Chapter 21

                Today was December 15th.

                It was the anniversary of Colette’s death, and everyone was feeling the tension. This morning when I had woken up, my mother was still lying on her bed, her face pressed against her pillow. I leaning against her bedroom door, I could faintly hear her silent sobs. I felt some grief for myself, but I hadn’t shed a tear since I had woken up. I felt numb all over, and I could hardly sleep the night before. I kept thinking back all the memories I’ve spent with her since I was four. Colette was like a second mother to be, no denying it.

                It was a miracle that I even had the strength to drag myself out of bed to go to school. I mean, everyone knew the anniversary of her death was coming in days before, but no one had really spoken about it. It was just a silent conscience that we all had in the back of our heads.

                “Hey, you’re here today.” Maria said, a slight edge of surprise in her tone.

                I turned to her, giving her a weak smile. “Of course,” I paused, letting a bittersweet silent come in between us, “why wouldn’t I be?”

                Maria’s face fell, as she gave me a look of sympathy. Before saying anything else, she placed a hand on my shoulder, before engulfing me into a bone crushing hug. “You’re so strong, Riley.” She let out a short chuckle. “Everett wouldn’t even come out of his room this morning.”

                We pulled away, as I ran a hand through my knotted hair. I had forgotten to run a comb through my hair this morning, so it was a bit of a bird’s nest as of now. “Well, I wouldn’t blame him.” I muttered. “They were really close- his mother and him.”

                Maria nodded, giving me a small smile. “I’ve heard.” She paused, before turning to me. “Maybe you should come over tonight, just to see if he’s alright. I’m sure he’d love your company.”

                I raised an eyebrow, looking at her slightly confused. “What?”

                Maria rolled her eyes, before her eyes spotted Jared down the corridor. “Don’t act like you didn’t sleep in the same bed as him on Saturday.” She teased, before giving me a small wave. “I’ll see you later.”

                I wounded up taking Maria’s advice about visiting Everett. I cut my last period class to walk over to his house. The front door was left unlock, and I knew that his father wasn’t home because his car was nowhere to be seen in the driveway. I silently wondered how Mr. Rosenfeld was coping with today.

                Once I had reached the outside of Everett’s bedroom door, I knocked slightly. I heard nothing more than a groan before I opened the door. Everett’s head was buried into his bed, his headphones plugged tight in his ears. He looked up slightly when he noticed my presence, his eyes dreary and dark. “What are you doing here?” he grunted, his voice low and hoarse.

                I sat on the edge of his bed as Everett scooted over to give me some room. I laid down beside him, staring up at his ceiling that had a poster with some inspirational quote written on it. “I don’t know.” I muttered. “Is it so bad that I actually wanted to come see you?”

                I could feel the presence of Everett’s gaze on my face, as I pursed my lips. “No.” he finally said, after a long and quite moment. “I guess not.”

                I stayed silent for a moment, before leaning over to Everett’s ear, and plucking a headphone off. I placed it in my heart, listening to the soft tunes of Ed Sheeran. As the song progress towards the chorus, I turned towards Everett, my face completely impassive. “You missed a lot during biology today.” I said to him, as he raised an eyebrow.

                “Really?” he mumbled. “Like what?”

                I shrugged, before licking my lips. “Well, for one, you missed Luke shoving a tampon in his nose to stop his nose bleed.” A small smile formed on the corner of Everett’s lips, making my heart race at an abnormal speed. Seeing Everett smile when he was down just made me feel invincible, especially since I was the one to make him happy again. “Then the headmaster walked in the class coincidentally while Luke was holding his bloody tampon in his hands. The look on his face was absolutely priceless.” I faintly smiled at the memory.

                “All the good stuff happens when I’m absent, doesn’t it?” Everett let out a chuckle, the sound of his laugh making my knees go weak.

                The two of us fell into silence once again, listening to the melodic voice of Ed Sheeran. After a couple songs had gone by, I sat up looking over towards Everett. His gaze was focused on me, as I offered him a small smile. “Let’s go somewhere.” I suddenly said.

                Everett let out a deep breath of air, before running a hand through his already messy hair. “I don’t know, Riley.” He admitted. “I’m kind of tired.”

                I nudged his shoulder gently, smiling faintly at him. “Come on, Everett.” I urged. “A little bit of fresh air could do you some good.”

                Everett looked over at me with hesitation clear in his eyes, before he let out a sigh. “What do you have in mind?” he asked.

                I had already stood up by now, smoothing out my cardigan that had gotten slightly wrinkled when I was lying down. My gaze locked into Everett’s before I shrugged innocently. “I don’t know.” I paused. “Anything.”

                I honestly didn’t know whose genius idea it was, but Everett and I wounded up at the beach just no longer than an hour later. It was near the peak of winter, and the ocean breezes weren’t doing us any justice. My skin felt numb under the cold wind, and stepping onto the cold sand felt like stepping in heaps of snow. The idea of going to the beach during this kind of freezing weather was insane, but it was all worth it. It was all worth it to see the grin that Everett had on his face.

                “Riley, are you coming in?” Everett shouted, his ankles already buried in the icy water.

                I stared at him with wide eyes, wrapping my arms around myself to get more warmth. I was shivering, as I shook my head. “Are you crazy?” I laughed, as a wave came up to shore to splash Everett’s jeans that he had attempted to roll up. “It’s freezing!”

                Everett gave me a warning look, before he trudged towards me, the heavy water in his jeans weighing him down. “Riley, it was your idea to get out the house.” He pointed out, a smirk forming on the corners of his lips. “You’re going in that water- no matter what.”

                An ear piercing squeal left my lips, as Everett’s arms snaked around my waist. Holding me firmly, he effortlessly tossed me over his shoulders, walking me towards the water. My eyes had been shut the entire time, but when I finally forced myself to open my eyes, I hadn’t expected my head to be dangling down. “Everett!” I gasped with surprise.

                Within a blink of an eye, Everett had thrown me down into the water. The water was so cold, that I hadn’t even realized that I was in an ocean of icy water until I snapped back to my senses. I was drenched from head to toe, as I immediately shivered from the cold instinct. My head surfaced at the water, as Everett grinned down at me. I glared at him, before giving him a forceful yank and pulling him down with me. I dunked his head down at the water, a laugh escaping my lips.

                I felt Everett’s hands pull my waist towards him underwater, as I let out a gasp. When Everett’s head rose back up, his hair was dampened over his forehead, making my fingers itch to brush his hair away. His hands still held me protectively, as I noticed how close we were. We were just merely inches apart- enough for me to feel his cold, shaky breath.

                “Are you cold?” Everett asked, his fingers suddenly brushing against my lips. “Your lips are turning blue.”

                I suppressed a laugh, before rolling my eyes. “Well, we are in the water while it’s forty degrees.”

                “Well, I should get you out of the water, shouldn’t I?” Everett asked quietly, his eyes dropping down to my lips. “I wouldn’t want you to get a cold.”

                I felt myself shivering under Everett’s stare. “Catching a cold would be an understatement.” I whispered. “Hypothermia is more likely.”

                Everett chuckled, bringing a flame to my ears. “Right.” He mumbled, nodding slowly.

                Even though Everett had agreed with me that we should get out of the water, none of us made a move. Everett’s arms were still securely around my waist, our chests pressed against each others.  Suddenly, I felt his fingers brushing against my cheek, pushing a few messy strands of wet hair behind my ears. Cupping my right cheek with his cold hand, he began to lean in.

                Before our lips got to touch, I felt a sudden tickle in my nose. I pulled away quickly, facing the other way, as I let out an embarrassing sneeze. My cheeks turned red and warm immediately, as I cautiously turned back to Everett. A smug smirk was spreading across his lips, as he suppressed a laugh. “You’re inevitably cute.” He whispered into my ear, his hot breath against my cold ears.

*

                “What the hell is this?” Mrs. Lopez screeched once Everett and I walked through the front doors of his house later that night. The two of us were still soaking wet from our trip to the beach, and we were shivering uncontrollably from the cold wind that had swept across us on our way home. “Jeremy, get over here!”

                I heard footsteps coming from the living room, as Mr. Rosenfeld appeared. His face was blank as he stared between Everett and I, before his eyes went wide. “My Lord,” he paused, taking in the sight of the two of us, “you two are drenched! How did this happen? It’s not even raining outside!”

                I sniffled, as I wrapped my arms around my chest to try to get more warmth. It seemed so fun with Everett at the beach, but the consequences for going in the winter were catching up to me. I suddenly felt light-headed and exhausted, as I let out a hoarse cough.

                Once Mrs. Lopez heard me, she let out a sigh. “I’ll have to call your mother later, Riley. Wait up in the guest room.” She muttered, running a hand through her thick, black curls. “I’ll bring you some medicine and a set of clothes.”

                I nodded weakly, as Everett and I crept up the stairs. I could faintly hear Mrs. Lopez and Mr. Rosenfeld chatting, and I couldn’t help but notice that Mrs. Lopez said, “I can’t believe the two would get sick three days before the wedding.” She hushed. “I need all of the groomsmen and bridesmaids to be in perfect condition!”

                I instantly felt guilty for not thinking about the wedding sooner because I was too caught up in trying to make Everett forget about the anniversary of his mother’s death. Once I heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the hallway, I rushed into the guest room, tucking myself into the bed. The warm sheets immediately soothed me, as I heard the door slowly opening.

                Mrs. Lopez stood by the doorway with a glass of water and pills in one hand, and a set of clothes in the other.”How are you feeling?” she asked, pressing her palms against my forehead.

                “Not any better.” I groaned honestly.

                Mrs. Lopez handed me two pills, as I downed it with some warm water. “I’ve already called your mother, and she thinks that it’d be best for you to stay here for the night.” Mrs. Lopez gave me a small smile, thrusting the set of dry clothes towards my direction. “I just took some of these out of Maria’s dresser, if you don’t mind.”

                I shook my head, giving her a weak smile. “Thanks.” I mumbled, before letting out a sickening sneeze. “Sorry for all the trouble.”

                Mrs. Lopez gave me a smile, before shaking her head. “It’s no problem.” She whispered. “I’m just glad that you’ve made Everett happy. This is the happiest I’ve seen him since I’ve gotten here.”

                I didn’t say anything, as I heard Mrs. Lopez getting up to leave. I assumed that she thought I had fallen asleep, since I was so silent. Once I heard the door close and the light switch turning off, I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling. The room was completely dark, with the exception of the moonlight coming from the window. I crawled myself out of bed with all the energy I had inside me, sitting by the window sill. I stared up at the sky, noticing that it was a full moon out today. A mass amount of stars surrounded the bright, lucid moon. One stood out in particular, glistening in the dark. I knew it sounded completely ridiculous, but something inside me told me that the star represented Colette. She was trying to tell me that she was doing good- she was alright.

                There was a sudden knock on the door, startling me. I turned to face the door, not saying a word. If it was either Mr. Rosenfeld or Mrs. Lopez, I wasn’t really in the mood to talk. After a moment of silence, there was another knock on the door, but this time, a voice spoke. “It’s me.”

                My eyes snapped up, as I parted my lips. “Come in.” I said quietly, before the door creaked open.

                Everett appeared at the doorway, quietly closing the door behind him. He had changed out of his wet clothes just like I had. “What are you doing?” he asked, walking towards the window, where I was standing.

                “I’m just staring up at the stars.” I muttered, my eyes still focused on the sparkly one that outshone the rest of the stars.

                Everett nodded slowly, looking up with me. “They’re really pretty, aren’t they?”

                I smiled faintly, glancing over at him. “They are.”

                Everett turned towards me, his hands shoved in the pockets of his sweatpants. Even under the darkness, I could see a faint blush creeping up his neck. “I just wanted to say thank you, for today.” Everett said sheepishly, biting his lower lip.

                I laughed bitterly, before shaking my head. “Thanking me for today?” I asked sarcastically. “Everett, I got the both of us sick.”

                Everett shrugged, before giving me a small smile. “It was worth it.” He paused. “Forgetting about everything, just for one day and being with you, it was all worth it.”

                My eyes roamed across his face to find signs of dishonesty, but I couldn’t find a thing. Gulping, I slowly raised on the tip of my toes, so that my face was directly in front of his. I brushed my lips against his cheek, leaving it there for a few seconds, before pulling away.

                Everett looked at me with pure surprise, as his fingers gently touched the spot where my lips had pressed against his cheek. “Riley-“ he started off.

                “It’s getting late.” I cut him off, turning my head around, facing away from him. “The two of us should get some sleep if we want to get rid of this cold.”

                Everett remained silent for a moment, before I heard the sound of his feet shuffling across the floor. Before he closed the door, I felt his presence turn around to give me one last look, before leaving.

*

                During the summer before freshman year, my mother and I went down to the Rosenfeld’s beach house with their whole family. We spent the entire two months of vacation we had down there, and I had to admit that it was one of the most memorable summers of my life.

                The Rosenfeld’s were much richer than my family was, so their beach house was relevantly large.  The beach house was big enough so that there were enough rooms for all seven of us, including Everett’s aunt and uncle. I remember my room clearly- it was right across from Everett’s room. The walls were painted creamy beige and the floor was covered in wooden boards. My room was fairly simple with a white vanity, light pink bed sheets and a white dresser. What I loved about my room the most was that it had the best view in the beach house. From where my window was, you could see the entire beach nice and clearly. Everything about it was handpicked by Colette, specially designed for me.

                “Hon, what are you doing inside today?” Colette asked, walking in my room just to find me reading a novel by my bedside. “The weather’s great outside. You should be hitting the beach with Everett.”

                I folded my novel on my lap, letting out a sigh. “Everett’s not hanging out with me today.” My thirteen year-old self pouted. “He found a new friend at the boardwalk the other day. Her name’s Alana.”

                Colette let out a small chuckle, before sitting at the end of my bed. She placed a hand on my leg, giving me a small smile. “Everett’s found himself a new girl friend, huh?”

                “Yeah.” I muttered, crossing my arms stubbornly. “We were supposed to go surfing today but he cancelled to go to the movies with her.”

                “Well, there’s no need to be upset, Riley.” Colette ran a hand through my knotted hair. “I’m sure Everett will find time to go surfing with you tomorrow, or maybe even later today if he comes back early.”

                “As if he’ll remember.” I mumbled. “He seemed so excited today to go see Alana. He even wore his lucky socks.”

                “Oh, Riley.” Colette sighed, a faint smile spreading across her lips. “Everett will never forget about you. The boy loves you.”

                My hormonal self turned red, as I remembered how the two of us kissed for the very first time just a few months back. Ever since then, we never spoke about it, but it didn’t affect our friendship at all. “Really?” I squeaked.

                Colette grinned, nodding. “Of course, babe.” She assured. “What’s not to love?”

                Everett didn’t come back earlier that day so that the two of us would have time to go surfing. When he came back, he had a broad grin across his face, his cheeks flushed red. I was in the kitchen by myself, finishing my dinner, while all of the adults had gone out for the night.

                “You’re back.” I stated the obvious, once Everett appeared in the kitchen. “Did you have fun with Alana?”

                Everett nodded eagerly, grabbing a can of soda out from the fridge. He popped it open, before taking a large gulp. “I did.” He smiled. “She’s really nice.”

                I suddenly felt jealously burn inside me, as I jabbed my spoon into my bowl of soup. “That’s great.” I muttered sarcastically, unable to meet Everett in the eye.

                Everett noticed my foul mood, walking towards me, as he tilted my chin up with his fingers. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

                I dropped my spoon down, before swatting away his hands. “I’m fine.” I muttered, pushing myself off of the kitchen stool.

                “You aren’t mad that I cancelled our plans to go surfing today, right?” Everett asked, pure guilt in his green eyes. “You said you were alright with it earlier today.”

                Well, I was lying.

                “I’m not mad.” I grumbled, before crossing my