I lay in bed, warm under my comforter. I’m curled up with my back to the wall, sketching a bluejay I saw earlier today. I hear a knock on my window, and am not surprised to find her smiling at me from outside my window. There’s a red directly next to my window, and she’s taken to climbing it. I open it, and tug her inside quickly. “Jesus! It’s freezing out there.” I complain as I shut the window and lock it once again. She rolls her eyes, already tugging off her coat, scarf, and mittens. “Yeah, yeah, Bex, whatever.” I scoff, but close my sketchbook and slide it into my bedside table, which is really just a wooden crate turned on its side and stuffed with books. She takes of her mittens and puts them on the wooden-enclosed radiator. It has vents in the bottom, but makes a perfect shelf for books. She stacks some books to make space for them.

I lift the covers, and gesture for her to get in. I’m not giving up my warm spot- I don’t care that she climbed a tree to come see me. She presses her lips to mine, brief, fleeting. I turn and settle so we’re spooning, but I smack her hands away from my bare skin. “They’re like ice blocks!” I whine, kicking out under the covers. She sits up quickly, and hits her head on my sloped roof. I laugh so hard I snort, and she holds the back of her head while I crack up. She slugs me in the arm, and it’s not long before we’re grappling.

My dad busts in. He doesn’t care that’s she’s in here- I have tons of fiends, so there’s never any shortage of girl in and out of our house. “You girls keep it down, yeah?” He asks, glasses lopsided on his face. I stand up, and stand on my tippy toes to fix them and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, Mister Morgan.” She says, and I agree. “Goodnight, daddy.” I say, and he softens and gives me a hug. He can say what he wants, but I know I’ve always been his favourite. I was the first, so naturally I’m the best. She doesn’t have any siblings, it’s just her and her mom.

Morris, who had been previously lounging on the radiator, jumps off and runs out of the room as my dad closes the door. I can’t blame him; we’ll probably get pretty raunchy if I let her. He’s fine with girls, because why would I be dating a girl, right (wrong), but if a boy so much as calls the house it’s a crime. My mom opens my door, leaning against my doorframe with a bright smile, her honey-blonde hair in curlers. “Will you be sleeping over, honey?” She asks, and I answer yes for her. My mom smiles brighter, and leaves us alone. I know she has her backpack somewhere, probably with cigarettes we can smoke later.

She produces a carton of cigarettes and a lighter from her bag- the lighter is pink and orange. She kisses me again, and I taste smoke even though it’s not much of a kiss. I snuggle in with my childhood teddy bear, as she hides both item under the loose floorboard under my bed. “Just a little early Christmas present. Somethin’ to hold you over.” She says as she gets back into bed and turns my lamp off. We make out for a bit, but it doesn’t go past kissing. We’ve gotta be quiet anyway, since my Gran’s staying with us for Christmas. We settle pretty quickly, and she tucks her head in the dip between my neck and shoulder as we chat a little more.