"I'm not bettin' on the weatherman," Yuki said. "You're on, Jess."
"That was dumb," Miki said. "Don't come cryin' to me when you're in over your head."
"Oh c'mon, how bad could it be?"
In Yuki's defense, she didn't quite know the full extent of Jessica's bets. She'd never forget Jessica's wagers, a favorite being when one contest forced the quarterback to strip naked and masturbate for the four of them after school - a secret he was more than willing to keep after Jessica convinced them to laugh no matter the extent of what they saw between his legs (a very difficult act indeed) - but they were all directed towards guys. However, Yuki wasn't around for all of her bets. While Yuki was home in bed fighting off a cold, the other three got together at Lily's while her parents were away for the weekend. A friendly wager left Miki doing jumping jacks while Lily had to play one of her motion capture games, both acts done in the buff. That wasn't the first time Yuki missed Jessica making a non-cash bet with a girl, either. It seemed unlikely, but her voice of reason should have told her Jessica wouldn't hesitate to make those bets with another girl. Among other thing, it should have been citing a younger Yuki's curiosity about French kissing, and Jessica's unflinching offer to help her via demonstration and practice.
Yuki turned to Jessica and continued, "We skiin' or snowboardin'?"
"Skiin'," she answered. "I don't need a big edge to win."
While Lily remained immersed in her video game, the others made their way to the den closet. For ease of access and to minimize the time spent bundled in the heated cabin, the girls stored their outer layer and equipment for skiing and snowboarding in the closet by the front door with their ordinary coats. Yuki and Jessica had the foresight to check the weather report this morning, and responded to the mountain's snowfall by donning their sports bras right away. It gave Miki one last opportunity to urge Yuki to back out and join her along the hiking paths. Yuki waved it off again, and Miki left them sighing. On her way out, she was mumbling something, but Yuki couldn't hear much. All she caught was something about hypothermia. Or maybe it was hyperthermia. Oh well. She was already gone, so it didn't matter.
Jessica led the pair to a lift for one of the novice slopes, and Yuki had to admit the map made this slope look like a good fit for a contest between first-timers. There were no jumps, minimal tree covering, it was steep enough for speed without being intimidating, and probably couldn't carry a spilled skier all the way down the mountain. Other paths merged into it, but the only way for anyone starting on this slope to wind up on one of those paths would be to ski up the mountain. The only thing about it that made Yuki even slightly nervous was the turn. It wasn't a hairpin or even remotely close to 90 degrees, but it couldn't be overcome by excellent starting position or a freak accident. It was a semi-circle around the cliff-side, at the end of this turn they'd being going down in almost the same direction they started.
While riding up the mountain, Jessica asked, "D'you take the ski lessons I told ya 'bout?"
Based on the look from Yuki, observes would have assumed Jessica just asked if there was snow on the mountain. Even she had to acknowledge it was asked just as a precaution, not as a real question. She knew her friend wasn't stupid enough to skip ski lessons before going skiing, but also fully expected Yuki's response to omit this reasoning.
"You need to ask if I did something that let me spend time with that Adonis?"
"Just checkin'," Jessica answered. "And you're really gonna bet me?"
"Absolutely! You name the terms and wager! I'm down for anything!"
The grin on Jessica's face should have sent chills up Yuki's spine, but the Asian girl was too excited and too confident to notice. She also missed the redhead's eyes narrowing with each word she spoke until she looked predatory. It was the same look Yuki saw every time the boys back home had to drop their drawers. In fact, backing up to the time leading up to the trip, Yuki was also too distracted by the hunky ski instructor to notice Jessica wasn't in her class. At present, the idea it was two novices and Jessica wouldn't be too outrageous were only Yuki's preconceptions. However, both notions would face evidence very soon.
"Awright," Jessica said. "First one down the mountain wins. You can wipe out, but don't ride it all the way down or you're out. And the loser has to..."
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author