First message
She had broken up with her boyfriend. Again. The third time that month.
Every fight was the same. He looked at other girls, she got angry, he apologized and she forgave him.
This time her father had enough.
“Pack your things. We’re leaving for Courchevel.”
“Dad, I can’t! Mom, tell him!” she protested in panic. Two weeks away from Stan was a disaster. If she wasn’t there, who knew what he’d do?
“Sweetheart, the tickets are already paid for,” her mother replied. “Take a break from your tragedy. You’re obsessed with that boy.”
———
Two days later she was wandering around the winter streets like a ghost, kicking chunks of ice across the snow.
Then she saw a photo.
A girl from school had posted it.
A party. Stan with his arm around her best friend.
The lump in her throat appeared instantly.
She hated Courchevel.
She hated the snow.
She hated Stan.
And she especially hated that snowboard guy who acted like the entire resort belonged to him.
She walked behind one of the buildings and pulled a cigarette from the pack she’d hidden from her parents.
The first drag barely reached her lungs before she heard footsteps crunching through the snow behind her.
“Hands where I can see them. Smoking in a restricted area.”
She jumped and spun around.
Then immediately rolled her eyes.
“Are you an idiot?” she snapped.
A grin spread across Casey’s face.
“Charismatic idiot,” he corrected. “How long are you planning to keep ignoring me?”