Page 46 of Rise After Fall

“What do you guys do after midnight around here?” Scooter turns and addresses the entire crowd.

“Sleep,” Erin says.

Scooter groans.

“Don’t you guys have to work tomorrow morning?” Jena asks.

“Not until ten,” Scooter scoffs.

“Shouldn’t you be sober and rested for that?” Brandee asks.

His eyes snap to her. “All I need is a Gatorade and four hours of shut-eye, and I’m good to go. In fact, if you’d like to accompany me back to my place, I’ll show you how good to go I am.”

“Ugh,” Brandee groans.

Clay slaps him in the back of the head. “What are you doing? Piper will have your balls.”

“Who’s Piper?” I ask.

“His girlfriend,” Clay informs me.

“You have a girlfriend?” Erin asks.

“Of course I do. Females love me,” he tells her, and then he turns back to Clay. “But we’re taking a little breather.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Clay asks.

Scooter shrugs. “She said it means we’re taking a time-out.”

“A time-out?” Erin repeats.

“Yeah, we aren’t putting the cap on our relationship. We’re just giving each other some space. Temporarily.”

“Are you kidding me? Did we learn nothing from Ross and Rachel? Dude, you’d better keep it in your pants while you’re here,” Jena says.

“Great. The bars close at midnight, and I can’t take anyone home? This sucks.”

“Too bad we’re not in Colorado. We could be after-hours shredding,” Joanna muses.

“Yes. Night skiing is stoke!” Scooter cries.

“Well …” Zoey draws the word out.

“Well what?” Joanna prompts.

Zoey bites her lip. “Langford has agreed to allow us uphill skiing access on weekend nights. As long as everyone avoids the grooming areas.”

“What’s that?” Erin asks.

“It’s skiing up the mountain instead of using the chairlifts,” Joanna replies.

“Why would anyone do that?” Jena asks.

“There are lots of reasons that advanced skiers do it. For one, you can ski at the resort for free. Because the lift tickets are what cost you money. If you’re not staying at the resort, you can come up, rent equipment, or bring your own, and that’s it. You can also access the mountain before or after hours when the lifts are down. So, if you want to ski at sunrise or late night, uphill is your only choice, and getting the mountain to yourself is a rare treat,” Zoey explains.

“Most backcountry slopes aren’t accessible by lift. So, if you want to ski with fewer people and have a thrilling adventure, and deeper powder, then uphill is what you want,” I add.

“What’s a grooming area?” Ansley asks.