Almost Home

Chapter Twenty-Three

Oh God, I'm going to die. Mum I'm sorry but this is it! This is how I'm going to go. Hurtling down a snowy mountain with nothing but a second-hand piece of wood strapped to my feet.

I should have told Tom no, I should have said I wasn't ready but oh no, I'd had to agree all because he'd paid me one simple complement. "I'm proud of you for trying this Emma" he'd said and I'd swelled with happiness.

I don't seem to get a lot of compliments from Tom. Me and him are very different people. He's sporty and confident and throws himself into new situations with vigour whereas I'm more reserved and a bit scared of everything. I'm not sporty, not at all. In fact, I was the person left on the sidelines whilst everyone around me got picked for the teams at school. So how I've suddenly found myself in this situation, staring down the depths of a mountain with no end in sight I don't know. But I don't like it.

I spot a scary looking ramp up ahead and I swerve fast to avoid it and all at once my legs go out beneath me and I crash to the ground, screaming in fright as a passing snowboarder comes pelting right by me, shouting in anger and shaking his fist at me. I whip the board from my feet, tears landing on the lenses of my goggles and I crawl as fast as I can to the side of the track, narrowly missing being flattened by yet more people as they come flying past me.

I feel helpless and I contemplate what to do from the safety of my spot hidden by the trees. All I know is that I can't stay here all day. I bet everyone is waiting for me at the bottom. The thought makes my face burn in shame. I have to get down somehow.

Staring down the snow covered hill I realise there's only one thing for it, I'm going to have to walk down. It's going to take forever but at least I won't break my legs in the process so I pick my board back up, lift my goggles from my face and begin the monumental trek down the hill, slipping and sliding and falling onto my numb backside more times than I'd like to admit.

There's a bath waiting for you at the end, I repeat in my head like a mantra, trying to keep my spirits up despite the very sudden u-turn my holiday has seemed to have taken. You can have a long soak in the bath and then call Sam for a much-needed chat. What could be more perfect than that?! Stuff Jamie and his ridiculous strop. Stuff Steph and her pathetic jealousy. Stuff everyone. It's time to put your own happiness first for once.

'Jesus Emma, where the bloody hell were you?!'

I collapse in a pile at the bottom of the slope over half an hour later and I look up to find Tom storming towards me, his face looking fraught as he signals to a man in uniform behind him.

'This is her! Thank you for all your help!' He says to the man who nods his heads and moves off in the other direction, speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie. 'What the hell happened to you?! I've had the bloody patrol guys out looking for you. I thought you'd seriously injured yourself.'

'I'm sorry,' I mutter under my breath as Chloe drops to her knees and grabs me by the hand, placing an arm behind my neck to pull me up to sitting.

'They were just about to put a call out on the tannoy to call everyone else in until you were found! What the hell took you so long?!'

'That would have been embarrassing, I'm glad they didn't do that.' I picture the humiliation and my insides squirm. 'I couldn't do the stupid hill okay, it was too hard for me! Where is everyone else anyway?'

'They left! They couldn't be bothered waiting for you any longer!'

'Well, that's polite,' I grumble to myself and pull off my gloves, blowing on my fingers in an attempt of getting some warmth to them.