Page 51 of Sweet Ruin

He still hadn’t looked up at me, and I opened my mouth to argue, but the bell rang signaling the end of class. Noah stood up, moved past me, and was out the door before the ringing had even stopped. I stared after him, anger bubbling beneath the surface of my skin. This assignment was the worst thing to happen to me all day, and that was really saying something.

* * *

I was still brimmingwith annoyance as I made my way to dinner that night. Time and distance from Noah had done nothing to calm me down. I’d been recalling his refusal to work with me over and over in my mind all afternoon. And each time, I only felt more agitated.

“It’s been a rough day,” I said as I sat down at dinner with my friends. “You guys need to tell me something to cheer me up.”

Wes threw me a concerned look, and I could see he was worried I was still upset about the photograph. I quickly explained what had happened.

“I got paired with the worst partner for my business management assignment, so I’m probably going to fail that class.”

“Surely they can’t be that bad,” Anna said. “Who are you with?”

“Noah.” I groaned.

A look of surprise fluttered through Wes’s eyes, but then he started to frown. “How did you end up paired with him?” He cleared his throat after he spoke as though he wasn’t happy with the way the words had come out.

“Brenner picked our partners.”

“Ah, let me guess, he went through the alphabet…” Sawyer said. “He always does that.”

“That’s exactly what he did,” I replied. “I’m beginning to wish I’d changed my surname to LaFleur. Seriously, anyone got some good news?”

Sawyer traded a look with his brother, and the crease on Wes’s forehead diminished slightly. He nodded and Sawyer turned back to us, a wide smile on his face. “I might have just the thing,” he said. “Our parents told us over the weekend that we can have the ski lodge for a few days when we break for Christmas,” he said. “And there’s room enough for a few guests.”

Anna and Cress squealed with excitement. “Really?” they asked in unison.

“Yep.” Sawyer was still grinning. “Time to get your snow gear out of the closet because we’re going to Aspen.”

Anna and Cress squealed again, and I glanced around the table. Everyone had eager looks on their faces. It sounded like good news, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Uh, but I don’t know how to ski,” I murmured.

“Oh, don’t stress about that,” Anna said, waving a hand at me. “I usually spend the whole trip hanging out in the chalet or eating in the amazing restaurants in the village."

“Yeah, skiing’s only part of the trip,” Cress added. “Wes and Sawyer’s chalet is amazing. We stay inside and relax in front of the log fire, watch movies, and drink our body weight in hot chocolate. It’s beautiful there too. You’ll have a blast even if you can’t ski.”

“I’d also be happy to teach you to ski if you like,” Wes added. “But, Cress is right; you don’t have to hit the slopes if you don’t want. It’ll still be fun.”

It sounded pretty great. I was reluctant to miss any time with my mom over the holiday, but I’d be back in Rapid Bay for Christmas, and I was sure she’d understand if I decided to go. Besides, Wes and I struggled to get any privacy at school. Maybe a trip like this was exactly what we needed.

“Okay.” I started nodding. “I’ll have to check with my mom. But as long as she says yes, then I’d love to come.”

Cress and Anna cheered, and Wes gave me a warm smile. Their excitement was beginning to rub off on me now, and I found I was grinning too. I still had finals week to get through before the break, and I’d promised my father I’d start thinking about college applications, but it was definitely nice to have something to look forward to. Especially when that something was snuggling up to Wes by an open fire while it snowed outside. It sounded very romantic.

We continued talking about the trip over dinner, and once we were done, Wes offered to walk me back to my room. We were silent as we left the dining hall, and Wes held my hand and rubbed his thumb lightly across the back of it.

I was still excited about our ski trip, but my enthusiasm was dampened when I saw a couple of girls whispering and nodding in our direction. I let out a sigh, assuming they were still gossiping about the picture in the paper.

Wes seemed to notice them too because he pulled me in a little closer and wrapped his arm around my waist. “I really am sorry about that photograph,” he said as he steered me away from the girls.

“I told you earlier it’s okay.”

“I know,” he said. “But when you said you needed cheering up tonight, I felt partly responsible.”

I let out a sigh and turned to him. “It just took me by surprise a little bit. You guys were together for such a long time. And you only just broke up.”

“I get it,” he said. “But I’m not the only one who broke up with their ex recently. At least you don’t have to see mine every day.”

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