Sweet Dandelion

by Micalea Smeltzer

  Ansel’s jaw ticks. He’s probably questioning why he invited her. Sasha isn’t a bad person, though. Ansel’s more quiet and introspective, where she’s more out there.

  Sasha, thankfully, grows quiet, though her radio fiddling doesn’t let up.

  We finally arrive, check in, and we all go to change our clothes into something weather appropriate. Thankfully, Sasha had snow pants I could borrow.

  “I feel like the Michelin Man,” I turn to her, all puffed up, “look at me.”

  She bursts into laughter. “But you look cute. Besides, look at me.”

  She’s bundled up similarly.

  We meet the guys in the lobby and head out to rent our gear and hit the slopes.

  When I fall for the five-thousandth time I throw my hands up in defeat, glaring at Ansel. I haven’t seen Sasha or Seth in a few hours because they left Ansel and I at the baby slope to go do more challenging hills.

  “Don’t give up.” Ansel stifles his laughter, holding out a thick-gloved hand to haul me up from the mountain of snow. “You’re so close to figuring it out.”

  “Ansel.” I give him a death-glare. “It’s been hours and I can’t go more than a few feet without falling on my ass.”

  “Yeah, but I think that last time you made it like an inch further than you’ve been going,” he chortles.

  I swat at him but he dodges me easily and I fall down again. “Ugh,” I groan. “I’m done with this. I want coffee. Or hot chocolate. Something warm. I’m turning into a popsicle.”

  “All right,” he agrees, helping me up again. “I’ll get you a warm drink and a snack. Let’s go.”

  I follow him to where we return our gear and waddle my stiff bones back into the lobby of the resort. We end up in a café, sitting beside a roaring stone fireplace that goes all the way up to the next level.

  Ansel sits down across from me, passing me the caramel latte I ordered as well as a chocolate chip muffin he tacked on. One for each of us.

  “Trying to bribe me with chocolate?” I joke, tearing off a piece and popping it into my mouth.

  “Depends. Is it working?”

  “Maybe a little,” I say around a mouthful, some crumbs spraying onto the table. I brush them away and take a sip of my coffee. It’s pretty good.

  Ansel wraps his fingers around the cappuccino he ordered, watching me.

  “What?” I blink.

  “Nothing,” he replies amusedly. “You’re just really bad at skiing.”

  My cheeks flame and I toss a packet of sugar on the table at him. He dodges it easily, laughing.

  “Maybe you’re a bad teacher, did you think about that?”

  “Nah,” he grins, “pretty sure it’s you.”

  I sigh. “It’s hard with my leg,” I admit brokenly. “It’s not strong enough for things like this.”

  His smile falls, eyes going wide. “Shit, Meadows, why didn’t you say anything?”

  I shrug, scooting my chair closer to the warmth of the fire. “I wanted to try.”

  He shakes his head. “If you’d hurt yourself … fuck, next time speak up.”

  “Are you going to try to teach me any more sports?” I raise a brow.

  He cracks a small smile. “Probably not. Snow sports are the only ones I excel in.”

  “There you guys are!” We look over to find Sasha unzipping her bright orange puffy coat. “Seth,” she commands, “go order me a mocha and get whatever you want.” She shoves some money from her pocket at him and he takes off without a peep of protest.

  She reaches our table, pulling out one of the empty chairs and collapsing into it. “I’m exhausted, but this was so much fun. Thanks for inviting me.” She shoots a tentative smile in Ansel’s direction.

  He wiggles his fingers in response, silently replying that it’s not a big deal.

  “Wanna head up for showers in a few? After, we can all head out for dinner.”

  “That’s good with me,” I agree, realizing darkness is creeping in. We promised to be on the road early in the morning, so the sooner we eat and settle in for the night, the better.

  Seth returns with Sasha’s mocha and a steaming cup of tea for himself. He hands her the change and she puts it back in her pocket for safekeeping.

  After our drinks are emptied the four of us head up together to our floor and into our adjoined rooms.

  I let Sasha shower first while I peel off all the layers of clothes I stuffed myself into.

  With most of my layers off, leaving me in black leggings and a fitted long-sleeve black shirt I wait for Sasha to finish.

  Flopping back on the bed I send Sage a text, letting him know what we’re doing. I’ve sent him frequent updates throughout the day to help ease his worries.

  Sage: Glad you’re having fun.

  Me: Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Sage: Text me before you go to bed.

  Sage: Text me when you leave in the morning too.

  Me: I will. Don’t worry.

  Sage: Worrying is my job.

  I shake my head, laying my phone on the bed.

  The door to the bathroom opens, steam billowing out with it.

  “All yours,” Sasha announces, holding a tiny white towel to her slender frame.

  I grab my change of clothes and take my turn showering. The chill is starting to leave my bones and the hot shower helps immensely.

  Climbing out, I dry my body thoroughly and gather my damp hair up in a bun so it can’t drip on the fresh clothes I yank on.

  Stepping back into the room, I find Sasha standing by my bed with her phone in her hand.

  No, not her phone.

  Mine.

  I recognize the peeling You Go Girl sticker on the back. Her brows are furrowed and she looks up when she sees me.

  “Who’s Lachlan? Do you have a boyfriend or something?”

  “No,” I blurt too fast, darting forward to yank my phone from her.

  On the screen the text shows clearly.

  Lachlan: I miss you.

  She rolls her eyes. “You can tell me. I know how to keep a secret.”

  I stare at her, trying not to laugh, because there’s no way in hell I can tell her I’ve had sex with our school counselor. I’m shocked she doesn’t recognize his first name, or maybe she does but thinks there’s another Lachlan in the world I know.

  “It’s nothing.” I tuck my phone in the pocket of my jeans.

  Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Dani—”

  I turn around, ignoring her. “I’m going to get the boys.”

  Before she can respond I’m out the door and knocking on theirs.

  She joins me, still shooting me confused and speculative looks.

  The door swings open, revealing Seth with narrowed brows. His dark hair is damp, curling on the ends. “Is there a fire?”

  “W-What?” I stutter, taken off guard because he spoke.

  “You’re banging on the door like there’s an emergency. Is. There. A. Fire?” He enunciates.

  I shake my head. “No.”

  “Seth, man, don’t give her a hard time.” Ansel appears, slapping his friend on the shoulder. “Maybe she’s really hungry or something.” He finishes fitting his belt in place. “Let’s go.”

  I poke my fork at my overpriced dinner, unable to eat much because there’s no room with the sheer panic filling my belly because of Sasha seeing that text. It’s a good thing it didn’t say more than I miss you or I would’ve been in big trouble.

  “Guess she wasn’t hungry.”

  We all look at Seth.

  “Huh?” Ansel cocks a brow.

  Seth nods his head at my barely touched plate. “You said maybe she was really hungry. She hasn’t eaten.”

  “Something wrong, Meadows?”

  I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

  Sasha narrows her eyes on me. It’s obvious to her that I shut down after she saw the text on my phone. I want to be mad at her for snooping, but it’s my fault for leaving my phone in the room to be
gin with.

  “Tired from today, I think.” I push my food around some more. “I could be coming down with something.”

  “I’ll grab the checks and we can go,” Ansel replies. All their plates are already empty.

  “I wanted dessert.” Sasha pouts.

  “Then get it to-go,” he tells her.

  The two of them head off in search of our waitress.

  Seth returns to his normal silence.

  It’s another twenty or so minutes before all our checks are paid and Sasha has her dessert. The drive back to the hotel is another ten minutes.

  Sasha and I enter the room and I quickly grab my pajamas, locking myself in the bathroom before she can start in, but I know I can’t avoid her forever.

  When I exit the bathroom, she’s already waiting her turn.

  Climbing into bed, I turn off the lights and roll over.

  I haven’t responded to Lachlan. I can’t. I hope he doesn’t take it personally, but I can’t risk Sasha possibly seeing any further exchange.

  Sasha leaves the bathroom a little while later and I’m not asleep like I wanted to be. I keep my eyes closed though, my breaths even.

  Her steps are light across the carpeted floor. A moment later there’s the swoosh of the covers being turned back and the mattress squeaks when she sinks down on it.

  A minute passes before she speaks, “I know you’re awake, Dani.” I stiffen, still facing the wall with my back to her bed. “If you don’t want to tell me about your boyfriend or whatever, it’s cool. We all have our secrets.”

  Her last sentence feels like a pickaxe slammed right into my chest.

  I feel like I have so many secrets. They’re piling up one on top of the other.

  It’s wrong that Sasha is my friend and there are so many things she doesn’t know about me, because I haven’t wanted to share them. It’s not a reflection of her, but of me, that I want to hold these things so close to myself instead of being open and honest.

  I roll over and find that she’s on her side facing me. Her blonde hair seems to glow within the dark room.

  “I don’t want to talk about the text, it’s complicated, but … there are things I haven’t told you that I should. I’ve been a really crappy friend to you.”

  “That’s not true—”

  I continue like she hasn’t spoken. “I should’ve told you this a long time ago, but I wasn’t ready, I probably shouldn’t have hidden it at all, but it’s complicated.”

  “You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready to. I mean, I’m nosy as fuck so of course I want to know, but I’m not going to shun you for not sharing things with me.”

  “No,” I shake my head, “it’s time.”

  Sasha waits patiently through the minutes it takes me to find what to say.

  When I do, the words pour out of me.

  So do the tears.

  And when Sasha climbs into my bed, hugging me, I don’t stop her. Instead, I hug her back.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  It’s dark out when we climb into the SUV to head home. Ansel has some sort of family thing he needs to be back for, so his mom told him to be home no later than eight. Ansel, probably not wanting to risk getting in trouble, insisted we all be up by five and on the road no later than six. It’s five-forty-five so I think we’ve done pretty good.

  This time, I sit up front with Ansel since Sasha wants to try to get more sleep.

  It isn’t long until a soft snore emanates from the back seat and I know she’s out.

  “Did you have a good time, Meadows?”

  “Yeah, it was fun. I’m sorry you got stuck trying to teach me and didn’t really get to ski yourself.”

  He flashes me a smile in the dark car. “Doesn’t matter, I had fun anyway.” Stifling a yawn, I lean my head against the cool window. “Put the radio on whatever you want. Or here, plug your phone in.” He grabs it, holding it out to me.

  “Whatever you want on is fine.”

  He sighs, letting the cord fall, and turns up the station that’s currently playing.

  “Seth, you cool back there?” he asks.

  There’s a grunt in response and Ansel laughs, shaking his head.

  I shoot Sage a text letting him know we’re on the road. Almost immediately he sends a thumbs up. I wonder if he’s slept at all. He’s such a worrywart.

  The road leading out of the resort is a long and windy one. It’s even worse leaving than arriving since now it’s downhill.

  The headlights shine across the snowy road and—

  “Ansel! Look out!” I scream, but it’s too late.

  He slams on his brakes, but the car slides, slamming into the deer that ran out from the woods. The airbag explodes in my face and the SUV spins, crashing into the embankment. My head hits the dashboard, wetness seeping from my nose, and then blackness coats my vision like a final curtain call.

  The beeping of machines is an all too familiar sound, and with my eyes closed, for a moment I think I’m back in the hospital after the shooting and all of the last few months have been a dream. Blinking my eyes open, I let out a groggy moan. My face hurts like hell.

  “Where is my sister?” I hear shouted in the hallway, followed by a couple of “Sirs”.

  A moment later, the door to the room I’m in is shoved open and Sage stands there, pale, and panic stricken.

  It takes me by surprise when he drops to his knees, and suddenly several nurses are there, trying to help him up.

  When he finds his legs again, he rushes to my side. “What happened? I got a call you were hurt and in the hospital. I came as fast as I could. I barely listened to what they told me.”

  “I-I don’t remember,” I stutter.

  Sage screams at the nurse, “She has brain damage! She doesn’t remember! Do something!”

  About that time, bits and pieces come flooding back.

  The deer. The car spinning. The slam of metal against rock.

  I hold a hand to my head, feeling a throbbing beginning in my skull.

  “Sir, she hit her head and has a concussion. Her memory is going to be foggy.”

  I drown out Sage’s next rant as he goes back and forth with the nurse.

  From what I pick up from the conversation, other than the concussion, my nose took a massive hit, but didn’t break, and my ribs are bruised from the seatbelt.

  “My friends,” I speak suddenly, my throat parched, “are they okay?”

  “They’re fine, honey,” she assures me with a pat on my hand, shooting daggers at my loud-mouth brother, “a little banged up like you, but they’ll be okay.”

  “Can I have some water?”

  “Of course. I’ll be back with the doctor like your brother requested.” She gives him a pointed look.

  As soon as she’s gone, he’s back at my side, pulling a chair up to the edge of the white bed.

  The covers are stiff against my body. Grabbing my right hand, he cradles it in his. There are a few scratches on top of my hand, but I have no idea how they got there.

  “I could’ve lost you again,” his voice cracks, his eyes filling with tears.

  “Sage.” My hand wiggles in his. I don’t know what to say. Sorry feels weak and pathetic, it’s not like this was planned, it just happened. “I’m okay,” I go with instead.

  He rubs his other hand over his tired face. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. Mom left me in charge of you, and I don’t think getting you nearly killed would make her very happy.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” I say, confused.

  His face pinches. “I let you go. I should’ve said no.”

  I roll my eyes. “It was a freak accident. I could get hit by a car on a crosswalk. You can’t control everything, no matter how hard you try.”

  He winces. “Don’t say stuff like that, D.”

  “It’s true,” I protest. “You can’t hide away because you’re scared of what could happen. You have to get out there and live. I had fun with
my friends. A deer ran out in front of the car. No one could’ve anticipated that.”

  His lips quirk the tiniest bit. “Stop being logical.” I crack a smile and groan. “What?” His hands flutter around me. “What hurts?”

  “My face.” I touch my cheek gently.

  At that moment the nurse returns with a Styrofoam cup of water with a lid and straw, a doctor in a white coat trailing behind her.

  I take the water from her gratefully and slurp it down. I have no idea how long I’ve been here, a few hours I assume, but my throat feels like it’s been days since I’ve had a drop of water.

  The doctor explains the same things the nurse had, but tacks on that they’d like to observe me for a few more hours before letting me go home, and that I’ll also be sent home with painkillers.

  I wrinkle my nose at that news. I hate taking pain pills. Most of the time they make me sleep the day away and that annoys me.

  Sage nods along to everything the doctor says, asking questions here and there. Finally, after fifteen to twenty minutes of endless questions, my brother lets the man go.

  When it’s the two of us once more, he looks at me with a slight smile and shake of his head.

  “Do you think you could stop almost dying on me?”

  I squeeze his hand. “No promises, but I’ll try.”

  He exhales a weighted sigh. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Love me, even when I drive you crazy.” I feel tears burn my eyes, thinking of all the fear and turmoil my brother has endured because of me.

  “Well, that’s easy enough, Weed.”

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  “What happened to your face?”

  I look at Lachlan, wide-eyed, as I enter his office Wednesday. He stands, hands on his desk as he looks at me in complete shock. I guess since he’s a faculty member, he hasn’t heard the murmurs echoing through the halls about the accident. Luckily, all our injuries were fairly minor. It could’ve been a lot worse.

  “Oh, I…” I swirl my finger at my face. “I was in an accident.”

  “What the fuck?” he blurts, still staring at me in shock.