Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 4: Ben Berry and Andie Anderson

"So Joe said he could teach us the basics all morning, and then come back to the cabin for lunch," Mary explained. "After, we'll go back out. We'll be queens on the mountain for sure. How long can learning to snowboard take? Like 20 minutes?"

Y/N thought Mary might be a little over-optimistic, but she wasn't about to dampen her friend's spirits. Neither of them had ever attempted snowboarding before, so 20 minutes seemed like a stretch.

The three of them made their way to the mountain, which was a very quick drive from the cabin. Mary and Y/N needed to get equipment from the rental shop, but Joe was a seasoned snowboarder and had his own gear. He looked like a professional, with his close-cropped hair covered by his helmet. His green eyes, which always gave away how amused he was by Mary's antics, were hidden behind reflective goggles. The whole look gave him a serious edge.

Y/N and Mary were soon kitted out in a similar fashion. Y/N didn't feel quite as impressive as Joe; she just felt like a child playing dress up. They all journeyed to the bunny hill.

"Now, the most important thing is balance," Joe said sternly. "No hills until you can balance correctly."

Joe was a demanding teacher, and he wanted Mary and Y/N to show him that they could balance on their boards properly and swivel their feet before he let them on the bunny hill itself. It was an hour before he let them even try.

Mary's balance was definitely better than Y/N's, and after a few falls, she got the hang of it. Y/N was having a lot more trouble. She fell often. Joe kept reminding her to keep her hips over the board and point her head where she wanted to go, but it didn't come naturally to her. She knew that she was going to be sore from more than her couch-bed after all of this, but she was still having a great time. By lunch, Joe was confident that they had mastered the basics enough to let them on the green circle hills. It was the easiest type, but the ladies were excited to graduate off of the bunny hill.

Before they could try the real slopes however, Joe insisted on lunch.

The mountain had its own lodge with food, so the three stayed instead of returning to the cabin. They met up with Edward and Mickey, who were drinking the day away in their snow attire. Edward told them that he was much more suited to being a lodge bunny than out on the slopes, and Mickey had obliged him. The group chatted about their plans for the rest of the day, and soon enough Y/N, Joe, and Mary were back out on the mountain.

The lift was designed for two, so Joe and Mary took the first chair up to their destination. Y/N waited for the next one, when she saw someone slide up out of the corner of her eye.

"Mind if I join you?"

Of course it was Chris. And she did mind. But it was too late, and the next chair was coming around the bend. It hit them in the back of the legs, and they were off, up the mountain, alone.

You just need to sit with him until you get to the top, thought Y/N. It's only a few minutes, you can handle that.

She focused her attention ahead, trying not to register the awkward silence. She saw Joe and Mary playfully teasing each other on the chair in front of them. It felt like intruding, and she had to look away. It was getting more awkward by the second.

They were getting closer to the top when the chair just stopped moving. Y/N was no expert, but she was pretty sure the lift was supposed to keep going, round and round. It wasn't really intended to stop.

She looked behind her, back at where they came from, to see if she could decipher the problem. She saw that Daisy and Tom, clad in skis, were in the chair behind. They were snuggled close together - was that necessary? - with Tom looking off into the distance. Daisy, however, was glaring daggers at Y/N. Y/N looked ahead again, trying to avoid any unneeded and unwanted drama.