A Fresh Start

Whatever it Takes

"Ok... warm clothes, books, charger, toiletries," I listed off the items in my bag, hoping to avoid that awful moment when you realize you've forgotten something and condemn yourself to living without it for your entire vacation. 

I spun around in my room, trying to think of something I had neglected to pack. My eyes fell on a package in the corner of my room. True to her word Anna had shipped over her new bikini, however, it would not be joining my possessions. I had eventually found a one-piece swimming suit online despite the time of year. I grabbed the package and ripped it open only to find a swimsuit that was not going to fit, I groaned, I must have ordered the wrong size. Sure enough, when I double-checked my order I found where I had gone wrong, I neglected to see that the suit was marked plus-sized.

"Marie, are you ready?" Gloria's voice echoed up the stairs, inducing a state of panic in my brain.

"Yes, just give me a second," I called back, my voice sounding strained. Reluctantly I turned to my closet and pulled out Anna's bikini, this was going to be interesting.

After Gloria dropped us off at the bus point I went to find Janie. Together we stored our bags under the bus and went to find seats. I was happy to see that they'd reserved a nice charter bus for the drive up Mt. Hood, I had been conjuring pictures of an old yellow school bus sliding out on the ice and falling off a cliff.

"Aren't you excited!" Janie called out, her voice cutting through the chatter of the other soccer players. 

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, not wanting to lie, but also wanting to avoid being a killjoy. Janie rolled her eyes at my response. 

"C'mon the slopes are supposed to be awesome up there!" I laughed at her attempt to convince me.

"That's not going to help me much, I hate heights," Janie looked at me confusedly, "The lifts," I elaborated, making her nod in understanding. 

"Oh, well, the lobby looked really cozy on the website." I nodded at her, I knew where I stood before signing up for the trip. I planned to enjoy the nice lodge and the scenic surroundings, just because I couldn't ski didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the snow. 

The ride passed quickly, after chatting with Janie for a while I pulled out my phone and earbuds to entertain myself. I must've fallen asleep because when I awoke the view out of the window had drastically changed. Small towns and crops had been replaced by rolling hills blanketed with snow. The sky was clear, and the snow so white that light bounced off of it, the tall evergreens made me feel as though we had slipped into Narnia. I had half a mind to look around for Asland, or maybe the Hogwarts castle. 

I spent the remainder of the ride with my nose pressed up against the window, I hadn't ever seen snow like this, or ever. I know, I know, you'd expect the daughter of business people to get to travel, but on the contrary, my parents were so busy that we didn't get the opportunity to take vacations.

When we pulled up in front of the lodge I was happy to see that it was far from busy, in fact, the number of cars surprised me. When I asked Janie she explained that most schools in the area didn't start winter break quite as early.

The lodge was the perfect balance of rustic and luxurious, the outside reminded me of an oversized wood cabin while the inside was cozy with plush furniture and a nice fireplace. It looked like something out of a movie. We headed up the staircase to find our rooms, Janie and I ended up in a room together, it was a cute room, it held two twin beds, a sweet view of the forest, and a little sitting area.

After unpacking we bundled up to go look around. I headed out the wooden doors with Janie but as I expected it didn't last long after she spotted Greg, otherwise known as her crush of the week, or in this case weekend. I rolled my eyes a little at her flirtatious behavior but I also envied her, at least she could flirt and have fun without reliving heartbreak. As though he had heard me, Sebastion appeared at my side.