both your hands in the holes of my sweater, stella

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! #SWEATERWEATHER 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

There were few things Eddie got visibly excited for. Winter happened to be one of them, mainly snow. Snow was the only time Eddie liked to go outside at any place or time. Eddie almost transformed into a different person when exposed to crystallized solid water in the form of precipitation, which is why he was partially glad Stella had never seen him around it. The only people who had were Shelly, Penelope, and a few others. Mostly because Shelly had grown up with him, obviously, and Penelope pretty much forced him to go outside and make a snowman with him, or something of the like. Not that he minded, because Eddie loved snow. He also got visibly excited to spend time with Stella, who was definitely his girlfriend now, something he was still getting used to. Eddie never in a million years thought that he would ever have a girlfriend or a boyfriend or any friends, for that matter. But somehow, someway, he and Stella were official, now, and it was strange, and would take some getting used to, but he was happy that there was some definition to what he and Stella were. It was getting tiring trying to explain to people who asked. Anyway, he knew Stella hated snow. She grew up in Arizona, and avoided even going to class when it was snowing out in the past. He would have challenged her to some snow-related activity, but back then, he didn't care if Stella saw the snow or not. Not to mention the whole "different person in the snow" thing that Eddie would not have wanted Stella to see at all. Now, however, they were dating (it still felt weird to think about, to be honest), and there were certain things that could be shared. It was finally the first snow of the season, and he was not letting Stella get away with staying indoors this time. Honestly, Eddie was still pretty insecure about the whole relationship thing. One, he still had no idea why Stella even bothered talking to him, let alone anything more than that. Stella was beautiful and athletic and a great deal of other adjectives, and Eddie was just some asocial nerd who only recently willingly left his dorm to go anywhere but the library or class. That was the other thing. He had no idea what he was doing. Maybe dragging Stella out into the snow was not going to be as romantic as he thought. Maybe she would hate him for it. Well, no, he had done worse things that she could have hated him for, but didn't. He wasn't sure why he was so anxious. If Stella was going to stop talking to him altogether, she would have done it a long time ago, right? He hesitated before knocking on her door, then letting himself in. It was almost definitely not an Eddie thing to do, but a Stella one, and it was partially out of spite and partially because he was too excited. Stella was presumably wrapped in the lump of blankets on the bed with blonde hair sticking out, and he threw the two coats he brought on top of her. "Stella, get up, we're going outside."

[stella r. hines]

There were lots of things Stella got visibly excited for.

Snow was not one of them. It was better to list the things that didn’t get her pumped and snow was at the top of that list. Anything related to the cold or winter time, honestly. Even Christmas was too much for her, but that was because of different reasons entirely. It just didn’t help that it happened to occur during the chilliest time of the year. If Christmas were a summer holiday, then she would be all about it! Yeah, presents and caroling and stuff! Whatever, it really didn’t matter, because Stella planned on spending Christmas this year much like she had spent the last ones since moving to New York.

Hiding out in her room.

Actually, her first Christmas in New York had been canceled because they had flown back to Arizona for winter break, and she had been the happiest she’d felt in awhile. Truthfully, it was the happiest she had been since leaving home in the first place. New York still didn’t feel like home at the time and she hadn’t made enough friends freshman year to be upset about not seeing them for the holiday. And the farther away she was from the cold weather, the better. Christmas sophomore year had literally been spent entirely in her room. If it snowed on a day she had class, she didn’t go. If she refused to leave her bed, it wasn’t like she was going to leave the dorm building. She’d had more important people in her life that year, namely Eddie, but she still sort of kept to herself.

This year, she was determined once again to avoid outside at all costs. Which was very un-Stella of her, but she didn’t care. She’d go the winter season without running if she had to, as long as it meant staying underneath the covers. She was only a little hesitant about it this year because Eddie was her boyfriend now (what the fuck, why was that so easy for her to say??) and she actually really wanted to do fun things with him, like going out ice skating, or for hot chocolate, or looking at all the lights strung up in the city. Wow, yeah, Eddie was her boyfriend now, and it was her first Christmas slash winter season with somebody who could cuddle with her for EXTRA WARMTH!! Why had she only just realized this??

It was apparently fate because there was knocking on her door and then something was thrown on top of her and Eddie’s voice followed last. “What the fuck,” she said from beneath her pile of blankets, peeking out only a little bit to glare at him. “Hell no, it’s like negative eighty degrees out there!” That was an exaggeration if she’d ever made one. “Better idea: get under the covers and keep me warm!” She stuck one arm out, reaching for him with grabby hands, and hoping he would agree with her on this. She really didn’t want to go outside but Eddie had sounded hella determined.

EDDIE!! MY HEART!!!
outfit

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! #METASWEATERWEATHER 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

He was honestly glad she was awake. At least, her very much expected "what the fuck" didn't sound drowsy, as if he woke her up. Not that he would have relented even if he had, because this was happening. They had to go out to the courtyard by the end of this thread. It was pretty much decided already. Eddie shook his head, pulled out his phone, and checked the weather app. "No, it's actually positive twenty degrees, and you're going outside to see the snow with me." He wasn't normally this bossy, but this was not something he was going to let Stella win. While cuddling did sound weirdly nice, he was hella determined and now to proud to not take Stella outside. "We can do that after we go play in the snow..." Noticing her arm sticking out, he sighed. "I can't believe you're making me do this." With that, he grabbed her arm and gently pulled her out of the covers. "Come on!!!" He didn't want to hurt her and she was honestly heavier than Eddie's admittedly wimpy arms could handle, so he sat on the bed next to her, crossing his arms. "Stella, get on your coats, we're going outside." He tossed the coats over where she had peeked out, being kind of an ass at this point, but he really didn't care as long as Stella went outside with him to see the snow. An idea came to him, and he stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. "Well, Icey there snow way you're getting up." He was bracing himself already. "Just please don't give me the cold shoulder." She was pretty much obligated to get up and punch him, right? "It's too bad, since I bet there's no way you could build a better snowman than me, or beat me in a snowball fight." Now she had the challenge to accept. Eddie was not fucking around with this.

[stella r. hines]

Stella could already feel the cold seeping into her blanket cocoon and she was starting to get frustrated. The room was supposed to be relatively warm since she had turned the A/C up as high as the school allowed it to go. Then again, for three years at the school, Stella should have known better than to expect anything at this stupid place to work. At least she hadn’t been napping when he showed up. That would have just been extra annoying. “Twenty degrees?!” She was shouting but she sounded muffled beneath the sheets, “that is not any better!!” Stella liked the way he had worded it, though, and she had to give that to him at least.

Stella was not going to see the snow with him and they could cuddle right now, thank you very much. “Or, we could go with my plan, because it’s better,” she insisted, using her other hand to push the blanket down so she could see and breathe better. Eddie finally took her hand and she was just about ready to pull him towards her when he did the exact opposite. “Eddie!!” she yelled, sounding shocked and offended and mad. How dare he!! He sounded more excited for anything than she had ever heard him be for and it was really cute but she wished it was literally anything else. “I would rather study! Or do homework!” He sat down on the bed and she glared at him from where she had been mostly tugged out of her cocoon.

“I don’t have any—ow, hey!!” What was his damage?! Stella finally looked at what he had thrown at her and found not one, but two coats. They, admittedly, looked really warm, but she still wasn’t convinced. “Gee, thanks,” she said, sarcastically, “these will totally make up for the fact that I’d be going out into the snow wearing leggings.” Not that she was going out into the snow. Stella didn’t own winter clothes because she was from Ari-fucking-zona and she had done fine so far without buying any. Eddie got up and walked away and she whined, sitting up fully, and frowning at him. Her frown turned to full on scowl at his first pun. That was not fair.

She was so mad, there was literally no way she couldn’t not get out of bed to punch him. That was, like, three in a row, and ugh!!! She wiggled out of her blankets quicker than she thought she would and stomped angrily across the room where she proceeded to punch him only once, because she was definitely going to be mean and surprise him with the other two. In the time it had taken her to get out of bed and to him, he had challenged her to building snowmen and snowball fights. “You suck and I hate you,” she muttered, knowing now that she also had to prove that she was better than him at both of those things. She went to her closet next, tearing through the “SUMMER CLOTHES” she had until she settled on black leggings, dark skinny jeans, and a pair of shorts.

Too angry to care, Stella changed out of her pajamas and into what would have to be her winter gear right there. She was quick enough that she didn’t think it mattered, but whatever. She switched out of her top to a long sleeve shirt and a sweater, and then put on two pairs of socks, and her sturdiest boots, and finally donning one of the coats Eddie had brought for her. It was… a really sweet gesture and she was probably blushing. “Happy?” she asked, glaring at him, holding onto the other coat to put on once they got outside.

EDDIE!! this is too long!!
outfit

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! #METASWEATERWEATHER 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

"Actually it's a lot better, but you wouldn't know because you haven't been outside in the snow." Eddie shrugged in a similar fashion to the shrug emoji, being way more of a little shit than usual. He really didn't feel bad, because Stella had dragged him along on many things that he didn't want to do. But that was different, since he secretly definitely wanted to do all those things because they were with Stella and his exasperation was just a front. He didn't know if Stella secretly wanted to do this or not "Or we could do that after we go outside," he repeated, "because then cuddling will be ten times better." Gasping, Eddie was actually slightly taken aback. Maybe she really didn't want to. "Stella... you can't mean that." Those were just words. She couldn't mean it. She was just saying that to make him want to give up, but there was no way he was giving up on this. Not a chance. Her sarcasm made him smile a little bit, but he went back to looking stern and serious. "Wear more than one pair, obviously. Layer up." Watching Stella get angrier and angrier made him more and more excited, because he knew she was going to get up, even if it did mean he was getting punched. Finally, she stood up and stomped toward him, cute as ever, and punched him. Her punches stopped really hurting him a while ago, though he still had to rub his arm, but smirked at her. "I know," he replied, unable to resist. He almost said 'love you too', but maybe that was not such a great idea this early in their relationship, especially when he had no idea what the fuck 'love' even was. Wow, anyway. She was looking through her closet and Eddie felt satisfaction knowing that he won this one. He knew there would be two more punches in the future, and she might even beat him in snowman building or a snowball fight. He didn't even care. Actually, was there even a way to gauge the winner of either of those activit- holy shit. His face went red and instantly he turned around, folding his arms. That was... Goddammit, Stella. Eddie felt really conflicted, because he wasn't even sure if he was supposed to leave or not turn around or??? But he decided that his little asexual heart was not ready to witness Stella changing (i.e. throwback to when Eddie had a panic attack the first time they kissed), so he stayed turned around until he heard her speak. Grinning, still blushing, but grinning, he nodded. "Oh, wait, look in the pocket." He always had mittens or gloves in the pockets of his coats, because Eddie was all about being prepared. "Also, we match, which I think qualifies as cute." Clearing his throat and trying not to be awkward (he was failing), he held out his hand and waited for her to take it.

[stella r. hines]

“Listen, anything below ninety is bad. Awful. Terrible. I don’t want anything to do with it.” That was probably another exaggeration. She could handle low seventies, if she had a light jacket, but that was about it. And the sun had to be out. Because it was always colder in the shade which was stupid but that didn’t really matter because she tended to avoid the shade in favor of sticking to the sunny paths. Those were always better, anyway, because less people wanted to be there, and it made getting around so much easier. Anyway, right, yes, Eddie being wrong. “And I’m still not going outside in the snow,” she said, as if repeating it would make it official. She was only… stepping just outside the building. For maybe a few minutes. And then back to bed. Stella glared at him some more, refusing to admit that he was right. Because cuddling would be ten times better after playing in the snow. Which she wasn’t going to do. Still.

Hesitating, Stella sighed a little and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no, probably not.” She supposed dealing with the snow wouldn’t be as bad as studying was. There were few things worse than that and seeing as she hadn’t even experienced snow, her opinion wasn’t exactly a valid one. His smile was contagious and she had to make a point to still frown at him. No smiling. Don’t make him think you’ve given in. ‘Cause you haven’t. “Oh!” Stella laughed, though she didn’t sound amused, “’obviously.’ Obviously. Wow, gosh, thanks, That’s so obvious for someone raised in a desert. Helpful. Really. Thank you.” Alright, well now she was just being immature.

At least she was warm-ish in her ‘winter gear.’ At least her phone was fully charged so she could Snapchat or Vine if she wanted to. Which she wasn’t positive she would be doing… because she wasn’t going to play in the snow… God damn, it was getting more difficult to ignore the fact that this was happening. Eddie was blushing, she could tell, and she wasn’t sure why, until she remembered that she had kind of just changed. Right in front of him. Well... that… awkward… good job, Stella. Focusing on checking the pockets, Stella was actually pleased to find the mittens, and she made a happy little humming noise as she pulled them on. “Good job, boyfriend, ten points to Ravenclaw.” Nerd. Stella made sure she had her room key and phone on her before taking his hand and going up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

Stella grabbed a beanie off her dresser on the way out, pulling it on over her tangled hair. She led the way out of the dorm, locking it behind her, and then letting him take the lead. “Congrats, you got me to match something. That’s not an easy feat. Also, yes, cute as fuck.” Stella wanted to take a selfie but she realized it was a little late for that now, seeing as she’d already put the gloves on. Woops. Oh, well. She was sure she would have a chance later on.

EDDIE!!!
outfit

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! #METASWEATERWEATHER 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

"You're exaggerating," Eddie said, though leave it to Eddie to point out the obvious. Well, in all honestly, Eddie couldn't really stand anything above 80, depending on the circumstances. But there was no way Stella couldn't stand anything below ninety. That wasn't possible. It took all of Eddie's willpower to resist saying that yes, she was going out in the snow, because arguing with her would just make her more stubbornly against it, if he'd learned anything over the years. "We'll see," he said instead, unable to not say anything. How was that for character development? Obligatory satisfied grin, he still couldn't help but feel that sense of pride knowing he was right, and that Stella admitted it. Of course, then that pride was replaced by indignance when Stella started getting sarcastic. Not that he was surprised, or hurt, or offended. "I'm sorry, did you grow up in a cave in the desert? Or under a rock? You've seen movies before, haven't you?" Eddie was kind of being a brat at this point, but he didn't really care. Anything to get out to the snow, please. Even if it meant beating Stella in a "who can be more immature" contest, just this once. That humming noise was ridiculously cute. Eddie recalled a time when he didn't think anything was cute. It felt like he was a totally different person from then and now and he was glad he had Stella to make him better. The blush in his cheeks definitely did not go away when Stella referred to him as "boyfriend". Did he mention it was still weird? Wonderful, amazing, but weird. He wondered if he'd ever get used to it, though she'd probably get bored with him or tired of his shit long before he'd ever find out. Nope, definitely still blushing as she kissed him on the cheek, and he kind of just got this dopey smile on his face. Who the hell was this? Snapping out of it, he got that obligatory grin on his face and shrugged. "Eh, it wasn't too difficult. It would have been harder if you owned a coat." God, he sounded like his mother right then, and he shuddered as he took Stella's hand and led her down the hall, through the common room, to the door. "It's probably going to be pretty bright, just so you know." Somehow that made Eddie think of whenever he thought Stella's obnoxiously bright outfits were going to blind him. (Metaphorically, of course, he knew that wouldn't actually happen.) Snow blindness, however, was a thing, and he wanted Stella to prepare for it as he opened the door and led her outside, hearing the satisfying crunch of the new snow under his feet, looking over to Stella to see her reaction.

[stella r. hines]

“What!! Me?! Exaggerate?!” For trying to sound fake offended, Stella actually sounded real offended. Just because she knew she was being over the top didn’t mean Eddie had to call her out on it! That was just uncalled for. Speaking of things being uncalled for, Eddie seemed to be one hundred percent certain that Stella was going to play in the snow. His ‘we’ll see’ sounded pretty confident and she was all the more determined to avoid going any further than just passed the doors. If not just to keep herself warm, but also to trick him into thinking he’d won. That was a little mean but Stella was still a little miffed that he’d ruined her blanket cocoon.

… What the fuck, Edgar Michael Brooke. Stella folded her arms over her chest and glared at him, eyes narrowed. That was not any way to get her into the snow. His response was doing the opposite of making her want to go outside. She was kind of too angry to even say anything back. Besides, every movie she’d seen that took place during winter time usually just meant girls in impractical clothes: leggings with skirts, Ugg boots, cardigans. Whatever, Eddie was probably being just as immature because he was impatient at this point to get outside already. Wow. Eddie. Impatient.

Holding his hand was better than crossed arms and the grin on his face made her smile also, but she could still feel her irritation just waiting to build back up. It was apparently going to be one of those days. “Thanks, mom,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Stella owned coats, thank you very much, just not… winter appropriate ones. And besides, if she said she did own any, then she wouldn’t be matching right now with Eddie, and she liked matching with him.

Stella nodded, distracted, to let Eddie know she’d heard him, but she wasn’t really paying much attention. This was kind of technically her first snow? Obviously, she’d seen the stuff before, but she’d never bothered to play in it. She hadn’t taken time out of her day for snowball fights or snow angels or ice skating. It never held much appeal for her but now that it was Eddie showing her, and insisting, she was kind of excited. She definitely wasn’t going to say anything about it to him because then he would just think he was right and the best and all that which whatever but also no.

Wow, he hadn’t been kidding. Stella whined again, turning and hiding her face in his arm. She kept her eyes closed tight, squeezing his hand, and mumbled “I don’t suppose you have any sunglasses in these pockets?” That was a really stupid question and she was over-reacting, but still. Honestly, for as brightly as Stella always dressed, and for as much as she loved the sunlight, this should have been nothing for her. But the way the light hit the freshly fallen snow was blinding, and despite his warning, she hadn’t expected it. After a moment longer, Stella looked back up and out to the courtyard.

Okay, yeah, that… was actually really pretty. “Nice. Lovely. Can we go back inside now?” It was really nice but maybe Stella just wasn’t feeling the hype just yet.

EDDIE!!! sorry for her rudeness lmao
outfit

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! short 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

Rolling his eyes, Eddie wasn't going to apologize or let Stella live until they were outside in the snow. This was non-negotiable and non-arguable. He kind of regretted being a brat, because he knew it would just make her more obstinate, but he'd win this one. He knew it in his heart. Well, his brain, obviously. The heart didn't actually carry any feelings. "You're welcome, sweetheart," he said in his best mom voice. He was also semi-glad she didn't have a coat, since that was the reason they matched. It was a good feeling to match with Stella. Like a balanced chemical equation, it felt stable and right. Okay, that might have been the nerdiest analogy he could have possibly made in his head right then, but this was Eddie, after all. The snow was bright, but his smile was probably brighter. He never knew how much he'd actually like affection until he and Stella had started dating. Sometimes it made him uncomfortable in public, but he wasn't going to mention that any time soon. Or ever. Shaking his head apologetically (since they were outside now, he could lighten up a little bit), he said "Nope, sorry," and then repeated it as Stella asked if they could go back inside. "You haven't even stepped in it yet," he argued, stepping forward with Stella's hand in his and gently pulling her forward. The crunching under his feet was satisfying and he smiled even bigger. Letting Stella's hand go, he hopped forward with a lot more excitement than he had probably ever shown in front of her, and leaned over, picked up a snowball, and threw it her way without hesitation. If he hesitated, she might have known what was up. "Stella Hines, I challenge you to a snowball fight," he said with a grin, folding his arms, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist.

[stella r. hines]

Despite knowing that Eddie calling her sweetheart was sarcastic, butterflies still took flight in Stella's stomach. She wasn't sure what it is. Of course none of this felt real. Obviously, Stella still had trouble believing that she and Eddie had finally taken the next step, and it was little things like the way Eddie was behaving today that reminded her of just how real this was. Eddie was clearly more excited for this than she had ever seen him be for something and she loved it. It was exciting and cute and she, in some weird way, felt honored. Winter time was apparently something Eddie liked a lot and she had somehow, over their three years of friendship, never realized. He could have gone out to play in the snow today with Pennie, who probably would willingly make snowmen and igloos with him, but he had chosen Stella. It was making her feel feelings, which had been a sort of constant thing since they started Officially Dating, but it was still taking some getting used to.

Eyes still narrowed slightly so as to adjust to the brightness, Stella glanced up at Eddie, and felt her heart pitter-pattering at the sight of his wide grin. When had she fallen so hard? It hadn't happened fast which was a surprise on its own given that the adjective would be one of her Until Dawn character traits, but she found herself in some sort of way. It might have been that her feelings for Eddie had hit her so suddenly that she was still reeling from the impact. Whatever it was, she didn't mind. Stella liked Eddie a lot and she was really happy with the way things were going. It was just... taking some getting used to? She wasn't sure of any of it, of anything ever really, but she didn't mind learning along the way.

He apologized for the lack of sunglasses and again when she asked if they could go back to her warm room. Her eyes narrowed further in frustration this time, feeling irritated that he wasn't agreeing with her. That was normal, though. "And just what good is stepping in it going to do?" She asked a little snappily, trying to resist as Eddie pulled her forward. It was all in vain since she hadn't been prepared for it. The snow crunching beneath her feet was an oddly pleasing sound and she couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. Eddie beaming wasn't helping in that the way his eyes were lit up was very contagious. She tried telling herself to be happy for his sake since this was something he was very excited about and she wanted to share that with him.

His hand was gone from hers suddenly and she subconsciously reached after him before pulling her arms back and letting them hang at her sides. She laughed a little at his hopping, wishing she'd had her phone out to capture it, but realizing that it was a sight she would never forget either way. It was unfairly cute and had sufficiently distracted her and that was probably why she hadn't expected the snowball that hit her in the shoulder. Shock danced across her features before anger flashed in her eyes. "Eddie!!" she said loudly, brushing away at the snow on her coat, feeling the aforementioned irriation rising and coloring her cheeks. All sorts of mean words worked their way up her throat but she ground her teeth together, focusing instead on the challenge he'd just issued.

Quick as usual, Stella bent over and grabbed a handful of snow, working it into a ball before throwing it at him. She didn't care to see if she'd landed a hit or not, dashing to the nearest tree and hiding behind it, where she worked on creating more ammo. "I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into, Brooke," she called, somehow not at all surprised with how sharp her voice came out.

EDDIE!!! #feelings
outfit

[EDGAR M. BROOKE]

A

OUTFIT STELLA!!! short as HELL 'Cause it's too cold For you here and now So let me hold Both your hands in the holes of my sweater And if I may just take your breath away I don't mind if there's not much to say Sometimes the silence guides our minds So move to a place so far away The goose bumps start to raise The minute that my left hand meets your waist

So the snowball had hit her, hearing his name told him that. Grinning, Eddie had already started making the next snowball, using one of the tables for cover. "I don't know, Hines, I do have more experience than you," he shouted, though his 'shouting' was more like speaking at slightly above a normal volume. "This is practically our chess match part two," he called, knowing he was just fueling the fire, but he wasn't sure how much of the snow Stella would be able to take, and he wanted to make sure she didn't quit on him. Eddie took one of his snowballs and walked out of his cover slowly, peering behind the tree she was hiding behind from a distance, and once he was within range, he threw it, running back immediately to his base, not bothering to see if it hit her or not. He was more defensive than offensive, but what he really cared about was strategy. How would they determine the winner, anyway? Whoever quit first, he supposed. He crawled under the table now, making more snowballs and keeping an eye and an ear out for Stella approaching, readying himself for the next attack.

[stella r. hines]

Realizing what a hassle it was to be carrying Eddie's second jacket with her, Stella tossed it aside so that her arms were free to make more snowballs. She wasn't even sure why she was so mad that he had started this fight with her. Maybe because it wasn't anything she was familiar with? Maybe because the chances of her losing were very real? Maybe it was because she was supposed to be in bed right now, underneath four blankets, and in her warmest pajamas still. Whatever it was, Stella was not having it. Eddie's voice reached her from where he had taken cover and Stella laughed out loud, though she didn't sound amused. "Yeah, a lot of good that's going to do you," she called back, even though that really didn't make any sense at all.

And then he went and brought up their chess match.

"Low blow, Eddie!!!" she yelled, very nearly coming out from behind her tree to just go and straight up push him into the snow and leave back to her dorm. It was a good thing steam couldn't literally come out of your ears because she would look really ridiculous right now. She'd been just about ready to scoop up all of her ammo, feeling very confident that they wouldn't fall apart in her arms, when a snowball hit her from the direction Eddie's voice had come from earlier. Alright, nope, that was it, Stella was so not playing anymore. He could be on the defense all he liked but Stella was as offensive as one could be, and she was going to win this. She was sure she'd make too much noise when she began her attack because she hadn't learned the art of walking quietly through the snow (or... at all...) but as long as she was quick about launching said attack, who cared how she did it?

Keeping one arm bent against her chest, snowballs tucked into the crook of her elbow, Stella peeked out from behind her tree. She was sure Eddie was hiding out behind one of the tables in the courtyard. His usual attire stuck out perfectly against the white blanketing everything but he also blended in slightly with the table itself. Nonetheless, she was able to spot him underneath one, and she almost fell over laughing. "Eddie," she said between giggles, almost forgetting entirely how serious she had been seconds ago, "remember what happened last time I found you hiding underneath something? How well did that go for you?" Stella didn't even like to remember that day but it wasn't something easily forgotten.

Trying not to lose it, Stella threw a snowball in his general direction, sure she would miss, but mostly just trying to bait him. She moved forward slowly, waiting for him to crawl out and surprise her, but she was definitely laser focused and she was definitely determined to win this.

EDDIE!!!
she's not allowed to win this, js
outfit