Kassidy traced the curve of the airport's roof with her finger on the inside of the foggy window as the taxi circled the parking lot. The whine of plane engines permeated the thin glass, and exhaust trails slit the early morning sky. Theo leaned over her to glance up at a low-flying jet, and she got a whiff of shampoo in his spiked blond hair.
"Hope you haven't watched any plane-crash movies recently," he grinned.
"Too bad Snakes On a Plane was on last night. I couldn't resist," she grinned slyly.
"Ugh, why would you do that?" Lincoln shuddered.
"Because I'm not a wuss," she laughed. "They don't just fall out of the sky you know. You're more likely to die in that sleek little Corvette of yours than you are in one of these." She pointed through the roof.
Lincoln leaned forward and shot her a heavy-lidded glare, his blue eyes cold. "What's the chance of death by being pushed out of a moving taxi?"
"Don’t be such a child,” she glared at the twenty-one year old. “It’s just a plane ride.”
“A fourteen hour plane ride,” he groaned.
She rolled her eyes. It was easy to forget he was two years her elder when he behaved so much like a whiney toddler. When the taxi finally made it to the curb, Theo paid while the other two pulled luggage from the trunk. Lincoln grabbed Kassidy's case, but he shoved it at her without making eye contact. Was he really that annoyed by her comments, or was something else eating him? He'd had a rough run on the mountain yesterday, and it was possible he was still angry with himself. It had been their last practice at home on the Colorado slopes before the runs closed for the summer. Now they were chasing snow to New Zealand in the hopes of gaining a few more weeks of practice on the halfpipe before competition season.
Kassidy grabbed her small case and smiled at Theo as he hopped out of the car. He wore a wide grin, obviously excited for the day ahead. She dropped back and walked beside him as Lincoln set off into the terminal several steps ahead. She knew he was trying to prove a point: that her teasing had been unwarranted and childish, but she knew better. Linc hated flying.
She ignored Lincoln and surveyed the terminal as they entered. She was surrounded by panoramic windows on all sides, and the fading night sky enveloped her. Planes swept close overhead, their navigation lights blinking brightly against the backdrop of dim stars. The room buzzed with sleepy people and bored employees, and she consciously shook off the tiredness of the atmosphere. This wasn’t just another business trip or family vacation. She was with her best friends, getting ready to fly across the world to do something she loved. It was the first step towards the Olympics. It was the first step towards everything. Soon they’d be carving fresh powder on newly waxed boards, launching off the halfpipe and careening through the air.
“Hey Linc!” she called ahead, then glanced at Theo. “Race you guys to the end of the walkway!”
Theo laughed, but Linc rolled his eyes, annoyed by her enthusiasm.
“I’ll buy you Starbucks if you win,” she tried to convince him. His eyes flickered, and she took her chance. “Ready-set-go!”
The three burst into a run, and Linc quickly lost his head start as Theo sprinted ahead to the moving walkway. Linc diverted and chose to run down the middle aisle instead of battling the walkway passengers. Kas copied his strategy, and her pull-along careened from wheel to wheel, slaloming a path at her heels. She glanced over to see Theo dodging passive bystanders, but even with the help of the moving walkway, he was losing ground. Kas steadied her luggage and leapt forward, gaining on Lincoln’s heels. He caught sight of her and tried to block her path with his suitcase. She dodged, but he followed and she had to slow to avoid sprawling over his intentional road-block. He pushed past the last few bystanders and nearly tripped as he threw himself across the finish line with a triumphant grin. Kas almost crashed into him as she drew to a halt.
"You cheater! I call an interference!" She aimed a kick at his shin, and he danced out of the way.
"Don’t be such a child, Kassidy. It was a strategic maneuver," he raised his chin. She landed a boot on his toes, and he yelped.
Theo walked up laughing. "Don't injure our teammate, Kas. We need him."
She huffed. "Fine. What overpriced caffeinated sugar beverage does your heart desire?" she forced a scowl.
"Anything venti with an illegal amount of whipped cream. Thank you Kas.” He smiled condescendingly. She gave him a shove before heading towards the Starbucks kiosk, and Theo trotted after her.
“I am going to kill him if he’s like this all the way across the Pacific,” she huffed when they were out of earshot. "Do you think he’s still upset about yesterday?”
Theo shrugged. "Probably. He didn't land a trick he was happy with all day. Some of the stuff he’s trying is next to impossible.”
"Is Drew really making him do the Yolo for qualifiers?" she asked before pausing to order their drinks. Drew was Lincoln's trainer, and known for being just as goal oriented as Lincoln.
Theo shook his head. "It’s Linc. He wants to put it on snow. Landing a Yolo Flip in competition would make him the next Shaun.”
Theo was referring to Shaun White, the recently retired king of halfpipe snowboarding.
"He’s got a few more years! This isn’t his last shot at it by any means,” Kassidy protested.
Theo shrugged. "He’s got the attention of the press, though. They’re expecting great things this season. They know how good he really is."
"Of course he's good. He hasn't given himself a break since we started this thing,” Kas sighed. It had been nearly ten years since they met in middle school and started training together. Lincoln jumped into the professional circuit two years before she and Theo did, but this would be the first real shot at the Olympics for all three.
"There’s too much truth to that," Theo chewed at his lip-ring. “He’s been pushing so hard. He’ll take himself out of the sport before anyone knocks him off the podium if he’s not careful.”
“Theo!” she snapped, shooting him a warning glare. “Don’t say that. He knows what he’s doing.”
“Sorry,” he shrugged sheepishly.
She snatched the coffee and headed back to where Lincoln was wandering around in search of their gate.
