✔ Icebound » Justin Davis » Spinning Out

T w o

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Overbearing Emotions 

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Her feet glided across the profused snow as she basked in the internal silence and the gleaming moonlight that hugged her so warmly. The girl passed by athletes alike as they jogged past her without even offering her a minuscule glance, or social gatherings of those her age by the entrances of bars and clubs, or even families advancing towards the end of the day. Sun Valley seemed so alive deep into the night, and yet, at the same time, so vacant.

The small town had already defeated her exceptions, for as opposed to her home and the sought-after gossip that resided within it, no one in Sun Valley had even spared her a glance. No gaze of recognition, of confusion as they attempted to convince themselves that perhaps she was someone they saw before, no curiosity as they searched across her face for answers about her previous home, she was no one to them, just another soul searching for a path of clarity in the universe. 

And she relished it, being absolutely nobody. Sure, Alaska enjoyed the attention of the crowd as they engaged in cheers when she landed her jumps, or murmured in disappointment alongside her mind when she tumbled down, but outside of the rink, she preferred to remain unknown. She wasn't always like it, the one who kept to herself, but people change, and so she did ultimately, too.

As the girl sauntered across the town she would have to learn to call her home, she tried her best to let her thoughts remain serene, and for once, to her own shock, she felt so, she felt as though no one cared about where she was, what she was doing. Sure, her mother was pressuring in her ways, but after all the events the two partook in, she too changed, and learned to let her daughter go. Alaska had forgotten what it was like, to not have a partner, not have someone constantly worry about where you were. It was freedom she felt, in the new town, but it didn't mean she didn't feel the fear coursing through her veins, freezing her much more than the actual frost that loomed over the town vehemently.

It astonished her when her feet finally brought themselves to a halt, as though throughout her whole jog she was present in the world, but also far from it in a land of her own. Her eyes met with a mighty lodge, adorned with brilliant lights and echoes of laughter and happiness. She stared at it, relaxing in its beauty, before taking a step forward towards it. 

Alaska didn't know what made her amble inside, curiosity maybe or perhaps, just loneliness. Those same dazzling lights she admired outside shone down on her as the warmth of the indoors enveloped her deeply. There were people everywhere, trapped in their own bothers, paying attention to no one but themselves. Her eyes aligned with a bar and she found herself taking a seat. She wasn't much of a drinker, that wasn't her coping mechanism in life, as opposed to others she knew. Her way of coping was training until she couldn't flutter her lashes anymore, to the point her mind could think of nothing but the necessity it craved, sleep. 

The girl tapped her fingers casually on the extensive bar as she attempted to think of a plan, giving an occasional glance around her, but feeling too intimidated to do it for too long, fearing that maybe someone knew who she was, or someone recognized her as nothing but the bearer of the title 'new girl'. 

"What can I get for you"? A monotonous voice spoke as the girl felt herself prance in her seat, not expecting to have a conversation with a soul that night, but immediately realizing she was an idiot for ever sitting by a bar with bartenders in the first place. Still, she had sunk deep enough and figured there was no escape, so she looked up from the palms of her hands and met the profound brown eyes of a bartender as he offered her an apologetic smile "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you".