my concerns and ideals." I nudge his arms off and stand up again, earning a smack on the ass from my handsy boyfriend. "I'm just really going to miss seeing this every night," he says as he gropes me from behind.

"Oh shove off Foster, you can handle a few days without getting laid. You two literally live together. You have all the opportunities to do so when you get back," Micah pipes up from the row behind us, obviously grossed out by the PDA. "Don't try and steal my week with Claudia away from me," she crosses her arms and pouts.

Joe kisses her cheek, trying not to laugh at the childish behavior of both my boyfriend and best friend. "Yeah Foster, don't be so possessive. I'm sure Claudia needs a break from you just as much as Micah needs one from me. This is their week, not ours. Though I do feel for you man," Joe pats Foster on the shoulder.

Once the four of us are standing and have collected all of our belongings, we make our way off the bus and head toward Mr. Rennet to get our room assignments. Micah and I hold hands nervously, hoping to get assigned to the same room. During our trip paperwork, we listed each other as desired roommates but the event coordinator mentioned that not every pairing will work out perfectly.

"Hey, girls, ready for the week ahead?" Mr. Rennet says as he scans his paper for our names. After a few minutes of anticipation, he eventually finds us. "Looks like you two will be together in room 203 and it also looks like Joe and Foster will be together in the adjacent room, uh oh." Mr. Rennet motions for us to go pick up our stuff from the driver shouting, "You kids better stay out of trouble. Your rooms might be joined, but those walls aren't thick."

I shake the words of my teacher out of my head, not enjoying what he is insinuating. Foster and Joe high-five and follow along right behind Micah and me. "He really didn't need to say that," I mumble to Micah who nods her head.