The drive was painfully awkward, on a level that jumping out of a moving vehicle seemed like a viable option. We hit a traffic snarl halfway there that added another hour and half to our trip, and then we hit a snow squall. After our little argument, Kyler had turned up the radio, leaving it on the hard rock station the whole way. Yep. He wasn’t in a better mood.
Sometimes I don’t even know how we’re friends.
Ouch.
This wasn’t the first time Kyler and I had bitched each other out, but usually we weren’t stuck in a car together immediately afterward. I couldn’t even lick my wounds in private.
About an hour out from Snowshoe, we stopped at a gas station to fill up. As he headed into the store to grab munchies, I checked in with Andrea.
“Where you guys at?” I asked, staring at my uneven thumbnail.
Andrea’s voice was muffled and then, “We’re stuck outside of Frederick. We hit this huge-ass snowstorm. It’s totally snowing us down. Ha. Did you get that—hey! Shut up, Tanner. It was funny. Tell him it was funny, Sydney.”
“It was funny,” I replied. “Back to the snow—is it a part of the nor’easter? Has it changed paths?”
“Looks like it.” She paused. “We might have to pull over soon and wait it out, so we’re going to be late.”
Late? More time alone with Kyler. Great. I wanted to bang my head off the dashboard.
“What’s going on with you?” Andrea asked. “It’s the start of winter break, our senior year, and you sound like someone ran over your cat and then laid it on your bed.”
Ew. I made a face. I had such weird friends. “I don’t know. Kyler and I kind of got into an argument earlier, so it hasn’t been a fun ride.”
Andrea laughed. “You guys argue all the time.”
“This was different.”
There was a pause and then her voice was real low. “Was that girl with him when you went over to his place this morning?”
I cringed, knowing Tanner and whoever else was in the car could most definitely hear the conversation.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “He’s such a sleazeball sometimes. You—”
“It’s all right, Andrea.” I peeked out the window. “Hey, he’s heading back. Call me when you guys know when you’re getting closer. Be careful.”
“You, too.”
Kyler hopped in, shaking the fine dusting of snow out of his hair. Then he reached into his plastic bag and pulled out a ginger ale—my favorite—and handed it over.
“Thank you,” I said.
He grumbled something incoherent.
I took a deep breath and dared a glance at him. He was ripping open a bag of beef jerky as he pulled around the gas pumps. “I just talked to Andrea. They’re stuck just outside of Frederick due to the snow. They’re going to be late. Maybe we—”
“We’ll be fine.”
And those were pretty much the last words we exchanged. The rest of the ride was silent. Even though I still wanted to unbuckle my seatbelt and hit him a few times in his stomach, I didn’t want to start winter break off like this. We still had to drive back home to our families.
It seemed like forever before we saw the sign for Snowshoe just beyond Marlinton. The steady flurries had died off by then, sparking hope that we were just going to be clipped by the monster storm and nothing else.
Snowshoe Mountain really was beautiful. Like a winter wonderland with the fresh snow and the main lodge rising several floors, majestically placed between the tall, snowcapped elms and slopes. Down on the narrow streets between the condos and businesses, the lampposts lining the streets and the many chalets nestled together always reminded me of the North Pole. With the heavy clouds and the approaching dusk, the shimmering white lights circling the posts and draped over the smaller firs trees were already glowing.
We passed the Starbucks just as their Christmas lights blinked on and a group of people spilled out of their doors, laughing and carrying steaming cups of coffee.
Man, I missed my cappuccino.
As we crested the hill, I could see the ski lifts off in the distance. Those things scared the crap out me. Feet dangling into thin air and you’re just supposed to jump? Yeah, not my idea of a fun time. Curling up by a fire and reading a good book? More up my alley.
I dared a quick peek at Kyler. The tension had eased out of his jaw and his eyes were lighter, already filling with a gleam of excitement. He loved Shay’s Revenge, the nastiest slope Snowshoe had to offer. Just looking at the fifteen hundred vertical drop made me want to vomit.
Quinn Lodge was right next to the slopes and one of the larger privately-owned homes. Two stories high, with multiple bedrooms and a pimped-out basement with a big screen, pool table, and various other boy toys. It would be ours for the week.
Kyler hit the brakes and hopped out, keying in the security code to the garage door. With a loud rattle, it slid up. Out of habit, I unbuckled my seatbelt and wiggled into the driver’s seat. Kyler disappeared into the garage and a second later, light flooded the space.
I barely reached the pedals, but I eased the massive SUV into its spot between the three snowmobiles, the headlights shining on a stack of ski equipment. Killing the engine, I opened the door and started to hop down, but Kyler appeared in the space.