Chapter 22 - Don't Avoid The Question

                                    

                                          
Chapter 22 - Don't Avoid The Question
                          
“Tan-ner.” I whine, breaking apart his name. “I wanna go on the real slope.”
                          
“Too bad,” He says from the ground by my feet. He’s adjusting my ski to my boot because apparently I didn’t do it correctly the first time. “You’re starting from here.” He says firmly.
                          
“That’s not fair.” I say, crossing my arms. “Drew, Walker, Bradley and Alison are all up there.”
                          
“Drew, Walker, Bradley and Alison all know how to ski.” He retorts, standing up after fixing my ski.
                          
 “I know how to ski.” I correct him.
                          
“No, you don’t.”
                          
“Yeah, I do.” I argue.
                          
“You kinda know how to ski.”
                          
“Exactly! So why are we here?”
                          
"Because you only kinda know how to ski. You falling off the side of the mountain wouldn’t be good.”
                          
“I won’t fall off the side of the mountain; that’s ridiculous, Tanner.”
                          
“I know you won’t, because you’re not going up there.” He replies, pushing a helmet down on my head.
                          
“I don’t like this.” I murmur. “There are little kids down there.”
                          
“Would you stop whining if you snowboarded instead of skied?”
                          
“No, no, I would not.”
                          
It’s Monday morning and we are all at the Vail Ski Resort. It’s apparently one of the best in the world, and the largest ski mountain in the United States. At the top of that mountain are Alison, Walker, Bradley and Drew. Tanner, Mikey and I are on the stupid Bunny Slope, because Mikey and Drew are adamant on not letting me go to the top. They don’t think that I can ski at the advanced level - which I can’t, but I mean, still - so they’ve forced me to come down here to the Bunny Slope which is full of little kids, probably all under the age of ten.
                          
“Well, then I don’t know what to tell you.” Tanner says, gliding towards me on his skis with a pair of pink goggles. He puts them over my head, snapping them onto my helmet.
                          
“Is this necessary?” I ask, referring to the goggles. It’s the Bunny Slope for crying out loud.
                          
“Yes, you have to wear them because you don’t wanna get blinded by snow.” Tanner replies.
                          
“Fine,” I say, sighing. “But when we come back, I’m going up to the top of the mountain.” I assure him.
                          
“I’m sure you will.” Tanner says sarcastically, putting on his own helmet and goggles.
                          
“Where’s Mikey?” I wonder, looking around.
                          
All I see is little kids though. We literally are the only teenagers up here. Well, that’s not true. There are a few other adults here, but they’re helping their kids out and then there are a few instructors who work for the resort up here.
                          
“Beats me.” Tanner says. “Okay, you ready?”
                          
“Sure, why not?” I say, looking down the slight incline. “I’m not gonna fall, am I?”
                          
He shrugs, “Probably.”
                          
“Thanks Tanner thanks so much. That’s really reassuring.”
                          
“Hey, you’re the one who said you can ski.”
                          
"Well, yeah, but I what if I hurt myself?” I ask. The incline suddenly looks a little steeper.
                          
“If you hurt yourself on the Bunny Slope, then you probably never need to ski again in your life.”