perfecting the cloud nine

fourteen

anna

after being let off work, i was heading to meet dink at the ski lift for the third time this week. kayla had redone the dog kennel and given it a brand-new makeover. in all honesty, it looked great. the dogs seemed happier and even kayla seemed happier to be giving them a bath.
but i'd never admit that to her.

i was still angry with her, although arguably less angry. after my argument with will, i have been doing everything in my power to force my feelings for him away. and it seemed to be working. kayla and will had since made the school newspaper twice for excessive flirting but i found i didn't really care anymore. the more i detached myself from both of them, the less attraction for will i felt.

as i walked past the bottom of the half pipe, i noticed kayla rushing to a figure in the snow. i almost started after her but then i noticed that it was will. my breath caught in my throat and i watched him lay there before he sat up and hunched over laughing. i felt a sharp pain shoot through my chest as i watched him sling his arm around kayla and pull her down to sit next to him.
i thought you said you were over him?

okay so maybe i lied. a little. just a small, harmless lie. i wasn't completely over him. but i was getting there. i couldn't deny that i cared for him. after all we had been through, i resigned the fact that i would still be upset if he had gotten himself hurt. it pained me deeply to see him back on his board with kayla. i always thought i'd be the first person he'd ride with when he finally decided he was ready.

i had so many things i wanted to say him to but i knew i couldn't. i desperately wanted to stay in this spot forever and watch him ride. he looked happier than i had ever seen him to be back on the slope. i missed him so much.

"hey, anna! i've been waiting for you, what's-" dink joined me and followed my line of sight. "oh." i knew his heart hurt for me. he threw his arm around me and pulled me into his side in an effort to hug me.
"i think i'm just going to go home. i'm sorry to leave you hanging but i don't think i have it in me right now, dink." he pulled away from me and held my shoulders between his arms. he lightly shook me.
"no. you're getting on that lift. you're going to perfect the cloud nine, remember?" i scoffed and tried to shake his hands loose.
"dink, the creator of the move doesn't even think i can do it. that doesn't exactly bode well for my chances, 'ya know?" it was dink's turn to scoff.
"stop giving up. the fin i knew would never tolerate someone telling her she couldn't do it. and as for will? you need to win him back." i feigned shock.
"what makes you think i even want him now?" dink huffed out air.
"i see the way you look at him. i saw the way you were just looking at him. trust me on this one." i rolled my eyes and stopped fighting him.
"whatever." he laughed, knowing he had finally caught me. i let him lead me to the ski lift, his hand wrapped around mine. 

"the last one is the one i'm worried about, dink. i haven't landed it and the competition is tomorrow." i huffed out. i was extremely stressed. i had the first two tricks of the 'cloud 9' run perfected. i was golden on them and was positive i could do them in my sleep. the last trick, the cloud 9, i hadn't landed. i had tried at least twenty times and had fallen every single time. i wasn't sure what i was doing wrong. without a video to go on, i was just guessing from the description will had given me forever ago. 

"stop worrying about doing it exactly right. just make it your own a little and land the trick, anna." dink said, throwing his hands up in the air. he was tired. he was exhausted of watching me fall and he kept reminding me that, statistically, every time i fell the odds of me being seriously injured only rose. i rolled my eyes at his remark and bit my tongue. i was going to make a snide remark about how he and will were just alike but i refrained because i figured that probably wouldn't help the situation. he was the only one out here watching me and if i really did injure myself, he'd be the only one who'd be able to help me. i didn't want to risk him walking away now, especially with the competition tomorrow. 

if i couldn't nail the cloud 9, i would be pulling out of the competition. will would have been right, and i was sure i'd be forced to return to finland after the embarrassment. the thought alone of proving will right was keeping me on the mountain. i sighed to myself as i went over the trick one more time in my mind before starting my ascent to the top of the halfpipe once again. 

"you got this, anna! think about all the kisses will will give you tomorrow when you win with the cloud 9!" dink called after me. 

"hate you!" i called back over my shoulder as i continued up the hill. i didn't turn around because i knew dink would make another comment about the pink blush on my cheeks.