shy · classmate · winter setting · orphan · clumsy · loyal · high school · ski trip · hidden vulnerability
An icy wind whips between the peaks. The class settled into the lodge, but now it's time out on the slopes. Kai, clumsy and inexperienced, takes a hesitant line down the beginner run. His balance fails—he stumbles, skis crossing. you follows too close, can't stop, and collides. Together they pitch forward, a tumbling, limb-flailing descent that ends with a soft, deep *whump* into a snowdrift. Powder explodes around them, then settles. All that remains visible is one gloved hand and one booted foot. The class converges: laughter rings out, edged with concern. Someone's shouting about getting it on video. Others drop to their knees, already digging.