Slippery Slopes by Emily Franklin

Author:Emily Franklin [Franklin, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4804-5229-9
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2013-09-30T17:08:00+00:00

13

THE STING FROM THE wind and sleeting snow is nothing compared to the harsh reality of yet another daily newspaper’s account of the budding romance between James and Charlie, LES DEUX AMANTS. Melissa reads the headline, squinting through the snow that appears to be piling up every second around her ankles. The two lovers? Who says lovers anymore? What an annoying term. Melissa makes a face at the words, feeling all over again the now-familiar tug at her heart, the emotional bruising that comes from liking someone who doesn’t like you back.

She bites her lip as she looks at the photo from the race—Charlie’s arm around James—and then she can’t look any longer. Not because it hurts too much, which it does, but because looking at anything for too long is impossible.

“Oh my god!” Melissa blurts out into the snowy air, aware that talking to herself won’t really increase the likelihood that James or anyone else will find her irresistible. I have to go somewhere, find a place to wait out the worst of this before trying to get back. Melissa shoves the anxiety about Matron’s dance-floor concerns and her love woes aside and thinks three words:

Gabe was right.

Town has emptied out. The last few people retreat to their apartments in town, or brave the walk to the nearby hotel, but no cars move. Only the bright flashing from the snowplows and the incessant bells from the church give signs of life. Melissa suddenly knows what it’s like to be really, truly alone.

I’m deserted. Or I’ve deserted myself. She tucks her chin into her jacket, wishing she’d brought more clothing—or taken Gabe’s warnings more seriously and retreated to Les Trois while she still could. Her boots slide on the ice forming along the cobblestones, and her lips and cheeks feel wind burned. Determined, Melissa shoves her hands deep into her pockets and walks, knowing that if she stops for too long she’ll get frostbite or stuck. And since she didn’t tell anyone where she was going, no one knows to look for her away from the resort. No one except Gabe.

I could freeze out here. Or vanish. Melissa’s heart races when she thinks about becoming her own headline. With her right hand she braces against the brick building; her left hand feels something in her pocket—a receipt? A candy? She pulls it out—a folded business card from the supply store. That’s it! The factory. Melissa envisions the large doorways there and figures that at the very least she’ll be able to find shelter in the tunnel that marks the entryway.

She shuffles down the street, leaning into the buildings so she doesn’t fall, so she has something solid backing her up, and starts off.

“You’re crazy!”

“Not as much as you think.” Max laughs, removing his helmet and sticking it under his arm as he reaches to knock on the door in front of him.

“You can’t just go into some random person’s house and demand entry, as in, ‘We’d like to come in—now!’” Dove blocks his knocking by elbowing his side.

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