Bi The Way

The winter carnival at SDCI was in full swing, and the air buzzed with excitement and laughter. Snowflakes gently fell from the cloud-filled sky, softly kissing the noses of students as they darted between booths. Rodney stood beside Derek, his breath curling into misty tendrils in front of him. He'd never imagined he'd be looking forward to a school event. Still, the anticipation of spending the day with Derek and participating in the festivities had him practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Man, this is going to be great!" Derek said, as they walked through the carnival together. "Have you ever done a snow race before?"

"Can't say that I have," Rodney admitted, his cheeks flushed with a mixture of cold and excitement. Thoughts of Ally still lingered in his mind, but today, he was determined to just have fun. "But there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Exactly!" Derek grinned. Together, they found their way to the snow race starting line, joining a small group of eager participants. The race was simple enough: run from one end of the designated area to the other, all while avoiding obstacles made of snow and ice. Rodney could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he crouched down, ready to sprint.

"Ready?" the volunteer shouted, and everyone nodded. "Set... Go!" In an instant, Rodney was off, adrenaline surging through his veins. His feet slipped and slid in the snow, but somehow, he managed to keep his balance. Laughter bubbled up inside him as he watched Derek stumble and fall, only to pick himself up and continue racing, a look of pure determination on his face.

In the end, neither Rodney nor Derek won the race, but it hardly mattered. They were both grinning from ear to ear as they cheered for the winner, their breaths coming in short, frosty puffs. "That was awesome!" Rodney declared, high-fiving Derek.

"Absolutely," Derek agreed, grinning broadly. "Now we did to refuel, food?"

"Food." Rodney agreed.

As they wandered through the carnival, enjoying the various winter-themed games and activities, Rodney couldn't help but feel a lightness in his chest. For once, he wasn't overthinking everything, and it felt like a weight had been lifted.

-------

As Rodney and Derek passed the Beaver Tail booth, Jordan and Steven were hard at work—or at least, that's what they wanted people to think. In reality, they were engaged in a full-on food fight, lobbing bits of dough and toppings at each other with wild abandon. Luke had joined them in the booth, eager to put his culinary skills to the test, only to be disappointed by the pre-determined recipes.

"Come on, guys, we're supposed to be making these for the customers," Luke chided, although his grin betrayed his amusement.

"Lighten up, Luke! We have had like four customers all day," Steven retorted, flicking some whipped cream at him. "Besides, I've got a Mr. Greenburg's right here ready to go." With a wicked grin, Steven carefully placed a few jalapenos into the unsuspecting teacher's cookies-and-cream Beaver Tail. He couldn't help but snicker as Luke handed the teacher the treat.

"Alright, alright," Jordan conceded, handing Luke a paper towel for the whipped cream on his shirt. "I promise I will take this volunteer position more seriously, only because..."

"Son of a" Mr. Greenburg's voice rang out, the boys turned to watch the man's face turn beat red as he desperately clawed at the cap of his water bottle.

Jordan and Luke turned to look at Steven "What?" Steven asked, trying to hide the smile creeping across his face.

---

As Rodney and Derek enjoyed their maple toffee on a stick, they stumbled upon Ally, her cheeks flushed from the cold, concentrating on a ring toss game. Despite her best efforts, the rings refused to cooperate, slipping off the bottles time after time.

"Hey, Ally," Rodney called out, catching her attention. "How are you doing?"

"I am fine," Ally said, pulling her attention away from the game. " Just was hoping to win one these little bears. " she gestured to the array of cheap colourful bears.

"You know, there's an easier way to win that teddy bear," Rodney said.

"Really?" Ally asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity. "What is it?"

"Let me show you," Rodney offered, turning to Derek. "Do you mind if I help Ally out?"

"Sure thing, buddy," Derek replied, giving Rodney a knowing smile as he wandered off.

Rodney led Ally to a booth where contestants competed to fill a balloon with water using squirt guns. The first person to make their balloon burst would win a prize. Rodney explained his plan: since they were competing against each other, one of them was guaranteed to win the teddy bear.

"Sounds like a plan," Ally agreed, she was excited to get the bear for her sick boyfriend, but she also chastised herself for not thinking of this on her own.

---

Derek approached the Beaver Tail booth to throw out the stick from his toffee, spotting Steven manning the cash register. "So, they've got you handling the money, huh? I don't see anything other than a cash box back there, do they at least give you a calculator?"

"I don't need one, I can do math quickly enough in my head," Steven replied without missing a beat, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Is that so?" Derek challenged playfully. "How about we make a bet? If you can answer all my questions correctly, I'll give you a twenty-dollar tip. But if you can't, I get a free beaver tail. Deal?"

"Deal," Steven agreed, unfazed by the challenge.

Derek started with a simple question: "What's 1256 times 54?"

"67944," Steven replied almost instantly, impressing Derek.

"Alright, what's the hypotenuse of a triangle with one side measuring 34 and the other 60?"

"68," Steven answered without hesitation.

"Wow, you're good," Derek admitted, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, last one: solve for x in this equation: 10x + 12 - 20 = 34x."

Steven's brow furrowed in concentration as he began to work out the problem in his head. Just as he was about to answer, a sudden commotion erupted behind him—Luke had accidentally caused a small oil fire. Distracted, Steven blurted out his answer: "x equals -1/6." before heading back to help put out the fire.

"Ah, so close!" Derek exclaimed, when Steven returned. "It's actually x equals 1/6. I guess that means I get a free beaver tail."

"That was the deal" Steven agreed, taking Derek's order and relaying it to Jordan in the back. With his back turned Derek slipped the twenty into the small tip cup.

---

Rodney steadied his aim, the chilled water from the squirt gun seeping into his gloves. He glanced at Ally, who was determinedly focused on her target. Distracted by how beautiful Ally looked in her infinity scarf and matching toque, Rodney's aim began to falter.

Ally's balloon expanded rapidly. Within moments, it burst with a satisfying pop, showering them both with droplets of cold water.

"Congratulations! You won!" the attendant exclaimed, handing Ally the huge teddy bear she had been eyeing.

"Thanks, Rodney," Ally said with a grateful smile. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"It was nothing," Rodney replied modestly, but Ally shook her head.

"No, really, you're special, Rodney. Sometimes I feel so dumb, like if I didn't have my looks or my athleticism, no one would want anything to do with me." Her vulnerability took him by surprise; Ally had always seemed so confident and self-assured.

"Ally, you're not dumb," Rodney reassured her. "You connect with people in a way I could never dream of. Look how quickly you made friends when you moved here, it took me twice as long to get even one friend."

"I think you sell yourself short sometimes Rodney, but thank you," she whispered, touched by his words.

"Hey, you don't have to thank me. I'm just telling the truth." Rodney spotted Derek in the distance, enjoying a beaver tail. "Come on, let's go over there. You should actually meet that friend I made."

"Sure thing," she agreed, clutching the teddy bear tightly as they walked toward Derek.

"Hey, Derek!" Rodney called out as he and Ally approached the table where Derek sat, munching on a beaver tail. The scent of cinnamon and sugar drifted through the air, making Rodney's stomach growl in anticipation.

"Rodney! And the famous Ally," Derek said with a warm smile, extending his hand. "Heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," Ally replied, shaking his hand firmly. "I'm a big fan of horror movies, and I heard you hated the latest Halloween installment as much as I did."

"Ugh, don't even get me started," Derek groaned, rolling his eyes. As they launched into a spirited discussion about the movie's many flaws, Rodney felt a swell of pride that his friend and crush were getting along so well.

While Ally and Derek debated the merits of various horror franchises, Rodney's gaze wandered across the carnival grounds. He spotted Parker and Madison sharing some taffy, their faces lit up with laughter. He couldn't help but knot in his stomach as Parker caught his eye and offered him a half-hearted grin. Rodney gave a nod in return and quickly averted his gaze.

"Hey, Rodney what do you Say?" Ally said, interrupting Rodney's thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I kind of zoned out," Rodney admitted sheepishly.

"What do you say we try the snow sculpture contest?" Ally repeated.

"Sounds fun!" Derek agreed enthusiastically, jumping to his feet.

As they made their way to the area, Rodney couldn't shake the image of Parker's smile from his mind. Another knot slowly formed in his stomach as he wondered why Parker chose to go out with Madison in the first place. When it was his turn to tackle the mound of snow, Rodney's thoughts continued to drift back to Parker, causing him to knock the head off his sculpture and lose precious seconds.

"Better luck next time, buddy," Derek chuckled as he and Ally gleefully dumped a bucket of snow onto Rodney's head. Shivering, Rodney couldn't help but join them in laughter.

---

Later, as the carnival wound down, Luke, Steven, and Jordan packed up the booth. "Thanks for helping today," Jordan said with a smile. "Sorry, it wasn't more fun."

"Are you kidding?" Luke responded, sincerity in his voice. "I had a blast just hanging out!"

"Me too," Steven agreed.

With a wave, Luke left when his mom arrived to pick him up. Steven lingered for a moment before turning to leave as well. But just as he was about to go, he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Jordan's cheek. Then, without a word, he walked away.

Jordan stood there, stunned, as Rodney and Derek approached. Unable to contain their curiosity, Jordan blurted out, "What does it mean when someone kisses you on the cheek?"

"Maybe it's just a European thing," Derek joked, but Rodney offered a more sincere answer.

"Or, it could mean they like you," he said thoughtfully.

Jordan bit their lip, eyes flickering in the direction Steven had gone. "You think so?" They wondered aloud, hope and uncertainty mingling in their voice as they pondered the possibilities.