by Cylin Busby
“Yeah, man, no prob,” Bryce says as he reaches under the steering wheel.
“What are you doing?” Heather asks. “Well, see, we don’t exactly have the keys,” Bryce says, pulling out some wires from underneath the steering wheel. “So…”
“You’re hot-wiring the van?” you ask. That’s stealing!
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Aiden says, as if he’s reading your mind. “We do this all the time—it’s no big deal. Besides, it’s the only way to get to this club. And I think you’ll really like it.”
You look over at Heather, but she’s already turned around in her seat to talk to Jon—she couldn’t care less. It’s up to you to decide for yourself what you want to do. You don’t want to look lame—like you can’t hack it hanging out with the older guys. And there is something sort of exciting about being so bad. But part of you would rather just play it safe and meet Zac back in the lodge for karaoke.
You want to get out of the van and meet Zac.
You decide to stay in the van and go dancing with Bryce and his friends.
Chapter 40
“One hot chocolate,” you turn to Alex and say. Then you wave to Sierra and Molly. “I’ll catch up with you guys later, ’kay?” Molly waves back at you, but Sierra just turns away with a scowl. Why is she so down on Alex? He seems like a great guy.
You walk into the café with Alex and take off your hat as you go over to the counter. “Wow, you’ve got nice hair,” Alex says, looking at you.
“Really?” you say, running your fingers through it. “I probably have hat-head right now—and static.”
“Well, compared to me,” he jokes, running his hand over his spiky black hair, “I think you look great,” he says, then turns to the guy behind the counter. “We’ll have two hot chocolates with extra whipped cream.”
You sit at a table by the window so that you can look out onto the slopes and watch the skiers come down. Alex brings over the hot chocolates and hands you one.
“This is the best way to warm up—especially after being hit hard with snow bullets! You’ve got quite an arm; do you play softball or something?” he flirts.
“Stop it.” You smile. “I didn’t hit you that hard…did I?”
“I think I’ll live,” he says, rubbing his shoulder. You love the way his dimples show up when he laughs.
You look down into your hot chocolate for a second, wondering if you should just clear the air and ask him about Sierra—how he knows her, and why she seems to dislike him so much. But you’re having so much fun just sitting here, getting to know him, that you almost don’t want to ruin it.
Suddenly you realize that there’s an awkward silence between you—should you ask him about Sierra or just ignore it and make small talk?
You decide to ask him about what Sierra said.
You’d rather just ignore it.
Chapter 41
“Sorry, I’m going to ski with my friends,” you tell Alex.
“Ouch,” one of his friends says, laughing, but Alex just shoots you a grin.
“Maybe I’ll see you later?” he says as you walk away. You give him a little wave as you turn to catch up with Molly and Sierra.
“Good thing you didn’t go with him,” Sierra whispers to you. “He’s a real jerk.”
“Really?” you ask her. “He seems so sweet.” “Who seems sweet?” Molly asks, tuning in to the conversation.
“No one,” Sierra says fast. “Hey, let’s go get in line!”
That night, after you’ve been skiing for hours, Sierra and Molly eat dinner with you, then join a bunch of other students from Marshall at the lodge fire. As soon as you settle into a comfy couch and enjoy the warmth of the fire, Sierra says, “You know what we need? Popcorn!”
“I’ll Go to the kitchen and see if I can find some,” you volunteer. You head down the long hallway, back to the kitchen, but it looks like no one is around. It’s kind of scary in there after dark, and most of the lights are out. “Hello?” you say, hearing your voice echo in the empty dining hall.
“Hey,” someone says, and you practically jump. “Oh, Alex! You scared me!” you say. He looks different out of his ski clothes—tall and thin in baggy jeans and a T-shirt.
“I was just looking for a snack,” he says, grinning. “What are you up to?”
“Popcorn. We’re sitting by the lodge fire, and Sierra…” You stop yourself, suddenly remembering what Sierra said about him.
“Yeah, so you and Sierra are friends, huh?” he asks, looking down for a second.
“She say anything about me?” “Uh…” You don’t know how to answer him, so finally you just tell the truth. “Yeah, she did.”
Alex nods and looks glum. “It was a bad breakup, what can I say? I tried to be as nice as I could,” he explains. “But I guess it’s never easy. So I look like the bad guy, you know?”
“Wait, you and Sierra used to go out?” you ask him. That would explain everything!
“Yeah, she didn’t tell you? We dated for two years, then when we started high school, I don’t know, things changed,” he goes on. “I think she still hates me, but you know what? I’m not a bad guy. Things just didn’t work out.”
You just nod. So that’s why Sierra didn’t want you to hang out with him.
“The truth is, since we broke up, I haven’t even looked at another girl. Until today…,” he says, glancing up at you.
You don’t know what to say, so you just smile, and he smiles back, a dimple showing in one cheek in the cutest way.
“So if I help you find the popcorn, will you promise to be on my team tomorrow for the rematch snowball fight?” Alex says.
“And help you guys win? I don’t think so,” you joke.
“Well, then, will you at least sit with me at the lodge fire tonight?” he asks, and you can tell he’s being totally sincere.
You know that Sierra won’t like it, but it sounds like it’s time for her to get over her ex and move on. “Sure,” you tell him, blushing.
“Then I guess we better find that popcorn,” he says, opening a big cabinet. Who would have ever guessed that one silly snowball fight could lead to a date with a super-cute guy?
END
Chapter 42
You sit by the window, alone, and drink your hot chocolate, but it doesn’t do a lot to warm you up. When you’re done, you go upstairs to change, but once you get the wet, frozen jeans off, you’re so tired, you just collapse into bed.
When you wake up, it’s dark outside, and Sierra and Molly are just getting back from the slopes. “Are you okay?” Sierra asks, slipping out of her snowsuit.
“Ugh,” you moan. Your throat feels all scratchy and your nose is running like crazy. “I think I’m sick.”
“Oh no, I guess that means no karaoke for you,” Molly says, pulling out a hot outfit for the night.
“And probably no skiing tomorrow, either,” Sierra adds with a pout.
“We’ll bring you back some soup,” Molly says as both girls go into the bathroom to do their makeup.
You get out of bed to grab a tissue and see your wet jeans and Sierra’s silver jacket lying on the floor. “Ugh,” you say again, walking over to the mirror on wobbly legs. When you look at yourself, though, you feel even worse. You may have looked hot on the slopes in that silver jacket, but right now you’re paying the price!
END
Want to change that ski outfit? Go back to Chapter 19.
Chapter 43
You look around and finally see a really adorable guy with spiky dark hair whom you recognize from the chairlift. Sierra and Molly introduced you to him, but he was in a group of guys, so you don’t really know him. You walk over to his table. “Hi,” you say softly, and he looks up.
“Hey, you’re Sierra’s friend, right?” he says. “I’m Alex. You wanna sit?” He motions to the empty chair.
“Thanks,” you say, wrapping your hands around your hot chocolate mug. “It sounds silly, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this cold here—
I’m freezing!”
“Really? You looked great out there—that jacket is awesome.”
“Oh this?” You look down at Sierra’s silver coat. “Actually, it’s not mine. And I’m totally freezing because I wanted to wear it.”
“Well, it does look good on you,” Alex says, and gives you a dimpled grin.
“I just came in to warm up, then I’m going back out to ski with my friends,” you tell him.
“I have a better idea,” he says. “Why don’t you change into something warmer and we’ll go sledding—it’s about to get dark out, and the night sledding is amazing!”
Your only option for warmer clothes is renting one of the hideous snowsuits from the lodge— they’re big, bulky, and totally unflattering. But you’re so cold, there’s no way you can go sledding—especially at night—in what you’re wearing. Do you dare to hang out with this cutie in a big goofy snowsuit? Or should you tell him you’re not in the mood to go sledding?
If you decide to join Alex for night sledding, go to Chapter 46.
If you’re too embarrassed to wear a snowsuit in front of him, go to Chapter 47.
Chapter 44
There’s no way you can go ski with Mitch now— checking in on Zac and making sure he’s okay is the right thing to do. You make your way down to the infirmary and start looking for him. When you find him, his face totally lights up.
“What are you doing here? You didn’t have to come,” he says, but you can tell he’s psyched that you did.
“So what’s the diagnosis?” you say, looking down at his swollen ankle.
“Just sprained. They’re going to wrap it up. And I’ll have crutches,” he explains.
The nurse comes by. “It’s going to be a couple of hours before the doctor can get here to look at your ankle,” she says. “Do you want me to get you a book or a magazine? We have some games over here….” She points to a pile of old board games. You hear Zac let out a sigh.
“Hey, let’s play Scrabble!” you say, and quickly set up the board on his bed, pulling a chair over for yourself. Before you know it, an hour has passed and Zac has beaten you—badly—at the game.
“The least you could do is let me win,” you tease him. “I mean, I am taking time out from the slopes to hang with you!”
Out the window, you can see that the sun is going down behind the snowy mountain. No more skiing for you today, but you don’t mind—you’re having a great time hanging out with Zac—he’s so smart, and super funny, time just flies by when you’re with him.
The doctor finally shows up and sets Zac’s ankle. “Obviously, no skiing tomorrow,” he adds when he’s done wrapping it in a bandage.
“That’s okay,” you tell Zac. “I hear they have a whole computer room in the lodge stocked with video games.” But he doesn’t look too happy.
“I was looking forward to hanging out with you,” he admits. “Now I’m going to be stuck in the lodge all day while you’re on the slopes.”
You love that Zac isn’t scared to tell you how he feels about you. For a guy who’s a year younger, he’s very mature! “Look,” you tell him, “Why don’t I ski for half the day, and spend the other half with you?”
His face lights up. “You’d do that for me? But wait—do I have to let you win?” he asks, smiling.
“No way, I want a fair rematch,” you tell him.
“But if I do win, it might encourage me to spend less time on the slopes and more time with you. You take his hand in yours and look up at him.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” he says, grinning. And suddenly, you feel those sparks you thought were missing. Who needs skiing, anyway, when you can hang out with your new boyfriend all day?
END
Chapter 45
“I think I need someone to get out and push the van,” Bryce says, turning to Aiden and Jon. “That will help get it started.”
The guys get out and go around to the back of the van as you scoot over by Heather. “This is crazy,” you whisper to her.
“And fun!” she says back.
The van starts moving, and Bryce leans down under the steering wheel, messing with the wires again. “Uh, babe,” Amanda says, reaching over for the wheel. “Look out—guys, stop pushing!” she yells as Bryce pops his head up and grabs the wheel.
Too late! The van tips down into a ditch at the edge of the parking lot with a loud THUMP, and you and Heather are almost thrown out of your seats.
“Uh-oh,” you hear Bryce say, just as an ear piercing beeping starts up—the van’s alarm is going off!
“Let’s get out of here!” Heather yells, trying to open the sliding door on the side of the van. When you get outside, you can see that Jon and Aiden are already halfway across the parking lot, running. You grab Heather’s hand and start off after them. But before you can get even a few steps, you see some figures coming toward you in the dark—it’s the lodge director, and he’s got Mrs. Bulow with him!
“What on earth?” Mrs. Bulow starts to say.
The director just looks at the van and shakes his head. “It’s not the first time for these guys,” he says, looking over at Bryce and Amanda. “You two, in my office, now,” he orders.
“Girls, I can’t believe you would help someone steal a car!” Mrs. Bulow says.
“We weren’t helping,” Heather starts to explain. But Mrs. Bulow puts her hand up. “No excuses! Let’s go inside and call your parents to come and get you—you’re both going home, and possibly facing a suspension from school as well.” As she leads the way back into the lodge, you take one look back at the van, stuck in the ditch. Maybe you should have gone to karaoke instead!
END
Want to try this night over again? Go back to Chapter 39.
Chapter 46
When you show up to meet Alex for sledding, you’re so embarrassed—the only snowsuit they had left at the rental shop was two sizes too big— and in bright orange!
“Wow,” Alex says when he sees you. “That looks, um, warm.” He grins at you and pulls a hat down over his spiky hair.
“Please don’t say anything,” you beg him. “It was the last one they had.”
“I can see why,” Alex jokes. “Seriously, though, as long as you’re warm, that’s all that counts.” He picks up the toboggan and leads you over to the side of the bunny trail, where along, slow hill descends in front of you.
“Hey, this is perfect for sledding,” you say, noticing that the outside lights are snapping on as the sun goes down.
“Even better for night sledding,” Alex says, putting the sled down. He climbs on and motions to you to join him.
“On the same sled?” you ask.
Alex nods. “Come on.”
You sit down in front of him on the sled and he goes to put his arms around you. “I don’t really like small girls anyhow,” he jokes, struggling to get his arms around your puffy snowsuit. You glare at him over your shoulder, but suddenly the sled moves and you’re racing down the hill. “Whoo-hoooo!” Alex hoots close to your ear, and holds your waist tighter. You love the way his strong arms feel around you as the sled skids to a stop.
“That was great, let’s do it again!” you cheer. “Now for the hard part,” Alex says, standing and pointing up the hill.
“We have to walk back up?” you ask. “Yup. And I think I need something to fortify me,” he says, and before you can say anything he leans in for a quick kiss, touching your lips softly.
When he pulls away, he looks into your eyes for a second and pushes your hair back from your face. “I think I can safely say that you are the first girl in a giant orange snowsuit that I have ever kissed,” Alex laughs, taking your hand and leading you back up the hill. And you think you can safely say that night sledding is your new favorite sport!
END
Chapter 47
That night, you feel like you still can’t get warm, so you bring a big blanket down to the lodge fire and curl up under it. Everyone around you is chatting, eating popcorn, and
having fun talking about the day out on the slopes—except for you. You’re still too bummed that you wore your jeans skiing, and that you were too embarrassed to go sledding with that adorable guy Alex when he asked you. You’ve decided that tomorrow morning you’re going straight to the rental shop to get a snowsuit—no matter what it looks like. You’re not about to ruin your whole trip over some fashion trauma! Who cares what you look like on the slopes—you came to have fun!
“Hey, what are you thinking about?” you hear someone say, pulling you from your thoughts. It’s Alex, looking so good in a dark sweater that matches his eyes.
“Oh, I was just…,” you start to say. “You’re still cold?” he asks, sitting next to you and taking your hand in his.
“A little bit,” you admit shyly. “Hey, I thought you were going night sledding?”
“I was, but the girl I wanted to go with blew me off.” He grins at you.
“I’m sorry, honestly, I was just thinking about that,” you tell him. “If you want to know the truth, I just didn’t want you to see me in a big dorky rental snowsuit.” You look down at your blanket, too embarrassed to look at him.
“Why? You’re so cute, who would even notice what you’re wearing?” he asks softly. “So, tomorrow night?”
“You’re giving me a second chance?” You smile. “As many chances as it takes,” he says, putting his arm around your shoulders. You smile and curl up under your blanket. For the first time all day, you finally feel toasty warm!
END
Chapter 48
When you meet the guys down at the rental shop, you can’t believe how lucky you are! Mitch looks amazing in his blue snowboarding jacket that matches his eyes, and his friend Travis isn’t bad-looking either, with his super-short buzz cut and cool sunglasses.
“Hey, guys,” you say loudly, and wave—you want all the girls in the shop to know that these hot guys are with you!
