#ft ... laughtrackfm

frankie only gets as far as putting on her skates, plagued by a wave of emotion that stops her from making her way over to the pond itself. instead she seeks cover behind the hot chocolate booth, nearly colliding with two children wearing their own skates, no doubt heading for the rink to have a good time. frankie wants to join them, but just as she feared, tears are forming behind her eyes, moisture peaking on her bottom eyelashes just as she makes her way around the booth. this feeling had been with her since she woke up that morning, and it's clear from the sudden tears that her attempts to ignore it aren't working. caught up in herself, she doesn't realize that her hiding spot isn't as private as she'd hoped. she ducks her head and lets a few tears fall, not seeing dario standing in earshot until lifting it again.

a terrible dread washes over her at the realization that dario is seeing her cry. "what are you doing over here?" she asks, the question coming out a little bit like a squeak.

everyone had been snowed in for a few hours now, and the cabin fever was starting to set in. frankie knew better than to be doing this when the strip was full, but she chooses to believe that everyone would be too intoxicated to notice her absence anywhere else, or maybe just too preoccupied by their own issues. but her belief is just wishful thinking, something she knows innately when footsteps sound behind her. straightens from where she'd been leaning over, digging through a stack of papers, the movement far too jerky and immediate to make her look anything but guilty. to make matters worse, when she sees dario looking back at her, she knows, almost as innately, that she can't talk her way of this.

not that she isn't willing and ready to at least try.