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Mochi in the Snow
by moi

"I love the snow."

Radiance in her eyes, Liana leaned against the window, pressing her nose against the glass and gazing breathlessly out on the fuzzy white specks as they cascaded from the sky. Stealthily, Gerard wound his arm around her trim, delicate waist in the proper manner of a chivalrous boyfriend.

"I do too." His deep bass voice was delicious, like rich coffee.

Liana gently unwound his arm and, instead, turned to throw her arms around his neck. For a moment, she pondered his rather melancholy, pimpled face. It was one perfectly acceptable for a boy his age, 16, but not extraordinary in any way.

Cindy grunted indiscriminately from across the room. She gazed hard at a paper in one hand, while she held a pair of plastic scissors in the other. Her job right now was to cut out snowflakes for the winter formal next week, not stare idly at her ex and his newfound love. Being in the Associated Student Body of Mellendich High was absolutely not a slacker's job.

"What, Cindy?" Liana and Gerard's lips had broken away from a passionate, somewhat sloppy kiss in order that their eyes might observe the pudgy origami-mistress.

Cindy looked up and blinked, slowly and deliberately, a cat's glimmer in her pupils. She had a weird, perplexing smile on her face, a smile as though she knew of some vital bit of information that the couple desperately needed to obtain. Her hand rose to straighten the black Neko cat-ear headband that she used to hold back her immense tangle of beet-colored curls.

At this, however harmless the action may have been, Liana became irate.

"You're just jealous, aren't you?" There was a supercilious tinge to her voice.

Cindy shrugged, indifferent. She peeled a long strip of paper from a snowflake-that-didn't-turn-out-like-a-snowflake and stuffed it carelessly, like gum, into her mouth. It was one of her more disgusting habits, eating paper.

"What is there to be jealous of?" she mumbled, her words somewhat slurred. When she spoke, the pulp of the soggy paper, gray with saliva, could be seen stuck to her braces. With a tremendous gulp, Cindy swallowed the paper and bit off another chunk from the snowflake, as though it were a ham sandwich.

"Me and Gerard, you half-brain." Liana replied, squinting in revulsion. Nevertheless, it was all Gerard could do to keep himself from bursting into laughter.

At this, Cindy rose. Her gaze and tone were cold.

"You, Liana, stole my boyfriend. Without so much as an apology. I didn't complain. I've let you walk all over me since kindergarten. Never have I complained. However, now you insult my intelligence. This is the last straw. I will not condone this. Remember who has never had any less than a 4.0 GPA and who has never gotten higher than a 2.7!" With a decisive nod to emphasize her statement, Cindy scooped up her various snowflakes and dumped them in a pile by the closet door, to join the rest of the snowflakes she had made over the past week. Then she glided out of the classroom, apparently unhurried, but seething.

"What is wrong with that girl?" Liana peered at the doorway through which Cindy had exited, irresolute as to whether Cindy would come back in with a fuming chainsaw in hand.

"Who knows? She's always been kinda like that." Gerard tried, rather awkwardly, to stir away from the subject of Cindy. "I . . . I love you."

"Aw! Gerry, you're so sweet!" Liana kissed him lightly on his lips. "But really," Liana went on, undeterred, "What is with your ex? She's such a sore loser. I mean, why doesn't she just accept that she lost the competition, so she should just shut up?"

Gerard waved his hand nonchalantly. "She's always been overprotective. She wasn't as beautiful as you." Again, he tried to change the conversation.

Liana smiled wistfully. "You're so . . . safe, Gerry. Loving, compassionate, and utterly safe. That's why I absolutely adore you."

In reply, Gerard leant in to present his princess a gallant kiss that dismayed her by its sloppy and inexperienced nature. However, Liana did not pull away.

…………………………………

Two hours later, Cindy sat at her kitchen table, a single candle burning as she ate her cold steamed rice and soy sauce with chopsticks, left over from the night before last. The electricity hadn't gone out, but Cindy liked to see her home better in a flame's light. Everything looked so much softer and less real. Cindy, currently, disliked the real world immensely.

Taking her time as she consumed her early dinner, Cindy sketched a large and fancy 1/13/07 in her rice-paper journal. It was a dear thing, with a beautiful tatami cover, and a silver puzzle lock. A scratching at the back door aroused her, and she rose to turn the knob. When it was barely two inches ajar, in swept a beautiful Persian cat, white as the snow that covered the walk outside. It curled around Cindy's feet fondly, meowing. Cindy tickled it behind its ears, whispering to it: "Hello, Oko." She proceeded to shut the door, and resumed her position at the table. The cat jumped gracefully onto the counter, where it could watch her write. Its intelligent face seemed to be critiquing what Cindy had written, perhaps deciding that she should write it as 13 January instead.

In any case, Cindy shrugged her shoulders and set about scribbling furiously.

Today was boring. XP Oh, except for the fact that Gerard and Liana were bothering me today. More like Liana bothering me, rather. But I still maintain that I was bothered.

So I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when they come in and start acting all lovey-dovey and such. I just continued minding my own business. And then they were bugging me. And he kissed her…

Here, though, Cindy was too overcome with emotion. She lay her head down on her book. Bitter tears of jealousy, anger, and sorrow blotted the page. Not moving her head, she wrote a few more words.

I'm certain he doesn't love her. He can't love her. He loved me. He said so. For years . . .

This was too much. Cindy completely broke down into sobs. They resounded through the otherwise empty house, unheard by anyone besides the cat.

…………………………………..

The next day found Cindy once again in the classroom, snipping snowflakes. Liana and Gerard, again, were talking.

"C'mon. You've never seen Star Trek?" Gerard almost looked hurt.

"Yeah, once, actually. But I never watched it again. That show is so stupid." Liana flipped her hair indignantly.

"I've seen Star Trek. . ." Cindy snarled, but she remained unnoticed.

"How about Star Wars?" Gerard seemed desperate.

"I saw the last one that came out. It was lame."

"I loved it," exclaimed Cindy loudly.

Gerard looked at her. "I know. I wasn't talking to you."

Put in her place, Cindy accordingly dipped her head and intensely glared at her papers. As a small consolation, she shoved a few strips of paper in her mouth.

Gerard sighed. "I suppose it's even too much to ask if you enjoyed Apollo 11."

Liana rolled her eyes. "Like, duh! I've never even heard of it!"

Cindy muttered under her breath, "Channel 27. Every third Saturday night. Seven P. M." Of course, no one heard.

"So . . ." Gerard appeared at a loss as to what they should talk about. "What do you watch, then?"

"Gilmore Girls!" Liana screamed shrilly, throwing her hands to the ceiling. "Oprah! Laguna Beach!"

"Oh . . . er . . . yeah!" Gerard blinked thrice in a row. Cindy knew he did that when he was about to tell a lie. "I watch those all the time! Yeah, best shows ever! Mhm. You haven't learned the real purpose for TV until you've watched Laguna Girls! Yeah, yeah."

Liana stared at him coldly. Finally, she threw her arms around his neck, pronouncing: "Gerry, you're a hopeless case. Don't ever change."

Gerard smiled and managed to say just before he kissed her: "I won't."

Cindy, at this, stood quietly, deposited that day's batch of snowflakes into the pile, and went on her not-so-merry way.

…………………………………..

Back at home, the confirmed latchkey-kid Cindy was in the kitchen once again. A few tapered candles were aflame and strategically placed around the room, again the only source of light. A pot of soba noodles was on the stove, boiling furiously in the dark like her anger. Cindy donned a red scarlet kimono-style robe, her favorite comfort when she was upset, and drained the excess water from the pot into the sink. She let her dish sit for a moment on a plate while she got out her journal as usual.

1/14/07

I'm more convinced than ever that Gerard and Liana are perfectly wrong for each other. Ok, so maybe I am biased in that I want Gerard to come back to me. But seriously. Gerard doesn't like anything SHE likes. She doesn't like anything that HE likes. It works out just like that. I think that Liana has some reason why she pretends to like Gerard. Because really, what girl in her right mind (besides me) would like Gerard? He's a nerd. I'm a nerd. We were perfect. But then Liana comes along, a prep. She blows Gerard away. But WHY I ask: why?

P.S. I hate how she calls him 'Gerry'. It's so undignified.

Cindy paused, thoughtful. Then, with a worried expression, she set herself to devouring her hot noodles.

…………………………………..


It was Thursday, and Cindy was, once again, cutting out snowflakes. As usual, Gerard and Liana stayed after class to be with one another.

"Are you going to take me to the Winter Formal in February?" Liana asked this of Gerard, a perfectly normal question.

Cindy's ears perked up.

"Mhm." Gerard shrugged noncommittally. "I don't know…I don't have a lot of money, you know."

Liana snuggled against Gerard. "I know that. But surely you've been saving up for the past few months? I mean, this is really important to me, to go to this thing. It's a social opportunity. We really should go. No. We MUST go." Her voice was getting tighter and tighter, shriller and shriller. "If we don't go, I can't show my face at school again! And if I don't do that, my parents will throw me out on the street, and I'll have to come live with you! Don't you see that it is vital that we go?!"

Gerard's eyes seemed worried. His parents were awfully tight with money, and whatever he ever got to spend, he used for video games. His parents did not approve of dances, and definitely would not give him the hundred or so dollars required for two tickets for the formal. It was doubtful that they would even rent a tux for him.

Gerard, nevertheless, resignedly nodded.

"Well," he began, "if you really want--"

Crash.

Cindy somehow had knocked over a vase. Water was spilled everywhere.

"Oh! Dear, let me help you clean that up!" Liana jumped from her place and leaped across the room to the scene of the accident.

About half of Cindy's newest snowflakes were drenched. She stared miserably at them, tears welling in her eyes.

"Oh, Cindy, don’t cry!" Liana acted more agitated then comforting. She was unrolling sheet after sheet of paper towels from the dispenser at the sink.

Gerard had nothing to say. His eyes met Cindy's, in a conscious 'thank-you for saving me from doing something stupid.' In reply, Cindy merely shrugged. It was the least thing she could do for him.

"Aw!" Liana exclaimed. She shook the towel dispenser angrily. "This thing's out of paper. I'm going to go get another roll. Hang tight." Saying such, she pirouetted across the room and out the door.

Cindy hadn't been physically alone with Gerard since their break-up two weeks ago. Now, they faced each other, one with eyes full of apology, one with eyes full of tears.

"Cindy . . ." Gerard hung his head. He couldn't bear to look at the girl who didn't care that he didn't have money, and sure as hell didn't even care about going to the Winter Formal. "I don't know if you know how sorry I am for what I did to you."

Cindy made no reply. Her head was on the table, amid the puddle of water and the broken glass. It would have made a very picturesque scene, with her distraught red curly hair, if she hadn't been wearing a scarlet Inuyasha sweatshirt that absolutely clashed.

Gerard sighed. "I wish I knew how to make it better for you."

Cindy's head snapped upright. "There's nothing you can do. Except what you don't want to."

"I don't know." This was Gerard's safety clause.

"You don't really love that girl, Gerard." Cindy's voice was a bit gentler.

Gerard stood a bit straighter. "Yes, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I do."

"You don't! You're just dazzled by the attention that she gives you. You're flattered because she has looks and seemingly adores you. But you haven't given her enough credit for her brains."

Gerard smiled bitterly. "There, you're wrong. She has no brains. That's one reason she's so cute."

"Cute? Is that how you describe her?" Cindy exhaled. "I thought you liked me because of my intelligence. You liked to converse with me about grand topics like politics, science, and mystery. Don't you remember?"

This was definitely a stab in the right direction. Gerard accepted the full force of the comment, and remained quiet.

Cindy stood up and walked over to Gerard. In a low voice, she continued. "She has no brains, I grant you. She's a fluffy little prep of a cheerleader. One that we used to point to and laugh at when we attended the football games. Do you remember?"

Gerard remembered. That much was evident through his silence.

"Now you see, it's barely been two weeks that you've been together, and she's already asking you a humongous favor. She doesn't even realize how big of one she's asking of you."

"That's just it," Gerard began to defend. "She--"

Cindy paid no heed. "--She doesn't even care how big. Do you know why? She's probably doing this for a dare."

Gerard was shocked. "No!"

Cindy nodded. "Oh yes! You haven't been to these girl's sleepover parties. I have. All the girls do is talk about guys. And sometimes, even in middle school, when they considered me to be messed-up and nerdy yet salvageable, they dare each other to get with certain ones."

Gerard gaped openly. This was too sensational. He had thought that only guys dared each other in the locker room to get certain girls. It worked the other way round also?

It didn't seem to work in Cindy's mind, either. In a flash, she came up with a better, far more feasible solution. "Either that, or they figure that the only way to gain the attention of their teenage heartthrob is to get with an absolutely poor little ludicrous guy that is the exact opposite of what they are attracted to. Then the heartthrob, supposedly, gets jealous, and sweeps the girl away, wrecking the poor little ludicrous guy and tearing him to pieces. And Gerard, I love you, but I'm sorry to say that to them, you are Liana's poor little ludicrous guy."

Gerard's face abruptly skewed, and he slapped Cindy's cheek hard. "I don't believe a word you say. Liana has no ulterior motives. You're just jealous, trying to twist me to believe she's harmful to me. But she isn't! She's gorgeous and she loves me! That's all that matters!"

Without another word, Gerard stormed out of the room.

Cindy bent her head to watch her tears as they plummeted towards the floor. After a few moments of welcome solace, she scooped up what snowflakes were yet salvageable. She was supposed to have been done with them today. She'd have to make a few more tomorrow to replace those that were ruined. After depositing the dry snowflakes in the pile by the closet, she went out of the room.

…………………………………..

Cindy did not make herself anything to eat when she got home from school. She didn't even bother to light the candle. She wrote under the electric light. Her journal entry was short and concise.

11/15/07

Something must be done about Liana. And I am the one who must do it. No matter what it takes.

That was all she had time to write.

…………………………………..

Cindy scooted away from the teacher's desktop, where she had been sending a text message from online, as she heard the footsteps of Liana and Gerard coming back down the hallway. It took her only a second to roll her chair from the desk to her usual table to resume her snowflake cutting.

Gerard was just opening his cell phone when they came into the room, arm in arm.

"Ick." He frowned. "My mom wants me to come home right away, she sent me a text saying that my dog looks like he's going to die." Gerard's face was plainly upset. "I'm sorry, Liana. I'll call you tonight."

Liana sighed. "All right. I hope your doggie gets better."

"Me too." Gerard kissed her, and scampered out of the room.

Liana stared at Cindy, who was calmly cutting snowflakes. "You don't seem to care that his dog's going to die."

Cindy shrugged. Her tone seemed despondent, yet tranquil. "I doubt that it will." She did not even look up from her work.

Liana peered at Cindy. "So." She began to hold up the snowflakes, one by one, and examine them.

Cindy suddenly turned from what she was doing and began to dig through her backpack. She emerged with a plastic package of pink mochi.

"Oh my god! What's that?" Liana grabbed the mochi from Cindy, as though they were her own.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "It's called mochi."

"What's in it?" Liana turned it over to read the nutrition facts…which were in Japanese.

"It's basically just rice paste rolled in flour and filled with bean jam." Cindy appeared indifferent. "You can have one if you want."

"Thanks, I think I will." Liana ripped the package open with her long fingernails and raised a confection to her lips.

"You'll want to eat it really fast." Cindy interposed.

Liana stopped in the process of her consumption. "Why is that?"

"That's how the Japanese do it. It's tradition." Cindy gazed ardently out at the pine trees in the courtyard as they waved in the wind, as though to gain further inspiration for her paper creations from the flakes that fell from their shifting boughs. As they drifted from the bushy green conifers, they somewhat gave her the impression of dandruff slipping from a Labrador's coat.

"Ok. Well, I can't argue with tradition." Liana paused. "Why aren't you having any?"

"I've got to go to the orthodontist in an hour, and I don't have time to brush my teeth."

"Aw, really?" Liana did not even seem concerned. "That's too bad." She thought for a moment. "How do you say thanks in Japanese?"

Cindy did not even stop to think. "Supashi-bo."

"Hm." Liana laughed. "That sounds funny. Suuu-pappppp-shiiiii boa. Hah." She raised the mochi, as if in a toast. "Suuu-pappppp-shiiiii boa to you too!" And without further ado, Liana popped it into her mouth.

For a moment, she savored the exotic strawberry-and-rice-flour flavor on her tongue; however, as Cindy had recommended, Liana swallowed the mochi whole. A second had scarcely elapsed when she was seized in a fit of gasping, and fell on the floor. Her face turned a slight tinge of blue, and her eyes glazed. Frantically, her hands grasped at her throat. Cindy observed with an appearance of mild confusion, or else of quiet enjoyment. It was not very long before Liana stopped wriggling, and lay perfectly motionless on the cold dirty gray tile of the classroom.

Cindy rose from her chair and stood over the prostrate body of Liana. A grim smile spread across her face, and a maniacal gleam glinted in her eye.

"I always wondered whether it was possible that, as I had read once, four out of every fifteen deaths in Japan is caused by choking on mochi. I guess now I have to believe it." Such was her sole pronouncement over Cindy's body.

Now she had to work fast, to ensure that she would have an alibi helping her elderly neighbor bring in the trash cans. Slipping paper bags over her hands (which she would burn in the fireplace later) she dragged the girl to the closet door. In a swift motion, she placed the almost-full package of deathly mochi on Liana's flat-breasted chest. To finish the effect, Cindy scooped the giant pile of snowflakes she had made for the school formal, and carefully covered the corpse with them.

This done, Cindy hurried across the room, picked up her backpack, and slipped to the door. The white paper snowflakes covered the corpse entirely well. No one ought to find the dead girl until next Monday, when the decorating committee started to hang them in the hall.

Cindy smiled--her work was accomplished, flawlessly. Gerard was safe from this girl and her tricks. He would come home only to discover that his dog was alive and well. Tonight, and all weekend, he would call Liana's cell phone and receive no answer. And maybe he might just see sense and come back to her, Cindy, the girl who truly loved him like no other.

As Cindy flicked off the light, she stated, ponderously, aloud:

"She did say that she loved the snow."


Cindy shrugged. Her tone seemed despondent, yet tranquil. "I doubt that it will." She did not even look up from her work.

Liana peered at Cindy. "So." She began to hold up the snowflakes, one by one, and examine them.

Cindy suddenly turned from what she was doing and began to dig through her backpack. She emerged with a plastic package of pink mochi.

"Oh my god! What's that?" Liana grabbed the mochi from Cindy, as though they were her own.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "It's called mochi."

"What's in it?" Liana turned it over to read the nutrition facts…which were in Japanese.

"It's basically just rice paste rolled in flour and filled with bean jam." Cindy appeared indifferent. "You can have one if you want."

"Thanks, I think I will." Liana ripped the package open with her long fingernails and raised a confection to her lips.

"You'll want to eat it really fast." Cindy interposed.

Liana stopped in the process of her consumption. "Why is that?"

"That's how the Japanese do it. It's tradition." Cindy gazed ardently out at the pine trees in the courtyard as they waved in the wind, as though to gain further inspiration for her paper creations from the flakes that fell from their shifting boughs. As they drifted from the bushy green conifers, they somewhat gave her the impression of dandruff slipping from a Labrador's coat.

"Ok. Well, I can't argue with tradition." Liana paused. "Why aren't you having any?"

"I've got to go to the orthodontist in an hour, and I don't have time to brush my teeth."

"Aw, really?" Liana did not even seem concerned. "That's too bad." She thought for a moment. "How do you say thanks in Japanese?"

Cindy did not even stop to think. "Origato."

"Hm." Liana laughed. "That sounds funny. Orrr-eeeee-gado. Hah." She raised the mochi, as if in a toast. "Orrr-eeeeeee-gado to you too!" And without further ado, Liana popped it into her mouth.

For a moment, she savored the exotic strawberry-and-rice-flour flavor on her tongue; however, as Cindy had recommended, Liana swallowed the mochi whole. A second had scarcely elapsed when she was seized in a fit of gasping, and fell on the floor. Her face turned a slight tinge of blue, and her eyes glazed. Frantically, her hands grasped at her throat. Cindy observed with an appearance of mild confusion, or else of quiet enjoyment. It was not very long before Liana stopped wriggling, and lay perfectly motionless on the cold dirty gray tile of the classroom.

Cindy rose from her chair and stood over the prostrate body of Liana. A grim smile spread across her face, and a maniacal gleam glinted in her eye.

"I always wondered whether it was possible that, as I had read once, four out of every fifteen deaths in Japan is caused by choking on mochi. I guess now I have to believe it." Such was her sole pronouncement over Cindy's body.

Now she had to work fast, to ensure that she would have an alibi helping her elderly neighbor bring in the trash cans. Slipping paper bags over her hands (which she would burn in the fireplace later) she dragged the girl to the closet door. In a swift motion, she placed the almost-full package of deathly mochi on Liana's flat-breasted chest. To finish the effect, Cindy scooped the giant pile of snowflakes she had made for the school formal, and carefully covered the corpse with them.

This done, Cindy hurried across the room, picked up her backpack, and slipped to the door. The white paper snowflakes covered the corpse entirely well. No one ought to find the dead girl until next Monday, when the decorating committee started to hang them in the hall.

Cindy smiled--her work was accomplished, flawlessly. Gerard was safe from this girl and her tricks. He would come home only to discover that his dog was alive and well. Tonight, and all weekend, he would call Liana's cell phone and receive no answer. And maybe he might just see sense and come back to her, Cindy, the girl who truly loved him like no other.

As Cindy flicked off the light, she stated, ponderously, aloud:

"She did say that she loved the snow."

I thought the story was good. I don't know too many teenagers who have the patience to write such a lengthy story without losing their focus.

Your ending is very confusing as are the randomly included flamboyant words. Instead of writing in a standardized form, it looks like you picked up a thesaurus and grabbed a complex word to replace a perfectly acceptable simple one. I agree that people should have a more eloquent vocabulary, but as writers, shouldn't we consider our audience and create works appropriately? If you are going to write a phrase like, "irresolute as to whether Cindy would come back in with a fuming chainsaw in hand" instead of "unsure if Cindy would come back doing her best re-enactment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre", at least give the reader another sentence or two to buffer the unfamiliar word. I think, every time your reader has to grab a dictionary and look up a word, she isn't getting educated, she's getting irritated.

Also, your characters are very simple, almost to the extent of being one dimensional stereotypes. People are complex, a cheerleader could also be an excellent debater and amateur writer. The nerd who watches sci-fi could also be the President of a highly respected nationwide sci-fi club.

Finally, you should consider re-editing this work to catch little mistakes like "11/15/07" when the month is January(?) or those previously mentioned changing of the character's vocabulary. But don't overdo it either, I tend to have that issue with my writing sometimes, it never turns out well.