Frostbitten (5 page)

Anastasia couldn’t have
cared less about the color of her nail polish. What she did care about, though,
was that she’d stopped Kate from visually dissecting her. By the sneer on
Kate’s face, Anastasia knew that she was expected to bow down to her. Well,
that certainly wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

“How are your classes
so far?” Chloe asked Anastasia, most likely noticing the growing tension.

“Horrible,” Anastasia
replied honestly as she unwrapped her club sandwich and began to eat. “Do you
guys know some hormonally-charged couple named Jack and Jill? They were
practically rolling on the science floor – it was disgusting! They’re also such
liars. You wouldn’t believe what they said about me.”

Kate cleared her throat
loudly. “As a matter of fact, I do know Jack. He’s my cousin.”

“Oh,” Anastasia
muttered, casting a glance at Chloe and Marissa, who looked sufficiently
awkward.

“He’s also a preacher’s
son,” Kate snapped. “So, I highly doubt he’s capable of lying.”

There was so much irony
in Jack being the son of a preacher that Anastasia hardly knew where to begin
her mockery. She quickly bit her tongue, though, and decided to keep her
less-than-stellar opinions about organized religion to herself. Cedar Falls was
a very religious town, and the church had a large following which included her
grandparents.

“So, your last name is
Lockhart,” Kate began, as if preparing for another attack. “Is that right,
Anastasia?” She continued quickly, not waiting for a response. “That must make
you Kendall’s daughter.”

Blood rushed to
Anastasia’s cheeks. The thought that some of her mother’s former friends would
recognize her and ask a lot of prying questions had crossed her mind. After
all, the physical similarities between the two of them were very pronounced.
However, she’d never expected anyone who was her own age to start inquiring
about her mother.

“You know my mother?”
Anastasia asked, pretending like it was no big deal.

“Her reputation
precedes her,” Kate answered smugly. “This town never forgets.”

“Then what a petty town
this is,” Anastasia said through clenched teeth and in a tone that was barely
audible.

Of course, Kate heard
her and was more than happy to respond in a sweetly insincere manner. “Don’t
fret about it. Cedar Falls has many other conversation starters – for example,
Frost. Now there’s a real freak story.”

Marissa, who had looked
confused for the last minute or so, suddenly seemed alert. Chloe, on the other
hand, still appeared uncomfortable. Although they’d never talked about her
mother when they were young, Anastasia knew that Chloe would’ve heard the
scandalous details from her parents.

“What’s Frost?”
Anastasia asked, desperate to have the negative attention taken away from her.

“Not what – who,” Chloe
replied.

“Frost is so cute,”
Marissa gushed. “He’s got this totally sexy bad boy thing going on,” she added
to Anastasia.

“Be quiet,” Kate
hissed. “Never let anyone hear you say that. It’ll permanently destroy your
reputation.”

“Sorry,” Marissa
muttered as she concentrated on eating her lunch in an obvious attempt to
conceal her embarrassment.

Kate shook her head in
disapproval as she spoke to apparently anyone who would listen. “Frost is such
a loner. He acts different from the rest of us, like he doesn’t even want to
fit in. It’s so strange, but I guess I shouldn’t complain. After all, a guy
like that has no right to be a part of this town. It’s best for everyone if he
just stays away.”

Anastasia was taken
aback by Kate’s harsh bigotry, especially as she continued to insult Frost in
an almost rant-like state. Although she had a lot of nasty things to say about
him, she never actually explained why she disliked him so much. Anastasia
thought this was very odd, and she assumed that there was more to the story than
Kate was willing to reveal. Regardless of what was going on, she wished that
Kate would shut up. After all, she’d just learned the hard way that it was
never a good idea to talk poorly about someone, even if they did deserve it.

When lunch finally came
to an end, Anastasia couldn’t get out of the cafeteria fast enough. Although
Chloe had insisted that Anastasia join them again tomorrow, there was no way
she was going to suffer through another lunch like today. Somehow, she’d just
have to make her own friends.

As Anastasia walked
through the school’s Humanities wing in search of her English class, she
noticed that the hallways were a lot busier. Even more prominent was the
impoliteness of many of the students. One girl had allowed a door to slam shut
in her face, while another had bumped into her and not apologized. Being
treated this way by strangers gave Anastasia a new vantage point in regards to
her own recent behavior. In Toronto, she used to hurry through her days, not
truly caring about other people. Instead, she spent her time dwelling on her
seemingly meaningless and hopeless existence. It was a selfish and ugly way of
life, and she didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore. Starting today,
she decided to take small steps in the right direction. She held doors open for
other students, and she didn’t yell at the girl who’d bumped into her.

Anastasia’s good
behavior seemed to reap immediate rewards as she suddenly saw Gorgeous walking
straight toward her, almost like he’d appeared out of nowhere. As he drew
closer, her heart beat faster, and it felt like her body was starting to melt.
His smile was perfect, his intense eyes were locked on hers, and she couldn’t
help but fantasize about the chiseled body that was likely underneath his jeans
and dark blue sweater. Everything about him, from the slight stubble upon his
face, to his self-assured yet humble demeanor, made him appear more mature than
the other boys at Cedar Falls.

He was now only a few
feet away from Anastasia, but his smile had faded and it looked like he’d lost
his confidence. He cast a somewhat timid glance at her and then disappeared
into a classroom. Anastasia was disappointed that he hadn’t spoken to her, and
she was even more upset to learn that her classroom was right next door to his.
Couldn’t karma have helped her just a bit more and put them in the same class?
At this rate, she’d never get to know him. Not that it would make a difference,
though. He was probably one of the most popular boys at Cedar Falls, and that
meant he’d be interested in someone like Kate – not her.

Sighing, Anastasia
hurried into her English class. By this point, she wasn’t surprised to find yet
another disappointment awaiting her. In the middle of the class sat Jill, and
it was clear from her expression that she wasn’t ready to play nice. Quickly,
Anastasia found a seat at the front of the class.

“Good afternoon,” the
teacher greeted as he entered the classroom and began unpacking today’s
material onto his desk. He was probably in his mid-thirties, and with light
brown hair, green eyes, a good physique, and a sexy Irish accent, he was very
eye-catching. “Welcome,” he said, turning his gaze to Anastasia. “According to
my records you’re Anastasia Lockhart.”

“Yes,” she said
quietly, wishing that he hadn’t said her last name out loud. If Kate knew about
her mother, then maybe other students did, too.

“I’m Mr. O’Donoghue,”
he said, offering his hand to her. “I’m sorry to say you’ve picked quite a time
to join us. We’re half-way through Milton’s Paradise Lost, and we have a test
scheduled for next Monday. I’m sure I’ll find a way to get you caught up,
though.”

“That’s okay,”
Anastasia said, after releasing his hand. “I read Paradise Lost when I was
twelve, but I still remember it well.”

Mr. O’Donoghue was
impressed, but a few students laughed. Anastasia’s face reddened slightly. It
probably wasn’t the best idea to add that it was one of her favorite classic
novels.

“You’ve humbled me,”
Mr. O’Donoghue admitted. “I didn’t study any of Milton’s work until
university.”

Mr. O’Donoghue stepped
away from Anastasia’s desk and began presenting his prepared material. He was a
talented, lively lecturer, and it was apparent that he was passionate about his
job. After just forty-five minutes in his presence, it was clear to her that
his greatest skill was making literature accessible, especially for such a
challenging book.

“So, that brings me to
the question of how do we read these characters,” Mr. O’Donoghue said, bringing
his lecture to an end. “Let’s start with the character of Satan. How does
Milton represent him and why is it significant?”

“Satan is the
representation of evil,” Jill answered without raising her hand. “There’s no
good in him, so he must be destroyed.”

“That’s a good start,”
Mr. O’Donoghue said generously, “but is there any other way Milton portrays
him, and why does he do so?”

The class fell silent,
and no one raised their hand.

“Anastasia, you look
pensive,” Mr. O’Donoghue noted. “Mind sharing your thoughts?”

“I think Satan is the
most complex character in Paradise Lost,” Anastasia began. “He’s portrayed
almost human-like because of his jealousy, anger and drive. That’s what makes
him the most relatable character in the whole book. Also, he’s the first one to
be introduced to the readers, and he has a goal that he’s determined to
achieve. According to most epics written during Milton’s time, wouldn’t that
make Satan the protagonist?”

“Excellent
observations,” Mr. O’Donoghue complimented. “Can anyone respond to the question
Anastasia has raised?” When no one spoke up, he faced her once again. “Care to
answer your own question?”

“He’s both the
protagonist and antagonist because he started as an angel but then succumbed to
his jealously for God’s Son. He had a choice, but he made the wrong one. Milton
wrote a cautionary tale. Since we possess traits similar to Satan’s, we too can
fall from grace.”

“That’s a very
insightful interpretation,” Mr. O’Donoghue praised Anastasia, before addressing
the whole class. “If everyone wrote with that level of analysis, you’d all be getting
A’s.”

The bell rang, and for
the first time that day, Anastasia didn’t want the class to be over.
Reluctantly, she placed her notebook and pen into her backpack. That’s when she
experienced a creepy feeling, as if someone was breathing down her neck.

“Satanic bitch,” a
female voice whispered in Anastasia’s ear.

Tears instantly stung
Anastasia’s eyes. She didn’t need to turn around to find out who had spoken.
The voice unmistakably belonged to Jill.

“Anastasia, can I see
you for a moment?” Mr. O’Donoghue asked.

After her nasty
comment, Jill had been one of the last students to leave the classroom.
Anastasia and Mr. O’Donoghue were now alone, and as she walked toward his desk,
she had to force back her tears. She was neither Satanic nor a bitch, but being
called such things hurt very deeply.

“I’m confused,” Mr.
O’Donoghue began in a serious tone. “I have your mid-term English grade from
the last school you attended. Either you’re failing or one of their
administrative assistants is prone to typos.”

“I know I’m failing,”
Anastasia said quietly.

“From what I saw today,
you have the potential to be an outstanding student,” Mr. O’Donoghue said,
instead of prying any further into her previous academic mishaps. “I run a
literacy group that meets three times a week during lunch. Basically, we get
together to discuss books, but we also offer tutoring services and often
organize literary events in the community. I think this would be a great
opportunity for you, especially since you’ll be getting extra credit.”

“Sign me up,” Anastasia
hurried to say. Joining the literacy group was a no-brainer; it would allow her
to pass the class, while giving her a legit excuse as to why she could no
longer have lunch with Kate. Anastasia smiled at Mr. O’Donoghue. He had no idea
how much he was really helping her.

The school day had come
to an end, and Anastasia was now walking down a deserted snow-covered road. The
bright sun still shone in the spotless blue sky, and as she looked at the
cedars which lined the road, she noticed how the snow fell like confetti every
time a slight breeze stirred the branches. It was a beautiful mid-afternoon,
but Anastasia was beginning to feel uneasy. She’d been walking for too long,
and her surroundings were no longer familiar. Somewhere along the way, she must
have made a wrong turn, causing her to become lost.

Anastasia was
embarrassed to admit that she needed help, especially since she’d been so
adamant about walking home. Nonetheless, she retrieved her cell phone, knowing
that she’d have to call her grandfather. She tried dialing, but the call failed
immediately – she wasn’t getting any reception out here. Realizing that she
could be in serious trouble, panic seized her.

“I’m going to get
through this,” Anastasia whispered to herself. Those were the words she’d often
used for comfort whenever she felt sad or scared. Right now, though, she knew
that she had to think rationally. Although a car hadn’t passed for the last
twenty-five minutes or so, there was a set of tire marks on the road. She could
follow those tracks, hoping that they’d lead to some type of help, but turning
around and re-tracing her steps seemed like a better option.