Perhaps there were those who didn't have the luxury of being a portable space heater, and Jack felt bad for those people. She couldn't remember the last time she had been cold outside. The redhead sat on a concrete bench in the center of what, during warmer months, was a garden. Right now only the hardiest winter flowers poked through the snow, and the only greenery came from the towering evergreens that bordered this lovely winter winterland. The other trees had long since shed their leaves, and in their place stood only wood skeletons.



But Jack kept a burning fire going in front of her, providing warmth to herself and a few fortunate students on the nearby benches. She was confident she wouldn't set the lawn on fire (again) if she only paid attention to it, an endeavor that was easier said than done when math was involved. Her least favorite subject. She sat curled around her Algebra II textbook, staring in disbelief at its contents while simultaneously considering chucking the entire thing into the fire. It was easier to study here than inside, where the weather pushed everyone to clutter the common rooms and talk talk talk incessantly. And quite frankly, Jack had spent the past month indoors, cramming for tests and leaving only for the week of Thanksgiving. She was getting a bad case of cabin fever, and she wanted to see the sun for a change. In Washington state, the sun was essentially a (literal) fair weather friend, only out in full force every now and again.

RILEY VALIENTE , FOX ROSENBURG , open

pie

FOX;

You wouldn’t know by looking at Fox that his family struggled financially. His clothes were never completely new - and if you were very observant you could see the slight fraying at the bottom of his unwrinkled jeans or the thinness of his brand name shirt. Fox was a picky and careful thrift shopper, and his younger sisters would hover and see while shopping what brands, styles, and patterns he chose. Being the oldest he was used to the attention from his siblings, so the hovering didn’t bother him anymore. He either ignored it, or engaged - depending on his mood.

The crunch of trodden snow under his feet made his insides cringe. It wasn’t the snow or cold that bothered him, it was even the slightest distance from the earth that made him feel uncomfortable. He needed to study - and despite the cold and having a warm option in the dorms, he still preferred to be outside. The earth was not dead, just parts of it were sleeping... and there was part of him that didn’t like the differentiation between the elements, because something he’d particularly enjoyed in learning was the way the elements overlapped and reacted to each other.

He paused in the sleepy white garden, his rich brown eyes attracted to the fire student who was providing a bubble of warmth for herself and in consequence to others nearby. Fox pulled his slim winter jacket closer around himself with one hand, shifting his side backpack on his other shoulder at the same time. This would be a nice place to study... he glanced warily at the benches and veered toward one of them, but found himself between two benches, instead of on one of them. With an ungloved hand he pushed the layer of snow away from the untouched spot and gently continued to do so until the dull colored grass was more prominent. With a deep breath he felt the cold ground with a hand and placed his bag on one of the benches so he could balance better in his crouched position. There was some warmth trapped under the earth, but the recent cold weather was making the grass stubbornly tired to listen to him. After a few moments the grass defiantly woke up and thickened in the small spot.

He sighed quietly, grateful for the small patch of green that he’d be able to sit on. Like the snow or even being indoors with flooring between him and the earth, he wanted the comfort of the familiar earth beneath him. He settled in between the benches, in which there was just enough space not to make him feel crowded, but also close enough to create a sort of security...and close enough to the fire not too far away that he’d feel a touch of warmth every now and then. With nimble fingers pulled out a chemistry book and opened to a book marked chapter that he would have a test for soon. He felt fairly confident already, but studying at home with all his siblings, parents, work, and the distractions that came with family life... it was easier to finish all his studying at school if possible.

Looking for some TROUBLE tonight~

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Riley had perhaps even more of an obsession with electronics than the average teenager. She had several different colored earbuds to match with various outfits and if she could get away with listening to music, she would, because what was life without a soundtrack? But, earbuds were for the spring and summer. Now that the heart of winter was approaching, over the ear were obviously the way to go, and the ones she was wearing today had cat ears that had speakers in them, so if she were so inclined she could subject everyone around her to her music as well while the glowing rings on the ear pieces pulsed different colors to the beat. Connected to her phone via bluetooth, she bounced along the garden pathways, twirling and dancing along the way without a care at all if she looked absolutely ridiculous seeing as no one else could hear the music she was playing. Yet.

She didn’t much care for the cold, but she did enjoy the snow. As she danced, she kicked some up, giggling to herself, but as she spotted a few students with open books sitting near a fire, she came to a stop. She didn’t see anyone she really knew, but that hardly mattered. Her warm amber gaze flicked between the young man sitting on a patch of grass that seemed incredibly out of place in this white washed winter world and the bright red-haired girl on the bench. She definitely remembered seeing her around school simply for the shocking color of her hair. She was probably fun. Boring people didn’t tend to dye their hair wild colors. She wiggled in place a little, considering her options. Snowy garden dance party? Surprise snowball fight? Both?

With a grin, she pulled out her phone, searched up a few epic battle songs, and reached up to flip her external speakers on. Supercharger began to play, disrupting the overall silence in the garden, as Riley reach down to scoop up a bunch of snow, packing it together into a ball and closing one eye as she pretended to take sights on her target as if through a rifle scope. She lobbed the snowball at the red-haired girl and quickly ducked behind some cover, giggling again, peering out from behind a tree trunk to see if her missile had hit its mark.

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Take my hand, I’ll show you the WILD side.

FOX ROSENBURG JACKELYN GREYER