Текст книги " Kissing Snowflakes"

Автор книги: Abby Sher

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

It wasn’t that bad. It could’ve been much worse. I was on my back. My skis were both sticking out of the ground. My poles were somewhere around here. Nothing really hurt, except for my butt a little. And my pride.

“Wow,” said Liz, standing over me.

Heidi and Dina were right behind her, peering anxiously at me. The striped hats were keeping their distance. Molly’s dad lifted her onto his shoulders so she could get a better view.

“Whoa, looks like somebody likes to fly,” said Drew. He came to a stop next to me, the snow spraying my legs. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“No need to apologize. I was the one who pushed you. Do you hate me?” He pulled up his goggles and his blue eyes twinkled.

“No,” I said.

“Good. Because we’re gonna get back up there and try that again. You and me.” He gave a little nod, then grabbed my wrist and lifted me up with one hand.

“Okay, circle up, folks,” said Drew.

Everyone came into a huddle at the bottom of the Junior Slope.

“A few notes. Erica and Andrew, nice form.” The striped hats nodded. “Liz – you could bend your knees more. Especially when you’re making some of those weight shifts. Remember, folks, this is going to give you more stability when you want to do things in the future like go through trees, or try moguls.”

What are moguls?

“Got it,” said Liz confidently.

Drew continued. “Dina, nice work, I like your plow stop. Heidi, you can loosen up your grip on the poles a little.” Neither of them looked up. “And Molly, you are the all-time champion! Did you guys see this? You’re like the fastest one here! That’s what I’m talking about!”

He took off his glove and gave her tiny pink mitten a high five. She was smiling so wide I thought she would split in half.

“And that leaves us with just … you.”

His finger was long and pointed straight at me. But there was a smile sneaking up his face.

“We’re going to have to do a little tutorial. One-on-one,” he said.

We headed back to the chairlift, and Drew went up first. Erica and Andrew sat in the next one.

“Come on, Sam. The next one is ours,” said Liz. We slid into the seats and raised our feet in front of us. The car started floating up. Okay, take it slow, Levy. 1, 2, inhale. 1, 2, exhale.

“Wow, pretty awesome!” said Liz.

“Yeah, it feels like the air is cleaner up here. Lighter,” I said.

“Yeah, whatever,” Liz laughed. “I wasn’t talking about the air. I was talking about you and Super G having a private lesson.” She nudged me in the ribs.

“Super G?”

“That’s what Heidi and Dina and I call him. Did you see Heidi when he told you about your one-on-one time?” She giggled again. “I thought she was gonna melt into a puddle!”

“Uh, well. I mean, she can join us, if she wants. It’s just ’cause I can’t walk up the stairs without tripping.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “I don’t think so, Sam. Aren’t you excited?”

I shrugged.

“Sam, he is a total hottie! And he’s been to the Olympics!”

“What is the Super G, anyway?” I asked.

“Who cares?! The point is, he’s super dreamy and he obviously wants to get to know you. Are you seeing someone or something?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. Should I mention Leo and The Grapes of Wrath?

“No but —I don’t know. He’s not really my type.”

“What do you mean?” Liz asked, clearly confused.

“I don’t know. I guess I like guys who are … who are …” What? I thought of that cute guy Aaron from lunch. Incommunicative? Leo. Unavailable?

“Well, all I can say is that I know plenty of girls who would die to be in your position. He looks like an awesome kisser, too. Can you imagine looking into those eyes? You should’ve seen Heidi and Dina this morning during class.”

“Well, if they like him —”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Heidi gets a new crush every other day. And Dina has been seeing the same guy for, like, five months. It’s really serious. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got married.”

“Well, what about you?”

“I won’t lie. I was pretty smitten, too. That is, until lunch.” Her voice got softer now and I froze. Oh, no. Did she think Aaron was cute, too? I heard her take in a breath. “So, is your brother seeing anyone?”

Ew! It took all my energy not to squirm. Or yell, “Run! Run for the hills!” Instead I said, “Hmmm, I don’t think so.”

“Really,” Liz murmured.

There was so much swimming in my head all at once now. Leo and Aaron and Jeremy and Drew. Drew?! Could he really be interested in me? I tried to imagine myself strolling into Dave Murphy’s basement with Drew, his Olympic medal swinging around his neck. I wondered if he knew how to play Murder.

“Sam! Get ready!” Liz was saying. And there was Molly and her dad waving at us wildly. And behind them Drew was giving us the thumbs-up. All right, Levy, get it together this time.

“Now!” Liz commanded.

We flew off and landed. I wobbled my way to a stop.

“Yeah! Nice!” I heard. Drew came over and patted me on the back. Liz smiled and then bugged out her eyes at me.

Drew gathered us together up at the top of Junior Slope again and then instructed everyone to take it slow, watch their center of gravity, and most of all, have fun.

Once the rest of the group had taken off, he led me to another little area, just past some trees. Then he turned to face me.

“Now, let’s get down to business.”

He started to unzip his jacket. What?! Was this really happening? Agh! What do I do?! Think fast, Levy. Think fast! I looked at the ground quickly.

“I swear I go through like three of these a week,” I heard him say.

Huh?

He had a cherry-flavored ChapStick in his hand, and he was smearing it onto his lips. He was also zipping up a pocket inside his jacket.

I let out a breath. Levy, you’re such a nut job. Yeah, like he was going to strip down to his boxers and try to bed you here on the Junior Slope summit. I started to laugh a little. I couldn’t help it.

“I know. I know. A guy using cherry ChapStick. Whatever. But it really is the best kind and otherwise your lips get so chapped,” he said.

“No, no! I use the same kind. Sometimes,” I said. This was painful.

He flashed another smile. “You want some?”

He had just put some on his lips. And then I was going to put some on my lips. Which was like our lips coming together. Which was —

“Sam?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure, thanks.” I took the ChapStick like it was no big deal and put some on.

“Now listen,” he said, zipping up his jacket again. “It’s all gonna be about using your knees. Really getting close to your center of gravity, which is down here.” He patted his stomach. Then he reached out and put his hand in the middle of my jacket, just below my ribs.

“You feel that?” he said.

“Yup,” I said. Definitely, I added to myself.

“Okay, so you’re gonna always want to stay low to the ground and really bend into it. Got it?”

I nodded.

“Now, we have to loosen your body up. You’re still really stiff,” he said. He started shaking my shoulders side to side, jiggling my arms.

That’s probably because I’m sixteen and I’ve never really been kissed by a guy and Liz said you were interested, but are you really? I mean, because you are definitely the hottest guy I’ve ever met, but I’ve never really been into hot guys before and I don’t want you to just take pity on me because I have flat hair and a turtle hat and I think my breath smells like French fries and I don’t even know if you read books or recycle or you could eat babies for all I know!

Drew had his hands on my hips.

“Now, lean into it. Move my hands back and forth.”

I swayed my hips from side to side. It looked more like hula dancing than skiing, but whatever, right? We worked on braking and stopping. Drew was really serious now, studying my feet, watching my knees. He had me do a couple of practice runs on a little dip. It wasn’t even a hill, but I still managed to teeter and fall a few times.

“The knees, Sam! It’s all in the knees!” he urged. He sounded kind of frustrated. I was thinking of telling him it was okay. That there were plenty of other books at the inn. I’d find something to do for the rest of the week. There had to be a deck of cards somewhere.

And then, it just clicked. Or unclicked. I don’t know. But one time, I guess when I wasn’t thinking about it so much, my body kind of let go. Instead of gripping so hard, I felt like I was loosening into it.

“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” Drew said when I came to a stop. Ew. There was that phrase again. There’s a whole bunch of guys at school who hang out in the parking lot and say that to girls they think are cute. Not my favorite. But I tried not to wince.

Drew and I practiced glides and turns, leaning into one ski and then the other. How to add speed. What to do when you felt like you were going too fast. It was really fun. I don’t know how long we were up there, and I didn’t care. My cheeks felt bright and cold, my thighs were burning from doing so many squats. It was really invigorating.

“And now … it is time for takeoff,” Drew announced. He flipped his goggles down over his eyes. “You ready, doll?”

Doll? I had to laugh at that one. That was a word that old Italian men used when you bought a pound of turkey breast at the deli, right? Was this guy for real?

“I guess,” I said.

We made our way back to the edge of the Junior Slope. It still looked big, but my legs felt strong. Drew leaned in behind me and whispered into my ear, “I’m not pushing this time, Sam. It’s all you. Keep your behind behind.”

Still cheesy. But he was a professional. I needed to respect that.

I drew in a deep breath, bent my knees, gripped my poles, and then before I could talk myself out of it, pushed off. I leaned forward and squatted down farther, tucking my butt behind me. Focus. Relax. Focus. Don’t think too much. And I was doing it! I could feel the earth moving below me, and the wind was carrying me and I picked up my poles like Drew had taught me and now I was really moving. I saw a little mound of snow up ahead of me and I leaned into my right ski and gently shifted past it, then steadied myself again. The clouds were soaring past and I felt my heart racing, the sun on my face, my nose cutting through the cold. And my legs were shifting, leaning, dancing, alive.

“Yeah!” I heard Drew behind me.

When I got to the bottom, I came to a clean stop, the snow spraying away from my skis in a lopsided-but-okay-it’ll-pass-for-a-T.

Drew flew in after me.

“Now, that is what I am talking about!” he cheered. Hey, when it came with one of those killer smiles, I’d take it.

And then he pulled me into a hug. His grip was so strong and tight, I could barely breathe.

Wait – was he holding me? Was I officially in the arms of Drew McHottie?

“I knew you could do it, girl! Come on, let’s go again!” he said, and he grabbed my hand, pushing off toward the chairlift.

The rest of that afternoon was a blur of treetops and wind, dips and turns. We took the Junior Slope another two times, and then Drew led me to an area called Powder Ridge that had steeper inclines, a couple of curves, and small patches of trees. When we got to the bottom of that one, we found Jeremy, Aaron, and Liz.

“Hey!” said Liz, her face flushed and bright.

“Hey!” I said back, still panting from the last run.

“Did you see Sam attack that mountain?” said Drew, lifting my arm up.

“Yeah. Hey, nice job, Sam,” said Liz. “We were thinking of going in to get some hot chocolate. You wanna come?”

Hot chocolate sounded perfect right now, but I didn’t want to lose my momentum.

“Yeah, I could go for a cup,” said Drew.

We all headed in.

“Hiya, kids! How’d you do?” said Dad. He and Kathy were sitting by the fire with – yup, none other than Margie. Dad looked super excited to see us. Kathy jumped up, too, and gave Jeremy a big smile, but was still avoiding my eyes. Ugh. I had conveniently forgotten about that situation for the past few hours. Now, who was being the baby?

Everybody made introductions. Margie, Drew, Liz, Aaron, Jeremy, Dad. My new wife, Kathy. It stung when he said it.

“Well, what do you say we call it a day?” said Dad. “We’re kinda beat.” He kissed Kathy on top of her head.

“Well, wait. What are you all doing tonight?” asked Liz. “I know Dina and Heidi and I would be up for going out if you wanna …?” She was looking right at Jeremy while she said it. Yow. This girl was direct. Jeremy, of course, just stared back blankly.

“I could go for an evening activity,” Drew offered.

And then Kathy said, “Hey, I saw they’re having karaoke around eight-thirty tonight where we’re staying. I don’t know if that’s your thing, but I’m sure you folks could come over. Judd here could give you directions to the inn.” She looked at Dad.

He nodded his head proudly. “Sure could,” he said.

“I love karaoke!” said Liz, practically jumping out of her skin. “I think we’re staying right near you, so that’ll be great!” She smiled up at Jeremy with her sparkle-dusted eyes. Jeremy still looked pretty unmoved. But hey – what was I expecting? This was the guy who only showed emotion about the NFL draft season and frozen pizza pockets.

“You in?” he said to Aaron.

“I’m not sure. Gotta check with the other guys, but maybe,” he said. Noncommittal, too. Usual Levy fare. And he still hadn’t even looked at me long enough to see if I had horns. Then I felt Drew’s hands on my shoulders.

“Well, I’m not much of a singer, but I love to make a fool out of myself,” he said behind me. Which was good because then I didn’t have to look at him. I didn’t have to say, What are you doing? Or, Do you do this with all the klutzes? Or, Why can’t you be more like Aaron – aloof, uninterested, and in bad need of a hairstyle? Or maybe, Have you ever read Catcher in the Rye? Agh! I needed to get back to the inn and call Phoebe now.

“Well, it’s pretty easy to get to,” said Dad. “It’s called Bishop Inn and it’s off of Route —”

“Yeah, Bishop Inn. I know where that is. I’ve been there before,” said Drew.

Liz looked at me and raised an eyebrow. What did that mean?

“Okay. Well then, eight-thirty!” she said.

“Yeah,” said Drew, and now he was definitely looking right at me. “I’ll be there.”

“Can I say something?” Jeremy had his mouth full of toothpaste and he looked like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth.

“Only if it’s nice,” I said, stepping away from the full-length mirror. I knew I should have closed the bathroom door when I was done in there.

“That’s the fifth sweater you’ve tried on, and they all look the same.”

“They do not!” I objected, even though I knew he was right. It was pointless. Everything I had to wear was either gray or black, except for the one dark green turtleneck sweater, but that made me look like a Christmas tree without the colored lights or tinsel.

“Just wear what you had on the first time,” said Jeremy, spitting into the sink. Of course he would say that. He had no idea what the first thing I tried on was. All of my sweaters lay in a heap on the bed.

I had no one to blame but myself. I remembered packing at home the week before, complaining the whole time. Mom was sitting in my desk chair with a cup of mint tea, her legs tucked up under her.

“Aren’t you going to take a skirt or two? Something nice in case you want to get dressed up?”

“I’ll have what I wore to the wedding,” I groaned. Which was a tight black skirt that came to my knees and a black velvet V-neck. I looked like I was going to a funeral. It was also 68 degrees in Orlando. That outfit was on the bed now, too.

“Listen, I’ll meet you down there,” said Jeremy from the bathroom.

“No!” I shot back. Jeremy had it easy, with deep-set eyes – just like Mom’s – and his thick, dark curls. Why did he get the good hair? Even when it was dirty, it made sense. He just put some water on his face and he was ready to go. Like now, he was wearing the same jeans and striped thermal top that he had on this morning, but it didn’t matter.

“Just give me two more minutes,” I pleaded. “Rearrange your freckles or something.”

“Two minutes. That’s it,” he said. I heard him flop down on the bed and turn on professional wrestling. At least he was easily distracted.

I put on the velvet V-neck and my low-rider jeans. Sexy? No. What had Phoebe said when we spoke on the phone before? Sassy?

Wait.

First she said, “Aaaaaaaagh! Sam, that is so exciting!”

“Yeah, I don’t know. He’s superhot. But he’s also super-cheesy. Like, did I tell you he called me ‘doll’? And he wears those nylon pants that swish all the time?”

“Sam, he’s a skier. They have to wear nylon. It’s in their contract or something. And he was in the Olympics,” she said.

“Just the trials,” I corrected.

“Whatever, Miss Judgy McJudgealot.”

“I don’t know, it’s just …”

“Sam, this is what we have been talking about. You need to get out there! See what guys are like. Real guys.”

“Yeah, and there’s this other guy named Aaron. But he doesn’t talk much. And he kind of hunches over and his shoulders are really bony,” I said.

“Wow. Door number one, please,” said Phoebe.

“Yeah, but he could be really sweet,” I protested.

“You can have him,” said Phoebe. “I’ll take Drew – oh, I wish I was there,” she sighed.

“I do, too. Hey, how was Bonnie Briar?”

“Boo. Nothing happened. There were too many people around. Rachel and I were on one of those saucer sleddy things, and Leo and Josh kept on crashing into us.”

“Leo?” I said. I didn’t mean it to come out quite so whimpery.

“Oh, come on, Sam. Please don’t tell me you are up in a winter wonderland with Super G Hotness and you are still thinking about Leo Strumm?”

“No, but —”

“Listen, girl. You put on something sassy and some jewelry and mascara and get down to that karaoke machine. What are you gonna sing?”

I hadn’t even thought about that yet. My heart was racing already.

“Don’t worry about it. Get a standard, like Madonna or something. And just close your eyes if you have to and belt it out. Oooh! I wish I could see you,” she squealed. This would definitely be more fun if Phoebe was here with me. Forty-five minutes later, here I was, sighing into the mirror again.

“You done?” called Jeremy.

“Almost!”

The V-neck made me look really flat-chested. Ah, who was I kidding? I was pretty flat-chested. And pale. Mom always told me to put blush on, but I hated that. Instead, I pulled out my little tube of shimmery gel and squeezed out a blob. Then I rubbed some into my chest and above my eyes. Great. Now I looked like a sparkly ghost.

I searched my duffel for some jewelry. I knew there was a simple silver star I had tucked into the inside pocket.

“Time’s up!” Jeremy was in the doorway again.

“Here, Jer, can you help me?”

But when I turned toward him, he was already busy.

“Ew! Don’t pick your nose! That’s gross, Jeremy!”

“It’s not gross! It’s natural!”

Poor Liz. She had no idea what she was in for.

By the time we got downstairs, Karaoke Night was already in full swing. We followed the music through the dining area into another room, this one with a fireplace in the middle and those floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. On the fourth side, there was a small platform, where Phil now stood.

“Stevie D. is up next. Calling to the stage Stevie D.,” announced Phil. Stevie D. was the Hawaiian-looking guy I had seen the other day. Only now he had a raccoon-eye tan from his ski goggles, and a big grin as he came up to grab the microphone.

“This one’s for you, Dara,” he said, and started in with Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” The crowd started humming underneath him.

The woman who must have been Dara sat two feet away, looking up at Stevie D. and mouthing all the words along with him.

I looked around. There were couches pushed to the edges of the room and little card tables set up with votive candles. Dad and Kathy were seated with another couple in the corner. I sincerely hoped they didn’t plan on staying long. There was a family of four next to them – two boys that looked to be between eight and maybe twelve. Both looking incredibly bored.

And in the center of it all was Drew. There were two seats between him and Liz. Then came Dina and Heidi, who was sitting really close to some new guy I had never met before. He had spiky hair, too, and a little goatee. Wait – wasn’t she all giggly about Drew just this afternoon? She did move fast. And I guess Aaron hadn’t made it. Which somehow didn’t surprise me really. What surprised me was that I was fine with that. My eyes were still caught on Drew. His hair was carefully tousled, his face glowing in the light of the tiny flame. He was wearing a dark sweater that outlined the shape of his broad shoulders, and he was holding a glass of something clear and chewing on an ice cube. I watched as the muscles in his jaw moved up and down.

“Hello, Darth Vader,” said Jeremy, elbowing me in the side.

I was taking deep, loud breaths through my mouth. I do that whenever I’m really nervous. I shut my mouth quickly. Get it together, Levy.

Liz looked up and waved us over, pointing to two empty seats in between her and Drew. By now, everyone was singing, “’Cause I’ve got you, under my skin!” Jeremy and I snuck over and slid into the chairs.

“Hey!” said Liz, grinning ear to ear.

“Hey!” I said back.

“Hey,” said Jeremy.

And then “Hey,” Drew whispered into my hair.

Stay cool, Levy. Stay cool.

“Let’s give it up for Stevie D.! Stevie D., all the way here from Maui,” said Phil.

Stevie took a bow and was greeted with a big kiss from Dara.

“And next up we have Illona. Illona from Little Rock, Arkansas. I’m sure you’ll all like this one she’s picked for you. Let’s hear it for Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me.’” Jeez, the selection here seemed like pretty old stuff. But I didn’t care. I wasn’t planning on singing. I was just concentrating on breathing through my nose right now and feeling Drew’s nearness.

After Illona went up, Dad and Kathy did a duet by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton – “Islands in the Stream.” Barf city. Especially because Kathy knew all the words by heart and was gazing up at Dad the whole time with this moony look in her eyes. But I was determined not to let her ruin my night. I shoved four pieces of gum in my mouth and tried to chomp out my tension, being careful to keep my mouth closed.

Then Liz shoved the book of songs at me. She had found a section called NEW ADDITIONS! at the back of the book. She pointed to a song by a Canadian singer named Hailey Burke – “Lost and Found.” I loved that song. It was on her second album that had just come out, and Phoebe and I both had it. When nobody was home, we just put it on repeat and danced and sang at the top of our lungs. But that was different than doing it here in front of everybody. Especially in front of Drew.

Liz’s eyes were shiny and wild. I looked at her, with her turquoise off-the-shoulder sweater, her blond hair tumbling down her back in soft waves, and gold hoops dangling from her ears. She had on matching turquoise eye shadow and her cheeks were glowing.

“Pleeeaase?” said Liz, coquettishly. “We’ll all be up there together, Sam.”

Heidi and Dina leaned in, too. “Come on, Sam! It’ll be fun!”

Dina had on a creamy-looking sweater poncho, and Heidi was in a clingy red sweater dress. These girls knew how to sass it up. And probably knew how to sing, too. I didn’t want to be the only lame-o who wasn’t singing. Mostly because Phoebe would kill me when I reported back to her later. I shrugged my shoulders. Liz took it as a yes.

“Yay! I’m putting you in,” she said, and sashayed her way up to Phil with a slip of paper that had our names on it. Dina and Heidi clapped and cheered, “Yay!”

Before I could protest, Dad and Kathy were standing over our table, both beaming.

Oh, no! Please don’t make me and Jeremy do a number with you. We are not the Von Trapp family. Please please please please please.

“Did you see what Kathy made me do up there?” said Dad, pulling her into his hip.

“I didn’t make you, Judd!” she giggled and squirmed. I wished I hadn’t bitten off all of my nails that morning with Margie. At least Margie was more interesting than Ricecake.

“I thought you sounded great up there, Mr. and Mrs. Levy,” said Dina carefully.

I was just about to jump out of my seat and yell, “No! That is not Mr. and Mrs. Levy!” but Dad must’ve sensed it because he blurted out really quickly, “All right, kids. Well, that’s enough fun for one day. Us old folks are headin’ upstairs. See you in the morning for another run at that mountain!” And then he swung around with Kathy still attached to his hip.

“Have fun!” said Kathy, tucking her hand in Dad’s back pocket as they walked away.

“Your mom’s really smiley,” said Drew.

Sorry, but that was too much.

“Not my mom,” I snapped.

“Whoa. O-kay,” he said, reaching for his glass. Jeremy just shook his head.

Liz came back with a devilish grin on her face. “We’re in!” she announced, smoothing out her corduroy miniskirt.

Some guy in a loose flannel shirt and jeans was up there now, singing a Billy Joel song. He was horribly off-key and he wouldn’t take his eyes off the screen. Poor dude. That was going to be me in just a few minutes. I wanted to catch laryngitis. Or maybe I could burn myself slightly on the candle …?

Then Phil took the mike. “Next up, we have Liz, Heidi, and —”

He didn’t even get to finish calling our names before the girls were up on their feet, skipping to the front of the room.

“Go get ’em, girl!” rumbled Drew, and then he squeezed my knee.

Liz got on the microphone. “Sam, to the front of the room. Sam, please report to the front of the room.”

Great. Just what I needed. More attention. Get up, Levy! I smushed my wad of gum into a napkin and walked to the front of the room with my head down. I tried to hide myself behind Dina, but she was a good three inches or so shorter than me. Story of my life.

The music started. First the violins. Then the piano. Then:

You were lost

In the shadow of a tree

Under a rock

Right next to me

Liz’s voice was firm and sweet. She swayed her hips from side to side. Damn, she was good. Dina and Heidi followed in line. I could hear Dina warbling a little, but she kept going. The drums kicked in underneath, then the piano. Heidi punched me on the arm. Well, when in Rome …

I’m learning, every day

How to saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

I wasn’t exactly smooth like the other girls, but I tried to just focus on the lyrics. I thought of Hailey in the video, singing as she walked through a wide-open field. Then I pictured myself and Phoebe spinning on her living room floor in our socks. I could do this. As long as I didn’t look out at all those faces. I closed my eyes and just let the music take over my body.

You’re beautiful, yes it’s true

And I’ll never let you go now that I’ve found you

I’ve found youuuuuuuuuu

And now I could feel my shoulders draw back, and the lights on my cheeks, my voice melting into Hailey’s and Liz’s and … I couldn’t believe it but I was doing it! If Phoebe could see me now!

When the song ended, Drew jumped to his feet, hooting and whistling. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!” he yelled. I could feel my face turning crimson.

“Encore!” yelled the guy with the goatee, standing up, too.

“Thanks, folks. We’ll be here all night. Seriously, we love you,” said Liz, blowing a kiss to the audience. More applause. I didn’t know where or how Liz got her confidence, but it sure was awesome. I was starting to really like her. We made our way back to our seats. Drew was still standing up, clapping.

“Did we do okay?” asked Liz, looking right at Jeremy.

“Yeah, it was fun,” he said blandly. My brother, the romantic.

“You looked fine, ladies!” said Drew. I was too embarassed to look at him. Then he turned to the guy next to Heidi and said, “Hey, Trey. You wanna do this?”

“Sure.”

“Do what?” asked Liz.

“Well, Trey and I brought some stuff so we could go outside in the hot tub and party a little,” said Drew.

Hot tub? There was a hot tub here? How did they know that?

“What kind of stuff?” asked Heidi with a giggle.

“You know, my friend Jack D,” said Drew, tipping an imaginary bottle back into his mouth.

“But we didn’t bring any stuff to wear,” moaned Dina.

“I’ve got a couple of pairs of boxers and some T-shirts in my bag,” said Drew. “You’ve got some, too, right, T?”

“Yup.”

“You guys have towels in your rooms, I assume?” Drew asked me and Jeremy.

“Yeah,” said Jeremy. I wondered if he was thinking what I was thinking. The two of us in a hot tub. Together. Wasn’t that a little ooky? And ever since the cast party at Dave’s, I’d been pretty nervous around alcohol. I’d never even tasted whiskey.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” said Liz eagerly.

What was I going to do, chicken out and go upstairs to watch more reality TV by myself? C’mon, Levy. Don’t be a total loser. This was winter break. This was feeling sexy and sassy and learning how to live a little.

“Whaddaya say, dollface?” asked Drew. All right, we’d need to work on the lingo a little, but …

“I’m in.”

Jeremy led the way as we tried to duck out around the back of the room. Stevie D. was already on the mike again, this time with a Barry Manilow song. Talk about cheesy.

Then, just as I was turning to head out through the open archway, I saw a figure in a chair in the corner, his head bent over what looked like a large pad of paper, his hand scribbling. Was that …?

Eric, Phil’s son, looked up and turned the pad over quickly.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey.”

“Nice work up there,” he told me, nodding at the stage.

“Oh, that? That was stupid.”

“Why? I thought it was pretty good.”

“Whatever,” I said. The candle flickered in front of him and I could see there was a smudge of charcoal on his lower lip. Neither of us said anything.

“What are you doing back here all alone?” I said finally. I didn’t mean it to sound that rude, but I guess I still wasn’t a big fan of the guy.

“Just – nothing.”

“Must be something.”

“Drawing,” he said. And he pulled the pad closer to his chest.

“Huh?”

“Drawing. You know, like sketching? I sketch sometimes.”

“Really? In the dark?”

“This is fine.” He lifted up the tea light and gave a kind of crooked smile.

“Oh.”

“So, did you go skiing today?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“How’d it go?”

“Good I guess. By the end I was doing okay.”

“Drew was your teacher?” How did this guy know – agh! Drew!

“Yeah, actually, you know what? I gotta go!” I felt really nervous and excited, but mostly nervous now, and a little mad at myself. Why was I still talking to this guy, anyway? I mean it was sad that he was alone and all, but I had to get upstairs. Now!