Kason flew over the ramp, showing off an 1880 with a board grab. When he landed it, everyone cheered. I watched the leaderboard, waiting for his score to appear. When a 90 flashed and his name moved into the second-place spot, he pumped his fist. He was clearly satisfied with his score and second-place spot, as long as he could keep it. He scored a 91 for his second run, which kept him in the number two spot and earned him a place in the finals.
After his heat, he disappeared with Shay who looked apologetically at me. She knew he’d be kicking himself later for not sticking around to support Thayer.
The second heat began shortly after. Thayer was the last snowboarder to go, so by the time his name was announced, I was freezing. But I wouldn’t be anywhere but there. I pushed my way to the front of the small crowd so I could be the first face he saw once he landed his run.
“Dropping in for the US is Thayer Caruthers.”
I held my breath. He flew over the ramp, grabbed the back of his board and rotated in the air once, twice, three times, four. He landed his trick smoother than my brother had, and I could breathe again. He swerved to a stop in front of me, his eyes on mine and his smile mirroring my own. He unsnapped his boots from his board and held it in his arms while looking at the leaderboard. My heart began to race. He just had to be in the top five. He needed this. And I needed this for him.
A score of 89.5 appeared on the leaderboard. People cheered, and Thayer looked to me, exhaling his relief. His name appeared in the fifth-place spot.
Going into his second run, he was still in fifth place. Since he was the last snowboarder to go, he didn’t need to do anything, and he’d still be in the finals. I watched as he sped down the mountain, doing a fancy board grab when he peaked the hill but no flips. It earned him a low score, but it didn’t matter. He was safe and in the finals! Right where he belonged.
Thayer
Darkness had settled over Steamboat when Giselle and I showed up for the evening festivities. It wouldn’t have been much of a celebration if I hadn’t made it to the finals. But I had. And I was so damn happy I didn’t show up after a year and suck.
Savage Beasts was performing on the main stage. There were colorful flashing lights and a huge crowd when we arrived in the VIP section. The lead singer, Z Savage, was singing one of their biggest hits, and Giselle couldn’t have been more excited.
“I can’t believe they’re playing here!” Giselle squealed.
I laughed because she used to love Z. She even had a shirtless photo of him as her screensaver for the longest time.
Giselle was standing on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look over the crowd in the reserved area. It was adorable.
I moved behind her and squatted down. She glanced over her shoulder and realized what I was doing. A huge smile spread across her face as she widened her stance. I stuck my head between her legs and lifted her right onto my shoulders, giving her one of the best views in the crowd.
She threw her arms in the air and sang at the top of her lungs to the rock music Z belted out. It was the most immature thing I’d seen her do in years, and I loved every second of it. She deserved to let loose. She deserved to be the twenty-three-year-old girl she was. She may have veered off course for a while there, but it was about damn time that the old Giselle returned. And I couldn’t have been more stoked to have a front row seat to it.
The song ended, and she threw her head back and screamed with all the other girls in the crowd. I glanced around and spotted Kason, who I hadn’t noticed when we got there. His eyes were on us. I lifted my chin to acknowledge him, but he looked away.
What the hell was it gonna take?
The next song began, and it was slower.
“I love this song!” Giselle called. “Can you put me down?”
I tipped my head back and looked up at her. “What?”
“Put me down.”
I squatted down until her feet touched the ground, and she stepped off my shoulders. When I stood back up, she’d already wrapped her arms over my shoulders, unafraid to ask for what she wanted. I slipped my arms around her waist and pulled her against my chest, swaying us to the music in the middle of a bunch of drunk snowboarders.
“This is so awesome,” she gushed.
“Dancing with me?”
She chuckled. “That too.”
“Ouch.”
She laughed. “Come on, Thayer. It’s freaking Zzzzzzz!”
“I guess I just don’t understand the draw.”
She pressed her lips to mine in a hard kiss. “Don’t be jealous. You’re still Thayer freaking Caruthers.”
I smirked.