CHAPTER LIII:
pretty

( December 1995 )

"HAVE YOU EVER GONE ICE SKATING BEFORE?" George questioned while tying the laces of his skates.

      Ginger sat beside him nodding her head, "once before. And I will admit, I am not that great at it." She finished looping her laces around each other and setting her camera and shoes in a lockbox so none of her things would get ruined.

      "Well that's great because I'm not either," he admitted standing up. He held out his hands in front of her and she gently took them. Upon standing so quickly with the blades of her skates beneath her, her balance was knocked off course and she ended up leaning into George.

      "I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't exactly have the best balance in the world." Ginger pressed her lips into a thin line with her face beginning to heat up.

      George chuckled nodding, "one could assume that."

      Ginger held on to George's coat until they got into the rink joining the rest of the group. Lee, just being who he was, skated circles around Ginger who was only focusing on moving, not falling, and not making a fool of herself.

      "If you keep doing that, you're both gonna go down," Angelina quipped. Ginger nodded agreeing and Lee shrugged going back to skating alongside her.

      After about an hour of skating, the sun had begun to set creating a gentle glow over the outdoor rink. The snow never ceased to stop falling as couples, friends, and families happily skated together across the ice. Ginger had finally gained a confidence in her skating skills during that hour making her experience far better than the last time she skated. An enormous grin indented itself on her face throughout the entire outing that she was sure she would have smile lines for hours after she stopped.

      "Alright, I suppose your balance isn't all that bad," George commented while skating coming up beside her.

      She shrugged agreeing, "don't go jinxing me though." With her attention on him with her head turned behind her, she hadn't noticed the way her skates were slowly becoming closer and closer with George's. Neither had he. Well, he did when she began to lose her balance when they slightly touched. And he most definitely did when his skate went right in front of hers cutting her off and causing her to go tumbling forward into the ice. Headfirst.

      Lee, Fred, and Angelina rushed over when they saw her face down on the ice with George worriedly crouching down to her.

      "Is she conscious?" Lee questioned when he came to a stop.

      "Is she alive is the question." Fred turned his head to Lee.

      Ginger shook her head still facing the ice while groaning. They all let out sighs of relief when she rolled over on her back, chest heaving.

      She touched a hand to her face, "at least there's no blood this time," she mumbled. George furrowed his brows at her but ignored it. "I think that's enough skating for today, or maybe forever." She sat up, snowflakes falling into her hair.

      "Definitely forever, Moon." George helped her up. "You guys keep skating, we'll just go for a walk or something." They hesitantly stayed for a moment before leaving the two to go to safe ground.

      Unlacing their skates, Ginger spoke, "the last time I skated I face-planted into the ice just like that." George laughed but attempted to mask it with a cough when she shot a look at him. "This time was different though since there wasn't any blood." He nodded agreeing while putting his shoes back on. "And I was laughed at after it happened last time."

      "Oh, I'm absolutely going to bring this up and laugh about it later, that won't be different," he laughed when she shoved his shoulder scoffing.

      "Walk around?" She stood up after finishing with her shoes and adjusting the leg warmers that sat above them over a pair of tights she wore. George nodded following her after they brought their skates up to a boy who sat behind a counter for giving and taking them.

      Ginger stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black puffer jacket while burying her face into the top part of it when a gust of wind pushed past them.

      George took notice of this since he too had done something similar in a sense. "Let's go in here." He lightly put his hand in the space of her arm and into a nearby shop.

      It was a small shop with little nicknacks around on shelves. It had been poorly lit up by gas lanterns that had been placed all around it creating an orange glow onto the brown accents. The warm luminosity created a tint over both of the teen's freckles, amplifying them across their cheeks.

      Ginger glanced up at George to see him observing those shopping around. His eyes flickered over every person with curiosity and it sparked a flame within Ginger's heart to see him so tame as the snow littered his red hair and eyelashes making him look like the love interest straight out of a storybook that she would read. He looked quite pretty, to say the least.

      "You're pretty." Her eyes widened when the words slipped out of her mouth.

      His cheeks reddened more than the cold had made them do so when his eyes met hers. "Pretty you say?" he teased.

      "I didn't mean to say that," she rushed out. "I mean it's true, you are quite the pretty boy, but I didn't mean to say it just now." She dug her grave deeper as he watched her amused with his cheeks burning.

"Well then, Miss Moon, I think you're pretty too." He believed she was more than just pretty but that conversation was for Fred and Lee's ears only for now.

She nodded pressing her face into her puffer more just like before. With a sudden surge of confidence washing over him, he slung his arm over her shoulder. "Come on, Moon. They must be done skating by now. Suppose we go check?" The redhead opened the door for them to exit as her heartbeat quickened with his arm around her.

"Suppose we could." She shrugged feeling the cold air making her cheeks burn more than they had been in the store. What on Earth was happening to Ginger and why did it feel so nice at that moment? It certainly couldn't be anything romantic. Right?

NOTE. SHES FINALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE!

and yes im aware i published, unpublished, then republished this 😐 you arent tho. this is a hallucination.