Trapped with the Blizzard (9 page)

With my snowboard hiked under my arm, I made my way to the small lift that went only halfway up the mountain. With more than a twinge of sadness, I realized I’d give anything to have my dad there in his goofy hat, trying to make me laugh.

As I rode the lift alone, I thought about my first run. I’d come out aggressively, as if I had wanted to prove something to Liz. I wasn’t a kid. I knew how to ride. And even though she and Bryan were some kind of special, I wanted to show she wasn’t the only one with talent. But to be honest, the speed had terrified me. I hadn’t meant to ride over her skis. I tried to cut her off, scare her a little, divert her path, but not actually cause any real damage. A part of me knew I should apologize, but the words caught in my throat, tangled in my sneer. Apologies have a way of piling up and trapping my tongue with their weight.

I was thankful for a little bit of time by myself and vowed to concentrate on technique over speed. While I hated Mom for ripping me away from my friends and home to abandon me here, it wasn’t as bad as I originally thought.
At least I’ll get a full season to snowboard
.

I spotted Liz’s helmet as I came down my fourth run and hung back, finally feeling a bit centered and in control of my emotions for the first time since Mom had left. I never meant to be as aggressive as I was, especially with Liz, but it was hard not to be confrontational. Better to say and do nothing than risk provoking my inner anger. I waited until she entered the gondola before stepping out of my own snowboard. I locked it into one of the racks outside of the lodge, pulling my gloves and helmet off as I walked into the warm building. Stopping just inside the entrance, I took a good look around.

It’s hard to describe the emotion it brought out in me… unfamiliar nostalgia seems close enough. Some parts were exactly how I remembered them while others were vastly different. I wasn’t sure if the changes were because of Bryan and Liz or the horrible owner they’d saved the mountain from.
Didn’t he turn out to have something to do with all the drugs and whatnot when Liz and Bryan first met? I think I missed that made-for-TV special.

The Great Hall was a strange mixture of modern and old-fashioned mountain cabin. Touches of white ash mingled with the warm pine, almost as if the building couldn’t make its mind up and stopped mid-transition. The lodge was fairly empty with a handful of people in the cafeteria grabbing early lunches or a late breakfast. A few of the long tables were covered with coats, hats, mittens, all protected by a reading matriarch who refused to go skiing.

I was absolutely starving. While the cup of coffee and cinnamon bun had helped my hangover, they’d done little to touch my hunger. I still wasn’t comfortable staying in Liz and Bryan’s house, even though I knew they were trying everything to make it homey. I couldn’t help but feel an unbearable awkwardness at the silliest things.

After doing a quick circle around the cafeteria, perusing all the old food kept warm by hot lamps, I grabbed an egg sandwich and a hot chocolate. I made my way to an overstuffed chair about ten feet away from a roaring fire and inhaled my breakfast. With a couple runs under my belt, the food barely touched the sides.

I gazed across the room, the huge wall of windows showcasing the mountain outside. Only the steepest runs were visible straight to the top, the skiers and snowboarders mere dots floating down the white snow. This was the sort of place I thought I’d want to live when I moved out. Living in California, surfers, sun, plastic people who said yes when they really meant no… it wasn’t the life for me.

As I sipped my hot cocoa, I daydreamed about what I would do after I graduated from high school. Mom had negotiated with my teachers that I be able to do the next couple of months’ work online. I was so far ahead from the rest of the class that it hadn’t been much of a negotiation. She wanted me to apply to colleges, but I wasn’t sure that was the right path for me. It didn’t seem right that somebody my age should have to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Shouldn’t I travel? See the world? Figure out who I am and what I want before having to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a degree I’ll resent? Of course, when I brought this up with her she said I was acting “difficult” and being “deliberately contrary.”

I was so caught up in winning an imaginary argument with her, I barely noticed a pair of eyes watching me from across the room. I must’ve scanned across him twice before the attention registered. There was a group of people about my age all huddled around a long cafeteria-style bench. One in particular, a cute guy with long dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes, kept glancing over in my direction.

He caught my eye and smiled before I could quickly look away. Before my mom had suggested coming to Tellure Hollow for the winter, Fitz and I had become a bit more serious. I wasn’t entirely sure if he was my boyfriend or what, but I knew I wasn’t interested in anything with someone else while away. With Fitz on my mind, I tried to ignore the pair of blue eyes watching me and pulled out Liz’s shitty old phone she’d loaned me for the season.

What are you up to? Missing home…

His response came quickly, though it was hardly Shakespeare.

Nm, you?

I rolled my eyes and chewed the inside of my cheek. There were plenty of moments I wondered why I wasted my energy on a guy like Fitzy. I huffed and quickly typed out a response but deleted it. Instead, I turned my back to the huge wall of windows that showcased the beautiful mountain behind. I stuck up my middle finger, took a selfie, and sent that instead.

As I sat grinning at my witty retort, someone cleared their throat in front of me. I looked up and saw my secret admirer no longer smiling from afar.

“If I give you my number, think you could send me a copy of that?” he grinned.

He was a lot cuter than I originally thought. Dimples formed at the corners of his crooked smile, the edge of a tattoo peeked out from the cuff of his long, flannel shirt. There was intelligence in his eyes that kept me from telling him where to go right away. I wanted to test him a little.

“Sure,” I replied sweetly. “What is it?” As he rattled off his number, the surprised expression almost stopped me from carrying on with my plan. But if there’s anything I’m consistent with, it’s my commitment to bitchiness. I quickly typed a message and smiled up at him. “There, on its way.”

Seconds later, his phone dinged and he looked down eagerly. I watched his reaction intently. His response determined if he’d be worth my time or not. His eyes went wide for a second and then his smile widened.

Instead of the selfie I’d just taken, I sent him a special photo I kept around just in case anyone sent me an unsolicited dick pic. I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say most men wouldn’t measure up to my version. Along with the photo, I’d typed:
Blow me.

He nodded a few times in appreciation before looking up. “Impressive,” he said with a quirked brow. “I’ve never done it before, but for you, I’d give it a try.”

I couldn’t stifle a laugh and just like that, he was in. I nodded to the chair beside me and offered my hand. “Dani Marsh.”

“Miah Sanders,” he replied as he passed my second test. I couldn’t stand men who shook my hand as if it were a Ming vase. “So, where are you from, Dani Marsh?” he asked as he settled into the chair.

“You automatically assume I’m not a local?”

“Well,
I’m
a local, so I know you aren’t. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you too much,” he laughed. He pulled the black knit hat from his head and combed back his hair. A little sweaty, it was just long enough to cover the nape of his neck.

“I’m more of a local than you are. My family practically settled Tellure Hollow.”

“Oh yeah?” he replied dubiously.

I leaned forward on the arm of the chair, crossing my legs towards him. “Just think about my last name…”

A moment of clarity flashed across his features as he put it together. “You’re Bryan Marsh’s daughter?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Cousin, but gold star otherwise.”

He gave me a second appreciative nod. “Well, all right then. I stand corrected.”

“You
sit
corrected,” I smirked.

“Doubly corrected,” he replied. He looked deep into my eyes, a penetrating gaze that made me feel self-conscious. My breath caught in my throat as I struggled for something smart to say. Luckily, the moment was broken before I had a chance to ruin it.

A short girl with wild curly brown hair appeared from behind, clapping her hands down on his shoulders. “Miah, what did I tell you about trawling the waters around here?” She gave me a friendly but reproachful look, one all women recognize. I was a threat.

“You can’t expect him to throw back a trophy catch, now can you?” I quipped.

“True, but not many trophies go jumping straight into the boat,” she threw back.

I flushed a little. The girl flashed me a half smile as she chewed on a piece of gum, looking me up and down more than Miah had. “I’m Marie.”

“Dani.”

“I like this one. What she lacks in tits, she makes up for in brains,” she added, giving him an elbow. There was something brash and authentic about her I wasn’t used to seeing with people back home. I might not like her, but I could appreciate that much.

“What’s not to like?” I replied with a sly smile. I pretended not to notice the underhanded compliment.

She gave a throaty laugh that drew the attention of a few people around us. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t push it, sweetheart.” She bent and whispered something in Miah’s ear.

“No. No way,” he said, shaking his head.

She insistently whispered again, gave me a quick nod, and walked away. “See you later.”

“What was that all about?” I asked as I watched her return to their table.

Miah rolled his eyes and leaned forward on his elbows. “She wanted me to tell you I was sent here from the future to protect your body from an alien invasion. Not a good idea.”

“She wha…” I replied, my eyebrows knitting in surprise and confusion.

“Which is a ridiculous line I obviously would never use on a girl as hot as you,” he added quickly. “But then she
did
suggest I invite you out tonight. We’re having a blizzard bash, which I
do
think is a great idea.”

I was taken aback by his forwardness. A flutter in my stomach temporarily wiped my mind clear of any snarky responses. I think I might’ve even felt a little blush in my cheeks. I was about to ask what exactly a blizzard bash was when he took the silence as a sign of my uncertainty.

“Well, you have my number,” he said as he stood. “I have your
member
,” he added as he waved his phone. I couldn’t help but laugh at that, which made his perfectly imperfect smile widen. “So, if you want to get together, give me a text or a call.”

“Will do,” I replied, immediately kicking myself for sounding like such a nerd.

He took a few steps towards Marie and turned back, speaking loudly enough a few people around could hear. “And please stop sending me dick pics. It’s wildly inappropriate.”

I pursed my lips in a controlled smile, glancing at the horrified moms as I tried to stifle my laughter.

Oh, this guy is my kind of trouble,
I thought as I watched him join his friends.

After finishing my cup of cocoa, I headed out of the lodge through a different exit. Somehow, my introduction to Miah had gone perfectly and I wanted to leave it on a high. Just as I pulled my hair into a low ponytail, the phone buzzed in my pocket. Biting the glove off and holding it in my mouth by my teeth, I pulled the phone out. A text from Fitzy.

K

“What an eloquent and thoughtful response,” I grumbled sarcastically. He embodied everything that was wrong with SoCal.

Feeling refreshed and ready to hit the mountain, I grabbed my gear and took the gondola up to the top. All the bittersweet family memories that had flooded me earlier were replaced with an eager flutter in my stomach. I was already making new memories. I’d spent a total of five minutes with him, but Miah seemed interesting. Maybe a winter in Tellure Hollow wasn’t going to be all that bad.

I sat on the edge of the slope as I adjusted my boots in the bindings. I wanted to explore the mountain, knowing I would have all winter to get to know each and every trail. Choosing a long intermediate slope that looped along the side of the mountain was a perfect way for me to get back into the rhythm of things.