amanda told me to post this and its easier to keep track :]

It was the night after prom in Crystal Run, Colorado. It was nice weather, not to cold as it usually is in the Denver area. Scratch that, it was not even close to Denver. Crystal Run was a small hick town in the mountains of Colorado that during the winter housed some of the most premier ski resorts in the country, well aside from Aspen. Crystal Run was the place where the middle class skied. It was basically Aspen, without the glitz and glamour and visits from Paris Hilton. It was a ski resort, nothing less nothing more.

But when the weather was summer, Crystal Run sheds it snowy exterior and the grass is green and the mountains are more than picture esque. The students of Crystal Run High also shed their snowy winter job shells. The tank tops and flip flops come out, the sunglasses and the trips to Nevada and California start the pile up. But for the graduating class, staying around home is ideal, because now their worlds are open.

Jasey Cleveland sat in the smoky Bull Moose Lounge at the Crystal Run Ski Resort, her thin elbows on the hard cherry wood bar and her long strawberry blonde hair hanging down her back. The night after prom was always a big deal in Crystal Run. Why? Because that’s when Christie Tipton steals her father’s master keys to the Bull Moose Lounge at the ski resort he owned and the entire senior class gets drunk of their asses. Jasey knew the advantages of having a filthy rich best friend. Free booze, you get to drive around in a mustang convertible when it’s warm, and trek through the snow in a range rover in the winter, and you get to fly first class for shopping trips in Los Angeles from homecoming dresses. Jasey loved Christie like a sister. They were basically sisters, even though they looked nothing alike. Christie was short, about 5’1 as opposed to Jasey standing at a regular 5’6. Christie had almost jet black extremely shiny medium length and perfectly styled hair and dark brown eyes. She was tan year round and model thin. Christie also had this extremely charming bubbly personality. All the boys at school fell instantly in love with her and every girl wanted to be her best friend. She was flawless in Jasey’s eyes.

Jasey on the other hand, saw herself as extremely imperfect. Jasey wasn’t tall. She was average height. She wasn’t extremely thin, she was muscular, probably from all her days snowboarding and lifting heavy ski equipment onto high shelves at her winter jobs. Her hair wasn’t always perfect; she hadn’t had it dyed in all her life. It was a light strawberry blonde color, she was a ginger, but people could never tell if she was a red head, a blonde or had light brown hair. Jasey was never tan, she had light brown freckles scattered across her face. Her eyes were not piercing or deep or meaningful. She had shallow green brown eyes. Poop color as she referred to them. No one was jealous of Jasey like they were Christie. Jasey was always the friend never the girl, she kept to herself and laughed quietly when the other girls erupted into fits of flirtatious giggles. She wasn’t shy, but she wasn’t as outgoing as her best friend was. Jasey always felt like she just lived in Christie’s shadow, but she never hated Christie for it, she wanted it to be that way. She watched Christie live her seemingly perfect life, and Jasey was just a pawn in the giant chess board of Christie’s life.

Christie did have a downfall. She was extremely emotional. She could have crying fits and laughing fits sometimes within the same hour. Jasey had no idea how her boyfriend, Sean kept up with her. Jasey was pretty chill. She never showed her real emotional side, she wasn’t a heart of stone, but she wasn’t as extreme as Christie. She felt that Christie handled the emotions enough for both of them.

“Jasey!” shouted Christie from behind the bar. Christie, obviously was the best dressed in the entire room. All of the other girls were wearing last years Sadie’s dresses or tight Abercrombie jeans and tank tops from Guess at the mall, but Christie was a vision in a white strapless BCBG dress that came down to her mid thigh and showed off her gladiator heels that gave her about 4 extra inches. She was holding in her hand to alcohol bottles, Grey Goose and Jack Daniels.

“What will it be girl?” she said with a devilish grin taking out two shot glasses with the inscription CR on them.

“Just a shot of Jack” Jasey replied with a smile as she watched her friend pour her a shot. Jasey took the shot like a professional and winked at her friend in a joking way.

“Jasey Cleveland has just taken her first shot of the night ladies and gentlemen! The party can now begin!” Christie shouted so the entire room could hear. Sean walked right behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a short kiss on the lips.

Sean was just like every other guy in Crystal Run. He thought he was going to be the next Shaun White. He dressed in plaid, avoided shaving and cutting his hair, listened to music you can “board to” and wore his skull candy headphones around his neck. He was attractive in that reckless bad boy kind of way, but he wasn’t original, he was just like all of the other boys in Crystal Run. He was no Ben Somers.

“Hey Jase, why the long face? Where’s Nate at?” he said still holding onto Christie.

Jasey had almost forgotten about Nate, which was a very funny thing because she had been dating Nate Volchinkski for a year and a half now. Sure, she liked Nate, but she didn’t love him as if he loved her. The only reason she was with him is because she could never tell Ben Somers just how much she adored him.

“I’m not sure? Probably outside smoking with Jake” she said rolling her eyes.

And just like every other boy in Colorado, her boyfriend Nate smoked pot like a chimney. She didn’t really care, it just bothered her that she never knew if the words coming out of his mouth were his sober thoughts or not.

“Figures,” said Sean as he took a swig of the Heineken Christie just handed him.

Jasey’s eyes shot across the room as she heard his voice. Ben Somers was here, in this room, at this party. What made Ben Somers so desirable to Jasey, because he was different? He wasn’t obsessed with snowboarding or the X games. He didn’t smoke pot like all the other boys, hell he didn’t even dress like the other boys. He wasn’t a carbon copy of the boys in Crystal Run, he was Ben Somers. Utterly perfect in every way. Jasey had been in love with him since the moment he moved here from Chicago in freshman year. They were friends, not close, but they had hung out a few times. She knew enough about him. He was captain of the lacrosse and baseball teams. He snowboarded but wasn’t a huge fan of the cold. He dated a junior earlier this year by the name of Sammy Montgomery, but dumped her after finding out she got drunk and gave a blow job to Josh Hamilton on the junior class trip to Yellowstone National Park. She knew that he visited Chicago twice a year, for Christmas and Easter. She knew that when he got drunk he liked to watch Rodney Dangerfield on paper view and laugh uncontrollably every time he said “I don’t get no respect.” She also knew that the one time they were ever alone with each other, they shared a very intimate kiss that both vowed never to tell anyone about because they both were dating other people. She also knew his lips tasted like cinnamon because he was always chewing cinnamon flavored gum because he knew that no one ever wants that flavor and people will stop mooching off of him. Ever since that night, Jasey chewed only cinnamon flavored gum.

Ben was talking to Josh Rutherfield and Ted Smith, his fellow teammates. She smiled as she saw his face light up, probably because Josh mentioned something about his scholarship to Arizona State to play lacrosse for them. She knew how excited he was about that. He had told her about a million times one night when he called her and they talked until 4 in the morning and fell asleep together on the phone. Jasey’s train of thought was interrupted when Nate, dressed in slim fitting brown corduroys and a red plaid shirt with a white neck underneath, stumbled into the bar holding an object up in the air. It was a head, not a real head of course, but the head of the bust of John Smith that decorated the front of Crystal High School. People raised their glasses and cheered and he tossed the head over to his friend whom they called Bear, because rumor has it, he wrestled a bear once. Nate made a beeline over to Jasey and whispered into her ear.

“Babe, can I talk to you?” he said in a very sloppy stoned drawl. He reeked of marijuana. Jasey nodded and took his hand and lead him out to the porch that overlooked some of the bigger mountains in the horizon. Once they were outside Jasey crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow.

“What’s going on Nate?” she said knowing this was going to be bad. She didn’t exactly care; she had dealt with him for a year and a half. He was the class clown, the second most popular boy next to Sean, and a complete asshole. If this gave her an excuse to dump him, she’d be glad.

“I had sex” he said with a half smile that only could mean he was high. “With Joanna, in November” he finished his sentence.

Jasey was not surprised, she had heard rumors and kind of just brushed them off. She was hurt, but not as much as most girls would be. She couldn’t blame him really, Jasey refused to fuck him, and every time they got close, she would make up and excuse. She always was on her period or had to watch her neighbor’s kids, or forgot to take her birth control that day, all lies of course. She just didn’t want to give her virginity to Nate. He was an asshole who wouldn’t respect her. If anything he probably wouldn’t even hold her after. He’d come then leave. Before Jasey could say those words she wished she had said about 3 months into their relationship, he interrupted her.

“The reason she hasn’t been at school is because, she’s pregnant” he said running his hand through his straight shaggy blonde hair. “We’re keeping it Jase, I didn’t know how to tell you because I knew you’d be mad, but we have to end this. I don’t love you like I used to. Plus, I’m going to be a father, and Joanna is completely cool with my smoking” he said as if he was the biggest stud in the world. That’s what really set Jasey off, not only did her boyfriend cheat on her, but he got a girl pregnant, was dumping her, and had every intention of smoking weed around his child. Jasey punched him in the shoulder.

“You are a filthy pig! You know that? I can’t believe I ever went out with you! You cheating, lying bastard! You are going to kill that baby from all the second hand smoke. I would not be surprised if it came out retarded from all the shit you smoke! I hate you!” screamed Jasey. She was pissed and cool tears began to drip out of her eyes. She didn’t care about Nate, he was an asshole and this proved it, she was just disgusted and felt terrible for Joanna. Nate looked at Jasey and tried to go in for a hug but Jasey hugged herself and turned away from him, her eyes tearing. Nate squinted and walked inside leaving her outside. Jasey went over to the railing and leaned against the railing, hanging her head down, feeling as if she wasted a year and a half.

“Jase, are you okay?” said a voice behind her, the voice was deep and melodic. Jasey closed her eyes just to soak in that sound. She didn’t turn, she knew who it was, and the feeling of his arms wrapping around her was all she needed to know who it was. Ben.

“He told Christie it was over and she made a scene like she does and kicked him out” Ben told her, like that would make it any better.

“Josh and Ted are even plotting to toilet paper his house” he said with a little comforting laugh.

Jasey wiped her eyes and let out a low giggle.

“There you’re laughing now,” said Ben looking down into her wet green brown eyes with a comforting smile. Jasey looked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

“Thank you Ben” she said letting her head sink into his chest. Ben’s hand snaked up and held her head to his chest.
”Jase?” he questioned her after a while of standing in silence.

“Yes?” she questioned back looking up at him wondering what he was going to say.

“Do you remember that one night after work, when we sat on the steps?” he said, of course referring to the night where they kissed. Jasey nodded to answer him.

“I’ve been thinking about it, every night since then, Jase. It was such bad timing, me being with Sammy and you with Nate and all,” he said taking a pause to brush a piece of her hair out of her face, “I should have made you dump him, I should have told you the truth,” he said stopping and cupping her face in his hands.

“What’s the truth?” asked Jasey confused.

“That I never wanted to be with Sammy, I wanted to be with you,” he said, his grip on Jasey tightening, almost to make sure she wouldn’t run away. “I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time” he said as he bent his neck and slowly but surely set his soft cinnamon flavored lips on hers. At first Jasey was caught off guard, I mean with everything that had happened that night, now Ben Somers, the boy of her dreams was confessing his love to her and kissing her underneath the Colorado sunset. Jasey caught grip of reality, she was kissing Ben Somers, well he was kissing her, and she had yet to kiss back. Jasey’s lips smiled underneath his and she kissed him back standing on her tip toes because he was much taller than she was. They stood there for quite sometimes, letting their lips lock and unlock, and their combined breathes floating up into the atmosphere. This was all happening so fast. Their limbs holding each other together until they both simultaneously pulled back for air. They both let out a laugh and stood there in the warm summer air for awhile. It was amazing how out of something bad something so effortlessly perfect could erupt.