Bail | LRH

Chapter 2: the slopes

Luke Hemmings

After coming close to a medal last weekend but ending my time at the X Games in fourth place, I won't lie I was really upset with myself, and I don't even know how I got fourth. I didn't even make the podium this year, the cherry on top of a horrible weekend was watching Adrian win the whole fucking thing. I knew I had my work cut out for me the minute I got home, I was all about training hard and learning new tricks, perfecting old ones, and building up my strength. Unlike Adrian, I wasn't naturally talented, sure I grew up on the mountain but my mom was an ice skater not a snowboarder and my dad was not athletically inclined if I'm being honest, to sum it up, I didn't inherit any crazy genes like that girl did.

I will give her credit though because she does work hard, she doesn't just let whatever talent she was born with ride out her success, she works for it, which I respect. But then there's me, who has to work hard to land these tricks and skills. It's not just something I can pull out of my ass like she can. She was handed sponsorships just for simply having the last name Casey, while I was given sponsorships by making a name for myself.

I didn't hesitate to wake up early and hit the slopes because I couldn't waste any time, I had to train as much as possible. I called up my friends Calum, Michael, and Ashton who also competed last weekend, but like me, they didn't place either. This was their first time at the Games so they were definitely there more for the experience than for bringing home the hardware. The three boys agreed to meet me at our usual spot at the ski lodge so we could board together like we typically did when we didn't have our own private training classes.

I checked the time on my phone which read eight A.M. so I had another twenty minutes before I had to be out of the house and meet up with the other boys. I didn't bother eating breakfast, it seemed like my mom had already left the house to take my younger sister to school, which is something I didn't really have to do anymore since I had been homeschooled along with basically every other kid who competes on the mountain, Adrian being among the bunch. I grabbed a protein bar from the kitchen and figured that should hold me over until lunch.

I changed out of my pajamas and slipped on my snow pants and a hoodie before heading out to the garage to grab my helmet, boots, and board. I climbed into the driver's seat of my car and buckled up before putting the key into the ignition and heading out to the slopes. I hummed along to whatever pop song was playing on the radio, taking a bite out of my protein bar every now and then.

I got to the parking lot before the tourist rush, and there were tons of spots so of course I had to pick one that was nearest to the ski lodge so when I was ready to go home later on, I wouldn't have to walk far after a long day. I saw Michael pull his car up next to mine, and I gave him a nod signaling a "good morning" which he returned.

We got out of our cars and put on our boots and grabbed our boards, carrying them over to the ski lodge where we waited for our other two friends. We sat in the warmth for about five minutes before we saw Calum and Ashton making their way over to us.

"Hello boys" Ashton said to us, while raising a coffee cup in the air. Typical Ashton, that man needed caffeine in his system to do just about anything.

"Morning," Michael replied, standing up from his seat and grabbing his board.

"You guys ready to go?" Calum asked, nodding his head to the door, while I stood up and grabbed my things. Calum is the opposite of Ashton, this man had all the energy in the world, he didn't need any sort of caffeine in his system to have the energy for anything. And Michael, well he was a good medium in between the two.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's head out" I said as Calum and Ashton turned around walking to the door, with Michael and I following close behind.

"Since we're here a little bit early I doubt there will be any one in line ye–" Michael said as we opened the door only to find that there were already about twenty people waiting in line for the lift to start running.