Th_omas

" How about we help each other?" He says and I look up at him, eyes still wet from the tears streaming down my cheeks, heart freshly broken from the public humiliation and betrayal that was Lucas's breakup. I can faintly make out the first droppings of snow floating magically under the light of the street lamps. It's that time of the year, a time for wool coats, a time for relaxing, none of which I'll be doing. "I'm an orphan with a wicked aunt and a boyfriend who left her because she has nothing to her name, how could I possibly help you?" I say another sob escaping my lips. "Marry me" he replies and my eyes widen in anger. Is he mocking me?. I look into the eyes of this stranger and see he's dead serious. "I need a wife, you need a home, marry me and you'll have all you want". I nod.

A Snowy Marriage (A Christmas agreement)

I hear something of a high-pitched squeal as I look to see exactly where the sound emanates from. It seems that Damianos's and Charlotte's little fight has gotten a bit out of hand. She's practically tugging on his clothes now, and I can only imagine why she's doing that. It seems really unnatural to me for her to be tugging at his shirt like that.

Alice's face turns ugly at the sight of what she's doing.

"What exactly is going on?" I say looking to Alice for an explanation, she just shakes her head "It isn't any of our business".

We walk around to look for Arden, and I find her kneeling on the grass tending to a wound. The person whose wound she's tending to make a pit form in my stomach.

"I mean I haven't even left to you for ten minutes, and yet you've gotten yourself injured how?". Adrian only gives me something of a shy grin as he winces in pain when Arden applies pressure onto the little cut. It's shallow though, and so it shouldn't mean anything of much consequence, but I can see the hidden message in Arden's assessment.

In a game where everyone is supposed to be at their best, a game that could take hours for all we knew, Adrian had gotten himself injured, and not just injured anywhere, injured just under his leg. How is he supposed to move efficiently like that?.

If you can't move you can't fight, and if you can't fight, you forfeit the game. He stands to lose everything we had been working so hard for. He stands to disappoint his parents once again, and the steel resolve in my eyes tells him that we cannot have that.

We cannot have all the efforts we have put into these four days become a waste. I for one will not let my effort at not being so easily poisoned go to waste.

I raise up his leg and assess the wound. It is a shallow cut true, but yet whenever he stands on it it's sure to give him some pain.

"Can you endure it?" I asked. I realise my voice has suddenly turn cold and mirthless, as he looks at me with shocked eyes.

He nods his head and I press my thumb on it. He doesn't give anything of a reaction, so I apply even more force and he winces in pain. I'm guessing that will be alright.

"Can you stand lightly on it?" I ask him and he nods his head.

I'm guessing that is exactly what he'll be doing from now on, nodding at whatever I say because I cannot just imagine how he would be so reckless as to get himself injured.

"Was it an accident or were you trying something out?" he averts his eyes from mine, and I can imagine just how it appears to him when I sound like his mum trying to get answers over some mistake he's done.

I sigh and offer my apologies. I realise now that i am not really in the best of moods. Even with all my bravery, I'm still shaken by all that's happening. I find warm toned arms around me as I realise I'm wrapped in a hug. I seem to be getting a lot of that these days.

Chapter 103