Page 2 of Ski You Later
Charles: Hmm, I don’t think that is the best idea, Ror. I’m not a lawyer yet, so no burning down anyone’s house until I pass the BAR.
Liam: Nah, let’s set her free. Burn it down Ror!!
Rhodes: How about we just give him the benefit of the doubt. There’s no way he took pleasure in booking a training session this late. He must know the team will hate him for that!
Charles: Oh precious, little Rhodes. I know you believe the best in everyone, but I thought we learned our lesson in that.
I can’t stop the hurt that suddenly shoots through me. The shock of Daniel being mentioned so casually causes my whole body to freeze until I force myself to relax. Only a select few know how bad he hurt me, but mentioning him in passing seems like a low blow, nonetheless.
Aurora: You better count your days Charles if you are going to mention that dick head in this chat.
My smile helps ease my shock as I see the chat name change toCharles better count his days. This’s just another reason Aurora will forever be my best friend, as she drops her previous conversation to defend me at a second’s notice. As the texts start to ping in again, my eyebrows rise as Isla jumps into the chat.
Isla: Y’all I am sloooshered rigft noe lk.
Liam: Ahh, you can always count on Isla to diffuse the situation.
Charles: Girl, did you get the update we have training tomorrow morning?
Isla: *video of her screaming and dancing in the middle of the club*
Liam: UGH, I’ll handle this one, guys. Isla! I’ll be there in 10 minutes! ISLA, DO NOT CHANGE BARS.
A laugh escapes me at Liam’s text, but I somber up quickly when I remember that their dynamic is somewhat of a trouble spot in our group. Isla’s the newest member of the ski team, and Liam has shown obvious interest in her. But the whole situation is only awkward for the ones who know how long Aurora has liked Liam. The entire dynamic is balancing on a fraying thread, and I fear it’ll snap sooner rather than later.
I hear a forced laugh coming from the garage and marvel at the bravery of my best friend. Even though I know she’s hurt from their obvious flirting over the group chat, she tries to play it off as if it’s no big deal. Completely ignoring her feelings and putting on a brave face s another classic Aurora move.
Even though she infuriates me with her obvious disregard for her own emotions, she’s one of the mostimportant people in my life. Becoming friends the instant we clipped into our skis at three years old, our parents both love to remind us how it was an instant bond. Who would’ve thought we’d reach the point where we attend the same university, compete on the same ski racing team, and occasionally have the same thoughts at the same time. The latter sometimes scares us to the point that we mutually decide to spend the next few days apart.
Aurora meanders back into the room with a façade of impassivity plastered on her face. “I made you a sandwich and also added the last of your mom’s homemade dim sum to your lunch,” I tell her and hope the mention of her favourite food will help calm her. Since Aurora’s parents live a couple of hours away, they always ensure to leave us with a fridge full of traditional Chinese dishes whenever they visit.
“You’re a queen, Rho. I scraped the wax off your skis for you,” she replies instantly. I hear her move, and before I can recognize what’s about to happen, my best friend swallows me in a hug from the side. Aurora’s not the best female ski racer in the country because she’s petite and delicate. As a result, I fall hard against the counter as she wraps me in a bear hug. Knowing this ismore for her benefit than mine, I return her embrace and hold her for as long as she needs.
After a couple minutes, I get a goodnight kiss on the top of my head, and Aurora dashes to her room as I swat her away. Since she’s almost a head taller with fifty pounds of muscles on me, there’s not much I could do to stop her anyway. Although, that doesn’t mean I am small by any means, my lower body is stacked with muscles that only seem to grow by the day. I just happen to live with one of the only girls that could physically destroy me if she chose to.
Her lip balm now leaves an oily residue in my freshly blow-dried hair, and I groan in frustration as I finger comb the top of my head. The blonde bangs that currently fall into my eyes make this even more frustrating, and after a while, I just give up on the entire endeavor.
Finally retiring to my room, I light up the lamps scattered across the space and welcome the organized chaos that greets me. Ski goggles litter my desk, candles and lip gloss are scattered around the space, and numerous sketch pads stack up on the bedside tables. The colour scheme of pink and white are exactly to my taste as the glow of the yellow lights casts a peaceful ambiance to the space.
Getting ready for bed as fast as possible, I check the mirror as I apply my night creams. The green of my eyes seems electric against my ghostly pale skin, with the winter sky definitely not helping any colour to develop on my face. I check that everything’s set for this last-minute training session, and then I plop into bed and prepare for a small amount of sleep.
The group chat’s still popping off with anger. Aurora’s now choosing to only type in capital letters to show the extent of her rage on the situation, while Liam and Isla are having their own conversation. Liam’s begging her to drop a pin, but she just keeps responding about how she wore her hair down tonight.
Shaking my head at the whole lot, I silence my phone, and set numerous alarms for five hours from now. Crying internally at this, I toss my phone onto the duvet and snuggle deeper into the feather soft warmth that surrounds me.
Against my wishes, sleep seems to elude me as my thoughts continue to circle back to Roman. The ease at which everyone’s spreading negative rumours about our team captain are plaguing my mind more than I thought they would. He’s by no means a perfect person, but having known him for almost seventeen years now, I know he’s a good guy. Romanmight be the only person that can crack through my calm demeanor, but that doesn’t change the fact that I know he has a kind heart. It’s just buried deep underneath his grumpy exterior.
Feeling sleep start to pull at my edges, I make a mental note to start defending him more. I can’t control what the team says about him, but I can try to stop all this negativity from being spread around.
CHAPTER 2
She’d get herself killed if not for me.
The January wind howls through my helmet as I finish the last gates of the course. The finish area approaches quickly, so I punch the empty air in front of me, and effectively stop the timing sensor early.
Letting my burning muscles finally have their reprieve, I turn my skis to the side and come to a stop below our course.
It was announced early this morning that we had lane space to train slalom, so everyone geared up for that discipline. In slalom racing, we have guards that wrap around the bottom of our helmets, guards placed on our shins and guards that wrap around the handles of our poles. For this discipline, the fastest way down the course is to come in direct contact with every gate, so proper protection is a must.
