Runaway

Chapter Five: All the Time in the World

"Hey," I said cooly.

"Hey bro," said a guy wearing a neon green beanie. It was flecked with moist snowflakes and covered most of his hair. Only a few black strands peaked out from beneath the cap. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black and a pair of thick rimmed glasses sat in front of them.

"So I see Helen filled that open spot, eh Brad," said the girl who accompanied the two guys. She elbowed the boy who hadn't spoken yet. He gave her a look that breathed fire and rolled his eyes.

The other guy laughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed by his friend. "So . . . is Helen here? I wanted to find out if you guys got any new goggles in stock. I shattered mine last weekend,"

"Umm . . . I may be able to help you. I think we have some new ones still in the back. What brand were you looking for?" I replied.

"Ah, nothing special,"

"I'll bring out a bunch then. Any price range?"

"Nah,"

And with that I ran into the back and grabbed a few different style of goggles. I probably looked funny, having the bunch cradled in my arms. I placed the boxes out on the counter and let the kids peruse them.

"Uhh . . . how did you break your old goggles?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, well I was riding down an unmarked trail and face planted. Then after that I bounced forward and my face slammed into a branch. I'd probably be blind if I wasn't wearing goggles," the boy replied, not even looking up from the goggles.

"Holy crap," was all I could say. His story was quite shocking. Of all the times I had ever gone skiing I always stayed on the marked trails, it just seemed safer.

"Yeah . . . Tom is the 'dumb one' of our little group. I'm Alex and that's Brad," said the girl. Her voice was soft and inviting, and gave her an air of friendliness. She had blonde hair that fell out from underneath her tuque, almost covering her eyes. They were the deepest blue I had ever seen and instantly mesmerizing.

Her blue eyes reminded me of a girl I knew while I was at public school, while my parents were still alive. She had been my next door neighbour, and one of my closest friends. She had also had deep blue eyes you could get lost in. Stephanie, that was her name. It had been a long time since I had seen her, it was kind of sad.

I was ripped from my thoughts when I heard snapping and saw fingers in front of my face.

"Heellooo? Anybody home?" Alex's voice woke me up.

I shook my head and began blustering, not entirely sure how I had drifted off.

"What happened?" I asked, very confused.

"You were staring into my eyes," She said, sounding just as confused as I did.

"Really? Oh man, I'm sorry, it just . . ."

"Just what?" 

"Your eyes . . . they remind me of someone I used to know,"

Alex blushed, her fair cheeks turning beet red. Smiles began to form on the guys lips and I could tell they were trying to hold back laughter. Seeing that, my cheeks began to redden and warm. I looked down, trying to finding something interesting on the counter.

"So, an ex-girlfriend?" Alex asked hesitantly.

"No, just an old friend I haven't seen in a very long time," I said without looking up.

"Oh . . . alright," The room fell awkwardly silent. The guys went back to looking at goggles but I could still feel Alex's eyes on me. 

I grabbed the bar of wax and continued my work on the snowboard. I needed something to keep me busy, the awkwardness was killing me.