“Record breaking snowfall with sun and wind. Great day for the slopes! Grab the kids and granny cause today is gonna be amazing,” said the radio announcer in the car.

“You hear that, Stella? Today is gonna be legen-wait-for-it-dary!” I say with a little dance.

“Today should be perfect for you guys, Maria. No ice, fresh cover. But remember, no black diamonds today, Ladies! The snow is actually too slushy for them,” my uncle adds.

Stella is disappointed but she knows how to hide it. She has been skiing since she could walk. And we have been friends since she helped me back up from a fall. I almost went off a small cliff, but she skied in front and blocked me.

My uncle only lives about 10 minutes from the resort, so the car ride is short and sweet. We drive over that mountain, it immediately takes our breath away. The sun glistens off the peak of the slopes like a spotlight at a concert. The trees dance in the wind as the skiers glide atop the snow blanketed mountain. We couldn’t bear it any longer. We hop out of the car, pop the trunk, grab our skis and run up the bunny hill to strap in near the lift. Click. Pop. Bam. We are in and start to push forward to the line. As we do so, a group of snowboarders stomp past us. It was like slow motion when the one flips his hair and met my gaze. He gives me one of those sly, cocky grins. Stella and I just laughed it off as the lift guy scanned our tickets. Stella already has a boyfriend, whom she has been committed to for 2 years now, but I am still on the prowl. We slide up the line and plop down on the moving chair. I look over to my shoulder to see him still looking over at me. I feel myself blush and Stella gives me the look. The look that says, “we are definitely going to stalk him later.”

We lower the bar over our heads and look out over the passing slopes as rich old couples ski on the path under us. Before you know it, we reach the top, raise the bar, and slide down the mini mound and stop to figure out which way we would go today. We have been a bit rusty because it’s the start of the season, so we decide on a few medium slopes on a trail called “North Camp”.

“You ready to go?” Stella asks me.

“Yeah, sorry. Look at those clouds over there. Didn’t the weather guy say it was supposed to be sunny and cloud free?” I ask, pointing to the west trails or the most difficult ones. The clouds are an eery gray with hints of blue, as if the sun was fighting to come back out but just couldn’t make it.

She shrugs it off. We glide down towards North Camp only to find the mystery boy taking a break with his friends. Stella smiles a wicked grin.

“Don’t say I haven’t done anything for you!” she yells as she pushes me down towards him.

I slide down, not prepared, and smack right into him. Luckily he heard my yelp so he turned around and caught me. I can feel my face turning a shade of red like a fire truck. He laughs and lets me go after I regain my balance.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, too. My name is Jack. Yours?” he says, chuckling a bit.

I am speechless for once. He looks at me with huge green eyes and hair almost as light as the powdery snow below our feet. It feels as though he is as tall as these trees surrounding us in this moment. I try to open my mouth but I make no sound.
“You will find out if you go down Devil’s Pass with us in ten minutes,” Stella says as she drifts down past me.
“You’re on!” he answers back.
He clicks back into his snowboard, skims over the slope and does a three-sixty over the jump. His laughter fills the air as Stella and I make our way down until she comes to a sudden stop. She points out a path off of North Camp we haven’t been on before. We check out the map to see it connects to Devil’s Pass.
“Can we try it, please?” Stella asks. She gives me the other look; puppy dog eyes and lip quiver.
“Ugh, fine. Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” I reply.
She squeals and descends down the new path. Back and forth with such beauty in the way she moves down the slopes. It truly looks like a painting in a museum. The only sound is the wind howling, booms of thunder, and snow crunching beneath-
Nothing. Screams fill my head.

I can’t make anything out. Some muffled sobs. I just hear a hum of wind, like a song that has been going on and on. Forever.

How long I hoped to be with my best friend. Have one more laugh with her. See the world, go to Germany and try wienerschnitzel, to Australia and go buy kangaroos and name one Kanga and the other Roo.

Go to India and ride an elephant; even buy her all of her favorite anime in Japan. All of that feels gone. I just want to cry and-
“Maria! Wake Up!” Stella screams in between sobs, “Jack is...the medics are...Don’t you dare...No way Maria! You remember...played smash brothers...got so mad...bet you? This time...don’t get...over! Fight M!”
“Maim...leave now...going into shock...”
Baboom. Baboom. Baboom.
“Well the legendary day you had planned today took a turn for the worse for some people. A record breaking lightning strike with the largest amount of damage this country has seen struck on a mountain peak..” says a faded voice. I wake up to see Stella’s face tilted to the side staring straight at me.