Come As You Are Ch. 06

Previously on "Come As You Are" - Four lifelong friends reunite for their ten year high school reunion -- professional chef Brenda Lattimore, video game streamer Sadie Bedford, recently engaged ski instructor Michelle Min, and local business owner Colette Hansen. Over drinks and dinner the night before the reunion, the girls discover that they all share a secret lover in one of their classmates, the quiet social outcast Garrett West.

Prom night ends with Garrett and Sadie sharing another round of lovemaking and Sadie's request to keep their night together secret so their time together could be hers and hers alone.

However, the night of their high school graduation sees Sadie and Garrett fleeing from Danny Eastman, who is out to make sure Garrett doesn't have a clean getaway from Emerald Pines. The pair manage to escape back to Sadie's apartment where they enjoy a final night of passion before Garrett leaves town the next day, seemingly forever.

With Sadie's tale spun, Michelle begins to tell her friends about the time she ran into Garrett during Spring Break...

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Come As You Are

Volume III - Michelle's Story

Chapter One - "(Love Starts) At the Top of the Hill"

X X X X X

"So," Brenda inquired as she cut into her chicken entree, "a couple of things you never did before?"

"Nice try," answered Michelle. "You're jumping ahead to the climax and I haven't even rolled the opening credits yet."

Colette tilted her head. "Climax? Was that a movie analogy or a sex pun?"

"A little from column A plus a little from column B."

"A little movie plus a little sex? That's called a porno, sweetie."

Michael laughed at Sadie's joke as did the other two women at the table. "Do pornos even have opening credits anymore?"

"Depends on the production company," Sadie remarked. "I've seen a couple where the plumber actually gets around to unclogging the sink after the money shot."

"Now that I think about it, what happened between Garrett and I was the plot to a porn movie..."

"He fixed your plumbing then came on your tits?"

"Oh my God Colette..." Michelle put her head in her hands to muffle her laughter. "What I meant," she said, clenching her fist for emphasis, "was what Garrett and I had between us wasn't hatred, but hostile indifference. If we had gotten along in high school, then what happened between us up at Blackcreek would have made sense. If we had hated each other then you could have chalked it up to 'slap slap kiss kiss bang bang.'"

She took another bite of her entree, a New York strip steak. "He'd never spontaneously cross my mind. Unless he was pushing my buttons, Garrett was just... there. No ambition or drive that I could see. He existed, that's all."

"So how did Garrett's Plug A end up in your Socket B?" Colette asked with a teasing smile.

"Someone's in a saucy mood all of a sudden." After taking a sip of wine Michelle began her tale. "It was junior year of college and my roommate and I were on the last leg of our trip from Arizona to Wyoming..."

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After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Michelle roused the blonde-haired woman using her shoulder as a pillow. "Right up there," she said, motioning out the window. "That's Blackcreek Basin."

"Look at those slopes," an awestruck Irina exclaimed. "How do they still have this much snow in March?"

"The whole basin faces north. Blackcreek usually opens a week after Loveland or A-Basin and closes two weeks before Alta. I came up here one year with the ski team. It was amazing." Michelle pointed towards one of the runs at the edge of the basin. "And there's an extra foot of powder this time out."

The two girls continued looking out the window of the shuttle bus as it climbed the hill. The entrance road was a ribbon of shining black amongst the gleaming white snow, working its way towards the main lodge, a four-story dwelling stretching along a small ridge at the bottom of the basin. Below the ridge was the actual town of Blackcreek, Wyoming. Over a dozen lifts ran up the mountain, taking skiers to easy tree-lined descents to the jagged cliffs that dominated the basin's back wall.

"This was a good idea." Irina turned to Michelle with a big smile on her face. "This was a good idea and I apologize for every single time I doubted you. I can't believe I grew up a few hours from this place and never came here before. Is it all downhills?"

"There's hiking and cross-country if you feel like doing that, not counting all the slopes on the backside we haven't seen yet."

"And the partying? It's Spring Break, and even if we're skiing instead of surfing we still have to party."

"We'll find out. The last time I was up here I was 15 years old." Michelle saw Irina pout slightly. "The Internet did say this was one of the best ski resorts for partying. All the bros usually go to Jackson Hole, so any guys you do find here should have that class and sophistication you look for."

"I just want someone who can finish a complete sentence and doesn't think crushing a beer can against their forehead is flirting. Give me that and a nice body."

The shuttle bus began to slow down before pulling into the roundabout that sat in front of the lodge. People walked in and out of the building and across the road, skies and poles slung over their shoulders and goggles around their necks. Michelle was already standing up as the vehicle came to a full stop. "Come on," she urged Irina, "if we hurry we can be on the slopes by noon."

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"Woohoo!" Irina turned her skis, smoothly coming to a stop next to Michelle. "I missed this!"

Michelle smiled at her friend's infectious enthusiasm. "Come on, let's hit another one!" In less than two minutes the pair were already on their way back up the basin. Their feet dangled over skiers and trees alike as the lift chair ascended through the sky. "It's supposed to be blue skies and low winds all week," she told Irina. "There might be some snow on Wednesday night but not enough to shut the slopes down."

"Oh, that's fantastic. We can take a mid-week break from partying for some night skiing." Irina settled against the chair lift and watched the skiers on the other slopes. Michelle leaned back as well. She closed her eyes and let the sounds of the basin fill her ears -- the swish of skis, the laughter of guests, the wind brushing against the tall pine trees, and the crack of the hard-packed snow as man met nature.

Very few people would have pegged Michelle Min and Irina Blevins as friends. Michelle, coming from a small town in Colorado, was tall and lithe with an athletic build and black hair to go with her dry sense of humor and caustic nature. Irina Blevins, hailing from Salt Lake City, was short, curvy, bookish, and outgoing, with long blonde hair falling to the middle of her back. Assigned as roommates their freshman year at the University of Arizona, the pair quickly realized that their overlapping personalities covered up for the other's shortcomings. Michelle was great at math and science while Irina excelled at philosophy and creative writing. Michelle showed Irina how to be more assertive while Irina helped Michelle land her first real boyfriend the spring semester of freshman year as well as cope with her first real breakup that summer.

The trip to the Wyoming resort of Blackcreek had been Michelle's idea. Irina had her heart set on going to the beach for Spring Break, however, Michelle didn't want to sit on a crowded beach surrounded by bimbos trying to get tan or go to a sweltering nightclub surrounded by overbearing bros drunk on cheap beer. The pair had gone back-and-forth debating alternatives for several weeks. It was when Michelle had read that the upcoming ski season was predicted to be one of the best in recent decades that the seed was planted. Irina hadn't been too keen on the idea at first. It involved some arm twisting, pleading, and just a hint of bribery to convince Irina to save up enough money for the room, drive to Irina's home in Salt Lake City, and make the five-hour ride from SLC up to Blackcreek via courtesy shuttle. From the look on Irina's face as she gazed down upon the snowy basin, the two women had made the right decision.

Their skis hit the ground at the top of the lift, breaking them out of their individual reveries. They headed for their destination, a blue square difficulty slope with the name Crystal Slide. As they approached the top of the slope, Irina sighed. Over two dozen skiers waited their turn at the start of the run. "Looks like everyone had the same idea we did."

Michelle gestured with one of her poles towards a wooden sign emblazoned with a black diamond, providing the difficulty level of a run called High Octane. "We could just hit that one now if you're feeling up for it."

"Sure! One warm-up run's enough."

They made their way to the top of the slope. Michelle got there first, coming to a stop next to another pair of skiers. One of them was tall and appeared to be well built underneath an all-black skiing outfit, which included a knit cap, goggles, and a mask that covered the bottom half of his face. It was a contrast to Michelle's all-white outfit (save for her tinted UV goggles) as well as Irina's blue jacket and tan ski pants. "Hey," Michelle called out, "you guys waiting to go?"

"Yeah!" the tall man answered. "Just psyching myself up."

Michelle looked at the edge of the run. High Octane began with a sheer drop through a wide crevice between two rocky boulders before giving way to a winding slope that was packed with dense, slick snow. "Mind if we go first then?" She motioned to Irina, who had just pulled up next to the other skier. They wore black ski pants and a purple parka to go along with a purple knit hat. Even their goggles were tinted a deep purple.

The tall man's response caught Michelle completely off guard. "Are you sure?" he said, his voice muffled by the ski mask. "Isn't a black diamond a little difficult for a girl like you?"

Michelle blinked behind her red goggles. She heard Irina draw in a sharp breath behind her, while the skier in purple muttered a simple "aw, man" at his colleague's comments. "I'm sorry," she asked. "What did you say?"

He pointed with his pole down past the wooden lift pavilion. "You do know the bunny slopes are over there, right?"

"And you know you're being a sexist asshole, right?"

"I'm just stating a fact. You don't look like you can handle a black diamond."

"Oh yeah?" Michelle looked down the slope, and then back at the black-clad racer. "Wanna race?"

The tall man nodded. "Race to the bottom?"

"Race to the bottom," Michelle answered with no hesitation or concern in her voice. "Irina, call the start."

Michelle was already moving towards the top of the run with the man in black following right beside her. The two skiers hung the tips of their skis over the edge of the initial drop. "Alright," said Irina, "I'm going to go ready, set, go. Drop when I say go." She took a deep breath, drawing out her words just a little bit as she called out in the crisp mountain air. "Ready...set..."

Michelle didn't see the man in black next to her. Her focus was on the steep wall directly in front of her. The sounds of the mountain faded away to her immediate surroundings. The crunch under her skies. The puff of snow blown across the slope by a gust of wind funneled through the crevice. Her hands alternating between loosely gripping and tightly clenching her ski poles...

"...go!"

Michelle and the skier in black pushed off at the same time. Michelle landed before him, already driving herself down the steep slope. The rock walls rushed past her in a gray blur before opening up, leveling out slightly as it shot into a tree-lined path. Michelle crouched into her skis, letting them direct her turns as she slashed her way through the snow. Any thoughts of the other skier were forgotten as she shifted her center of balance, alternating between her "downhill" and "uphill" skis with each sharp change of direction. She traded control for speed, the brief moments where she almost spun out immediately replaced by the sheer thrill of velocity. As the path smoothed out Michelle crouched into a tight stance, head forward, arms tucked, poles at her side, eyes focused on the sea of white in front of her. She relished in the adrenaline rushing through her body, the pure acceleration as she shot over the hard-packed snow, heart pumping, the loss of control just a razor's edge away.

The bottom of High Octane was soon in sight. She waited until the last moment before turning to the side and skidding to a quick stop with a spray of powder. A few seconds later, the skier in black was beside her, the obvious loser in their impromptu contest. "How does it feel to get your fucking ass kicked by a girl?" Michelle said as she pulled her goggles to her forehead, blinking for a moment at the sudden brightness brought about by the noon sun reflecting off the snow. She pointed to a chair lift in the far distance. "I think that's the lift to the bunny slopes if you need to get your manhood back."

"Nah," he answered, voice still muffled by the ski mask. "I knew you were going to beat me. You always were the better skier."

The skier in black pulled his goggles off, followed by his ski mask. "What the... Oh my God!" she proclaimed in shock. "Gio!"

Anthony "Gio" Giovanni gave Michelle a bright smile that almost outshined the high sun. "Sorry about all that. I miss seeing you when you get all competitive."

He threw his arms out, expecting a warm embrace, only to wince as Michelle drove a hard fist into his shoulder. "That's for being a sexist pig!" Gio rubbed his arm, the smile slowly fading from his face until Michelle gave him a wide grin followed by the expected hug. "And that's for not seeing you in forever!"

"Michelle!" Both Michelle and Gio turned around as Irina came to a stop a few feet away. "What happened? Did you win?"

"Yeah, I did. But someone here threw the race."

"No way," Gio answered. "I lost fair and square."

Irina looked at Gio for a long, lingering moment before turning to Michelle. "You know this guy?"

"Damn right I do. Irina Blevins, Anthony Giovanni. Gio to his friends. We were on our high school ski team and went to prom together."

"Oh!" Irina made her way over, extending a hand towards Gio. "Nice to meet you. I'm Irina, Michelle's roommate. She's mentioned you before and it's finally great to put a face to the name."

Gio had somehow gotten a little taller since high school. By the look of his ski outfit, he had packed on a couple of extra pounds of muscle as well. His long black hair was now short and close-cropped, but the warm smile and outgoing personality were still evident by the way he greeted Irina. "Dude," he called out, "come see who we just ran into!"

The purple-goggled skier had just made his way down the slope. He put his goggles on his forehead before giving Michelle a friendly nod. "Hey, Michelle! Still as good on the slopes as ever."

A frown creased Michelle's face. "Garrett," she answered neutrally with a minimally polite nod of her own.

Garrett smiled brightly at Michelle while he waited for her to introduce the girl standing next to her. After several awkward seconds, the young man cleared his throat before extending his hand towards Irina. "Hello. Garrett West, former high school classmate of Michelle's."

"Irina Blevins, current college roommate of Michelle's."

"So what the hell are you doing here?" Michelle asked Gio.

"What else? Spring Break!" Gio motioned to the nearby lift pavilion. "Come on, let's go back up the hill! We can catch up on the way!"

Irina immediately followed Gio. Michelle and Garrett fell in behind them, allowing her to get a good look at him. Like Gio, the young man appeared to have added some lean muscle to his slender frame while also gaining a decent tan. However, his movements on his skis were less fluid than Michelle remembered from seeing him on the slopes at Sapphire Drop. The four of them got onto the lift and began to once again ascend to the top of the basin. Irina sat on one end with Garrett on the other and Gio and Michelle sandwiched between them. "So you guys were on the ski team together?" Irina inquired of Gio.

"Michelle and I were. Over four years starting in ninth grade. We were co-captains our senior year."

"And you went to prom together, right?"

"As friends. There was a bevy of girls lined up to throw themselves at him, so I took the bullet for everyone," Michelle laughed. "He got out of prom with his tamper-proof seal still intact."

Gio's answering laugh seemed to echo off the snow passing underneath their dangling skis. "Michelle's exaggerating," he told Irina. "We both wanted a prom night without entanglements, that's all."

"What about you Garrett?" Irina said. "Were you on the ski team?"

"Oh no." Garrett motioned to Gio and Michelle. "Those two are the pros. My skiing skills are from the quantity of runs over the quality of runs. I enjoy skiing but I'm nowhere near as good as they are."

Irina turned back to Gio. "Are you guys here all week?"

"Yep," Gio answered. "Rode up late last night and hit the slopes the second the sun came up this morning. We're here until Sunday morning."

"Where are you coming from?" inquired Irina.

"Chicago for me," Gio answered. "I go to Northwestern. Garrett's down in Florida so he flew in from Orlando."

Irina shook her head with disbelief. "And I thought our ride in was long. If you guys are from Colorado, why come all the way to Wyoming? Why not hit someplace closer to home?"

Gio pointed off into the distance towards the town of Blackcreek itself. "One of my cousins rented a private lodge right above town last fall. He and his wife just found out that she's pregnant with their first kid. He couldn't get the rental fee back so he called me on Thursday and asked if I wanted to use his week. I got in touch with Garrett and we made plans to meet up in Salt Lake City and drive up here this morning. The skiing in Illinois... call me a snob but they're BARELY runs. Same with Wisconsin."

"Florida's the same," added Garrett. "I'd have to hit up Cloudmont in Alabama, and it's not worth an 800-mile drive for man-made snow. This is my first time on a mountain in almost three years."

Irina nodded in agreement. "I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm from Salt Lake City and my family skis Alta nearly every single weekend it's open. The closest resort to Tuscon is Lemon Valley which is nice. But it's not Alta."

The lift reached the top of the basin wall. As they pushed forward away from the lift pavilion, Irina motioned towards the sign for Crystal Slide. "Looks like the line's gone. I'm going to give it a try."

"Wait up!" Michelle turned to Gio. "You're going to be here all week?" Both men nodded in response. "Cool. Maybe we can hook up for dinner, maybe even go skiing on Wednesday?"

"Sounds like a plan. Looking forward to it!" Gio waved before turning around and pushing off in the opposite direction towards the other side of the basin. Garrett nodded to Michelle with a friendly smile on his face before heading to follow his friend.

"You didn't tell me the guys in your high school were that hot," Irina said as the two young men skied away. "Gio looks like someone sculpted him from sandstone and Garrett's not too shabby either."

"I'll take your word for it. I've known Gio too long to see him as anything other than a friend."

"Oh? So you wouldn't mind if..."

"Come on," Michelle said, lightly tapping her pole against the padded butt of Irina's pants. "Less talk about boys, more talk about powder. Let's get down that hill before there's another line."

X X X X X

"Check out all the stars."