Winning my Best Friend's Girl - Piper Rayne Page 0,84
the bottom. We’re in good shape,” Tim says in my ear.
I think he’s lying as a puff of white surrounds me, and now a haze is blocking the visual of my surroundings. Fear grips my heart and all I see is Stella. The despair on her face when they tell her I’m buried in a pile of snow, most likely dead. A headline in Buzz Wheel, “Kingston had it all and threw it away for a thrill ride down a mountain.” Her finding another guy and his kid growing in her belly.
“Stay straight, Kingston.” Tim says in my ear.
But I’m too busy thinking about Stella living a life without me. My gut twists and I choke on my own vomit, staring at the snow growing faster and denser under my skis.
I come out into a clearing and breathe fresh air. Tank is up ahead completely unfazed by what’s happening right behind him.
“We’re going to land, but the helicopter had to leave, so we’ll see what the conditions are like,” Tim says, and I nod. “Say something, Kingston.”
“Got it,” I say, but I can’t stop examining the impending avalanche.
Then it all stops. I look behind me, seeing a classic V shape, but it’s not chasing us any longer. We land five minutes later.
Tim’s not playing games. “We’re not taking any chances. There’s a van coming to get us to take us back to the lodge.” He doesn’t even let us pack our parachutes away properly.
“What happened? That was fucking awesome,” an oblivious Tank says.
I do what Tim says. We’re in the van ten minutes later, still no sign of the avalanche getting worse. Tim and I sit in the back of the van while Tank sits up front with the driver, telling him what an awesome thing we did and how he’s going to nail his girlfriend in every position he can imagine when he gets back to the cabin. I figured they were just fooling around but I guess there’s more there because Tank told me they’re official.
Tim knocks his knee to mine. “You can breathe.”
I run my hand through my hair. “I’ve never been so scared. With everything I’ve ever done, I’ve never felt out of control like that.” I clench my hands.
“Sometimes small avalanches like that happen, but those aren’t the ones we hear about on the news. I’ll alert the authorities and they’ll handle it to make sure skiing is safe again. It was a loose snow avalanche, not a slab, so we were lucky. But the threat is there any time you ski.” He runs a hand down his face and blows out a long breath. “You want to know why I agreed to take you two out?”
“I have wondered,” I say.
He nods and doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. “I took you guys speed riding because once I denied a group of kids. Said they weren’t ready. They ended up hiring a helicopter themselves because their parents paid for it. They had some stupid guide who didn’t know his ass from his asshole and two of those kids died when they flew into the side of a mountain.” He pats my knee. “You were smart and listened to me.” He nods toward Tank. “Talk some sense into your friend though. I know when you’re young you feel like you’re invincible, but no one is.”
That’s something I should’ve already known with my parents dying so young and leaving nine kids behind. We have so many unanswered questions regarding their death and how they ran into the tree when they were snowmobiling.
“You’re smart. You should definitely try this again,” Tim adds.
“Yeah, maybe.” But it’s not an adrenaline rush I want right now. I want Stella in my arms.
We sit back in the van and I blow out a breath, closing my eyes. I’ve never appreciated my life more than right now. Suddenly, Austin’s advice makes all the sense in the world. Who knew he was so smart?
Thirty-Three
Stella
Shopping was a bust. We sit on the park bench again because I won’t relax until Kingston comes back. Looking at soaps and lotions and handmade crafts isn’t going to distract my brain from the fact he’s up there risking his life for a thrill. A couple of kids walk past us on the bench.
“I heard they were speed riding and there was an avalanche. That’s why the helicopter came back.”
Before I know it, I’m calling out to the kids. “Excuse me!”