Max, Kimmy, and Patricia were on the snowy lawn in front of their apartment building. Chilly winds blew hard. The afternoon sky was grayish-blue. Leafless trees, rooftops, and several parked cars were all caked in white, though it was not snowing at the moment.

"Patricia, I finished rolling up a big snowball," announced Kimmy, crouching behind a dirty snowball that was about the size of a beach ball. The girl's purple coat was long enough to end at her thighs. Her hood was tied together with black strings. Thin, violet gloves covered her hands. Wet spots were noticeable on the legs of her light blue jeans. On her feet was a pair of tan-colored boots.

Patricia helped Kimmy roll the ball up an even larger snowball. A dark blue coat was buttoned down to the woman's hips. Her thin gloves were navy blue. The jeans she was wearing were light blue and her boots were black with white fur.

Kimmy and Patricia molded the snowballs together with their hands, brushing around the conjunction of the big spheres. A curvy, zig-zagged path of uncovered grass was behind the bottom ball, but the builders paid no mind.

Nearby with his back turned to the two females, Max was rummaging through snow, in search of rocks. He was wearing a thick, zipped and buttoned, dark green coat that reached down to his thighs. The hood covered his head. A black scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering the lower half of his face. Two pairs of thin, black gloves kept his hands warm. Snow and water were all over his black jeans and dark brown boots, thanks to his frequent kneeling on the ground.

Karen walked out of the building and met up with her daughter and friend. She was wearing a black leather jacket that stopped at her hips. A plaid, red scarf hugged her neck and dangled at her stomach. Also, she wore a dark blue pair of jeans and black boots. "I got the carrot," she stated, holding the stalk-less vegetable with her red-gloved left hand.

"We finished the body," said Patricia. "Now we just need a head."

"I'll do it." Kimmy bent over and scooped some snow into a pile with her hands. After patting it into a little ball, she rolled it around until it was the size of a soccer ball. Karen picked up the snowball and carefully held it over the bigger ones.

"Careful, Karen! Don't break him!" Max cautioned, rushing over with a Chicago Bulls cap in one hand, and some rocks in his other.

Ironically, Max's warning nearly made Karen drop the ball down the side of the one below it. The woman caught it and managed to set it neatly on top of the middle sphere. The snowman stood several inches taller than Kimmy.

"I found his eyes on the ground," Max snickered, holding two oddly-shaped rocks out to Karen.

Karen pushed a small, gray rock into the snowman's face for a left eye, then used the bigger, brownish rock as a right eye. She then stuck the carrot into the center of the snowman's head and traced a wide and deep smile with her index finger.

Kimmy walked over to the big tree that was near them and picked up some thin branches. She then handed one to Max. "Help me with the arms, Max."

The kids pushed the short, grayish sticks into the sides of the snowman. It now had a six-fingered left hand and a seven-fingered right hand. Kimmy's limb was raised, as if trying to wave. Max inserted his branch lower, almost where the snowman's right hip would be.

Standing on tip-toes, Max reached up and placed the black and red cap on the snowman's head -- backwards. The cap was too small to fit, so it loosely sat on top. "Now he looks cool," Max noted. He turned to Patricia. "Can I put my scarf around him so he doesn't get cold?"

Kimmy and Karen laughed.

"No, Max," replied Patricia. "It's too cold out here for you to take your scarf off."

"Plus the snowman is made of snow, silly," added Kimmy with a giggle. "He's already cold."

"I know that, I was joking," Max lied with a straight face. He turned to the snowman. "Gimme ten." Before anyone could stop him, he slapped both of the snowman's hands.

"Max!" Patricia exclaimed.

Both branches sunk to the ground, lifting the opposite ends out of the middle snowball. The parts of the sticks that were inside of the snow popped out and the snowman was armless once again.

"Oops."

"It's okay, Max," Karen said. "At least you didn't knock the whole thing down."

"I can fix it." He picked up the left arm and pushed it back in. Then he did the same with the right arm. The limbs were still uneven, but were at a more balanced level than before.

Later, the kids were in Max's room. He flipped through the channels and stopped at channel 14. HBO was airing the 'messy apartment' scene from the movie, Blankman. Then, he looked at Kimmy, requesting with his eyes. She nodded and they watched the movie together.

"That was a good movie," Kimmy commented when the credits began to roll.

"My favorite part was where Blankman and The Other Guy fought all those bad guys in that building," said Max.

"My favorite part was when the girl kissed Blankman at the end and he kept shaking."

"That was kinda funny." They laughed in memory of the scene. "It must be nice to kiss," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Yeah. I never kissed anyone, either." Lowering her head, she half-smiled shyly at the boy next to her, hoping he would continue the subject.

Max felt his face get warmer as his cheeks turned red. Slowly, he inhaled some air through his nose. "Um... do... you wanna... try it?" Kimmy quickly raised her head and parted her lips a little. "I mean, just to see what it feels like?"

"Uh-huh. Just to find out how it feels." Kimmy put her legs on the bed and sat on her knees.

Max got into the same position and scooted closer until their knees touched. "Do you know how to do this?"

"Not really. People on TV just put their lips together."

"Let's do that."

Absent-mindedly, Max licked his lips, prompting Kimmy to do the same. Slowly, they leaned forward with their lips sealed. They kept their eyes open, both pairs holding multiple feelings. Anxiousness. Fear. Joy. Admiration. Hearts thudded in their chests and their breathing increased.

Unexpectedly, the tips of their noses bumped into each other, prompting the kids to jerk back in surprise.

"Oh!" Kimmy breathed.

Max chuckled nervously.

"Sorry. Maybe you should tilt your head this way, and I'll tilt mine that way."

Max nodded in agreement.

Once again, the kids' heads inched forward with their eyes open. Anticipation, combined with their approaching body heat, shortened their air supply, causing them to breathe harder through their noses. When they were mere centimeters apart, Kimmy closed her eyes and Max tilted his head. Her head soon leaned to his opposite side.

"Hee-hee-hee," Max giggled, getting spit droplets in Kimmy's face and prompting her to pull back. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just really shy about this."

Kimmy sighed in amusement and wiped her lips with the back of her left hand. "Me, too," she smiled. "Can we do this another time? We're both a little scared right now." Max was disappointed. Still, he took a deep breath and nodded. "Uh, I think I better go home."

"Okay. See you tomorrow?"

Kimmy was already at the door. "Yeah..." She walked out, closing the door behind her. The front door could be heard opening and closing.

With a sigh of frustration, Max laid back, the back of his head hitting his pillow. He couldn't believe he just agreed to try again later. He felt that he was the one who ruined the kiss and drove Kimmy out of the apartment.