He passes me to enter the house, and I jump out of the way so I don’t touch his wet body. Outside, the rain and wind grow worse. Maybe I should wait until it stops.
“It’s going to rain all afternoon,” Kieran says from behind me, where he’s stomping his shoes against a mat.
I check the weather forecast on my phone. He’s right. Well, shit. I’ll just have to deal with it, because there’s no way I’m staying here.
“Here,” Kieran says, and he passes me a long black umbrella. It’s one of Senior’s, that he keeps stored by the front door. I should have thought of it earlier.
From the look on Kieran’s face, he also thinks I’m stupid for not thinking of it. Then he shuts the door in my face.
9
Kieran: Drama Queen
From the passenger seat of Senior’s car, I have a front-row view of the mountain. The trees are taller here, and the air seems thicker. Not quite fog, but something close to it.
My first term at Easton Grammar has ended and I’m on my way to a ski resort.A ski resort.In Australia, it only snows up on the tallest mountains, so a holiday at the snow is crazy expensive. I’ve only gone once before, as a kid, on a day trip. And now I’m going on a three-night skiing trip.
When Senior first told me about it, it took me a moment to understand. I told him I didn’t know how to ski, and that it’d be expensive, and I didn’t mind living in Easton for a few days while he went. But he waved off all my concerns. He said that he usually brings Jasper and Juliet, but Juliet’s too busy with work. He didn’t want to leave Jasper alone while Senior caught up with his old friends at the resort.
That’s when I realised I was being brought along was to keep Jasper company. I told Senior that it wasn’t a good idea. He didn’t listen.
Now, Senior’s car crawls up the road that curves around the side of the mountain. I spot patches of snow tucked into the crevices of trees or melting by streams of gushing water.
“Not long now,” Senior says.
I glance in the backseat to see if Jasper’s as excited as I am. This morning, Senior made Jasper and I flip a coin to see who’d sit in the passenger seat. When Jasper lost, he lugged his schoolbag filled with homework into the backseat, and boasted about how much studying he was going to get done. Maximising every spare moment, blah blah blah.
He’s asleep now, though, his head tipped against the car seat, his physics textbook still open on his lap. He looks different like this, no sour look on his face. He looks innocent.
I turn back around and watch the landscape turn white. I’m trying to stay cool about it, but I’m really excited. As long as Jasper doesn’t ruin things, this holiday will be fun.
We reach the car park at the front of the resort, filled with several cars dusted in snow. Jasper wakes up. We all get out of the car and pull on our thickest jackets, then carry our luggage — including Senior and Jasper’s ski gear — into the resort.
We arrive at our lodge, a long double-story building. It’s warm and cozy inside, with wooden floors, faded rugs and vintage skiing posters lining the walls. I’m grateful this place doesn’t look like a swanky five-star hotel, though it’s still expensive as hell. After we check in, Senior leads us to our room. Two windows showcase the snowy landscape outside, and there’s a couch with plaid pillows. A queen bed is in the centre of the room and there’s a bunk bed squished in one corner. The bottom bunk is a double, the top a single.
“I bags the bottom,” Jasper says. Before I can argue, he drops his luggage next to the bed and flops onto it, closing his eyes.
“Fine,” I say. I hope he bangs his head when he gets up. There’s no point in me arguing anyway — I can’t when I’m the freeloading guest, and besides, I’m used to sleeping on a single since that’s what I sleep on in my room at Senior’s house.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to get you boys to flip a coin again,” Senior chuckles. “Though perhaps you can swap each night?”
“That’s okay,” I say.
“Too much trouble,” Jasper says at the same time.
After we settle in and rest for a bit, we grab lunch from the lodge dining room. Afterwards, Senior and I go into the centre of the resort to hire ski gear for me and buy ski passes. Jasper opts to stay at the lodge, claiming that he’ll study. Yeah right.
It’s a short walk to the centre of the resort, where all the businesses are located. Inside the ski-hire building, there’s a long line but Senior fills the time telling me about all the equipment I’ll need — helmet, boots, skis. “Don’t worry about the poles. They’re for wussies.”
“I might need them. I don’t know how to ski, remember?”
“Trust me, it’s better if you don’t get them. Anyway, did I tell you the story of how I learned to ski? I was four years old, and my father dumped me on the side of the mountain, and told me to move. I broke my leg skiing on that trip. But I learned how to ski.” Senior laughs at my horrified expression. “Don’t worry, we’ll teach you without getting hurt. It’s easy. There are ski schools, but they’re for kids. You don’t need them.”
A worker helps me get equipment, and when we return to the counter to pay, my jaw drops at the price. Senior also buys three lift passes for us, and the price for that is even more absurd. Senior doesn’t bat an eye, though, and pays with his card.
“I’ll get my dad to pay you back,” I tell him as we walk out of the store, my gear in my arms, Senior holding my skis.
A look passes over Senior’s face, but then he smiles. “Sure.”
