Chapter Three

Chris's POV

Sam and I meet up with Josh and reach the others at the lodge. Ashley and Y/N are sitting on the steps talking and Matt is sulking next to them. I catch Y/N throwing worried glances in Matt's direction. 

"Hey, guys," Josh greets. "Get up here okay?"

Ashley and Y/N pause in their conversation. 

"Yeah... Well, more or less. But it's so good to see you!" Ashley says. 

"'Sup with him?" Josh questions, noticing Matt. 

Matt walks off, Y/N hurrying after him as Ashley stays on the steps, shivering. I walk up the stairs with Josh to open the door. 

"Yo yo yo! Are we gonna get things moving up here or what?" I ask Josh. 

"Yeah, man!" Josh responds enthusiastically. 

I cock my head curiously. "Hey... you doin' alright? I know it must be really tough without your sis-"

"Stop," Josh interjects. 

In an effort to recover, I try, "I just meant that-" 

Josh interrupts me again. "No, I know what you meant. You know, seriously, I'm over it, and I just want us to have a good time, you know? Like we always used to."

I nod in understanding and Josh turns to the door, trying to open it. "Dammit... This freaking thing..."

"Is it iced?" I ask. 

"What else?"

"Maybe there's another way in."

Josh examines the lock. "There are a million ways in. They're just all locked."

"There's gotta be, like, a window 'round the corner we can get, like, 'get open' or something."

Josh turns to face me. "Wait a second. Are you saying we should break in?"

I chuckle. "I don't think it's technically breaking in if you own the place, right?"

"Hey. Not if I don't report you."

"Umm..."

"Lead the way, Cochise," Josh tells me, gesturing with his arm towards the corner. 

I turn around and head back down the stairs, Josh at my heels. I reach Ashley on the stairs and she waves to me. 

"Hey, Ash," I greet with a smile. 

"Hi, Chris!" she returns. 

"So... how're you doing?"

"Mm... good!  But... a little cold... I think I could use some time curled up by the fire..."

 "Yeah... that does sound pretty nice," I agree, trying to keep it from being obvious what I actually mean. 

I then turn around and follow Josh down the path to find a window to get open. 

"Ashley was looking pretty hot today, right?" Josh pauses in his walking. 

Oh please, Josh, don't try something. 

"She's like a 'sleeper hit' kinda gal, you know?" he continues. "Now I just want to rip that parka right off her... make some snow angels. Right?"

"Hey, cut it out, man," I plead, shaking my head. 

"I mean if you're not gonna bang her... maybe Mike'll take up the case."

"W-Will you back off already?"

"Re-laaax... I'm just checkin' to see if there's some blood flowin' down there."

I scoff. "Yeah."

"Listen, dude," Josh orders, pointing at me. "Look around you. Look at these beautiful mountains. Do you see any parents? I mean can you imagine a more perfect, ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities? You, and Ashley, alone at last... You've laid all the groundwork... you've been a perfect gentleman. Now you come in for the kill!"

"Maybe you're right," I concede. 

"You're a hunter, bro. No fear. No mercy. I mean, she won't even know what hit her."

I laugh as Josh passes by me. "Alright, alright. I got it. Jeez."

Josh and I continue down the path. 

"So how are we planning on breaking into my parents' lodge, bud?" Josh asks as we walk. 

"Wait. I didn't say I had a plan-"

"You sounded like you had a plan. You better deliver, Cochise,  or else you got five lovely ladies who are gonna be freezing their buns off, and last time I checked, that's not a good way to get laid."

"Well, shoot," I say. "Nobody likes cool buns!"

I walk with Josh to a window, noticing on the way that there's an axe holder with the axe missing. 

"Hmm," I remark quietly before walking to a green cabinet with snow covering the top. 

I walk to the other side of it as Josh praises, "Well, well, well... We got ourselves a thinker. Nice one."

I turn around and push with my back as Josh pulls it from the other side. We keep it up until the cabinet is right under the window. I then hoist myself up onto the cabinet and regain my balance, almost falling off of it. I open the window and climb through, landing with a THUNK onto the garage floor. 

I groan in pain. "I'm okay! I should have paid more attention in climbing class."

Josh is at the window now. "You mean 'gym'?"

"Yeah, you know, with the climbing up the rope-" I stand up, a lightbulb bursting above me. 

"Woah," Josh says. 

"Did I do that?"

"I don't... I don't think so. Here, use this." Josh tosses me a lighter. 

I catch it, turning it on and shining it around me.

"Woah- Chris- I just got an awesome idea."

"Yeah?" 

"Totally!"

"Well, what is it?"

"Okay. So. I am pretty sure that I've got some deodorant in one of the bathrooms... you could use that with the lighter."

I shrug. "I don't- I don't follow. How's a stick of deodorant gonna help?"

"Spray-on, it's a can," he clarifies. 

"Ohhh... yeah... Now I gotcha."

"Flamethrower."

"Just like we do with the lil' army dudes!" I recall, getting excited. 

"Yup. The ones we melted. Just point the spray-can at the lighter and fwoosh!"

 "Bye-bye frozen lock!"

"Bingo." Josh glances behind him. "Alright, so you got this. I'm gonna go sort something out- you up for hunting around in the dark for a little bit?"

I look behind me into the dark garage, turning to face Josh again with a shrug. "Nope. But I'll do it."

Josh gives me a salute before saying, "Godspeed, pil'grim," and disappearing from the window, leaving me all alone. 

I walk around with the lighter in the garage, wandering into a little room where I find a newspaper fragment about an ex-janitor convicted for arson and swearing revenge on Josh's family. 

"So... what do we have here?" 

I put the newspaper fragment down and wander some more until I find the door to get into the house. I walk in, pausing when I see a family portrait of the Washingtons.

"Huh. That's cool," I say, using the lighter to shine more light on it. 

I then continue on my quest to find the deodorant, finally arriving at the bathroom after hearing a lot of strange noises.

I open the cabinet and grab the deodorant, falling backwards as an animal jumps out at me. 

"Ahh! Son of a-" I stand up, grimacing. "What the heck?" I glance at the deodorant in my hands, knowing it was worth it. "Ahh, perfect."

I hear Ashley from the other side of the door as I approach with the deodorant and the lighter. 

"We're freezing our buns off out here!" she remarks. 

Quickening my pace, I reach the door and use the deodorant and the lighter to melt the frozen lock. Then, like an idiot, I immediately touch it afterwards, burning my hand a little. 

I shake it off, taking a bow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week."

I screech as the animal from before comes running past me and outside. 

Sam and Ashley burst out laughing. 

"Crap that thing freaked me out," I explain. 

"What was it?" Ashley inquires. "Are you okay?"

"It was like a bear or a tiger or something..."

"Aw, it was just a cute little baby wolverine!" Sam tells me in the voice you would use to talk to a small child. 

Josh comes running up the steps behind Ashley and Sam. 

"Baby?" I question. 

Josh joins in on the laughter. "Don't worry buddy, you're gonna be a big boy soon."   

Josh shares a smile with Sam and the three join me in the lodge, Matt and Y/N close behind. 

"Home sweet home," Josh says as he reaches the huge living room. 

"Sweet is not the word I'd use," Matt sulks, putting Emily's bags down. 

I watch as Y/N gives him another worried look. 

"Oh my gosh!" Ashley exclaims, walking into the living room. "It's so good to be inside! Even if it's still kinda freezing in here."

Josh walks to the fireplace. "I'll get a fire going."

Matt looks around. "This place barely looks any different."

"Nobody's been up here," Josh explains. 

"Even with all the police coming in and out?" Ashley asks. 

I smirk. "Not a lot of action up here lately."

"Nope."

I walk over to the stairs with Ashley and Sam, waiting for the others to get here. 

Matt's POV

"What's up party people!" Mike greets, walking into the room.

I narrow my eyes, remembering what I saw through the telescope. 

"Heeey!" Jess says, coming in behind him. 

"Hey!" Josh tells him. "Make yourself at home, bro."

Mike points at Josh jokingly. "Will do!"

 I take my opportunity, standing up as I say, "Yeah. Come on in. Take a load off. Have whatever you want. You just take whatever you want anyways, right?"

"Woah, easy there cowboy," Mike says. 

"What the hell were you doing out with Em on the trail, huh?"

"What?"

"I saw you and Em," I explain. "Through the telescope."

"Matt..." Y/N coaxes. 

"Before?" Mike questions, both of us ignoring Y/N. "We just ran into each other. It'd been a while so we hugged and I said hello. Is that against the law?" 

"Right... yeah..." I scratch the back of my neck in embarrassment. "Duh. Sorry. It's been kind of a long day. I overreacted."

"Nah, man," Mike assures me. "Don't worry about it."

"We cool?"

"Yeah, yeah. Totally."

Mike and I go sit down, Mike sitting next to Jess and starting to make out and me sitting next to Y/N.

I glance at Y/N and she smiles. "You did a good job."

"Thanks." I smile back. 

That's when Emily walks in and sees Mike and Jess making out. 

Y/N's POV

"Oh my gosh. That is so gross," Emily sneers. "Are you trying to swallow his face whole?"

"Em..." Matt tries, standing up. 

Emily doesn't listen. "Seriously, can she be any more obvious?" She folds her arms. "No one wants in on your territory, honey."

Jess stands up. "Excuse me? Did you say something?"

I stand up too, pleading, "Guys..."

"Oh did you not hear me?" Emily continues. "Was your sluttiness too loud?"

"Sounds like someone's bitter she didn't make the cut."

I begin to walk over to the girls, scared that an all-out war will break out. 

"Yeah. It's all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, you're top cow," Emily tells Jess. 

Matt and I are now right next to the fight. I keep looking from Jess to Emily, trying to find a good point to intervene. 

"Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow," Jess counters.

"Em, come on," Matt interjects. 

Emily lazily points at him without looking at him. "Shut up, Matt."

"Stay out of it, you dumb oaf," Jess agrees. 

I've had it. "Stop! Both of you. Please! This is ridiculous!"

Jess and Emily both glare at me, signaling that I've stepped into dangerous territory.

"What are you on about?" Jess asks. "You don't know anything about this. You're still single. You have been for years."

"Jess," Ashley cautions from the stairs.

Jess throws her hands up in the air. "Oh. Everyone wants in on this, huh?" Jess glares at Ashley. "Well, fine. You're the same way. Pathetic."

"Jess, stop," Chris orders. 

"Guys this isn't why we're here," Sam reminds us. "We all need to chill."

I look over to see Josh shaking his head over by the fireplace. "This isn't helping."

Did I just make it worse?

I don't have time to contemplate that when Emily advances towards me. 

I back up. 

"You think you're so perfect," Emily spats as she makes me back up until I've hit the couch.

I regain my balance, almost falling onto it. 

Emily gets in my face. "Well, guess what. You're not. You're plain and simple. But you act so nice. Like that will get you anywhere. You don't have anything else going for you. So fight back. That's right. Take a crack at me!"

I glare back at her. "I won't sink myself to your level." 

"BITCH!" Emily lunges for my face, causing me to trip and fall onto the couch.

I close my eyes, expecting to get my face scratched, but it never comes. I see why when I open my eyes and see Matt holding Emily back, eventually pulling her away from me completely. 

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" he yells. "Stop it!"

Emily just looks past him and glances at me. "She was getting in my business."

"Stop, Emily. You had no right to do that. There's no excuse."

"If we can't get along for ten minutes then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right?" Josh suggests. "Mike, why don't you check out the guest cabin. The one I told you about."

 "Yeah. Yeah, alright," Mike agrees, standing up. "Want to go do that?" He extends his hand to Jess.

"Any place without those whores," Jess says, taking his hand and going outside.

"It's right up the trail," Josh informs them. 

Matt glances at me, making sure I'm okay. 

I just nod. 

Then, Emily yells, "Where's my bag?"

"Huh?" Matt questions. 

"My bag! The... the little bag with the pink pattern! The one I got on Rodeo! Matt, are you listening?" She throws her hands up in exasperation. "Oh my gosh, don't you remember? Next to the Italian shoe place where I got the stilettos and you knocked over the rack while you were drooling all over Y/N."

"We were just talking about my letter jacket," Matt defends. 

My face goes red. 

"Right. Because she gave a crap about your 'designer' letter jacket," Emily counters. 

I decide not to get involved this time. I just look at the floor for a minute. 

"Why do you hate my jacket?"

"Matt, I need my bag!"

"Oh my gosh! Em, maybe you just forgot it."

"Do you seriously think I'd forget my bag?"

"Well, I-"

"Do you?" Emily interrupts. 

"Guess not." 

"You must have left it down by the cable car station."

Matt groans. 

"C'mon, hun. We'll be back soon."

"Then we can come back?" Matt asks. 

"Yes. We definitely can," Emily says, winking.  

 Jealousy flares within me. 

"Okay. Okay let's go," Matt agrees. He glances over at me. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Promise."

I nod, giving him a weak smile. 

Matt and Emily leave.

Josh sighs with relief. "I was hoping she'd leave."

I nod in agreement. "Yeah." But I was hoping she wouldn't take Matt with her...