Blossom hurriedly swung open the car door and hopped into the passenger seat, shing Axel a bright grin. "Hey."

    Axel just shot her a cold look, not saying a word.

    Blossom was used to it by now, so she didn''t take it to heart.

    She closed the door, buckled her seatbelt, and turned around to smile at Baby in the back seat.

    "Here you go, I brought you something. Thanks foring to pick me up, Baby." Baby''s eyes lit up at the sight of the snacks. "Thanks, Blossom!"

    Blossom chuckled, "You''re wee!"

    The little girl settled quietly in the back, munching away and watching cartoons on her tablet.

    Blossom then opened another small container, like she was showing off a prize, and held it out to Axel.

    "Try this! I got up early to make it myself."

    Axel kept his eyes on the road, ignoring both her and the food.

    Blossom pouted. "You won''t even try it unless Baby tells you to, huh?”

    Axel frowned. "I don''t eat sweets," he answered, his tone colder than the January wind.

    Blossom didn''t mind. She was just happy he finally spoke. She muttered, "How do you know it''s sweet if you don''t even look? Here, try this one, it''s savory, not sweet at all."

    Axel started to say something, but Blossom cut him off, "I''ve got all the vors— sweet, tangy, spicy, you name it."

    Axel just red in silence for a long moment, then said icily, "I''m not getting

    married, ever. I''m not interested in dating, either. You''re wasting your time on me."

    Blossom jutted out her lip. "Just because you don''t n on it doesn''t mean it''ll never happen."

    Axel: "I don''t like you."

    Blossom: "That''s fine. I like you anyway."

    Axel''s frown deepened. "... You''re a girl!"

    Blossom grinned, her cheeks turning rosy. “Exactly! If I were a guy, maybe I wouldn''t like you. It''s because I''m a girl that I do."

    She was a little shy after saying it so directly, but with someone like Axel, if she yed coy, they''d never get anywhere. She just liked him Simple as that.

    Axel snapped, "Stop liking me!"

    Blossom lifted her chin defiantly. "Why? You can''t tell me how to feel. My feelings are my business! And I really, really, really like you!"

    Axel was never the talkative type. Now he just glowered in silence, opening and closing his mouth as if searching for words, but finding none.

    Blossom teased him, "You never saved my number, so how do you always call me? You must have memorized it, right?"

    Axel''s face flushed crimson, and he barked, "Say one more stupid thing and I''ll get out right here. You can drive Baby to the ski resort yourself!”

    Blossom mumbled under her breath, "Fine, I won''t say anything. Jeez, so grumpy, just because I like you."

    Axel: "..."

    As the car sped away from the city, somewhere else, in the city hospital-

    Zaney motionless in his hospital bed. He wouldn''t eat, wouldn''t drink, wouldn''t speak. Yesterday, without any anesthesia, Winona had given him a "snip job" that left himin so much pain he passed out.

    When he woke up, he was in the hospital.

    His mom, Prisci, had been wailing in the hallway, making enough noise for the whale city to hear. She announced to anyone who''d listen that hewas "ruined for life," that he''d never be a real man again, never have kids, never have sex.

    She even wanted to drag in a local reporter to take pictures of his misery, hoping

    the inte would rally with her and curse Winona together.

    Aside from the moment he''d screamed at Prisci to shut up, Zane hadn''t said a word since.

    He felt like he was already dead, but the constant bustle of nurses and his

    mother''s endlessints kept reminding him he was still alive.

    He''d lost the one thing that, in his mind, made him a man. He would''ve rather lost an arm or a leg than that.