Page 14 of Rise After Fall

“So, you did fall on purpose?” he surmises.

“Does it matter?”

“It doesn’t. I just want to know why.”

I stop, and he stops with me.

“Everyone wants to know why. They have been asking since that day. I didn’t have an answer then, and I don’t have the one you’re looking for now. All I know is that I can remember starting the run and I can remember being tended to after the crash. The rest is a blur.”

“So, it wasn’t intentional?”

I bring my eyes up to meet his.

“I didn’tnotdo it on purpose. I just took off, closed my eyes, and let what happened happen,” I admit.

His brow creases. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know that, but somehow, it does to me,” I whisper.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Look, Morris, no explanation I give you or anyone else is going to change any of it, so can we just drop it?”

“If you tell me this—why didn’t you go back after you recovered?”

“I needed time and space to get my head on straight. So, I took it, and that’s when I realized the truth,” I explain.

“What’s that?”

“The sponsors, the coaches, even my own father—they didn’t care about me. I was a commodity. A product they were marketing to make money and chase fame. As soon as I wasn’t performing for them, I was expendable, and the next one in line was their priority.”

“So? Fuck them. You can’t let other people’s selfish intentions steal something you love from you. You should chase your dreams, no matter what anyone else says or does,” he tells me.

I shake my head. “You don’t get it. I didn’t let them steal it. I just stopped wanting to be Zoey Phillips, the champion, and instead, I wanted to be Zoey Phillips, the skier. That’s why I’m here.”

He gives me a look that says he isn’t buying a word I’m saying.

Humpty Dumpette had a great fall. And no one was there to put her back together again.

We return to the resort and find everyone once again surrounding the firepit.

Morris pulls into the parking area.

“Thank you again for spending the day hauling me around. It was great to get acquainted with the town,” I say.

“Anytime.”

He puts the truck in park and turns off the ignition.

“What do you say, boss?” he asks as he gestures toward the others.

“I think I’m going to take a shower and do a little reading,” I say.

He rolls his eyes. “Come on, Zoey. It’s Saturday.”

“Do you really think they want me partying with them on Saturday evening and then bossing them around come Monday morning?” I ask.

“Why not?”