“Why?”
His mother picked up her drink. “That boy you brought in, Hunter? Guess what—he’s a fan. Couldn’t stop talking about the fact that you saved him.” Her eyes shone, and Gage wished he could attribute it to the drink.
Oh Mom, please don’t live in the past.
“I came down to check on your father’s schedule, and he was just prepping the boy for surgery. I told him you’d stop by later, cheer him up.”
Gage winced. “He’s going to be out of it for a while—”
“Tomorrow then. Think of how happy he’ll be to meet his hero!”
“I’m hardly his hero—”
“Gage. Of course you are.” She got up then, and he noticed her hand steadying herself on her desk.
He grabbed her elbow.
“You’re still an inspiration.”
“Maybe you should lie down for a bit, Ma.” He eased the near-empty glass from her hand.
“I do have a little headache.” She pressed her hand to her head.
He led her to her sofa. “I’ll get you a drink of water,” he said and scooped the acetaminophen into his pocket as he walked away.
Only as he walked past his old room did he see the door ajar, and on his old desk, his scrapbook open.
He went inside and instantly regretted it. No matter how many times he packed away his trophies, his medals, even that stupid Xtreme Energy poster, they still migrated back to his shelves, freshly dusted, the poster repinned to the wall.
He backed out, shut the door.
Headed to the kitchen for a glass of water.
His mother was asleep by the time he returned. He put the glass down on her desk, kissed her forehead. She roused at his touch. Caught his hand. “Thanks for stopping by.”
“Anytime, Ma.”
Ty was scanning stations when Gage returned to the Mustang. “If I have to listen to one more Ben King song . . .”
Gage laughed and queued up his iPod. Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” coursed through the speakers.
“Okay, I surrender. Ben King it is,” Ty said. He flipped back to the station. “What did your mom want?”
Gage shook his head as he pulled out. “Hunter, that kid who fell from the chair today, wants an autograph.”
“From the ski patrol who saved him?”
Gage shot Ty a look.
“What?”
“I’m still a thing to fifteen-year-old wannabe freeriders, apparently.”
Ty grinned. “I’m in the presence of snowboard royalty.”
“You can walk home.”
“No, really, Gage. Stop by the hospital. Cheer the kid up.”
“The last thing he needs is to be encouraged by a guy who screwed up.” Gage turned on 40, bypassing the hospital. “And the last thing I need is to revisit the guy I used to be. He’s gone, and I’m trying to put it behind me.” He shook his head. “It would help if my mother stopped living in the past.”
“What, and join ranks with your father? ‘Gage, get a real job. Do something with your life.’” Ty’s imitation felt too raw, and Gage clenched his jaw.
“Maybe just leave me alone along with the rest of the world. Let the past die. The last thing I need to do is resurrect some version of that stupid, cocky kid and parade him around to offer false inspiration. What I should be doing is wearing a sign that says ‘cautionary tale.’”
Now Ty went quiet, as if embarrassed by Gage’s tirade.
Well, nobody liked the truth anymore, it seemed.
“Sorry. I’m just in a rotten mood after chasing down that stupid kid in the dinosaur costume.”
“Dude. You wear your mistakes like a brand on your forehead. You need to get over it.”
“You’re one to talk. I don’t see you getting back in the simulator. Are you ever going to fly a chopper again?”
Ty drew in a long breath, his jaw tight as he looked away.
Gage probably shouldn’t have said that. “Ty, I’m—”
“Leave it, Gage,” Ty said quietly. He stared out the window. “Don’t forget to stop by the pizza place.”
“Please don’t tell me you ordered from the Griz—last time we ordered from there, we all got sick.”
“Fear not. I put an order in at Glacier Pizza.”
They rode in silence until they pulled up to the pizza place. Ty ran in.
He returned in a moment with a couple of steaming pizzas and set them on his lap.
“No mushrooms?”
“I remembered,” Ty said.
“Thanks,” Gage said. But see, that was the problem. When it came to Gage Watson, they all remembered.
In all the years Ty had known Gage, and even admired him a little from afar, he’d never agreed with the press, the destruction of his career, or the rumors that said Gage had possessed an ego that led the way to his destruction.