Free Winter Untold (Summer Unplugged) by Amy Sparling

entertains Jace in the living room while Becca and I get dressed in my bedroom.
    I admire my pretty new dress in the mirror. “It’s beautiful…especially the cleavage part. Too bad I have to wear that stupid camera,” I say with a frown.
    Becca fastens a pearl earring and joins me in front of the mirror. “Negative. I’ve already arranged to take the pictures in your place.”
    “No freaking way,” I say. Becca hates yearbook class and she really hates doing anything that promotes school spirit. She shrugs. “Consider it part of your birthday present.”
     
     
    When Jace and I arrive at the Winter Festival, I can’t stop smiling from ear to ear. The park is decorated in a bazillion clear lights and the food smells amazing. Everyone is in a great mood and the weather is absolutely perfect. It’s not too cold, but still chilly enough to give me an excuse to snuggle up against my boyfriend, who is looking ridiculously hot by the way.
    We drink hot chocolate and wave at Becca every time we run into her. She’s made it her goal to photograph as many unpopular students as possible in her own way of sticking it to the popular students.
    Even though Jace isn’t much of a dancer, I’m thrilled when he takes my hand and leads me onto the makeshift dance floor that’s usually a basketball court. A band plays Christmas carols under the basketball goal, and spotlights light up and change colors, turning the concrete into a colorful winter wonderland.
    Everything is so perfect and yet so disheartening at the same time. All night, I’ve tried to focus on the good and happy things. I’ve tried to ignore that hint of sadness that keeps poking its head around the corner, reminding me that tonight will only last a few hours and then life will go back to normal, with Jace in another town and me here missing him.
    “So how long are you staying this time?” I feel the disappointment creep into my bones before he can answer. He’s probably leaving tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning if I’m lucky.
    Instead of answering me right away, he lifts an eyebrow, pretending to be confused. “What do you mean?”
    I squeeze his shoulders in frustration. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know what I mean. When are you going back on the road to go do fancy famous people stuff?”
    He laughs. “Did I forget you tell you?” he asks with a coy smile tugging at his lips. My chest goes cold as I stare into his eyes, wondering what he’s keeping from me.
    “Tell me what?”
    He hesitates, clearly enjoying the thrill of leaving me hanging in the balance. His fingers tighten around my waist and we sway gently to the music. He kisses my forehead and I roll my eyes. “Tell me already!”
    “I’m not doing any more fancy famous people stuff,” he says.
    “What do you mean?” I ask, afraid to get too excited just yet. I’m sure the other shoe will drop soon.
    He smiles. “I quit. I’m done with it.”
    “What?!” I stop dead in the middle of the dance floor. That was his dream, there is no way he quit. “Why did you--?” I begin, stopping when I can’t finish my sentence. “You didn’t get in trouble again, did you—”
    He cuts me off with a shake of his head. “No babe, I didn’t get fired. I really did quit. I’m keeping my job at Mixon where I can help train kids to be professional racers. I don’t want to be a professional racer anymore…it isn’t worth it. Fame isn’t worth it.”
    There’s a seriousness in his eyes that tells me he’s being sincere. He truly feels that way, and my heart leaps with happiness that his true feelings just happen to align with mine.
    “I want to be with you forever,” he says, looking around and gesturing to the festivities going on all around us. I’m almost startled by the sight of all the lights and people because being with Jace had made me forgotten that anyone existed besides us. “I want this. I don’t want fame.”
    I can’t say anything for a long while. I just bury my