Page 44 of One Last Run

"Why do you only do blues when you're such a good skier? Why stick to what’s safe?" Pete asked.

"I hate being bad at things." Danica's confession came out in a mumble.

"What do you mean?" Pete lifted her goggles to put them on her helmet, looking at Danica with confusion.

"I just don't." Danica said.

Pete frowned, the faintest hint of a suspicion pulling her brows together. "You were bad at snowboarding at first."

"Yeah, but Maggie was there with me and no one wasexpectingme to be good at it. I can practically feel Izzy watching me, and Kiera doesn't really think I can do this, either. You heard her. 'Oh, go on See Forever and go home.'" Her Kiera impression was a little too condescending but otherwise spot on.

"You're that afraid of failure?"

Danica shifted, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, yeah, where people canseeme fail.”

"In front ofme?" Pete asked, completely thrown off.

"Especiallyin front of you," Danica said, stabbing at the ground with her pole.

Pete laughed. "That's one of the stupidest things you've ever said to me."

Danica threw her arms up in frustration. "I never said it was rational. I just hate this panicky feeling inside of me right now."

Pete took Danica's hand again, looking her in the eyes. Danica's eyes were bluebird sky bright, rimmed with tears. "Hey,it's just me. Izzy and Kiera are long gone. I don't think there's anything braver than being willing to learn new things, or being willing to be bad at something enough times to figure out how to be good at it. That's...life, Wendell. Sometimes you have to fall on your ass skiing."

"Well, what happens when I inch through this and you're also long gone and then I'm just alone?" Danica asked. "What if I fall in a tree well, and I suffocate because no one can find me?" She frowned down toward the trees.

"Not going to happen. And I'll be right behind you. This is my first time trying a mogul run on skis, too," Pete assured.

"And if I'm really bad at this, you won't tell a soul?" Danica asked.

Pete nodded. "I amverygood at secrets."

Danica snorted. "Yeah, tell that to the hickey you left on my neck."

Pete grinned. "I didn’t say I’d keepthata secret."

She could have sworn Danica was smiling behind her neck gaiter, maybe even blushing, but that could have been from the chill they had after standing around for so long.

"I really will go down one of the other runs with you if you don't want to do this," Pete said.

Danica took a deep breath, staring down at the tracks ahead of her in the trees. "Will you go first so that I can follow your path?"

The tone of her voice melted something within Pete and she smiled gently. "Of course." Danica was so rarely this vulnerable in front of her. "But it's not going to be pretty. We're in this together, slow and steady and ready to ruin the day for the poor bastards stuck behind us." She settled her goggles back in place and then twisted to adjust her skis. "You ready?"

“Yeah, just make sure you don’t run off.” Danica looked at her, then nodded. That small show of strength made Pete feel warm with pride and excitement.

“I’ll be right there.”

Then, they were off. Pete dipped into the flatter beginning part of the run, then pitched forward and revealed a path of moguls and the ski marks that ran through them, like every turn was a choose your own adventure. It was a little dicey and she purposefully took it slow, glancing behind her every few moments to make sure Danica was okay. Giddiness fluttered in her chest, and she set off again, a little more confident knowing that Danica was right behind her. She could hear the swoosh and crunch of Danica's skis in the snow, and it took a lot of concentration to keep her eyes ahead, focusing on the moguls instead. Izzy and Kiera were so far ahead that it truly felt like they were in their own little world, far away from the rest of the mountain, just two people exploring and adventuring.

That was what she wanted most of all — an adventure partner. Sure, Danica pretended to be averse to new things, but she was so smart and so competent that she learned quickly. Pete had always had to muscle her way through academics, but it had all come easily to Danica. She'd always been a little jealous of that. Now, Pete saw that her own ambition was a positive trait, not just another downfall of not being the smartest person in the room.

She glanced back behind her, seeing Danica concentrating but still managing to work her way through the puzzle. She was fully in control, stable and strong. When she saw Danica glance up to follow her, she nodded her head for Danica to follow, then veered off into the trees that lined the run, a tiny trail already paved by a skier before them.

The trees were dense with no obvious path, but Pete picked her way around, much easier on skis than a board.

"Now this is definitely illegal. We're going to get kicked out," Danica’s voice shook a bit from close behind her.

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