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The whistle zooms through the air. My heart pounds, and we sprint. I struggle to keep up with Molly. She’s surprisingly fast for someone so small.
We reach the tube marked for us at the bottom of the hill. She picks up the black inflation valve and wraps her lips around it as I frantically search for the inflator.
Of course, we don’t have one.
I glance around at my siblings, who all seem to register the fact that my parents have decided to test our lung strength today. Mitchell and Theo appear to be in the lead.Madison and Gabby are bickering. Myles and Helene are taking turns inflating the tube. Mac and Korina are giggling as Maya and James blow up theirs.
With a few breaths, Molly’s tube is more than halfway blown up. She hands it over to me to finish.
“How’d you get so good at this?” I ask between critical gasps for air.
“ORO birthday parties,” Molly pants. Her eyes are almost bloodshot as she ushers me to go on. “Sometimes the balloon pump is broken.”
“You’re brilliant.” In two more passes, our tube is fully inflated.
We take off like bats outta hell, leaving my siblings in the powder. The hill’s elevation may only be three hundred feet, but after blowing up that damn tube it feels like climbing Mount Everest.
I’m gasping for air, trying not to collapse onto the icy snow.The pressure to win builds as we fight tooth and nail to maintain our lead. There’s no way we’re letting those suckers catch up to us.
Molly is a few steps ahead of me. I hold on to our tube for dear life. Our boots sink into the snow with each step.
Maya shouts from behind us, “We’re gonna win!”
“In your dreams,” Molly yells back. She’s trying to sound competitive, but the edge in her voice turns into a bout of giggles. “C’mon, Hudson; keep pace.” Her eyes glimmer as she glances at me over her shoulder.
“There’s no way I’m letting my sister beat us.”
“James, no! Get up!” We turn to check on the chaos. Maya has her hands up as James tumbles backward on his tube, taking out Myles and Theo like a bowling ball.
“Go, go, go!” We laugh at the havoc unfolding around us. “We have a chance.”
“We’re coming for you,” Myles taunts, but I don’t even spare him a glance.
My attention is fully focused on Molly, wearing my last name on her back, scaling this hill like her life depends on it.
Holy shit. I’ve got to marry this girl, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
At the top of the hill, I turn to Molly, breathless. “You ready for this, baby?” I ask, swinging the tube off my shoulder and plopping it onto the ground.
Her eyes widen as she settles into it. “Let’s do it!”
I jump onto the back of the tube and push us off.
We’re going to win.
Molly’s screams echo off the trees and snow as we spin in circles down the hill, the wind whistling through our hair. We hit a bump in the snow, and she slams into me, sending her cushioned ass right into my crotch.
Ouch.
Other tubes whoosh behind us. Mac and Korina, Myles and Helene close in on us.
Faster and faster, our tube propels down the hill.
We’re the first to slide over the finish line.
Molly leaps off the tube, jumping in excitement.“We did it! We won!” Her voice is drowning in glee, and she reaches over and kisses me.
The world slows down around us as I pull her tighter, our cold lips interlocked. She collapses onto me. Her nose feels frozen as it hits my cheek. I lean in, coaxing the warmth out of her.
