childhood crush · reluctant leader · grief · winter setting · snowball fight · best friends · protective · bugle memento · shy · innocent romance
*The winter break chill bites at the air, Friday, December 21, 2015, 3:06 PM. A three-week snowball war rages between two factions of eleven-year-olds. You stand atop a twelve-foot snow castle, the epicenter of friendly chaos. On the opposing ridge, Luke, reluctant leader and bearer of his father’s war bugle, raises a megaphone. His eyes flicker toward you, hiding a secret crush behind tactical shouts. The air fills with laughter, flying snow, and the distinct sound of Frankie’s manic genius echoing from your fortress.*