Falling Harder Than The Snow

"Constructed."

"Cheaper, but my deck is missing something if I make it legal, but you know what? Sure. Sounds like fun."

"Alright! It's about time you stop sulking about Sandy."

"Yeah, we dated for what? A month and a half. It's not like it was going anywhere."

A weak knock barely caught Blake's attention. Her head pivoted to see a slight young woman with long, dark hair and deep tan skin desperately trying to catch anyone's attention as they walked by. A courtyard divided the square of lower halls of the large high school. Blake had no idea why someone thought it was an excellent idea to let the doors open in the first place if they were locked for anyone trying to get in. It didn't seem like it was large enough to be somewhere to escape from a fire.

It had become known as the freshman shortcut that never failed to capture at least double-digit underclassmen at the start of the school year. Blake may have fallen prey to the quirk of architecture turned into a prank if her older sister hadn't warned her. The unfamiliar freshman who fell for the hoax didn't seem prepared for the freezing weather. How she shivered made it appear she had been there for most of the six-minute passing period.

The poor girl wore a T-shirt and shorts in December in the Midwest, and the temperature was below freezing.

"Are you okay?" Blake held the door open for her. Mitchell ducked into his class before he was late. He didn't have the same clout.

"A little cold." The freshman's teeth were chattering.

"Here." Blake gave her the lavender jacket she was wearing. She had a coat in her locker that she had left the other day and neglected to retrieve. Her sister wasn't tolerant of Blake being late; she had to get to an after-school job. As such, Blake had to hurry or walk a couple miles home.

"Thanks." The bell rang, and the girl looked like she was going to have a panic attack. "Do you know where Mrs. Quinlan's English class is?"

"You're in luck. I'm on the way there. And you are?"

"Orianna or Ori. It's my first day here." There was a hint of a smile in her words.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I can tell. You're going to love Mrs. Q."

Mrs. Q didn't seem to mind them being a minute late once Blake explained what had happened. Ori seemed shy and pensive, but Blake had no idea what it would be like to walk into the vast high school in the middle of the year. Her first interactions with the upperclassmen certainly weren't leaving a successful impression. After class, Blake made sure that she had Orianna pointed in the correct direction before she sped to math. Mr. Carter wasn't nearly as lenient as Mrs. Q.

The subsequent encounter she had with Ori was at lunch the following day. The school used block scheduling, so they had two sets of four different classes on alternating days. With their school, it was purple and gold days. The background of the information screens in the commons reflected which day it was. Ori seemed fascinated with one of the purple screens; perhaps she was trying not to look nervous as she scanned for somewhere to sit.

Blake let her roam for a minute. It wasn't that her friend group wouldn't mind adding another misfit, but Ori hadn't been pigeonholed into any group yet. The nerdy group might not be where the beautiful young woman wanted to be. She was wearing the jacket she borrowed from Blake yesterday and still had clothing far too thin for the cold weather. Ori's calm expression changed to worry as she patrolled the space.

"Orianna!" Blake waved the girl over. A smile instantly graced Ori's face as she flounced over to their table. Lunches overlapped but were offset by fifteen minutes. There was no way to feed and seat all two thousand students at one time in the sunken commons. Blake's group was halfway through their lunch but happy to welcome one more.

"Hi, Blake. I need to return your jacket, but I don't see you on purple days." Ori started to shed the lightweight lilac-colored zip-up hoody.

"Don't worry about it. You can give it back tomorrow. Mr. Tolison's history class is always cold." They'd compared schedules when Blake pointed her toward Mr. Carter's.

"Okay." Ori gave her a shy smile as if she was embarrassed to take the offer but was feeling the chill of the air. She took a seat beside Blake.

"Orianna, this is Mitchell, my best friend and next-door neighbor since fourth grade, and Tess, she's a sophomore but slums it with us when we're lucky." Blake pointed toward her blonde friend, the first chair violin in the orchestra. She was a music nerd but not the same as the marching band geeks that made up the rest of the table. She then introduced her other three friends.

"Hi, Orianna." Tess waved with her trademark warm smile. "Where did you come from before you ended up here?"

"Florida."

"Air Force?" Mitchell questioned. His father flew transports but was now a reserve, so he no longer had to move every few years. He did get deployed occasionally.

"My dad was army, but..." Ori swallowed audibly. She looked to be on the verge of tears. "We haven't had to move since..."

"Oh God, we're sorry." Mitchell was the first to say what the rest were starting to figure out.

"That was five years ago, Afghanistan." A tear hung steadfastly in Ori's brown eyes. "It's been tough, but we liked Florida until..." The shake of her head implied she didn't want to go further.

Orianna closed off and started eating quietly. It would be a while before Blake would coax out the whole story, but Ori's body language argued not to pull on that thread that day. Tess introduced the freshman to their nerdier music talk, at which Orianna perked up. She didn't play an instrument but loved dance. She had been on the dance team back in Jacksonville.

It would be another week of getting closer with Blake and her group before Ori would start opening up again. Her family had moved from near Jacksonville to stay with her paternal grandparents. It was just Orianna and her mother since her father was killed by a roadside bomb on deployment. His heroic actions saved the rest of his patrol at the cost of his life.

A week later, Orianna seemed to bloom in their presence. She was more of a math and science nerd to the rest of the group's English and music leanings, but she didn't let the nerdy quash her outgoing nature.

"You going to the tree lighting?" Blake broached the topic at lunch the next day.

"We really haven't celebrated Christmas since daddy died." A glum look crossed her face. It only took a weekend for Orianna to pick up regionally appropriate attire. "Mom tried because she knew how much it meant to me, but her heart was never in it."

"Damn. I'm sorry." Blake felt like she was unconsciously stepping on rakes.

"Don't be, how could you know? What's the tree lighting?"

"It's like a winter carnival with games and skating on an artificial rink." In most winters, it didn't stay cold enough to safely freeze over ponds for skating, so the town had to help nature out a touch.

"It could be fun. If I can get a ride." Orianna dipped a fry in ranch dressing. Blake thought the combination was odd, but Ori liked a variety of dipping sauces. "Mom's got work and my grandparents no longer drive."

"My sister's already picking up Mitchell and taking me. She'll grumble about making two trips to get us and her friends, but that won't stop her." Blake grinned. "It's why my parents bought her a car in the first place."

Orianna -- the day of the tree lighting

Ori knocked nervously at the door three blocks from her grandmother's home. The split level looked several decades old, with fresh paint and Christmas lights that were merrily twinkling even before sunset. The place was inviting. It wasn't Blake's house; instead, it was her grandparents. Blake lived half a mile in the opposite direction, but the family was over meeting at the house closer to the festival.

An older blonde woman with the same nose as Blake but with pale green eyes instead of the striking blue of her daughter had strands of gray interwoven with her blonde that fell just past her shoulders. The woman also shared the familiar kind smile that Blake often had.

"Mrs. Tensley?" Orianna was confident that this was Blake's mom, but she couldn't entirely be certain. Could be an aunt.

"Ah, you must be this Orianna girl Blake has been raving about. She's helping her grandmother with cookies in the kitchen. Come on in!" The older woman opened the door and beckoned Ori inside.

The smell of cinnamon and vanilla wafted from the kitchen as Christmas music jingled happily from speakers in an open front room with a tall, artificial Christmas tree a half dozen feet from a low burning fireplace. Every shelf was covered in garland, decorations, and lights. It felt homey and like Christmas in a way that Ori hadn't experienced since her dad passed. She couldn't help a smile forming.

"Ori!" Blake cheered as she looked up from rolling dough. "I don't have your number yet. Casey will be an hour late as she's getting her hair done. We think she's trying to impress a possible boyfriend, but she won't spill. You want to help us make cookies?"

"You get to eat a few as we go. Someone's got to make sure they're of proper quality." A woman who looked to be in her late seventies said with a grin as she was rolling balls of dough in cinnamon sugar. It, too, had the same radiant qualities as Blake and her mother.

"Ori, this is Grandma Cassie. Grandma Cassie, this is my new friend Orianna."

"Or Ori for friends," Orianna added.

"Ori it is then." The older woman smiled.

"Meow!" A cat with steel gray fur rubbed against Ori's dark pants.

"Don't mind Simon, he's gotten demanding in his old age. But we've earned it, haven't we, kitty?" Grandma Cassie had abandoned the snickerdoodles to scoop up her cat. "Ori, would you mind handling the snickerdoodles?"

"I can handle that." Orianna washed her hands and got to work manufacturing cookies. This wasn't the type of Christmas she had with her Dad. This was more the type she saw in movies.

There was plenty of laughter and Christmas carols as they worked on cookies. Orianna heard about the family traditions and how all Blake's aunts, uncles, and cousins would be here in a week to celebrate the big family Christmas together. Ori was invited if she had no other plans for the holiday. Considering her mother didn't observe Christmas, Orianna planned to take them up on the offer.

"When's Mitch going to get here?" Orianna asked innocently.

"It's Mitchell. Always Mitchell." Blake whispered in her direction. "Mitchell should be here—" She was interrupted by an oddly melodic knock. "Right now." She giggled. "Mitch is what everyone calls his dad, so he's Mitchell."

Soon, they were at the carnival and tree lighting. Ori had found a new tribe that was nothing like the queens of the school she had palled around with in Florida. Back there, Orianna rarely nourished her nerdy side. Here, though, this felt like she belonged in a way she'd never felt before. Her popularity had been artifice and challenging to maintain. This felt easier, more comfortable, and exactly where she belonged.

Blake -- Saturday morning, present-day

Ori nestled against her when they woke up this morning was heavenly, but Blake wished to all that was holy that it wasn't necessary. She hated the feeling of contentment flowing through her as it seemed to be pilfered and ill-gotten. Blake did her best to not make a big deal about it as Orianna disentangled from her. They didn't take long to gather her things and checkout before eleven a.m., so Orianna didn't have to pay for another day. Seeing Ori's earthly possessions pared down to a single suitcase was hard.

Lidia was a perfect dog on the way. She curled up in the back seat and slept the entire four hours. Orianna spent the whole time on her phone trying to get a hold of her life as it spiraled out of control. Tyler, Casey's husband, had recommendations for lawyers and told Ori to call the police and get a report on file so they could move forward. A few times, Ori put down the phone to take a deep breath before she made another phone call.

Nothing was solved by the time they pulled into the garage, but at least Orianna had the beginnings of a plan. She was never the passive type other than about a week after she had moved to town and seemed lost. Before the start of the second semester, the girl had been moving effortlessly between the cool kids and the nerds. As her star rose, she never abandoned her new friends.

When they got into the house, Lidia sped around, her tail wagging as she sniffed everything. On the other hand, Ori reminded Blake of films she had seen with animals being released back into the wild after they had been cared for by humans after an accident. Her bestie looked like she could use more time away from the wild before she was released. Probably waiting for the other shoe to drop. Blake couldn't imagine what Orianna had been through over the last few weeks.

"It's so weird to be here without Grandma Cassie." Orianna stopped rolling her suitcase and paced through the kitchen. They had many good memories here baking cookies every Christmas before Grandma Cassie passed away.

"It is. It took a year to not think she would be coming in the door at any moment. I was the last granddaughter in town, and she wanted the place to stay in the family." Blake teared up. "She told me to make the place my own before she passed."

"I didn't mean to bring up..." Ori looked down as she blushed.

"No, it's like your dad and Christmas time for you, Orianna. There are a lot of good times I never want to forget." Blake hugged her. "Even if they cause tears to fall occasionally."

"I know. I just don't want to hurt you again, Blake."

"I'll always be here for you, Orianna. Always."

"Thank you."

"So, come on, let me show you your room. Do you want the bedroom I stayed in as a little girl for a week a year when my parents went on vacation or Casey's room?" Blake led her down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

"I dunno, Casey's older. Did she get the first pick?"

Casey had been named Cassandra after their beloved Grandmother, but everyone called her Casey to avoid confusion. She was never a fan of Sandra and thought Cassandra was too unwieldy for everyday use.

"Yes, but they're the same size and share the same bathroom." Blake opened the door to the first bedroom. She closed it so Steele didn't have extra places to get into mischief. "It's only a twin-sized bed in either room. I want to replace the mattresses with something larger, but since I don't host Christmas until next year, it's been low on the priority list."

"It's fine. More than I deserve." Orianna still looked to be on the verge of tears.

"No, Ori. You deserve more. This is on Dante, not you."

"I like the wallpaper in here." Orianna looked at the floral print that ringed the top of the room.

"Not a differentiator. Casey's bedroom is the same." Blake continued the tour through the bathroom that was connected to both bedrooms. "Don't mind the early eighties-tastic pink tub. It's on my list of things to remodel when I get time next summer."

Much of the house had been remodeled a few years before Ori first appeared in town, but the guest bathroom was not. There was a half bath for entertaining; the only way into this bathroom was through one of the two guest bedrooms.

"This was Casey's, same layout and same bed. The only difference is that my old room is three steps closer to the kitchen." Blake was lamely trying to sell Ori on her old bedroom.

"Thank you, Blake. For everything." Ori clutched Blake's shoulder. "I had... I can never... Mom never wants..." Ori started several sentences but didn't finish any of them.

"It's okay, Orianna. You can stay here as long as you and Lidia need a place." Blake wanted Orianna to be here forever and be able to find solid footing as fast as she could. It was a paradoxical wish but one from the bottom of her heart.

"Yeah. I won't bother you for long." Orianna wasn't meeting her eyes.

"You're not going to bother me at all." Blake gave an honest but brief smile. "There's also a bedroom in the basement, but the bathroom was never finished, and it gets icy in a couple months."

"Okay." They started back toward the kitchen. Lidia had stopped her patrol and found the foot of the twin-sized bed in the bedroom Blake used as a girl. "Well, someone appears to have decided for me." Steele was peeking into the bedroom from the hallway, appearing to be curious about his new roommates.

Orianna -- A couple months later

Finding a job back home only took a week. Unlike the industries up north, the places here were still hiring junior software programmers. Her old place of business had grand plans to slash their junior programmers and replace them with AI. She did have to take an odd eleven a.m. to eight o'clock night shift but was one person on the crew who helped with continuity between teams. It was in a different language than Ori was used to, Go versus C#, but they gave her time to get up to speed on it. It took a couple of weeks, but she was digging Go now.

Ori took a month to finally start buying more than the basics. She'd purchased five blouses, a few pairs of pants, and two skirts when Orianna had gotten hired. It wasn't the T-shirt and jeans that seemed to be the typical uniform for programmers, but Ori liked to dress up more than that. Her grandmother used to tell her to dress for the job she wanted, not the one she had.

Ori hadn't heard from her mother since the email went out and was convinced she was no longer a part of her life. She'd reached out and left messages several times, but they were never returned. Her texts were never getting marked as read. The woman had been slowly getting more dogmatic regarding her beliefs, and Orianna didn't think she'd ever be able to rectify what she'd been sent from Dante. The worst part was how close the pair had gotten after Ori's father passed. She tried not to dwell on it too often as it brought tears.

Lawyers and talks with law enforcement took too much of Orianna's free time, and she'd yet to decide if she wanted Dante prosecuted. The trial would call attention to any videos that hadn't been purged from the internet, which concerned her. However, it would be worth it if she could prevent her ex-fiancé from doing the same to any other woman.

Although she liked to cook, Ori's late schedule didn't allow her to cook often. Instead, Blake made them dinner that was ready for the table when Orianna walked in the door. She tried to tell Blake it wasn't necessary, but the woman explained that it was just as easy to cook for two as it was for one. Ori demanded that she be allowed to take care of the dishes, and Blake didn't put up much of a fight on this matter.

Lidia and Steele were getting along about as well as a dog and cat could. It took a couple of weeks for Liddy to figure out that the feline didn't play the same way the neighbor dogs did back home, but the pair had been caught more than once sharing a dog bed for a snooze. Blake sent her a picture of it at work with the message that the stepkids were finally getting along.

Blake's house felt like home for the first time in nearly a decade. As much of a home as the quaint two-bedroom near Jacksonville was where most of Ori's childhood memories had been formed. She'd been born in North Carolina but didn't remember it as they had been relocated by the time she was two. Curling up on the couch to watch movies on the weekend and being able to play Pathfinder in person again aided in a feeling of contentment. Her bard's dances had an increased effectiveness when not on a low-resolution laptop camera.

After about a month, Orianna started to fall hopelessly for her beautiful blonde savior. Blake never wanted or expected anything in return for supplying a roof over Ori and Lidia's heads. When the paychecks started coming in, Ori tried to pay rent, but Blake told her to spend the money replacing the things Dante burned as the only thing she was paying was the insurance and property tax. Blake let Orianna chip in for at least part of the electrical and water. It was a good thing, as the last thing that Ori wanted was to feel like she was like a leech.