Snowed In

BOONE

“Hey man…”

I was almost asleep when I heard the call. So close to drifting off, I was pretty sure I’d dreamed it.

But then I looked up, and there they were: Frick and Frack. The Not-so-Dynamic Duo.

“What?” I asked tiredly, sitting up. If they’d come down here for trouble, I really wasn’t into it. We had enough trouble already.

“Well first off,” Shane said, approaching me with his hands out. “Truce.”

I squinted through the steam. Jeremy was behind him. Both of them came over slowly, as non-threateningly as possible, and knelt down beside me.

“Okay,” I sighed. “Truce.”

It was good news, really. The first rational thing that had happened since the avalanche.

“We want you to come upstairs,” said Shane. “Share the fire with us. No more fraternity rivalry.”

“Never was any,” I countered. “At least, not from me.”

“I get that,” he said. “Which is why we’re here to…” he paused a moment, then sighed before continuing. “Well, we’re here to apologize.”

I raised an involuntary eyebrow. Now things were getting interesting.

“The truth is you saved my life,” said Jeremy. “You probably even saved us all, driving off that bear.”

“We all drove off the bear,” I offered. “I think it took home a little of each of us.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Shane. “But what you did there, at the end? Man. That was pretty fucking legendary.”

I nodded, still feeling the tightness of the wounds in my back. But I could see they were being genuine. They meant what they said.

“All crazy bear attacks aside,” said Shane, “I couldn’t give less of a shit that you’re in Alpha Rho. Or that we’re in Delta Lambda Mu. Or that—”

“I get it,” I interjected, letting him off the hook. “Don’t sweat it. Trust me.”

“What he’s saying is no more bullshit,” Jeremy jumped in. “No more ‘us versus them’ nonsense. No more ego, no more pride… let’s just all work together while we’re stuck here, to get ourselves out of this.”

I nodded, secretly relieved. “Agreed.”

“Good. Glad we’re on the same page with all that.”

There was another pause — a much longer one this time — and I knew right away what was coming. It was the only thing that could be coming.

“Now about Morgan…”

I rubbed the beginnings of sleep from my eyes. “What about her?”

“We know you like her,” Jeremy stumbled awkwardly. “It’s… it’s understandable. We… well…” he glanced at Shane. “We—”

“Like her too?” I almost snickered.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “That.”

My first instinct was to deny it. To throw up a wall, and tell them I wasn’t interested in the girl whatsoever. But that would’ve been wrong. Actually, that would’ve been the polar opposite of the truth.

And besides, we were trying to break down walls here. For once, anyway.