Falls Mountain

First impressions

"Let's get going," Lucie said strapping her white helmet on her head. Gracie had braided her hair into two piggy tales last night and since it wasn't snowing this morning she let them stick out from her bright pink snow jacket. Her matching pink goggles were attached to her helmet and she was wearing tight, white snow pants. The others always said she looked like Barbie with her blonde hair and a pink jacket but Lucie liked that everyone was able to tell it was her due to the colour.

Gracie was wearing a light blue jacket and white pants, the complete opposite.

"Benny is meeting us at the top, Candice had to work today and god knows where Ross is," Gracie said nodding. The two started off outside in their skis. They took the path that led down to the ski lift they normally took. Ross was waiting in the line and waved them over.

"Took your time this morning, bit hungover?" He asked standing up straighter in his skis.

"Huh you wish, actually Gracie

took forever in the shower," Lucie said rolling her eyes.

"The usual," Ross sighed poking Gracie with his ski pole. At that moment a large group of people arrived at the back of the line laughing, they were all wearing black and red ski jackets.

"I didn't know they got here so early," Gracie scowled.

"They changed the times so they could get here and start training to get used to the terrain," Ross said shaking his head. They watched as the Mt Thrasher team took up most of the line, being loud and obnoxious.

Lucie watched them closely, about half were skiing and the other half snowboarding. Lucie couldn't snowboard, she hated that she couldn't but she had had many people try to teach her. Skiing had been her skill since she was younger. She was if she didn't say so herself, one of the best in the race team. Gracie on the other hand was moderately good at skiing and snowboarding, though she preferred skiing. "Lucie," Gracie yelled. The line had moved forward but Lucie was still fixated on their rivals. She quickly caught up to Ross and Gracie.

Lucie smiled as she headed down the run. She sped past groups of people, turning to slow down. The run was steep but she had done it a million times before. She flew around the sharp corners and was almost at the bottom when she heard someone come close behind her. Annoyed she went to one side so they could overtake her but they didn't. She decided to turn back into the centre when they came rushing through, the snowboarder clipped one of her skis and she went crashing into them and then onto the floor. One of her skis had come off and was sprawled ten meters ahead of her, her piles were in all directions. The snowboarder was next to her lying on their back.

"Are you crazy?" The snowboarder asked sitting up and taking off their goggles. Lucie sat up and took off her remaining ski before turning to look at the intruder.

"Are you kidding me?" She said, "I'm the crazy one? You knew I was in front and you didn't give me right of way," she scoffed. The boy looked at her shaking his head,

"If you had just let me overtake you we wouldn't have this issue," he patted his cheek and pulled down his mask covering his mouth. A small cut was on the side of his face.

"Now look," he groaned. At that moment Gracie and Ross arrived at the scene followed by several Mt Thrasher members.

"Lucie are you alright?" Ross asked grabbed her by the arms and lifting her up.

"I'm fine, I'd be better if someone learned how to actually snowboard," Lucie spat, gesturing to the snowboarder.

"Who do you think you are making those kind of comments," a boy from Mt Thrasher said as another helped up the snowboarder.

"Someone who actually has some skill," Gracie said stepping between Lucie and the Mt Thrasher group. Lucie knew better than to let Gracie handle this situation. Normally she would just cry and shy away. Ross tended to Lucie, collecting her skis and poles. The snowboarder looked at Lucie in disgust.

"These aren't the kind of runs for a newbie skier, I think you'd be better off in the green slopes with one or two instructors," he said innocently.

"I'll have you know, Lucie is the best skier on the Falls race team so show her some respect! You come to our mountain and think you are top shit when really you are just some thrasher scum wearing expensive gear, maybe if you put in the amount of money you paid for those jackets into actually learning how to snowboard you wouldn't have this issue," Gracie said, she was angry now and her eyes were flaming.

"If she's the best skier you've got, I don't think we have a problem at all," The boy standing next to Gracie said.

Lucie peered over at the snowboarder she had crashed into. His cheek was now bleeding a bit, dripping onto his jacket. Lucie hadn't noticed his black abs red jacket before in all the commotion. Just her luck to crash with a Mt Thrasher racer, would definitely make the already strong tension between the groups much worse.

"Let's go," Ross said pulling Gracie back by her arm, "I can feel my standards dropping just by talking to these losers." The Mt Thrasher group laughed sarcastically. Lucie slammed on her skis and got ready to take off.

"Watch yourself, Lucie," the snowboarder snickered after her. Today was not a good day.

"He went right into the back of her," Ross exclaimed that afternoon in the Falls race team club rooms. The team had gathered to talk about the impending tournament and the arrival of the rivals. Scotty the coach was worried about the clash earlier.

"You guys did the right thing, Lucie you were not in the wrong here it was all them," Scotty said patting Lucie on the back.

"We just have to be careful, any fights could impact our chances and the regulators and judges are already on high alert, we don't want a repeat of 89'!" Scotty was referring to the tournament he had competed in that had ended in a giant brawl between the two mountains, broken bones were involved and it cancelled the tournaments for three years due to the tension between teams.

"Just be cautious and stay out of their way and we should be fine. We are far the better and fairer team and we don't need to stoop to their scheming level."

After the meeting, Lucie walked into the girls changing rooms. Her locker was by the frosted window and she rested her forehead against it.

"You okay Lucie?" Gracie asked walking next to her.

"Yeah I'm just worried, I wasn't hurt this time but what if-" Lucie started.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, don't you worry this time in two weeks we will kick their butts and they will be taking the loser coach right back to Mt Thrasher, I just know it," Gracie patted Lucie on the back before going to take a hot shower. Lucie sighed and grabbed her stuff from her locker, she would have to work really hard to beat those Mt Thrasher people.