Ben and Logan laughed Gabe didn’t appreciate their joke He tugged at the sides of his red stocking cap Smile guys Annie Roger wielded a large camera at the three friends Get in close and pretend you like each other Ben and Logan squeezed in on either side of Gabe as Annie snapped a few shots She peered over the camera at Gabe What’s the deal Gabe she asked Turn that frown upside down dude Gabe forced himself to smile It felt uncomfortable What’s with the photos Ben asked Oh I’m taking a few shots for the Grizzly Pages Annie explained The Grizzly Pages weren’t actually made of paper It was the name of the middle school’s student-run 6
news website It was mostly about sports and school events Currently the top story was about Coach Horton and the boys basketball team getting second place in the conference finals Okay everyone Have your permission slips ready please At the front of the line near the door of the lead bus stood Mrs Hartley the school’s civics teacher and coach of the alpine ski team Over her head she waved a permission slip identical to the one Gabe was fretting about Mrs Hartley was one of the younger teachers at East Grover Lake Gabe was in her third-period class The line of kids all in thick winter coats and snow pants began to file into buses Some of them like Ben and Logan brought 7
their own equipment Gabe would rent gear at Mount Grove By the time Gabe and his friends climbed aboard the bus they had to sit near the front Ben and Logan sat together and talked about how awesome it was going to be to shred down the advanced hills Annie sat next to Gabe As the bus rumbled away from the curb and they began their jouncing journey Gabe heard the unmistakable laugh of Eliza Monroe behind him Gabe craned his neck to look for her Sure enough Eliza was seated in the back of the bus She was propped up on one knee and leaning her back against the windows Eliza’s bubblegum pink coat was adorned with lift passes from Mount Grove She was 8
a natural on the slopes a member of the school’s alpine team Cassie Flock one of Eliza’s best friends was sitting with her They laughed again Eliza throwing her head back Whatcha looking at Annie asked She followed Gabe’s gaze Ohhhhh What Eliza Monroe Annie smirked What about her Oh come on Gabe It’s totally obvious You’ve got a crush on her Gabe shook his head Do not he said Pfft Of course you do Of course he did He just didn’t want to admit it to his friends Besides he didn’t 9
