~*~ 9 ~*~
My world stayed on this kind of emotional roller coaster. I kept seeing Bryce and Bettina off and on throughout November. I saw them together, heads bent over their lunches whispering. They kept to themselves, never talking to anyone else. They were obviously in love and it tugged at my heart.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! It seemed the more I saw him, the more I felt he hated me, which made me feel even worse. I had come to dread anytime we passed each other in the hall, or if our eyes met from across the lunchroom. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I was seeing him more frequently. We didn't have any classes together yet every time I looked up in a hall, or somewhere on school grounds, the parking lot even, I would see him. I felt foolish. What irked me most was I was doing this to myself.
Why should I be so angry, or if he had a girlfriend? Why should I even care at all about Bryce Evans? After these next two years I would go off to college and I wouldn't have to see him again. Ever! So why stress it, just ignore him and pretend he didn't exist. Simple enough to think it. Something else entirely when he haunted my dreams. I gave up on ever hearing his angelic voice saying my name in my waking world, and lived with its echo in my sleep. So be it. I was much better off without him.
My dad and Uncle Mark had found another car for me, this one made of steel, not tin like my last one. I gave back my Aunt's car and happily got used to my new one which was a huge car, a safe car. One that I quickly gave the name of 'tank'. I was sure it could take a huge hit before even getting a small dent in it. Besides, there were so many dents in it already, one more wouldn't show. Let the car-slayer come at me now. I would surely leave more than a scratch on his all-American, beefed-up truck!
On Friday, the week before Thanksgiving, it began to snow just as I got to school. I wasn't looking forward to driving back down that twisting road when school let out. Later in the morning it started snowing harder, accumulating quickly. The buzz in school was there was going to be a surprise blizzard. A blizzard did not sound like very much fun since the tank handled more like a boat than a car. The idea of swaying and sliding down the mountain on a slick layer of fresh snow didn't appeal to me.
Just past one in the afternoon school was canceled for the rest of the day. There was a mass exodus out of the school and into the parking lot. Talk was the storm was just firing up with a lot more snow was coming. Apprehension gnawed at the pit of my stomach. Proof for me came as I surveyed the parking lot which was quickly turning into a messy skating rink for vehicles and pedestrians alike. Kids were laughing, snowballs flying from all directions, and more cars sliding around corners. Everyone was either learning, or relearning how to drive in the already thick coating of slippery white stuff.
Patiently I waited in my tank of a car, allowing the very slow to warm beast time to get used to the idea that I was going to actually drive it. It seemed to balk unhappily. I could empathize entirely rubbing my hands together trying to warm my chilled fingers. I was in no hurry.
By the time the tank had warmed up most of the cars had slid or skidded out of the lot. With only a few vehicles left I cautiously nosed my tank out of the parking lot. Turning out of the parking lot, it was as bad as I had feared, the roads were treacherously slippery. Huge wet snowflakes plopped with a semi-frozen splatter on my windshield faster than my wipers could slush them off, piling up on the sides of my window in jagged ridges. The defroster kept about a six inch round hole of vision clear and that was on blasting defrost. This was as good as it was going to get. I considered waiting a bit, to see if I could follow a plow down but if I did that, as fast as the snow was now falling, they would find me after the snow melted or when a plow ran into the my back end. That would be my luck.
In my rear-view mirror I could see headlights of another car turn in behind me from the school parking lot. I didn't recognize the vehicle, in this mess I couldn't even see the vehicle. All I knew was it had headlights. I hoped that whomever had pulled in behind me had a better field of vision than I did, and better braking ability!
Turning the car south I was surprised that the vehicle behind me turned as well. Not a lot of kids lived down in the Gully. Most of the kids lived in town and were home already. At this moment I envied them. I still had to maneuver the treacherous twisting roads down through snaking curves. It was gorgeous in the summer but as I had already guessed, hellish in winter.
I realized who was in the vehicle following me. It was Matt. I felt relief and a bit of comfort. At least if my car sailed off the cliff someone would be around to witness it and either come save me, or at least tell my dad where I had disappeared. Staying on the road began to demand all my concentration. I put everything, including Matt out of my mind. My car seemed intent on going four wheeling. It was a battle it seemed to want to win desperately, no matter how I felt about it. Maybe it had a death wish. I quickly shoved that thought from my mind.
My teeth were chattering. I had no coat or gloves and only my sweatshirt for warmth. It had been in the upper fifties and beautiful this morning. It hadn't even entered my mind how fast the weather could change. When I had gotten up this morning dad had already left and I hadn't bothered turning on the radio, so I had been clueless until I got to school.
I was now getting busted for doing what every responsible person should do in the winter time up north. Keep a winter survival kit in the car at all times and always dress like there could be a blizzard, or at least keep winter clothing packed in the car. Tough lesson to learn the hard way. Sad thing was, I knew better.
The only road home had some seriously dangerous curves even when the weather was nice. Driving down the steep roads while gripping the steering wheel tightly, I was holding my breath. Slippery was hardly the word. If I went more than ten miles an hour the rear end of my car cut loose fishtailing all over the place and it was hellish to get it back under control. It was definitely the most uncomfortable drive I'd ever made and I was wishing fervently that it was over.
The headlights behind me drew closer. Ignoring him I began counting the five curves. Driving slowly through the first one, when I had successfully navigated it, I took a deep breath. Four more to go and it would be easier. Next up was a bad one. The road rose in a gentle incline with little curves until I got to the next bad spot which was treacherous. A very sharp turn that dove down toward the Gully at a fairly steep pitch.
It was hard to keep the car at a snail's pace. At least the second curve hadn't been a hairpin. Driving down the mountain road heading for turn number three I managed to keep it on the road and in its lane. It was harrowing but out of the turn I came. Matt had made it as well. I could see his lights like a pair of guardian angels behind me.
Holding my breath and clutching the wheel as hard as I could, I was clamping my jaw tightly to keep my teeth from chattering painfully. Keep it together, I told myself, just two more curves and I would be home, warm and safe. I was more than halfway through the worst of it. What I really wanted to do was just pull over, park and wait it out. That was impossible, there's not much of a shoulder on a curving mountain road, and lumber trucks traveled it frequently. I had to keep going. My eyes hurt from staring unblinkingly through my narrow field of vision. My neck hurt from the strain of keeping it craned at an odd angle. My world had been reduced to a semi-circle of white.
And then it happened. The rear-end cut loose on one of the worst curves, the fourth one. Sucking in my breath I felt my stomach flutter. There was the sickening feeling of no contact between my wheels and the pavement. I had absolutely no control of where my car was going or where I was going to end up.
It had stopped fishtailing and began sliding directly for the left side of the road. Stomping on the brake did nothing. My tank was picking up speed. There was no response to my turning the steering wheel either. There was not much road left between where I was and the thin rail that was meant to keep cars from careening off into oblivion.
Matt, behind me, suddenly gunned his engine, his headlights swinging to my left. He was driving into danger, putting himself on my driver's side! Angling his vehicle between me and the cliff on the left side of the road was suicide! Through my rising panic I caught a glimpse through my frosted side window of something black pressing up against my driver's side. Something big and black!
Bryce!
He was maneuvering in a very tight curve on the wrong side of the road using his truck to keep me on the road! Attempting to push me towards the right, his truck was scraping between me and the rail. I was powerless to help either of us. Bryce was fighting alone for both our lives now! I could hear the powerful roar of his truck beside me as well as the sickening sound of metal scraping against metal.
Bryce was?
I didn't have time to think. There was a feeling of contact beneath my wheels. Steering further to the right I was moving away from danger when I hit ice again. Was this nightmare ever going to end, one mistake and we were both doomed! We were almost through the sharpest part of the hairpin curve. Just ahead the road straightened out somewhat. Bryce somehow managed to shove my car completely into the right hand lane, harshly grinding his truck against my car. More ice, and I was sliding off the road again, this time to the right. I couldn't breathe.
My wheels continued to find only ice and pitched into an uncontrollable sideways slide. At least this time I was now heading to the right, straight towards the ditch leading to a shallow ravine filled with trees. Helpless I clung in futility to the wheel trying to make my car respond. There was a lot of noise as my car scraped harshly against frozen tree limbs, snapping more than a few in the process of stopping. I was barely managing to keep the tank pointing the right way, it kept wanting to take a scenic route down into the ravine.
And then everything got a lot quieter. My car engine still rumbled, but it had stopped moving. There wasn't that awful sound of vehicles rubbing together or tearing through trees and small growth off the edge of the road. Bryce had kept control of his pickup, stopping just a little bit ahead of where I slid part way off the road. Turning his hazards on he backed up until he reached my car which had tried to bury half of itself into snow and years of dead fall. I hadn't slid too far off the road, only the right half of my car was off the road. At least pointed I had managed to keep its nose pointed in the right direction. The thicket of saplings and small trees had kept me from going too far down into the ravine.
We were towards the backside of the center of the curve. Not the safest place to be. But the good news was we were stopped, and we were both alive. Bryce got out of his enormous pickup truck walking back to where I was. He was wearing his long black coat and had on black leather driving gloves. His dark hair pulled back, his eyes vivid and intense. He made a stark contrast against the wintry scene as he took long legged strides towards me.
I was shivering, feeling stupid, and shaky all at the same time. Rolling down my window, my teeth chattering, I tried to sound normal. "My car is stuck."
Bryce smiled. "Last time it was your door that was stuck, this time" he shook his head smiling "it's your whole car!"
His smile caught me off guard. Only in my dreams had I seen him smile at me.
I retorted between chattering teeth "If I remember right, last time it was completely your fault. This time it was a joint effort."
"I had nothing to do with putting your car in these trees. I was keeping you from those trees!" He gestured to the other side of the road still smiling that heart stopping smile that made me feel like a babbling idiot.
"Either way."
"Perhaps." He sighed softly, his breath a billowy cloud from his gorgeous mouth. He was looking toward the front of my car and then the rear and back again as if judging something. "Scoot over." He opened the driver side door still smiling. Our eyes met. He was looking at me as if searching for something, questioning me.
I wish I had the answer that he was looking for. I felt that same odd connection again, like I knew him, should know him. Then, just like last time, he broke eye contact first leaving me wanting more. I moved over to the passenger side and he got in. Rolling up the window again, he rubbed his hands together. "Let's see if I can get your car unstuck." He reversed the engine, giving it a touch of gas, then did the same going forward. Back and forth he rocked the car. It only seemed to become more wedged, slipping its front end deeper, seemingly more determined on going further into the ravine.
Stopping he looked out the windshield that you couldn't see out of unless you hunched over. "You drove like this? Down the mountain? How? This is stupid Rowan, not to mention so incredibly dangerous!" That now familiar anger I saw every time he saw me returned. His smile vanished. Talk about mercurial mood shifts. I looked at him from the corner of my eye because his anger was making me uncomfortable.
"It's not like I had a lot of choice. I had to get home." I stated defiantly, feeling the need to defend myself.
He kept starring at that little circle of clear window that the ancient heater kept clear of ice and snow. A freezing fog had descended along with a now very heavy snowfall. My teeth were chattering like crazy and I was shivering.
He noticed. "Where is your coat? Wait," he held up his hand sighing in frustration. "Never mind, I don't think I want to hear your answer." Exhaling deeply he hit my steering wheel hard with the palm of his hand as if he were exasperated with me.
"Come on," he grumbled as if he had no other choice, "before you catch your death out here." Then he muttered something unintelligible under his breath as he was reaching for the door handle.
"What did you say?" Looking at him I could only see his profile.
"Nothing, just—-" he looked as if I was a real pain to him. "I," he paused and briefly looked at me before turning away. "I just don't want anything to happen to you."
So nice of him to care. My feelings were still reeling from both the mishap, and his mood shifts, I opted to not respond. Reaching for my door handle on the passenger's side, opening it, I had forgotten that this side of the car was lodged under trees. It only opened about five inches or so and an avalanche of snow fell onto my arm and side. Reaching over me he slammed my door shut hard, looking at me like I was an errant child that needed to be watched carefully.
"This side." his voice was deep and husky.
I slid towards him. He smelled good. Like a forest in the deep of summer; mildly spicy and full of green growing things.
Sliding away from me quickly, and opening the driver's side of the door he got out. He had moved away and gotten out so fast, it felt almost as if he was afraid I would touch him. Standing there holding the door open he was waiting for me, acting as if I were a major inconvenience to him.
He was impossible!