All Chapters of The Ice Between Us: Chapter 1 - Chapter 3

Harriet Doing a slow 360 in front of the full-length mirror mounted to my wall had basically become my morning ritual. I lifted the hem of my plain grey shirt, and—yep—there they were. The stomach rolls. First thing I saw. Always. Then my eyes jumped to my breasts, then back to my stomach, then to the inner battle in my head. Maybe I should just stay home today. Skip the cruelty, the whispers, the not-so-quiet laughter. Pretend I was sick and avoid another round of “Look who’s trying to fit into jeans again.” *Knock knock.* “Harriet! Come down for breakfast or you’ll be late!” my mum shouted from downstairs. Her voice cut through my thoughts like a blade so I yanked my shirt down, exhaled, and gave my mirror self a flat stare. This was me. Hi. I’m Harriet Avery. Female, if that wasn’t obvious. Seventeen. A Senior at Crestwood High—a hellhole politely disguised as a school, ruled by hockey gods and the spray-tanned cheerleaders who orbit them like glittery little moons. O

Harriet Honestly, dragging myself to school today was the last thing I wanted to do. Seriously, if I could’ve stayed in bed this morning, bundled up in my comfy blanket, with just my thoughts for company, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But of course, that wasn’t in the cards. My mom decided it was time to play the role of the alarm clock from hell. She knocked on my door like a tax collector demanding payment, urging me to get up and face the world. So, here I stood at the entrance of this dreaded institution we call school, side by side with Zoe, who somehow always manages to radiate positivity even on the crummiest days. I felt like I might throw up; the anxiety was crawling up my ribs, threatening to escape. “Come on, H! You’ll be just fine,” Zoe chirped, casually looping her arm through mine, as if she could physically anchor me to the ground. I shot her a skeptical glance. Zoe was the type of person who saw sunshine in even the cloudiest of skies. She was basi