“Can we get off this plane?” Tyson nudges Carter along. It’s his way of standing up to Carter without really standing up to him. At least it distracts him.
Everyone is always so dang scared of him. Though I think everyone is more scared of his family's money and influence. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit I, too, find it intimating. Carter could probably get away with just about anything. Well, at least at Madison Prep.
“Yeah, I want to see this place. Think they have night skiing?” Brandon cuts in, and all the boys get lost in talking about their plans for the mountain and who is going to be the best skier.
I grab my bag and make my way off the plane and down the stairs. When I get outside, I stop when I suddenly realize that it's snowing. My sleepiness and everything else fades away as I drop my head back to watch the snowflakes come dancing down. I’ve never seen snow in person before, and it’s actually the one thing I was looking forward to the most. It’s even more beautiful than I thought it would be.
“Move your ass,” Paige snaps from behind me.
She swings around, and her bag hits me in the side. I gasp and stumble forward, but my bag doesn’t help me regain my balance. The weight of it pushes me to fall faster, and I cry out when my knees hit the hard concrete.
“Shit, sorry.” Paige actually apologizes, but her kindness is short-lived. “I didn’t think you’d fall.” She offers me her hand, but I don’t trust her at all, so I don’t take it. I wince when I stand and feel my knees burning. I know they have to be scratched. I just pray they aren’t bleeding. “It was an accident, don't be a drama queen about it. I said I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” I respond in hopes that she'll move along and leave me be. She rolls her eyes but actually does it.
“You okay?” Carter jogs back, grabbing my bag off the ground for me.
“I’m fine.”
“Ride with me.” He swings my bag over his shoulder, not really giving me much choice in the matter. I follow him over to one of the five black SUVs parked in a row.
“Are they bringing our other bags?” I glance back to see two men unloading a bunch of luggage from the underside of the plane.
“Yeah, they’ll bring them and drop them at our cabins.” The driver of our SUV opens the door for me. “In you go.” Carter motions for me to go first.
I don’t want to. I have a feeling he's going to stare at my ass, but I don’t have much of an option, so I go in and do my best to ignore the pain in my knee. It aches when I climb up, but I scoot all the way to the side, wanting to be by the window. It’s dark out now, but I want to see as much of the snow as I can. A few more people climb into the back before Carter hops in, sitting right up against me.
“How long is the drive to this place?” I ask.
“Not far since we got to fly into the private airport.”
“Can’t wait to see it,” I admit.
“About time you got excited.” He puts his arm around the back of my seat, and I lean forward, keeping my gaze pointed out the window.
The drive isn't long but feels like forever with everyone starting to get rowdy and worked up in the SUV.
“Wow,” I breathe when we pull through a gate that leads up a giant mountain.
The vehicle slows as we make the winding trek upwards, then I see the cabins tucked into the side of the mountain. We pass a few and then pull up to a bigger one that I’m guessing is the main office.
I don’t wait for the driver to open the door and instead I quickly hop down. A dart of pain shoots through my knees and they almost buckle, but I manage to keep myself upright even with the cold taking my breath away.
The wind is fiercer up here and the weather is a good twenty degrees lower. All of that is worth it for the view alone. I can’t wait to see this place in the daylight.
“Let’s check in,” Carter calls.
Everyone takes off toward the building, but I’m a bit slower as I look around at the scenery as best I can. Plus, I know I’m going to get whatever I get when it comes to the cabins. When I take the last couple of steps on the porch, my knees burn again.
“You bring a better coat than that? You’re going to freeze your ass off,” a deep voice bellows. “Damn city kids.” I spin around at the sound, and my feet slip in the process. A curse comes from the giant man a few paces away from me as I start to fall yet again. Somehow, he catches me, moving far too quickly for someone of his size. “Shit shoes too.”