Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen (16 page)

“
Ouch.” I flinched, pain
shot through my head. He scooped up some snow and pressed it
against the side of my head.

“
You’ve got a pretty
sizable gash. The ski must’ve hit you.” He pulled his hand back and
I saw the blood, behind it I caught someone standing there. My eyes
focused on the figure, it was Max. Wayne pressed his hand back on
my head.

“
Hey buddy, could you ski
down and get medic. I don’t have a walkie-talkie,” Wayne asked Max,
a total stranger to him. Max’s face was ghost white. His eyes
showed just how bad it must have been. He stared into my eyes for a
second, I looked away and he skied down passed us.

“
Lucky that guy stopped. I
think you’ll be fine, but I want a medic to take a look at it. What
were you thinking?” His other hand slid against my forehead and
across to my temple. His hand had to be freezing from holding the
snow against my cut.

“
Nothing; just making it
down to you.” There was no way I was really going to tell him what
was clouding my thoughts.

“
Well, next time, you need
to think about something else, like coming to dinner with me
tonight.” I could feel his body tighten and adjust to my
weight.

My heart thumped strong in my chest.
Oh my frickin God, he was amazingly gorgeous. It was so tempting to
accept his invitation. I took a deep breath to tell him I think it
wasn’t the best idea when I heard the engine of a snowmobile wind
high and the slosh of the blades cutting through the snow. Again!
First the slowing of the ski lift and now I was going to be taken
down the hill in a basket behind a snow mobile. I was two for two
strikeouts. This was definitely not my sport.

The driver and Wayne got me into the
basket. Wayne sat at the front with my head in his lap. It was a
real short ride down considering it was the bunny slope I wrecked
on. They dragged me to the first aide station. Outside the door I
saw Max and Cindy waiting. My eyes met Max’s as they lifted me to
stand up. I was light headed and the blood gushed into my sight. I
fell back into Wayne’s chest. He held me as he helped me into the
small room.

“
I need to go in there
that’s my friend,” Cindy told them. Max grabbed her arm and kept
her back.

“
I’m sorry Miss, but we
don’t have room for more than the injured and the medical staff.
But we will get her taken care of as fast as we can.” I saw Max
looking in at me as the door closed.

“
Okay, what happened here?”
the Medic asked Wayne.

“
Well, I was about fifteen
feet below her waiting for her to start down the slope. This being
her first run, I didn’t want to go too far ahead. From what I could
tell her skis crossed and she flipped several times in the air. I
think her ski must’ve busted her across her left temple. She slid
past me and stopped. I skied down to her.” He shuffled his body
back and forth. His hands spun and tangled up with each other,
showing a reenactment of what happened.

“
Miss Mooney, Do you
remember what happened?” he asked as he patted the side of my head
with gauze. I swallowed hard and answered the best I could. I was
preoccupied with worrying about Max and Cindy together waiting for
me. If she presses him, he might crack.

“
Kinda. I remember leaning
forward then my skis crossed and I rolled. But it was almost like a
feeling instead of a memory. By the time I opened my eyes, he was
down next to me.” Wayne stood up and held the gauze on my head
while the medic grabbed a roll of tape and cross-stuck it on my
head. The medic continued to check me for brain damage. Asking me
all these ambiguous questions I couldn’t answer without asking him
something back.

“
So Miss Mooney, Is this
your first time skiing?” The guy pulled down my lower eyelid and
shined a little flashlight across my pupils.

Did he not hear Wayne
explain to him this was my first time skiing? Is this guy serious?
Even if I didn’t just fall down the side of an ice covered bunny
slope, how could he not tell it was my first time?

“
Yeah it’s my first time,
if you want to call it skiing.” I touched the bandage taped across
the side of my head it stung and burned deep.

“
Do you remember hitting
your head?” the medic asked.

“
No.”

“
Double vision?” he
asked.

“
Nope,” I
breathed.

“
Dizzy? Sick to your
stomach?”

“
Not really.” I was getting
frustrated.

“
What is this guy’s name?”
He pointed to Wayne.

“
He’s Wayne Samuel, my ski
instructor.”

“
Well make sure he gives
you another lesson. Or get your money back.” He popped Wayne in the
chest. “You’re going to be fine. Are you here with
someone?”

“
Yeah, she’s right
outside.” I pointed towards the door.

“
Okay, good. Let me go talk
to her.” He opened the door Cindy was on her iPhone
talking.

“
I gotta go, the doctor
just came out. I’ll call you right back.” She pulled her phone from
her ear. “Is she okay? What happened?” she pressed for answers. It
was a good thing he left the door open, I was able to see exactly
what was being said.

“
She’s fine. She hit her
head on her ski and suffered a gash. My suggestion is to keep an
eye on her. I don’t see any signs of a concussion or anything more
serious. But that doesn’t mean it can’t occur.”

“
So she’s okay? Can she
continue skiing today?”

“
Well, I think she should
go to the lodge, warm up and see how she feels a little
later.”

“
I’ll take her over there.
No problem,” Wayne interrupted almost leaping between the medic and
Cindy.

“
Oh and who are you again?”
Cindy snapped.

“
Wayne Samuel, her ski
instructor. I don’t mind staying with her while you take some more
runs with your boyfriend.” He pointed over to Max.

“
Number one, he is not my
boyfriend and number two, I know you from somewhere.” She tapped
her finger across her lips.

“
I met you at the airport.
My father sat next to you guys on the plane, John
Samuel.”

“
Oh yeah, your father was
the man that took my seat. I met you in the Denver airport where
you picked him up, right? Okay, well that makes me feel better that
you’ll sit with her. We just got here and I would like to take a
couple more runs. You’re okay with that, right, Wilson?” She looked
into the room and saw that I was sitting up. I waved my hand and
looked past her to find Max. He was pacing back and forth. I could
tell he wanted to come over and check on me but couldn’t with Cindy
hovering so close.

“
Go. I’ll be fine. Go ski.”
I fanned my hands, shooing her away.

“
Okay, I’ll meet you in the
lodge in an hour.” She put on her skis and slid away.

“
What do you say my best
pupil, are you ready to get up and make it to the lodge?” Wayne
wrapped his arm around my back and locked his hand under my
arm.

“
I can take her,” a voice
broke my focus, “How are you?” Max stood in the doorway. I wanted
to be angry with him. I really wanted him to feel the pain I felt
watching him hold another girl.

“
I’ve been better,” I was
short of breath.

“
I’m Max, a friend of
Wilson’s.” He held out his hand.

“
Wayne; nice to meet you.”
He shook it.

I watched the guys eye each other up
and down before Wayne broke the tension.

“
Would you mind grabbing
her skis?” Max took my skis and flung them over his left shoulder
then picked up his and rested them on his right.

Wayne walked with me to the lodge
keeping his arm around my back and his other hand supporting me if
I became too weak. I was fine. I actually felt pretty good and was
able to walk on my own. All the way to the lodge, I leaned into
Wayne, while Max followed behind carrying my skis, a small payback
for breaking, my heart.

Chapter
Twelve:

The door swung opened to the lodge and
Wayne helped me through. I was fine and he really didn’t need to
hold me so tight. It was because of the ski boots that I wobbled
and lost my balance. I looked behind to Max, he was staring a hole
through Wayne’s back as he put the skis into the rack. His face
softened and his eyes rounded when he noticed I was looking at him.
He can’t do that to me. I was the one that was hurt. I was the one
that should have been so mad I could’ve spit nails. He was the one
that started this game. It was his hands that locked around that
girl, his smile that kept her interested and his eyes that welcomed
her attention.

There was something about
him that made butterflies come to life in my stomach. The same ones
he had tamed to flutter when I thought about him. The ones that now
lay dying in my gut. He had spilled the nectar that kept them
vibrant and alive leaving them with nothing to feed on but the
leftover residue of betrayal.
Yeah, you
could say I was hurt.

I let Wayne take me to a
quiet corner of the lodge. He made sure I was comfortable before he
went to the bar. I kept staring at the door, waiting for Max to
come in.
Didn’t he feel the same way about
me? Wasn’t he going to at least put up a fight to get me
back?
I shouldn’t even feel this way. I
should have been pissed. I should try and find him and confront him
about his new girlfriend.
Damn-it, where
was he?

“
Here you go.” Wayne
balanced a hot cocoa in his grip and pushed it towards
me.

“
Thank you. Is there
alcohol in this?” I asked before I took a drink. He looked at me
his eyebrows scrunched and his lips tightened across his
mouth.

“
No, just hot cocoa, that’s
all.”

I took a small swig. It scorched down
my throat, clearing the pain Max created by not coming in to fight
for me.

“
Thanks,” I
croaked.

“
No problem, have you
thought about my offer?” He sat across from me, his back to the
door.

“
What offer was that?” I
teased.

“
You don’t remember? I
asked if you’d like to go to dinner with me tonight.” He kept his
hands busy spinning his mug of hot cocoa.

“
Oh, yeah, I do. Thanks,
but I think I better stick close to Cindy tonight.” I drank my hot
cocoa.

“
Why don’t you bring her?
Purely friends, okay.”

“
I didn’t hit my head that
hard. I really don’t feel comfortable subjecting you to her.” I
tapped his hand and laughed. He didn’t laugh back.

“
Well, I still have some
time to convince you to go to dinner with me.” He picked up his
chair and slid it in front of me without the table between
us.

I was a little surprised
when he grabbed my feet and pulled off my boots. Cool air gushed
across my socks and my feet actually could feel the temperature on
the outside. They had been held captive long enough. He snatched my
ankle ran his cool hands down my foot and began to press his
fingers into the bottom between my arch and toes. It felt so good.
My head fell back to rest on the top of the chair,
heavenly.

“
Wayne Samuel, your next
client is here. Please report to lessons. Wayne Samuel,” a voice
came over the loud speaker.

“
Son of a bit—Wilson, I’m
so sorry. But I have to take this lesson. I’ve cancelled on her
last week and she is a regular client. If I cancel again…” He laid
my feet on the chair after he stood up.

“
Wayne, don’t worry about
it. I’ve got a hot cocoa and I can walk if I need anything. Go.” I
shooed him away with my hands.

“
I’ll make it up to you, I
promise, dinner tonight.” He rubbed my ankle.

“
Nice try. I really need to
go home with Cindy. Thanks for helping me.” He smiled and walked
straight out the back door.

I sat at the big table alone. Time
surrounded me and clicked by in slow motion. Every time the door
flew open my heart dropped wanting to see Max walk through it.
Every time I was sadly disappointed. I figured I’d just be better
off watching people around the lodge. Because waiting for him was
worse than throwing up in my mouth and not having a place to spit
it out.

I noticed the people
sitting around me were totally consumed by their laptops, phones
and iPads. Next to me there was a dad on his netbook clicking away
while his son was glued to his iPod. His little brother poked his
DS with a stylus cheering out loud when he passed another
level.
Why weren’t they out skiing? What
was so important they couldn’t go out and spend time together on
the slopes? Why even come?
My eyes scanned
to the next table, another family that sat together and didn’t
talk. I wonder if they even realize they are shutting each other
out. Did they even know what they had? Sometimes I wondered what it
would be like to have a brother or a sister. Live in a normal
family with a mom and dad. What it would feel like to have people
around who loved you, because that was what they were supposed to
do. A chill ran down my spine, I took a deep breath clearing the
stale air that clung to my lungs.