by Adele Huxley
“So, uh…why don’t we get a drink? I think Noah bought enough booze to stock an entire liquor store and Kayla brought in four different kegs.” His hand slid down my arm, interlacing his fingers with mine. The sensation sent a wave of goosebumps across my body.
“Lead the way,” he smiled. I wanted to lead the way back to my room and into my bed, but I resisted the temptation. I pulled him into the crowd.
I’m not sure how it was possible, but it seemed like there were even more people crammed into the house. A couple girls stood on the marble counters in the kitchen dancing like go-go girls. The kitchen island had turned into a beer pong game with dozens of cups on either side. The mood of the party was shifting as people became more drunk.
After grabbing a couple beers from the closest keg, we ducked outside and walked along the back side of the deck. Bryan still held my hand but there was an awkwardness between us. We’d connected so easily when he talked in the lodge. Maybe we just needed to be drunk or pissed off with each other to get the conversation flowing. I took a huge gulp of my beer and looked around, my eyes locking on an unbelievable scene. I tugged at his arm.
“What the fuck are they doing?” I gaped. I really, really didn’t want to deal with someone dying.
I pointed to a small crowd standing around a mound of snow they’d piled up on the deck. Two guys were holding another upright as he balanced on the edge. He had a cheap plastic snowboard strapped to his sneakers. I rushed forward to look over the edge, knowing the drop was easily twenty feet or more. Down below was another group of guys with shovels, piling all the fresh snow into a makeshift ramp. Bryan stood next to me, a broad, crazy smile spreading across his face as he watched the preparations.
“He’s not seriously going to jump that, right?” I half pleaded with him.
“If those guys aren’t riding down that roof,” he said pointing above us, “and completely jumping the deck by the end of the night, I’ll be shocked.”
“So it’s really true what they say about snowboarders then,” I grumbled. I almost couldn’t stand to watch it. The snowboarder gripped the shoulders of the other two as they all counted down.
“Five, four, three, two, one, jump!” I gasped as the guy leapt off the ledge, the plastic bindings coming loose the instant he was airborne. He tucked and tumbled onto the snowbank below, landing in a heap at the bottom. I let out a quivering breath when I saw him move.
“They’re fucking crazy. Who would do that?” I wondered, shaking my head. We stood and watched another make an attempt, this time landing the jump and riding nearly down to the pond opposite the private run. I couldn’t stand to watch it any longer, so I lead Bryan away.
As we rounded the corner of the deck, we came upon a crazy scene of a different sort. At least ten people had piled into our hot tub, some in suits, many topless. I spotted Morgan of all people, balanced on the edge with her feet in the water. She was still wearing her knit hat, her long braids framing her bare pert breasts. Knowing wherever Morgan was, Spencer wasn’t far behind, I scanned the crowd. There he was, the poor guy, just standing off the side looking like the most uncomfortable person in the world. I didn’t feel too bad for him. Judging by the bulge in his pants, he was enjoying Morgan’s free spirit as much as the others, even if he didn’t know what to do about it.
Thankful Bryan didn’t know who my roommates were, so I pulled him past quickly. The DJ I’d photographed earlier was really getting into it now. The deck was bouncing slightly underfoot as the large crowd moved to the music. Visions of a horrific collapse flashed through my mind. As I turned to say something in his ear, he bent to speak in mine. Our faces came so close, our noses nearly touched. His hazel eyes scanned my face, lingering on my lips before he leaned forward.
“Let’s go someplace a little quieter,” he said, his breath hot on my ear. I nodded in response, my breath coming out in a shudder.
Traveling back into the steamy hot living room, I spotted one lone overstuffed chair. I pulled him over but we stood awkwardly, not sure how to arrange ourselves. The frustration of our nerves finally getting the better of me, I grabbed him by the shoulders and gently pushed him into the seat. He landed with a laugh. I’d planned on sitting on the arm but he looked up at me with an arched eyebrow, and patted his lap. What the hell? Why not? I settled gingerly in his lap, self-conscious, like most girls, that he could feel how heavy I was.
Bryan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. His other hand slipped behind my head and pulled my mouth towards his. His lips were hot and urgent against mine. I garbled something in surprise, easing into the kiss as his tongue slipped between my lips. For several heartbeats we connected and when I pulled away, I was left breathless.
I stared into his eyes, for once at a complete loss for words. The faintest curl started at the corner of his mouth as he ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “I couldn’t wait anymore. Ever since you kissed me yesterday, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about feeling your lips again.”
The reaction those words created was a surprise to even myself. If I’d had more than one beer, I would’ve blamed it on the alcohol but as it stood, the reaction was all me. I bit my lower lip, right where his thumb had just been caressing. Putting a hand on either arm of the chair, I pushed myself up and eased myself into a straddling position, facing him. It was his turn to be shocked.
I ran my fingers through his messy brown hair and smiled down. “In that case, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about doing this.” I kissed him again, so passionately his head pressed against the black leather behind. His hands grasped at my back, arching me against his body. It wasn’t my direct intent, I swear, but I could feel his cock stir beneath me. I squeezed his hips with my knees but I forced myself to pull back before I got too carried away.
“So uh, now that we’ve gotten that out of our system,” I said pushing myself back into a normal seated position but still across his lap. “I think we can carry on with the rest of the night.” It was a bit of a lie. It hadn’t released any sexual tension. It’d only turned up the heat that much more, but at least I could talk to him without the distraction clouding everything. I ran a finger along his jawline, my nail catching his stubble. “You’re not much of a mountain man anymore.”
He smiled, scratching at his cheek self-consciously. “Yeah, well, I don’t actually own a razor so it’s the best I could do.” God, he’s cute, I thought.
The longer we talked, the more comfortable I felt with him. I’m not gonna say we were kindred spirits or anything like that, but that feeling I’d gotten from the conversation in the lodge returned. The party nearly disappeared around us as we talked and before long, any nerves I’d had faded completely. We had a similar history, our hearts had been broken in the same places. We were two damaged people connecting in the middle of a hedonistic paradise, seemingly amazed that the other was real. I’d seen the ache in his eyes when he’d brought up his dad and I wanted him to know I shared the same hurt. It’s not like I could go from one of the hottest kisses I’d ever had to talking about dead relatives. This playful date was shaping up to be so much more. I felt a pull towards him that wasn’t borne of just passion but something else entirely.
“So, how do I get to wear a fancy pair of skis like you? I doubt you’re making that much in the shop,” I asked, my fingers twizzling through his hair.
Bryan tilted his head and grinned, his thumb idly rubbing my knee. His eyebrow moved a fraction of an inch. “A few more lessons, followed by drinks in the lodge, and I think I could get my guy in the pro shop to hook you up.”
“Ah, I see how it is. This is downright—” My thought was cut off by Kayla flinging herself into my lap, belly first. The red lipstick on her bottom lip was smeared half way down to her chin. The smell of booze rolled off her as she laughed.
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” she yelled. She slipped down and landed on the floor with a thump, her dress riding up around her waist.
; “Oh man,” I groaned helping her up. I tugged her tight dress back down, saying a little thanks that she’d decided to wear panties. “How much have you had to drink?”
Kayla giggled. “Not much.” She leaned forward and started petting my hair, staring at it like it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed her hand, trying to get her to focus on my eyes. I’d seen her like this before, but I had to make sure. “Sweetie, did someone give you something?” She kept nodding, almost as if she’d gotten caught up in the beat of the music.
She pulled my hair. “It’s just like the shit from Ashville,” she whispered. My stomach sank. I glanced at Bryan who was still sitting in the chair, looking at us with a bit of amusement. He had no way of knowing what that meant but a very tangible sense of dread leached into my blood.
I put my hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at me. “What do you mean it feels like Ashville?”
Kayla pushed against me, her face twisting and contorting like a child’s in fear. Suddenly, she was on the brink of tears. “It’s like Ashville. Snoooowbaaaall.”
“Is that what Noah gave you?” She nodded, her face still in my hands. “Are you okay? You’re just high?”
Bryan started to clue in, realizing that she wasn’t just drunk but on something potentially dangerous. He stood and touched my shoulder, concern filling his face. “Is she gonna be okay?”
“Hey mountain man,” she slurred, her mood shifting yet again. She stroked his stubble and cooed as if she were petting an animal. “You’ve got pretty eyes for a mountain man.”
I groaned and slung my arm around her waist. “She seems pretty far gone. If she took what I think she took, then I probably need to stick with her for the next hour and ride it out. Do you think you could help me get her outside? The cold air might help.” Bryan put his arm around from the other side, resting it on top of mine. I leaned forward and continued, “I’m really sorry about this. She promised me I wouldn’t need to babysit tonight but…”
“Really, it’s fine. We’ve all been there, right?”
I gave him a nudge and a knowing smile. “Yeah, I seem to remember someone from not so long ago…”
I recognized Kayla from the bar. Even in my drunken state from that night, I remember thinking she looked like a real party girl. As I realized the full extent of her intoxication, it seemed par for the course. The entire party was filled with people half naked, throwing up, making memories they’d never remember. That’s what your 20s were for, it seemed. When I saw the concern on Liz’s face, I knew something more was up.
We helped her outside, pushing through the crowd to get to the front of the house. I still couldn’t believe how many people were stuffed inside the cabin. I still couldn’t believe how big the cabin was! I remember pulling into Tellure Hollow and looking up at the houses nestled into the mountain, almost in disgust. A few weeks into my loner trip of self-discovery, I found myself shoulder to shoulder with every person in town. Not only that, I was interested in a girl for the first time since Angela had left me. Shock of all shocks, she was into me too. Any question I’d had in my mind about that was erased when she threw herself on me.
Even the memory of it caused my dick to twitch. The way she’d jumped on me was so hot. Liz constantly surprised me, challenged my perception of her. From the moment we met on the bridge to the way she’d tackled the mountain her first day out on the slopes, I knew this girl could keep me on my toes.
I helped guide Kayla to the railing where the crowd thinned out a bit. We sat her down on one of the built-in benches, looking at each other like exhausted parents. The girl kept pawing at me and calling me a mountain man, presumably an inside joke between the two of them.
“She’s completely fucked,” Liz said to me.
“Do you know what she took? She said something about Ashville, right?”
Liz looked pained when I mentioned that, as if she’d hoped I hadn’t heard. “We met in college, in Ashville. One of our…mutual friends…sold a combination of MDMA and ketamine. It was kind of his signature drug. Snowball.” Her mouth twisted as if the words tasted sour.
“Fuck, that’s like an animal tranquilizer, right?” I looked down at Kayla. She was tiny, probably not even a hundred pounds dripping wet and she was taking tranquilizers. “Do we need to get help?”
Liz shook her head. “No, she’s gonna be fine. If anything nasty was gonna happen, it would’ve by now.” She brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. “It’s probably a good thing we nabbed her in time. If she kept drinking, it could’ve gotten really bad…”
“You seem to know a lot about this,” I joked. Taking care of a potential drug overdose was a real mood killer so I hoped humor might work. Unfortunately, Liz didn’t respond how I’d expected.
“You have no fucking idea,” she said cryptically, her eyes focused on Kayla.
“I seems I don’t know much,” I replied quickly. It came out with a bit more bite than I’d intended. She glanced up at me questioningly but looked over my shoulder.
“Shit.”
I followed her eyes and my stomach sank. The asshole from the bar was walking towards us. My fist clenched when I saw the smug look on his face. I wondered what Liz might think if I hit him again? Would that ruin my chances of a second date?
“Well, here are the two lovebirds,” he said. I didn’t like the way he was looking at Liz. He seemed like a man split in different parts, his face expressing one thing while his eyes described another. His words said one thing while his tone implied another. The realization put me on edge and in my eyes, it made him unpredictable. “Where have you two been hiding?”
Liz visibly tensed as he drew near, even going so far as to step back against the railing. She ignored his question. “Noah, what did you give her?”
He glanced at me and then down to where Kayla was sitting. She had her Santa hat headband in her hands, picking at the little white puffball on the end. “I haven’t given her anything she hasn’t asked for.”
“Jesus, just tell me so I know what to tell the EMTs if I have to call them.” Her eyes were like ice. The protective hand she kept on Kayla told me something more had happened between these three.
He waved his hand in her face dismissively. “She’ll be fine. I got it from my guy. He’s solid.” He crouched down in front of Kayla, taking her chin in his hand and lifting her face. Liz moved to push him away but he continued speaking. “No, this little one here knows exactly what she’s doing.” Kayla’s eyes flickered open, looking at Noah’s face but then beyond. Her expression lit up like a child being handed a huge ice cream cone. The mood swings she was going through were disturbing enough without this guy manipulating her.
“Rick!” she cooed, pointing over Noah’s shoulder.
I looked up at Liz in confusion and practically watched the color drain from her face. I looked to where Kayla pointed and spotted a man a little older than us standing in the front doorway with the strangest smile. He was broad-shouldered with short cropped black hair. His ears and nose told the story of a dozen fights. If Noah had made her tense, this guy made it seem like she wanted to crawl out of her skin.
Kayla slowly climbed to her feet and ran over to him on wobbly legs. She fell into his arms with a happy squeal. “Ricky’s here! Liz look, it’s Rick.” He kissed her tenderly on the top of her head, his eyes fixed on Liz.
I definitely felt like the outsider in this reunion. I struggled to make sense of what was happening. What annoyed me most was Noah seemed to be in on it, the realization immediately raising my hackles. He stepped back as Rick approached. He still had Kayla in his arms but was walking slowly towards us. Liz gripped the railing behind her and I wondered for a moment if she was going vault herself over it like the snowboarders from earlier.
“Look Liz, it’s Rick,”
I felt frozen in place, not knowing if I should step in and protect her. Danger rolled off this g
uy in waves and as yet, he hadn’t seemed to notice me. Maybe I could jump him before he got to her?
“What the hell are you doing here?” Liz said through clenched teeth. “How did you get out? How the fuck did you find me?”
“Does it matter, Beth? I’m here now.” Even with Kayla hanging off him like a child, he still moved with menace.
Liz shook her head. “I should’ve known.”
Liz reached out and took Kayla’s hand, speaking to her in a soft voice. “Hey sweetie, why don’t you come with me real quick? I’ve got something to show you, okay?” In her highly suggestible state, Kayla immediately forgot the pile of muscle named Rick and blinked at her.
“Oh yeah? That’s awesome, let’s go!”
When she finally looked at me, the fear was vivid in her expression. I might not have known exactly what was going on, but I knew that look wasn’t good. I fell in behind as she pushed through the crowd back into the house. I chanced a glance over my shoulder and saw Noah and Rick shaking hands like they were old friends.
Liz shoved through without apology, knocking people to the side like her life depended on it. I did my best to keep up but was bounced back and forth a few times. Panic rose in my chest when I lost sight of her, but I knew from the general direction, she was heading back to her bedroom. When I got to the door, it was locked tight.
I knocked softly. “You need any help in there?”
“We’re okay, just give us a second, okay?” Liz called out. I heard her come closer, the doorknob twisting in my hand as she unlatched the door. She opened it a fraction and peeked at me through the gap. “I’m so sorry about this. I had no idea—” Her eyes went wide and I felt a hand slap my shoulder. Liz slammed the door as I spun, coming face to face with Rick for the first time.
“Hey buddy, how’s it going?” I tried to say casually. The guy had a couple inches and several dozen pounds of muscle on me. Skiing might be great for cardio and a muscled physique, but it doesn’t build too much strength. This guy looked like he’d been sculpted in the prison yard.
