The Snow

“GOD DAMN IT!”

Brittany Pike walked into the apartment and threw a loaf of bread against the couch.

“What happened? Where's the ham?” Lauren was genuinely concerned, but also pretty hungry. Winter was in full effect, and with it, the hysteria associated with snow. Brittany Pike had journeyed to the grocery to get a couple of basic things that her and Lauren needed for their apartment. Looking exhausted she collapsed onto the couch beside the bread.

“It was chaos there. The shelves were pretty much empty of everything we wanted. I couldn't look for a lot though, there was just so much going on I had to get what I could and leave. I had to take this bread out of someones cart.”

“Brittany!”

“No, it was fine. She had her back turned and even if she had started to turn around, she was using a walker so it would have taken a minute.”

“That is unacceptable.”

“No, whats unacceptable is people around here freaking out whenever four inches of snow is forecast. It's only four inches. No ones going to starve in that matter of what, hours, that it's unsafe to drive? But what's really unacceptable is that fear-mongering Kevin Harned. If it weren't for him and all his, 'will it or won't it' crap, people wouldn't get so worked up. I hate him!”

“Well, that sucks, but calm down. Just relax for a minute then we can run back to the grocery and get some ham and all that other stuff.”

“WE? What do you mean we?!”

“Fine, geez. I'll go by myself. You need to quit watching so many soap operas.”

Brittany grabbed her laptop and jerked it over on to her stomach. “I'm sending him a message.”

“Who? Kevin Harned?”

“Yep, that bitch is gonna get a piece of my mind.”

“Stop saying people are gonna get a 'piece of your mind.'”

“Why?”

“It's like when someone says 'psyche' or 'negative' or something. It was annoying in the nineties, and its maintained its annoying status even though it's left the mainstream way of talking.”

Brittany Pike started replying under her breath while typing with severity, “I'm about to give you a piece of my mind if you don't...”

“Alright, forget it! I'll be back.”

Lauren grabbed her keys and left for the grocery. She returned in the early evening, just in time for the news. Brittany Pike was in the restroom and walked out as Lauren turned on the tv.

“What are you going to watch?”

“The news. You were freaked out, plus everyone at Kroger did seem to know something I didn't. So I thought I'd see exactly what was being said.”

“I think that Kroger and the meteorologist in this town have some sort of deal. Kevin Harned and company get everyone worked up so they run to the grocery and buy up stuff they don't need. They could be giving kickbacks to the meteorologist. They've gotta be! Doesn't that make everything seem more rational?”

“What happened on General Hospital today?”

“Oh! Well Jax found the tape of Claudia putting a hit out on Sonny...”

Lauren turned the volume up to a point that Brittany Pike couldn't be heard. Kevin Harned stood in front of the map of the United States. His mood was much more somber than usual.

“Well it looks as though we'll get some snow tonight... It shouldn't be too much though... I mean weather can.. is sometimes so unpredictable that you can never know exactly what's going to happen until it's happening. It will definitely get colder tonight. I can't give you an exact estimate of how cold though... And it's going to snow... well it should snow, but you never know. I mean I wouldn't bet my life on it or anything... ummm...”

“Brittany! What did you send to him?!”

With her hands perched triumphantly behind her head she said, “I just told him that he needed to get his facts straight before he whipped people into these frenzies.”

“That's it? Why does he seem so sad?”

“I may have used a couple of curse words. And made an ironic joke.”

“Let me read it.”

Brittany grabbed her computer and slid it over to Lauren, who was shocked to find out that the messaging had happened on Facebook.

“You're friends with him on Facebook? Why did he add you?”

“I added him.”

“Why?”

“I don't know, just read it if you're gonna.”

After scanning the message she slowly closed the computer.

“I can't believe you are cyber bullying Kevin Harned.”

“What are you talking about? Did you even read what I wrote? You must have not gotten the joke.”

“Yes. Not only was that joke not ironic, it was also far from funny.”

“Yes it was.”

“No it's not, you use ironic where most people would use the word 'weird.' They're too very different things. And joking about a weatherman dying in a snowstorm... that's not very funny. That's creepy.”

“Oh well, he needed to be taken down a peg or two.”

“No, you need to. Did you even read his response?”

“No.”

“It says 'Brittany Pike, I'm sorry that I disappointed you. Thanks for being my friend.'”

Brittany Pike's face seemed to register some remorse. Her anger had changed to concern. She slowly reached over to take the computer from Lauren's lap. Lauren watching her, was proud to see her roommate calm down and see the error of her ways. She placed both her hands on her heart as if she were watching a touching moment in a movie. Brittany Pike just sat looking at the computer for a moment deciding her next course of action as Lauren watched on. Then finally, she took action, clicking as severely as she had typed before.

“Delete.”