Page 35 of Let the Light Shine Through

Why did she have to bring me here? Aside from the actual mountains, this is the last place I want to be. I’ve been avoiding anything to do with snowboarding since Salvy’s accident, and this entire scene might as well be my old sport’s younger, uglier stepbrother.

The kid on the scooter wipes out landing a jump and not one person so much as bats an eye.

Definitely grittier, too.

As weird as it sounds though, there’s something comforting about it all. Being among outcasts looking for an escape from society’s norms pressed upon all of us. I got it my whole career. My image meant more than my skills sometimes and I hated that. I snowboarded because I wanted to, not because some people liked how I looked doing it.

I guess it doesn’t matter now. Along with my best friend, I lost my desire to chase that feeling. The one I’ve only been able to achieve slashing through the backcountry or dropping on firm descents. The one that makes me feel inconceivably alive while simultaneously outrunning death.

I look over to find Gia’s eyes on mine.

Until she appeared.

Gia makes me feel alive again. Gia makes me feel, period. Every day’s been more of the same. The monotony of normal life holds less appeal than I thought it would. Except for when Gia shows up. Whenever she’s near, I never know what’ll happen next, just like on the side of a mountain. Out there I was known for slicing nimble and playful lines, but this girl makes my old ways look straight amateurish with her all-out spontaneity.

An image of her shredding some fresh white powder herself forms and I can’t shake it out before it takes hold, needling its way into my psyche. I want to see it. Firsthand. With me by her side.

Fuck. What am I doing?

Clever fingertips writhe up my abs, over my chest, stopping at my collarbone. The fact that we’re standing next to the equivalent of another pool, albeit an empty one, does not escape my notice and I let Gia know it, latching on to her waist and telling her, “You better not push me.”

“Then who will?”

I search her eyes, trying to figure out exactly what she means.

“So, what’s your question?”

“Will you go out on a date with me?”

I hadn’t planned on starting out the gate with that one, but her fingers massaging my skin is messing with…everything.

“What do you call this?”

Some dumbass skating past lets out a catcall astronauts in orbit could hear.

“Overcrowded foreplay?”

“Kinky.” She wiggles her eyebrows, nodding her head to the side and dropping her hands as she steps back. “Now, show me what you got, cowboy.”

I stare down at her skateboard, flexing my stiff fingers. “I want to up the stakes.”

“Go on.”

“A kiss for every trick I nail, too.”

“Done.”

I have no idea if I’ll be able to land one trick, let alone multiple, but I gotta try. If I’m going to do this, something so close to what I swore off, I’m damn well going to make it worth my while—hopefully.

Since I always ride goofy-footed, I place my left foot on the tail, right at the lip of the bowl, letting the majority of the board hang over the edge, then wait, allowing the atmosphere to envelop me. The noise is fucking overwhelming compared to the silence I just left a few hours ago.

Luckily, Gia gives me enough time to acclimate before offering some pointers, but when she finishes, she thumps my back, making some smartass remark about me being a cowboy that I decide to let slide.

“You know…I didn’t specify where I wanted to kiss you.”

Looking me dead in the eye, she says, “And I didn’t ask you to,” before pushing my ass over the ledge—again.

Jesus Christ, this girl’s gonna kill me.