Page 80 of Ski You Later
I managed to submit a subpar paper last night, as well as whipping up a decent assignment alongside that. Aurora has math problems spread across the whole space, her tempers at an all-time high, and I can’t afford to anger her when I need her to look over my work.
Charles, Liam, and Isla are all in the same intro class, looking at each other’s work and finishing up their last report.
We’re staying in an identical condo as last time but located on a completely different hill. The second race is always more relaxed since everyone’s too busy to be stressed at this point in the year.
The students lucky enough to have no homework spend their time downstairs, having some drinks as they prep their skis. I know Roman’s down there with his roommates, and I’m not ashamed of the way I replay that moment in my head.
Stopping by my friend group, he let me in on his plans for the next couple of hours, and kissed me sweetly before he left. For someone so quiet, I couldn’t be more pleased with the amount of communication he has with me.
A pencil harshly tapping me in the forehead breaks me out of my trance, and I can’t help but glare daggers at Aurora. “School now, Roman daydreams later,” she says without looking up from her work and immediately returns to chewing on the back of her pencil.
Wiping the slobber off my forehead with a groan, I try my best to focus on what’s in front of me. While everyone assumes I’m also working on homework, I smile mischievously to myself as I put the finishing touches on my project. After editing the last piece, the door to the living area burst open again, and noise erupts in the space.
Landon and Xander are howling at something random, shoving each other as they make their way to the kitchen. It must have been funny because Rhys saunters in afterward, a small smile on his face, which for him is hysterical laughter.
I can’t stop the way I keep watching, waiting for the fourth in their little group to make his appearance. They must’ve been doing something separately because it has been over five minutes of me looking up every time I hear the slightest noise. I must be craning my neck very obviously because I can’t help but hear Aurora mutterhopelessunder her breath.
Ignoring her completely, I smile as Roman’s form enters the room. Rubbing his hands through his hair with a scowl, he storms past our area, and keeps his head down as he goes upstairs.
We all watch him go, and I turn back to see everyone looking at me. Various levels of confusion and alarm are on their faces, and I can’t help but feel the same emotions in my chest.
“Rhodes, this is your problem now!” Xander’s shouts from the kitchen and I turn to see him pointing his spoon towards the stairs.
“Yeah, that’s what I get for falling for the moody one,” I tell the team. Smiling as my friend’s snicker, I quickly grab my project off the table and rush up the stairs. All the doors are open except the one at the end, leading me to believe that is where I need to go.
There’s no sound coming from the room as I lightly knock, saying his name as a question into the quiet space. After no response, I let myself in. His back is to me as he looks out the window, and I would be lying if I wasn’t looking at every muscle stretching his shirt.
“I just need a minute, Rhodes,” he says with restrained anger in his tone.
His words dump cold water on my current train of thought, and I can’t help but ask what’s wrong. “Iseverything alright? I can leave you alone if you want, but I’m a little worried now.”
He takes a deep breath, turning around to show me how frazzled he looks. Red is creeping into his eyes, as if he has been rubbing them, and his hands are clenched into fists at his side. After looking at him for a couple of minutes, I realize he isn’t stressed. He’s furious.
“Rhodes, I just need a second to breathe.” I start to back out of the room, knowing well that if someone wants their space, it’s best to respect their wishes.
That’s until Roman makes a sound of angry frustration and starts rambling. “I have never wanted to hit a girl. Never in my life. My mother would disown me in a heartbeat if she knew that I even had thoughts about it.” He starts to pace in front of the window with his hands behind his back, until he whips his finger towards me. “Until I dealt with your cousin. I would gladly hit your cousin.”
Two things happen in my brain at the same time. First and foremost, I agree with him, and then I’m terrified of what she could have done to make this sweetheart of a boy feel like this. But secondly, a gut-wrenching laugh that comes out of me.
Clutching my stomach, I double over as I cackle at his sentence. His reaction is how I feel every time I have to deal with her, and it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. If anything, now him and Aurora have something to bond over.
“Did you do it?” I ask in a voice that shakes with laughter.
“Did I do what?” He asks in confusion.
“Did you hit her?” Imagining Roman randomly decking Jasmine is now going to be my go-to image when I’m sad.
Amusement turns to horror as he looks at me. “What? Of course, I didn’t! I would never!” The fight seems to drain out of him as I approach, and a rueful smile plays on my face as I come within arm’s length. Sadness wiggles its way into my chest as I see how dejected he is, and I wrap my arms around his middle.
Leaning up on my tip toes, I brush my lips against his neck as I whisper in his ear. “Want to know a secret?”
His arms wrap around my back as he leans down. “Obviously.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. She’s probably targeting you now. I’m so sorry, it’s all myfault.” I pull back to look into his eyes and ensure he can see the guilt I have for the whole situation.
His hands slide up from my back, landing on my shoulders as he looks down at me. “I don’t know how you dealt with this your whole life. She seems to be up to something, Rhodes. I don’t like the sound of it.”
“Well, what did she say?” I know how cruel she can be, and the last thing I want is for Roman to be involved in this. Honestly, if we weren’t giving this a real shot, I would’ve let him go at this point. The wedding is a week away, and I fear the lengths she’ll go to ruin this for me.
