***
"Freedom!" I yell as I push the car door open while we roll to a stop in the parking lot.
"Hey!" James yells from the front seat. "At least wait until I put it in park before you get out. Idiot."
I roll my eyes and stretch, happy to be out of the car after sitting in traffic for two hours on the way up the mountain.
It's a beautiful day, the sun reflecting off the icy patches in the parking lot. I close the door, walking around to the back of the car, and take a deep breath, filling my lungs up with the crisp alpine air.
"I don't think I'll wear my jacket," James says rounding the car and lifting the hatch. "I'm already too hot."
"I'm in agreement with you on that one," I reply. “Wouldn’t be surprised if it starts getting slushy soon.”
James hands me my snowboard boots out of the back and I begin the process of hobbling around on one foot as I switch between my regular boots and my snowboard boots. I'm sure there's an easier, less embarrassing way to go about it, but I'm too excited to care.
"The boys said they'll meet us at the lodge in 15," James announces.
"How many runs have they already gotten in?" Vanessa asks, joining us at the back of the car.
James hands her her ski boots and shrugs, "I'd say at least three or four. Russell will be trying to pace them and we all know M likes to burn through all his energy at the start and spend the rest of the time at the bar."
I snort, pulling my helmet on. That's absolutely typical of the both of them. James and I fall somewhere in-between, wanting to get our money's worth and pack as many runs as possible in, but also leave time to have a drink or two afterwards.
"I wont be doing anything other than greens and blues today, I'd like to not be in pain tomorrow," I state.
Vanessa nods, agreeing with me. James rolls his eyes.
Once the three of us have our gear on, we grab our boards and hop on the shuttle which runs us up from the parking lots to the lodge.
The line to purchase lift tickets isn't too long and I tell Vanessa and James to go on ahead as they have IKON passes and don't need a ticket. My own pass is long expired, I dropped snowboarding as a hobby when I moved away in order to save money and didn’t end up picking it up again.
Fuck, I’ve missed it though.
Growing up, our family practically lived on the mountain during season, spending just about every weekend skiing and snowboarding. The second I turned 15 I got my first job in the ticket booth and would watch James teach kid’s lessons after my shift, until close. Thinking about it now, this has been the longest time I’ve ever been away.
“Emma Townsend?” A female voice from behind pulls me out of my thoughts.
I turn to see a wild mop of red hair and a face I haven’t seen since high school—Sofia Dresden—my ex-best friend.
She’s smiling widely, the chip in her front tooth that she got from heading a volleyball in sixth grade still visible. Though, I’m not sure if it’s still called “heading” if you catch the ball with your face.
“Sof, hey!” I give a tight smile back. “How’ve you been?”
She shrugs her shoulders, causing her curls to bounce. “Same old, same old. I’m surprised to see you here! I thought you left Washington for good.”
“I’m just here visiting for the holidays, I go back on Tuesday. When did you start skiing?” I motion to the bright green skis thrown over her shoulder.
Sofia had always been anxious about winter sports, fixating on all the dangers and chances of getting injured, which caused her to turn down any of my attempts to teach her when we were friends. I’m surprised to see her here.
“About two years ago, I think?” She scrunches her face trying to remember. “Ethan finally convinced me to go and I ended up really loving it.”
Sofia and Ethan Wilcox dated all throughout high school and were mostly inseparable, making it almost impossible to see one without the other.
“Nice, I’m glad! Are you both still together?”
Sofia nods and holds up her ungloved left hand, flashing a size-able emerald ring. “We got married last spring. Did James not tell you about it? He was a groomsman.”
No, he didn’t.
I plaster a smile on my face and nod. “Oh yeah, he did! Sorry, I’ve been studying all morning and my brain is mush,” I quickly cover. “Congratulations! I remember you always wanted an emerald ring, it’s beautiful.”
She beams, looking down at her hand. “Thank you! I’m so happy with how it turned out—lord knows I was sending Ethan hints for months before he popped the question.” She giggles.
We share a look and I laugh along with her, the sound of our combined giggles nostalgic. Though we haven’t spoken in four years, I’m genuinely happy for her.
“Well, I should get going,” she sighs. “Ethan is waiting for me at the lift already, I had to go back to the car and grab my goggles.”
I smile as she motions to the pair seated on her helmet. “Yeah, I’ve got to buy a lift ticket before they sell out. It was really great seeing you. Congrats, again.”
Sofia nods and thanks me again before setting off towards the lodge. I watch her figure retreat into the crowd until she’s out of sight and finally release a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Sofia was the final straw that caused me to move away, though I’d bet she probably doesn’t know that. We had a massive falling out because of him, though I can’t blame everything on that. Things between her and I were already tense due to her relationship with Ethan, which had turned me into the third wheel.
I sigh and look at the sky to clear my thoughts. It was nice to see Sofia, I tell myself. There’s no need to dig up those negative memories, especially after all the work I’ve put in to keep them from surfacing.
It takes another five minutes to get a ticket, but once I have it I make a beeline for the lodge. It’s busy, busier than I can ever remember it being, making it difficult to maneuver through the crowd or to spot our group.
I check the usual meetup spot, next to the tuning shop, first. A quick scan tells me that no one I know is there and I chew my cheek, thinking of where else they could be. It’s entirely possible that they hit the lift without me, though I don’t think James would leave me behind on my first day back on the mountain in years.
I pull out my phone, groaning when I realize I have no reception. That much hasn’t changed.
My eyes check every person that crosses my field of vision as I continue to search for the boys and Vanessa. They have to be somewhere around the lodge—that’s what James mentioned before we left the parking lot. Right?
On my second loop around the lodge, someone catches my eye. He’s tall, with his back turned to me, using a tool to adjust his snowboard bindings. I recognize the vintage neon purple snowsuit he’s wearing and immediately know it’s Moose.
No one else would be caught dead in a getup like that.
I bend down to grab a handful of snow at my feet and trek over, sneaking up behind him as best as I can. He continues fiddling with the board, giving no indication that he knows what’s about to happen. I fight back a laugh.
Once I’m within arms reach I quickly shove the snow down the back of his neck and into his suit. In a millisecond he’s spinning around, eyes wide, before they land on my face and he gives me a murderous look. I double-over, laughing.
“Emma Townsend, you dick.”
***
