Chapter One

PART ONE: Winter

1.   

Ella

“I swear to God, this is what being in love feels like.”

                Sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor, Ella Hamilton suppressed a sigh and smiled into the receiver of her cell phone, having fully expected this when her friend, Rachel, left the week before. “Didn’t you say the same thing about that guy from Italy? And the one from California? And every other single guy you’ve met while on vacation?”

Rachel was quiet on the other end for a moment. And then, “Well this time it’s different.”

“Oh? Is he actually going to call you after you hook up?”

“Rude, Ella. Very rude.”

                She held the phone away from her face for a moment and closed her eyes. The fact that her best friend couldn’t even recognize that she had a problem was annoying enough, but to shove her European boyfriend in Ella’s face and make her realize how pathetic her love life (or there lack of) was in comparison was just rude. Of course, Ella wouldn’t say this aloud. It was the first time all Christmas break that she’d heard from Rachel, and she wasn’t going to risk being hung up on.

“All I’m saying,” she began cautiously as she returned the phone to her ear, “is you need to be more careful in these places. Foreign guys prey on young, beautiful yet vulnerable tourists.”

Rachel laughed. “I think you’re overreacting.”

“Let me guess; he’s the ski instructor.”

“…Lucky guess.”

“Rachel! The ski instructor? Really?”

                There was an airy sigh in her ear. “He’s beautiful. He’s Swiss. And he has his own room in the lodge with a fireplace and champagne and everything. It was the expensive stuff too, Ella. Real posh.” Rachel paused for a moment. There was the sound of a deep, male voice speaking fast and unintelligibly in the background, and then she spoke again. “Uh, I have to go soon. Mom wants to hit the slopes one last time before it gets too dark.”

Ella’s eyes narrowed. “Did your mom suddenly become a guy with a heavy, Swiss accent?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rachel responded lightly and far too innocently.

                “Okay, well tell your lover that I’m letting you go. Just call me tomorrow alright?” Ella sighed and fell onto her back, staring up at her ceiling with a desolate expression. “I’m dying here in Canada, all by my lonesome self without any beautiful ski instructors bringing me hot chocolate. You have no idea how lucky you are.”

Rachel giggled away from the phone. “Sven, stop it! I’ll call you tomorrow Ella!”

“Make sure you do, okay?” there was no response. “Rachel?”

                She hung up on me. Ella scowled to herself and pressed “end call”, tossing her phone up onto her bed dejectedly. Well that went well.  She looked at her watch; a whole seventeen minutes of conversation before she was ditched for Sven the ski instructor. It was better than nothing, she supposed. Although nothing would have saved the feeling of abandonment she was having at that moment.

                Christmas break did not happen at all like she had wanted it to. There was only one week left, and all she had done was babysit her younger siblings and watch every single Christmas movie known to mankind on television.

                Initially, Ella had planned to hangout all break with Rachel. They’d decided beforehand how it was going to be spent, too: boxing day in the mall because of all the sales, new years eve at Rachel’s place with four different “make your own gingerbread house” kits to make a gingerbread mansion, and the day before back-to-school at Ella’s with every single bit of Christmas chocolate they got in their stockings while watching It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34^th Street. (The original, not the one with that girl from Matilda.)

                But then, on the last day of school, Rachel came running up to Ella in the hallway, breathless and gasping out that her parents had surprised her with a ski trip to Switzerland. They were skipping Christmas, essentially, which Rachel didn’t seem to mind at all. Not that she would now anyway, what with Sven and his “posh” champagne in the picture.

                Bitter didn’t even describe Ella upon hearing the news. She was beyond that. It was the same thing every single holiday; Rachel flew off somewhere to have a beautiful, romantic getaway while Ella stayed back in little old Ontario and kept up via phone-call on all of her best friend’s exciting adventures.

Just once, she wished she could be the one calling Rachel about some guy she just met, had a crazy one night stand with, and never planned on seeing again. She wanted to have stories to tell when she returned; ones told in hushed whispers with heads bowed together, so naughty that it would be devastating for anyone at school to hear. Was that really too much to ask?

                The sound of her cell phone vibrating caught Ella off guard. She sat up quickly and lunged for her bed, grabbing for her phone and looking at it excitedly. Her shoulders slumped. It wasn’t Rachel calling back. It was a text message from a number she didn’t recognize. Feeling deflated, she pressed “view”, half expecting it to be from her phone company about some new plan they were offering. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was an actual message from an actual person.

Hey Mona, it’s Clayton. Heidi gave me your number :P How’s your winter break going?

                Ella frowned down at the screen. Who was Clayton and why was he calling her Mona? She quickly texted a response.

Good evening Clayton. You have reached Ella of Canada, who is unfortunately not the Mona you so seek. Sorry about that.

A moment later, her phone buzzed again.

Greetings Ella of Canada. My sincerest apologies. Texting from the U.S of A here.

                America? Ella sank down onto her mattress and began imagining where in America this Clayton guy could be from. Florida? Texas? Nevada? There were so many possibilities that she felt giddy. Someone in another country was having a conversation with her. Not knowing exactly where in that country he was made it feel mysterious.

Ahh an American. Shouldn’t you be going on about apple pie and baseball?

 

Ahh a Canadian. Shouldn’t you be ending every sentence with “eh”?

 

I feel it fit to disprove this myth for all Americans. We do not say “eh.” But “aboot” is a whole other story.

 

Ha. Well I might as well let you in on a little secret too; I do not like apple pie OR baseball.

 

*gasps* sacrebleu!

 

Wow a Canadian speaking French. How refreshing.

 

That is quite literally all the French I know. That and how to say “may I go to the bathroom?”

 

Which must come in handy a lot, I’m sure.

 

Of course. Clayton of America, may I ask how old you are?

 

Newly sixteen this month. And you are…?

Sixteen as well. This feels like too much of a coincidence.

 

So which of us is telling the truth and which one is a forty year old man eating Cheezies in his mom’s basement?

 

I don’t like Cheezies so it must not be me.

 

Well my mom doesn’t have a basement. Okay that was a lie. She does. I just don’t want you thinking I’m the forty-year old. Should I take a picture of my birth certificate for you?

 

No I believe you. Although I shouldn’t. I hear Americans have a tendency to lie a lot.

 

This is true. Canadians are too nice for their own good though.

 

Are you telling me NOT to trust you?

 

I am doing nothing of the sort. Merely pointing out a well-known fact. Now, where aboots in Canada are you?

 

If you must know, Ontario.

 

Ontario is fairly big. Be more specific?

 

Nope. Stranger-Danger and all that.

 

Ah. That’s fair. Well I suppose I should say I’m from New York. Right below you, actually.

Hello down there.

 

Hello up there. So may I get a hint as to where in Ontario you are?

 

OK. Your only hint is this: I am roughly 2-3 hours away from the U.S boarder, depending on traffic. That is the only hint you get.

 

If I really felt like it, I’m sure I could figure it out. But it’s getting late. And my phone battery is about to run out.

         

          Reading his message, Ella felt slightly disappointed at their conversation coming to an end. Besides her brief phone call with Rachel, this was the only real interaction she’d had with another teenager all Christmas break. It felt nice to have a witty back-and-forth with someone that she couldn’t see. She avoided sounding stupid that way. Begrudgingly, Ella texted him back.

 

So this is where we part ways.

 

Afraid so.

 

It’s been a pleasure.

 

It has. Thank you for the lively conversation.

 

I hope you find Mona’s right number.

 

Oh! I completely forgot about her :P I shall look into that, yes.

 

Good luck to you then.

 

Have a good life, Ella of Canada.

 

You too, Clayton of America.

 

          As soon as she hit “send”, Ella fell back against her pillows and sighed, letting her phone rest on her chest. It had been fun while it lasted, she supposed; a conversation without any mentions of European boyfriends or ski instructors. She still felt a certain sadness growing inside of her, realizing the past ten minutes of conversation would be the most exciting and interesting thing to happen to her for the rest of the Christmas break. And that was fairly depressing.

                Her phone began to buzz on her chest.  Ella picked it up cautiously and peered at the screen. It was from Clayton. Feeling far too excited, she opened the message.

 

I know this is weird, but do you feel like talking again tomorrow maybe? You’re the most interesting person I’ve had a conversation with in awhile. Plus you don’t use “u” or “r” or “wtf” and I quite like that.

 

Ella smiled shyly to herself.

 

Talk to you tomorrow

 

Author's Note

So here's the first chapter :) I hope it feels like it flows O.K. Tell me what you think! Good or bad, I take all criticism!

Reviews

[r]

THIS IS SO VERY CUTE. I love Clayton and Ella's conversation. And I wish I could go to Sweden and meet a hot Swedish guy!!

"Wow a Canadian speaking French. How refreshing." I love that, ahhah.

That was SOOO adorable. ♥ I loved it. And the writing itself was lovely. C:

[Schyala]

you write in third person very well, you also capture ellas emotions and the dialoge is very well. good job :-) i will be reading on! 100/100

[Daydreamer54]

I'm already interested in reading more. A great first chapter and reading their text messages made me smile. i look forward to reading more! ^^