‘You get that, do you? Shattered bones before, have you? Have you hit the ground and realised that you are not going to come out of it in one piece before? No Luke, you haven’t. I sat in a bed for weeks, left behind by most of the world. It’s not a game, Luke. It’s not for a trophy. I’m not scared, I’m just done with it.’
‘The woman I saw out on the snow this week isn’t done. I’ve been watching you. You are more alive on a pair of skis than most people are their whole lives. You shouldn’t turn your back on that.’ He wanted to push her, make her fight back. Why didn’t she want this? It worked with his dad, why not with her?
‘Turning your back on something is different than giving up. I’m not giving up.’
‘Really? Why are you mad then? You just told a whole room full of people that you were entering, you looked for the form. Why are you so mad?’ She was making his head spin.
‘Because it was my choice Luke! Not yours! You went through my things, and did it behind my back! Why are you here anyway? For me or for your dad?’ She stood up. ‘You can’t save everyone with a cute gesture and a big plan. I don’t need saving. It’s you that’s lost. Please, just go back to your room.’
‘I know I did wrong, Becks. I know that, but I’m an arse with only the best intentions for you. I’m not lost, I’m happy here. With you. I’ll sort it out, I’ll get the form back. No one will have to know.’
‘It’s too late, once it’s in, people will know. Damn it, Luke. Just go!’
‘No, please. Come into the lounge and talk. Just for a little while. I can’t leave things like this.’ He spied his pants on the floor, and quickly put them on. She didn’t move towards the door, so he took a chance and sat next to her on the bed. ‘I will never do anything like that again. I just thought that you were doing so well, I thought you’d be happy.’ Hans had told him more over the past week, and he knew that she was well enough to ski. Hell, she could still compete. She just never did. ‘I know someone who is stuck in a rut. I’ve felt like that pretty much my whole adult life, till I came here. I’m braver here, I want to do things, try new things. I want to show Dad that life isn’t all bacon sandwiches and pottering about in the garden. No more playing it safe.’
Rebecca took her chance and walked out into the hall. Luke stayed right where he was. She went towards the lounge, and Luke waited for the door to slam shut. Hans would probably be here in five to escort him off the premises. He sighed, wishing he could talk to his dad, ask his advice.
‘This was my life,’ Rebecca started, standing in her bedroom doorway, holding up the photo album he recognised from under the coffee table. She sat next to him on the bed again, pulling an arm out of the sheets to turn the pages. Page after page of Rebecca, Rebecca and Robbie, Rebecca and Hans, Holly and her, Mina and Evan, a few other faces that Luke recognised from the party. Her inner circle. ‘Was. I still have the friends, the ones that counted in the first place. I still live here, I ski. You saw me. I’m fine.’
‘Exactly! You’re better than fine. I did wrong, I’m sorry, but you can do this, Rebecca.’
She threw the album to the floor. It landed with a loud bang on the wooden surface.
‘How would you know? You’ve known me a week, Luke. Have you ever done anything that scared you, before your dad’s accident?’ He could feel his jaw clench. She’s hurting, don’t bite. ‘You never did anything before this Luke, you said it yourself.’ She was staring at him now, and he went to stand up. ‘You’ve never watched everything you’ve ever worked for, all that you have ever been, crash and burn around you. That ski broke, and it might as well have killed me. To be honest, it would have been less painful.’
‘Don’t you dare say that in front of me. Ever again. Dad had a stroke, and he gave up. I changed that. I changed you, and you changed me. We’re all here, trying! Let’s do it together! Fuck Robbie, screw the competition! Do it for that! Do it for the girl in those photos. She’s part of you Becks, she’s a part of you and always will be.’ She didn’t say anything back to him.
‘I’ll go to my room, but this isn’t over.’ He stood up and started to walk to his room. He went to reach for her but she moved out of his grasp. She was just sitting there, still wrapped in the quilt, make-up streaked eyes making her look so beautiful, and broken. He’d really gone and done it now. He needed to let her cool off.
‘Luke?’
He stopped and turned to face her. She wiped her face with a shaky hand and stood up tall.
‘Yeah?’ He held his breath.
‘I want you gone when I get up. Don’t contact me again. Go home Luke, spend time with your dad. It’s where you should be. You never should have left. Some things are just over.’
Striding over to the bedroom door, she slammed it in his face, leaving him standing in the hallway in his pants, wondering what the hell had gone wrong so fast.
Stunned, he stood staring, and reached up to the wood. Putting his hand on the surface, he rested his head on the wood and sighed.
‘Rebecca. I might not be perfect, but I am here. I would always be here. My dad sent me away. He made me leave the hospital. He stopped me from
