by Cylin Busby
“No Mitch?” you say. Remembering how jerky Mitch had been to you today, you wouldn’t mind.
“No Mitch.” Travis grins. “I’ll handle that. You just work on getting yourself back in shape for tomorrow. I’m checking that knee myself before I let you back on the slopes.”
You look down at the bubbles in the tub and smile. Looks like someone has a sweet new snowboarding crush!
END
Chapter 73
You wrap up in a towel and hope that by the time you get down to the hot tub, the self-tanner will have kicked in and you won’t be so super pale.
When you get down there, Travis is already in the hot tub, so you quickly drop your towel and slide in. “Wow, this really is hot!” you turn to him and say.
“You’ll get used to it,” he says, smiling.
You lean back and close your eyes for a second, letting the warm water flow around you.
“Wait, what’s that?” Travis says, and you sit up to see a greasy orange pool forming around you in the hot tub. Even the bubbles are turning orange! Travis pops one of them with his finger. “It smells like sunscreen or something,” he says.
“Oh no,” you exclaim, and put your head in your hands. “I’m so embarrassed!”
“Why?” Travis laughs. “What is it?” “It’s some self-tanner I used right before I came down,” you explain. “I was just so pale, and you’d already seen me fall on my butt all day. I just wanted to look…I don’t know, better.”
“You were so cute today, even when you were falling down,” Travis says, looking right at you. “You don’t have to be tan for me to notice you—I noticed you the second I met you.”
“Really?” is all you can manage to say.
Travis nods. “In fact, I was going to ask you if you wanted to snowboard some more tomorrow— just the two of us.”
“I’d love to,” you hear yourself say, before you can even think about it.
“Great!” Travis grins. “But no more self-tanner— we don’t want to turn the snow orange, okay?”
You smile back at him. “I promise,” you say. Looks like falling on your butt all day is a great way to get a date with a sweet guy!
END
Chapter 74
You pace around the room for a while, then sit on the bed and open a magazine. But every couple of minutes, you go in the bathroom to look in the mirror and see if you’re getting any tanner.
After about half an hour, you can almost see a difference. “Fifteen more minutes,” you tell yourself, looking at the clock. You’re just hoping that Travis won’t be too bummed that you’re so late. When you feel like you can’t wait any longer, you wrap a big towel around yourself and head down to the hot tub.
When you get there, you see a couple of other kids you know from your school soaking in the tub already. “Hi,” you say, sitting on a bench. It’s so cold out here, but you want to wait for Travis to come before you climb into the tub. After a few minutes out on the deck, your teeth are chattering.
“Why don’t you come in?” a girl in the tub asks you.
“I’m waiting for a friend,” you tell her, shivering. “Oh, was it that Travis guy? He wanted us to tell you that he had to go,” she says, climbing out of the tub and wrapping up fast in a towel.
“What?” you ask. “He was here already?” “Yeah, for half an hour or so, but then some girl came by and he left with her,” the guy says.
“Oh,” is all you can manage to say. You look down and notice that your legs are finally looking tan. But Travis has already left—with another girl! What a waste!
END
If you’re ready to skip the waiting game, go back to Chapter 71.
Chapter 75
“Well…,” you say, pausing for a second. “Okay, but just one more! Then we go inside.”
“Yes!” he says, leading the way over to the chairlift.
The guy running the chairlift helps you both in, and you notice that Mitch leans in and says something to him. “No problem,” the guy says with a smile and looks over at you for a second.
“Thanks, man,” Mitch says to him as the chairlift pulls away. What was that about? you wonder. You think about it for only a second, because then you notice the scene around you. At night, the view from the top of the mountain is amazing, looking down on the lodge and the lights along the slopes.
“Wow,” Mitch says, as if he’s reading your thoughts. “It’s so nice here, I wish we could come here every weekend.”
“I know,” you agree. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
He smiles over at you. “Then I could see you every weekend,” he says, and you don’t know what to say. The chairlift stops, and you notice that you’re the only two people on the mountain—at least at this slope. You head over to the trail and get ready to start down, but just then the lights snap out and you’re in total darkness!
“Oh no!” you squeal. “I can’t believe this! We’re stuck up here!”
Mitch goes to put his arm around your waist. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the abominable snow creature,” he laughs.
“You knew the lights were about to go out, didn’t you?” you ask him, but you already know the answer. So that’s why he wanted to come up here for one more run!
“Maybe,” he says, looking sly. You can barely see his face in the dim light from the lodge down below.
“Oh Mitch,” you say, shaking your head.
If you’re angry with him for tricking you, go to Chapter 76.
If you think it’s sweet that he wanted to be in the dark with you, go to Chapter 77.
Chapter 76
“I can’t believe you would do something like this! You asked the guy at the chairlift to turn the lights out on us!” you say to Mitch.
“I thought it would be funny. I’d get to see you alone for a second or two, with no one else around,” Mitch says defensively.
“Yeah, in the pitch blackness! It’s dangerous— how are we supposed to get down now?” you huff.
“We can see the lodge down there”—he points—“so that’s enough light to get us down the mountain. Come on, it will be fun.”
“No, thanks!” you yell at him. You snap off your snowboard and storm off, trudging through the snow back toward the chairlift, but when you get there, you realize it’s not running! Everything on the mountain is turned off, and you’re stuck up here. You turn back to the slope, but it’s so dark, you can’t find Mitch. Where is he?
You get back to the top of the slope and realize that he went down without you. Now you’re all alone on the top of the mountain on a freezing cold night in the pitch black. Unbelievable! This is the last time you ever let a boy talk you into something just because he’s cute!
END
Want to rethink that last trip up the mountain? Go back to Chapter 65.
Chapter 77
“I can’t believe you would do something like this!” You grin at him. “You are the sweetest guy I’ve ever met!”
“Oh come on,” Mitch says playfully. “You mean you haven’t had guys chasing you all over school since I moved?”
“No.” You shake your head. “I was thinking that you would definitely have a serious boyfriend by now,” Mitch says, looking down.
“Well, you know, nothing too serious,” you joke. You can hardly see Mitch’s face in the dark, but you can tell that he’s smiling. “Let’s head down and warm up by the fire,” he says, reaching out to take your hand.
“It’s pretty dark,” you tell him. “I don’t know if we can….”
But Mitch is already pulling you down the mountain. You somehow manage to hold hands and slowly make your way together. It takes forever, but when you reach the bottom, you’re absolutely freezing. You snap off your board and bend over to pick it up. “It’s so cold at night here,” you say, watching your breath rise up into the night air.
“I know,” Mitch says. He wraps his arms around you from behind in a big bear hug, squeezing you tight. “Yo
u’re lucky I’m here to keep you warm.”
You tip your head back and look up at the stars, sparkling in the crisp winter sky, and sigh. Looks like last year’s crush is now your long-distance boyfriend—and you couldn’t be happier!
END
Chapter 78
You look out the window for a second, and then take a deep breath. “I want to ask you about something, but I’m kind of embarrassed,” you finally admit.
“You can ask me anything,” Alex says, his face serious. “Shoot.”
“Well, it’s about Sierra. She said something about you—”
“We used to go out,” he interrupts you. “Did you know that?”
You shake your head. “Yeah, two years,” he says, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “Then we started high school this year and I don’t know, something just changed. She started hanging out with different people, and so did I. We just weren’t that into each other anymore, I guess.” He shrugs.
“Wow, two years!” You don’t know what else to say.
“She hates it when I flirt with other girls,” Alex admits. “So I usually don’t do it in front of her, but then I saw you today…” He blushes a little and looks out the window. “I knew if I didn’t talk to you right away, I might not get another chance, so I just did it.”
You watch his face while he’s talking. You can’t believe a guy you just met would be so honest and straight with you—and you love it!
“I’m glad you did,” you say quietly.
He looks away from the window and right at you. “Yeah, me, too,” he says, and takes your hand across the table. Now the quiet between you isn’t awkward anymore—it’s great, because you get to stare into his dark, dreamy eyes for as long as you want.
END
Chapter 79
You take a deep breath and try to think of something to say. “So…,” you start awkwardly. “You, um, seen any good movies lately?”
Alex laughs, “Actually, I’ve been really busy with school, and I’m on the football team, so…”
“Wow, you play football, huh? I never would have known by the way you throw a snowball,” you tease.
“Ouch!” he says, laughing. “If you must know, I was going easy on you today—in fact, I want a rematch,” he says, leaning over the table to tickle your side. “Tough girl!”
“Hey!” You scoot away from his hand, laughing, just as you notice someone standing by your table. “Oh, Sierra, hi,” you say quickly.
“Oh man,” you hear Alex say under his breath. “What is wrong with you?” Sierra glares at him. “You promised me that you wouldn’t do this on the school trip!”
“Do what?” you ask, confused. “He hits on my friends because he knows it drives me crazy!” Sierra says to you. “He saw a chance with you, because you’re new, you didn’t know about him. That’s why I told you not to fall for it!”
“You really need to get over yourself,” Alex says to Sierra.
“No, you’re the one who cheated on me, and now you have to hit on every single one of my friends,” she yells at him, her voice rising. “Why are you doing this to me?”
You push your chair back from the table and start to walk away, but Alex is so busy fighting with Sierra, he doesn’t even notice. So much for meeting a “nice” guy on this trip!
END
If you’d rather ask Alex about Sierra yourself, go back to Chapter 40.
Chapter 80
“Actually, I think I would like to meet your friend—the one who needs a roommate,” you tell Zac quickly, and he gives you a big smile. You know he’s younger than you, but he’s still really cute— and so sweet!
“Hey, Molly,” he calls to the blond girl across the room. She looks up, then comes over to where you two are standing at the desk. “Do you still need a roommate?” he asks her.
“Yeah, I do.” Molly smiles and looks over at you. “Well, is there a reward involved?” Zac jokes. “Because I’ve found you one.”
“Of course!” Molly says, and she looks genuinely happy. “The reward is a big, fat thank-you from me.”
“Aw, shucks.” Zac grins. “I’ll see you guys later,” he says, and walks off toward the stairs.
“Hi, I’m Molly,” she says, turning to you, and you tell her your name.
“Zac seems like a great guy,” you add, once you know Zac is out of earshot.
“He is a great guy—and so smart, it’s scary!” she laughs. “So, we’ll have a room with three beds. I asked my friend Sierra from Marshall High to join us, too, if that’s okay,” Molly explains.
“Marshall High?” you ask. That’s where Mitch goes to school—maybe you can find out if he’s on the trip! “Sounds perfect! Let’s go check in!” you say.
Go to Chapter 10.
Chapter 81
“It’s so sweet of you to offer, but I think I’d rather just stay with my friend Heather,” you tell Zac, and you see his face fall. Just then you see Heather from across the lobby, and she starts walking over to you. “Actually, that’s her now!” you tell Zac. “But maybe I’ll see you later or something?” you say quickly.
He smiles. “Yeah, that would be cool. Maybe we’ll see each other, or, um….” You can tell he’s scrambling for what to say.
“Yeah, sure.” You nod to him, just as Heather runs up. “I’ll see you,” you call out as Zac walks away. Should you have made some plans with him?
“Where were you? What happened? I heard the van broke down or something?” Heather asks, pulling your attention away from the Zac situation.
“More than that,” you whisper, “but I’ll have to tell you later.”
“And James?” Heather asks quickly, raising one eyebrow.
You shake your head. “A loser. And kicked off the trip!”
“What?” Heather practically screams. “I’m dying to hear the whole story!”
Go to Chapter 84.
Chapter 82
When the bus stops, you turn to Heather and say, “You know what, I think I’d rather stay with someone else on this trip.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” Heather says, scowling at you. “Is it because of what I said about that Zac guy? I was just kidding….”
“It’s not that,” you explain. “I just heard that the new girl at school doesn’t have anyone to room with. And honestly, I don’t think I can stay in the same room with Carrie, you know how she gets on my nerves.”
“Well, I guess it’s okay, then,” Heather says, grabbing her bag and moving to get off the bus. “As long as you’re not mad at me or anything?” She looks you in the eye.
You smile. “I’m not mad. Maybe it will be good for us to hang out with other people on this trip. You know, we do spend a lot of time together at school.”
“Okay”—then she puts out her hand and smiles at you—“deal,” she says. “But we’ll still hang out, right?”
“Of course,” you say, and you mean it. When everyone gets off the bus, you search for Zac at the check-in desk. When you finally see him, he waves over at you.
Go to Chapter 80.
Chapter 83
“Dan, I just don’t feel right about this,” you tell him. “Honestly, Heather has a big crush on you, and she’s my friend. If you still like me, that’s your problem, but I’m not about to do something that might hurt my friendship with Heather.” You turn and walk away from him fast, before he can say anything back to you.
What a total dog! Ugh. You’re wondering if maybe you should tell Heather about what happened, when you see Mrs. Bulow coming around the corner. “Oh, I was just looking for you!” you tell her.
“What’s wrong?” she asks you, looking concerned.
“Nothing bad,” you say quickly. “It’s just that the third bed in our room isn’t working—the Murphy bed. Do you think you could help us with it?”
“Of course!” Mrs. Bulow says. “Just lead the way.”
Go to Chapter 56.
Chapter 84
“I’m so psyched that we’r
e going to be roommates!” Heather cheers, leading you up the big wooden staircase in the lobby of the ski lodge. “Come on, let’s check out our room,” she says.
You turn just in time to see a familiar face coming down—Mitch!
“Hey, you!” he says. “I was wondering if you were going to be on this trip!”
You stop on the stairs and look at him for a second. He looks exactly the same, with his brown shaggy hair and that amazing one-dimple smile that always makes you feel breathless. “We’re just going to check out our room,” Heather says, grabbing your arm to pull you out of your mini-trance.
“Yeah, we’re going to look at our room,” you say, then realize you’ve just repeated exactly what Heather said. You feel like such a dork!
“Cool,” Mitch says. “We’re in room three-twelve. Come by and check it out.”
“We’re in three-eighteen!” Heather says excitedly. “Practically neighbors!”
You can’t think of anything to say, and suddenly you feel weird just staring into Mitch’s dark blue eyes. “Well, okay,” he finally says.
“Excuse me!” a guy behind him says, trying to get down the stairs.
“Oh sorry, man,” Mitch says, and takes a few steps down to get out of his way. “So, maybe I’ll see you later, or…”
“Definitely,” Heather answers for you, pulling you up the stairs. “’Bye, Mitch,” she says.
When he’s out of earshot, Heather turns to you, “Boy, you’ve still got it bad for that guy! You were like a zombie!”
“I know,” you say, feeling embarrassed. “I couldn’t even think of anything to say!”
“Um, just a simple ‘Hi, Mitch’ would have been good!” she laughs.
