Jean and Alice

Today is the day. The day that my best friend in the entire world is moving back to my state—Upstate New York. She's sixteen like me, her name is Alice and she lives in New Orleans. Well she used to live in New Orleans, now she's on her way here. Like, she's on a train and she’s bound to be here in a few hours! One winter when we were thirteen—the year she moved away—we made a pact. That we would never go sledding on the hill in the tiny park behind the library, without each other ever. So here I am, three years and two months later and I haven't been sledding since that day.

“Jean! Mom wants you!” My little sister, Kristina, slams the door to the room we share open.

The little wooden sign on the frame above the door (that says room sweet room on it) falls from it's place and onto the floor.

Kristina is only ten and honestly a little annoying, but I love her.

I leap up from my bed and walk down the hallway and into the kitchen where Mom's holding a smoking pan.

“Jean, oh you’re here,” My mom says, relieved. “Will you throw a gluten free frozen pizza in the oven? I burned the spaghetti and I'm going to be late for my appointment.”

I cringe at the smell of burnt food. “Yeah. Sure. Of course Mom.”

“Thanks honey. Maybe you could clean the pot too?” I glance at the pot on the counter. The gluten free spaghetti is black and very hard looking. Fun.

I turn to the fridge and pull a pizza out of the freezer. Even though they don't have any gluten they're actually really good.

“Mm-hmm.” I say.

★

I stare at my phone waiting for the text that says: Just got here come on over bestie. But I've been staring at the screen for an hour. They were supposed to be here already. My eyes feel dry and burn-y . I'm not sure if it's from the dry winter air or from staring at my phone waiting for the text. I close my eyes. Within a second my phone roars. My message sound is a raptor roar from Jurassic Park. My Eyes flash open and I quickly see the text.

Alice: Our train had to stop in New York City. We prob won't be there today. GTG. 🙁

My heart sinks. Of course. Dad said I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. He was right.

“Jean what are you doing?” Dad asks.

I inspect what I’m doing. Sitting in a laundry basket on the basement floor full of clean laundry.

I pull myself out of the basket. “Nothing.”

Luckily it wasn't Mom. She is particular about the laundry. Stuff about no wrinkles. Yet all of her clothes end up looking wrinkly Anyway.

Dad eyes me suspiciously, but then strides over to the toolbox.

I walk upstairs. But slip on a plastic baggie on the kitchen floor. A pathetic littler girl scream escapes my throat as I fall face first on the floor. I lay on the floor a minute as pain shoots through my hip and shoulder, my cheek cool on the tile floor. When I sit up I feel something wet on my face. Gross. There must have been water or something on the floor. I search the floor for water but only find a drop of red liquid. Then it dawns on me. It's blood! I lift my fingers up to touch my face. My hand is covered in blood. I know I'm the oldest child in the family, six whole years older than Kristina. But I can't stand blood. I'm supposed to be the brave one. The role model. But I'm just a coward. A disappointment. My cheeks burn from shame, or actually maybe that's pain from the cut. And now I'm starting to feel a little woozy from seeing the blood.

Dad must have heard my scream because he walks into the kitchen.

His eyes are wide when he sees me. “What happened!”

I must be a sight, sitting on the kitchen floor pale and covered in blood. Ok maybe that’s a little dramatic, but still.

I look down, wishing I could be less pathetic. “I slipped.”

“I'll get your mom. Okay? You're fine.” He says, filling the doorway with his massive form as he exits.

“ ’Kay”

★

It's the next day and of course I'm fine. I ended up with a shallow cut on my forehead and a few bruises, but I'm fine. But mentally I am not fine. I need this snowstorm to end and I need my friend Alice to come. I haven't seen her in years and I haven't heard from her all day. I'm sitting in my room—that I share with Kristina—gazing out the window. Staring into the white blizzard outside. I grab my phone and click on Alice’s picture. Her black, coily hair is perfect in this picture.

“Hey.” Alice says, her voice excited.

“ So?”

“We’re on our way!” she squeals.

“Awesome sauce!”

“What does that even mean?”

I think about that. Maybe sauce that's awesome? “I don't know.”

“What did I say about using words that you don't know the definition of?”

“That they're totes awesome sauce?”

“No I told you not to use them.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I actually have to go. My battery is running out.” Alice says.

“ ‘kay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

★

“What time are you going to your friend’s house?” Mom asks, zipping up her boots.

“I don't know. Her train got cancelled yesterday.”

“Oh. Well, we’re going sledding in 10 minutes. Are you coming?” Mom asks.

I open the fridge and stare. “I can’t.”

“I'm worried about you. You never go outside. You need fresh air and exercise.”

“Yeah I'll go for a walk later. Okay?”

She nods disappointedly.

“Do we have anything else to eat?”

Mim pauses to think. “Yeah. I think we have some gluten free crackers in the pantry.”

“Uh, do we have any that aren't gluten free? They taste like cardboard.”

“You know you're sister’s allergic. It wouldn't be fair to eat yummy crackers in front of her.”

“Okay.”

Kristina walks into the kitchen. She's wearing her hot pink snow pants and her short brown hair is pulled into two messy braids. “Were going sledding! Are you coming?”

“Sorry. I can’t.” I say, opening the box of crackers.

Kristina glares at me, her brown little eyes piercing my soul. I feel guilty. I mean I want to come, but Alice and I agreed. “What! You never come. You never do anything fun.” Kristina whines.

“I want to come. But I can’t. I'm sorry.”

Mom shoots me an understanding look.

“Whatever. I didn't want you to come anyway. You're just a…just a butthead.”

Mom stands up zipping her coat. “Kristina. Don’t name call.”

I just sit there. I know she didn't mean it, but it still burns.

★

When they get back Mom looks pretty with her cheeks glowing red from the cold, Dad has snowflakes in his short beard and Kristina is smiling so wide I can see the gap between her two front teeth. That is until she sees me. She kicks off her boots leaving a pile of snow on the kitchen floor. Her face falls and she glares at me. Great.

I shiver as the cold air finally reaches me.

“How was sledding Mom?” I ask, stepping into the living room to avoid the people stampede.

She stands on her tippy toes to reach the coat hook that Dad put up too high. “Good. I wish you would've came.”

The guilt that I had tucked under the couch cushions crawls back out and latches onto me.

Suddenly my phone rings. Saved by the bell. Well, more accurately: saved by the raptor roar.

“Hello?”

It’s Alice!

“Hey.” I say, walking into my room and slamming the door shut causing the little sign to fall. Again.

“We're at my grandparents house. You can come over now.”

“Awesome! I'll be there in ten.”

“Bye.”

By the time she hangs up and I hear the beep, I'm in the kitchen.

Mom has a towel and she's cleaning up the melted snow from the kitchen floor.

“Mom can you please drive me to Alice’s grandparent’s house? Please?”

“Ask you're father to drive you. I have to make dinner.”

“Ok. Thanks.”

★

Dad pulls the mini van up to a pale-green, oddly square shaped, house with a dead bush by the front steps.

I slide the door open and step out into the bitter cold, the wind seeping through my coat like a bucket of ice water. “Thanks Dad.”

“Yup.”

I walk up the icy steps and nock. Nothing… I nock again. Still nothing… And just as I'm about to nock for the third time, the door swings open. A short old woman opens the door. The top of her head is covered in white curls still crisp from the curling iron. She's wearing giant glasses and a sweater the exact shade of the house. Her face is wrinkly and her skin is the same chocolatey color as Alice’s.

“I'm Jean. Alice's friend.”

“Come in Jean.” She turns and walks into a living room straight out of an old movie.

It smells like old lady perfume, dust and cookies. The couch is ancient, and the TV looks older. It’s a box TV with antennas on top.

“I’ll go get Alice.” She says, walking up the stairs slowly.

I look around the room. On a white painted wall is a wooden rack covered with tiny spoons from different states and countries.

“Jean!” Alice squeals, racing down the stairs.

We both hug, and then she looks at me funny.

“What?” I ask.

“You look different. Did you dye your hair?”

Speaking of different Alice looks different. She's thinner causing her to also look taller. And her coily hair isn’t long like it used to be, it's cut shorter into an afro style.

“I got high lights.” I say.

“Oh.”

Then there’s a long awkward pause.

All this time that I've been waiting to see Alice again, I’d never thought that things would be different. But of course it's different. It's been three years. She has new friends in Louisiana. And I've been hanging out with some girls from my school. I'm not the same person I was three years ago. So how did I expect her to be the same?

“So…” I start. “How was New Orleans?”

“The city is huge. And very crowded. And the summers are sooooo hot and humid. I swear it’s so hot you can see the heat radiating off the street.”

“Wow.”

“What did I miss here?” she asks sitting down on the couch.

“You know the usual drama. Ashley broke up with Jason again. Everyone has been staying inside because it’s sooooo cold out. Oh and there was a tornado last summer that destroyed Marco’s Pizzeria.”

“Really? That place had the best pizza.”

“Yeah.”

Alice walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain. “Wanna go sledding this afternoon? I missed the snow so much.”

“Yeah. Of course. I haven’t gone sledding ever since we made the pact.”

“Seriously? You remembered?”

“Yeah. Of course!”

★

I jump onto my bed and put my socks on.

“Hey Kristina, will you go sledding with me?” I ask.

Kristina frowns. “No. You haven't gone sledding with me in forever. And now you expect me to just go with you now. Besides I already went today.”

“Kristina, I'm sorry. I really wanted to go all those times, but I made a deal with Alice that I wouldn't go sledding without her.”

“THAT’S WHY you ruined my child hood memories? Because your little friend!” Her face was now a bright red.

I feel kind of scared. “Please come. It’ll be fun. I'm sorry Kristina. Ple-ase?”

“Fine. But only 'cause I need to burn off all the frosting I ate for lunch.”

Mom was letting her eat frosting for lunch now?

“Thank you! You won’t regret it. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Jean.”

★

I climb up the snow covered hill followed by Kristina. When we get to the top Alice gets the sled ready for Kristina to sled down the hill.

“This is going to be so fun.” Alice says, her breath creating a puffy cloud around her face.

“Yeah. I highly doubt that.” Kristina mumbles grumpily.

Alice turns to me and whispers. “What happened to her?”

“She is upset that I didn’t go sledding with her sooner.” I say, tucking my hair into my hat.

“Oh.”

“Can one of you push me?” Kristina asks.

“Yeah.” I say.

I bend over and push her down the hill. Her sled flies down and shoots over a bump of snow. I grab my sled at the same time Alice does and we look over at each other.

“Race!” We say in unison.

“Ready, set…go!” I say, and we both slide swiftly down the hill, loose snow stinging my face.

“I won!” Alice says when we reach the bottom.

We high five then climb back up.

When we’re back at the top Kristina walks up to me. “I wish I didn’t have to say this, but I am having fun.”

I feel a smile creep across my frozen face. “I'm having fun too. We should do this more often.

“Yeah.” She says and hops on her sled.

“Race you!”

“Uh, no fair! You got a head start!” I hurry into my sled and zoom down the hill.

The first short story in the JEAN AND ALICE trilogy.