Page 8 of Love Under Snowfall

Frankie sighed and said, “We miss you too.”

“Back to business, ladies.” Todd turned to Frankie. “Tell me your why.”

“You already know my why.”

“But I think you need to hear it out loud again.”

“Fine.” The sigh that accompanied Frankie’s eye roll reached teenage-angst proportions. “I want to get my MSW so I can work with kids in the foster care system.”

Her roommate waved his hand in agive me moregesture.

“Specifically, I want to open a non-profit that introduces at-risk youth to outdoor activities,” she recited the meticulously crafted section from her grad school application. “I want to show them there are spaces where they belong and can achieve things they never thought possible. Nature is a place of healing, and exposure will help them cope with the challenges they experience at home.”

“Beautiful.” Todd grinned.

They both turned to the sniffles coming from the phone.

“Ignore me. Something’s in my eye,” Lucy said, dabbing at her nose with a tissue.

“Moving on. Let’s dream big.” Leaning back in his chair to reach into the fridge, Todd pulled out a protein shake and cracked the lid. “In your ultimate fantasy scenario, if you could snap your fingers to make it come true, what would happen at your next class?”

“Can’t I just undo what already happened?”

“Ehhh!Wrong,” he said, impersonating a gameshow buzzer. “It’s a waste of time to look back, love. Far better to dream big for the future.”

“Fine,” Frankie grumbled, knowing Todd was right. “If I could wish for anything, it would be that Professor Cl—”

“Professor Prick!” Lucy corrected with a shout.

Frankie shook her head. “It would be thatProfessor Pricktook me seriously.”

“And what would make him do that?” Todd asked.

A miracle.

“It would probably help if I showed up on time to class.”

Todd snorted. “And?”

“And knew the material and how to answer the questions he’d ask.”

“Good, anything else?”

Frankie shrugged. Wasn’t magic of that proportion enough?

“How about you dress the part?” He waggled his eyebrows and grinned.

Leave it to a drag queen to suggest a costume for an occasion as mundane as class.

“I doubt he’d care what I wear one way or another. I already walked in wearing this,” she said as she swiped her hands toward her outfit. “A blazer won’t change his opinion.”

“Probably not, but it wouldn’t be for him.” Todd tutted gently. “Do you know what happened to me the first time I wore full drag?”

“What?”

“I met the inner goddess who’d been dying to come out and perform. The more I tuck and pad and paint my face, the more emboldened I am to lean into the fantasy that is Dirty O’Feelya. Out of drag, I’m not her—even if she does lurk just under the surface. The right outfit might help you actualize your inner law school maven. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

“He’s got a point, chickie,” FaceTime Lucy interjected.

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