Chapter Text
The chaperones gave the seniors room assignments weeks ago, allowing people to pair up before randomly grouping them together. Rey and Rose, of course, paired up and they were placed in a room with Kaydel and Jannah. Rey is thankful they got grouped together since all of them are friends from model UN. She had a slight fear she’d end up in the same room as Bazine Netal, one of the snotty girls from her class. Bazine is perfectly nice to most people, but she’s one of those people that judges Rey for being a scholarship student. Bazine has never directly targeted Rey, but she’s been known to make a passing comment or two on Rey’s lack of wealth. It’s enough to make Rey feel self-conscious around her, so to not have to spend the next two nights sleeping in the same room is a blessing.
After Holdo hands out room keys and tells anyone interested in skiing to meet her at the lodge cafe at 10:30, they all grab their bags and head to their block of rooms on the third floor. Girls are on one end, boys on the other with the chaperones in the middle. Rey and her friends find theirs and swipe in. It looks cozy and bright with a warm cream color on the walls and cherry wood furniture. The two queen beds are piled high with fluffy pillows and flannel comforters and there’s a perfect view of the mountains out the window.
Rey drops her duffle bag on the floor and flops onto one of the beds. “I’m about to get the best sleep of my life this weekend.”
“Well, don’t start yet,” Rose warns. “We hit the slopes in an hour.” She sets her suitcase down on the bed next to Rey and turns to Kaydel and Jannah. “Have you guys been skiing before?”
Jannah nods. “My family goes to Aspen for a week every winter. I’ve been skiing since I could walk.”
“Same,” Kaydel agrees, “but while it’s fun and all, it’s not nearly the best part about winter.” She hauls her monogrammed Louis Vuitton suitcase onto her bed. “It’s the outfits .”
She unzips the suitcase and throws the top open, revealing at least six sets of ski gear in varying colors, several cable knit and argyle sweaters, and an assortment of scarves.
“Oh my god,” Rey gapes.
Kaydel beams. “I have a separate bag just for my shoes.”
“You would,” Jannah teases as she opens her own suitcase.
“These are so much cuter than mine,” Rose marvels, stroking one of Kaydel’s ski jackets. “My parents got me an outfit and boots for Christmas but they’re so boring .”
“I’m just planning to rent an outfit,” Rey says, eyeing the baby blue jacket. One of the many perks of having the trip paid for means that the funds extend to rental fees of equipment and gear as well as the room and activities. Rey is thankful because it means she can pocket the money she saved up for the trip and use it for something else.
Kaydel makes a face. “Rental clothes always smell awful . No matter how many times they get washed, the B-O stench never comes out.” She starts pulling clothes from her bag. “You can borrow some of mine.”
Rey hesitates. The last thing she wants is for Keydel to think she’s looking for charity. “Kay, you don’t have to--”
“I want to.” Kaydel looks serious. “I’ve got, like, a week’s worth of clothes in here anyway. There’s no way I’ll wear them all. I just like options.”
She picks out the baby blue coat and a pair of black ski pants and holds them out for Rey. “We’re about the same size, so these should fit.”
“Thanks, Kay.” Rey takes them and lies them out on the bed to admire. The outfit is cuter than anything she could probably rent, and the fact that she won’t have to smell like other people’s sweat is a huge plus.
There’s a knock at the door and Jannah, being the closest to it, answers. “Hey, Bazine.”
Rey stiffens a little as Bazine parades into their room and perches herself on the end of Jannah and Kaydel’s bed. She looks perfect, as usual. She’s got nearly a full face of makeup on and is dripping in designer clothes (Lululemon leggings, Gucci crewneck sweatshirt, and-- are those Gucci boots ?). She falls back onto the bed and dramatically throws her arms over her eyes.
“Oh my god that bus ride was sooo long,” Bazine whines. “I’m still stiff from sitting. At least when my family comes up here I get to stretch out in the back of the Rover.”
Rey looks at Rose and rolls her eyes. She doesn’t even know why Bazine is in here. Kaydel and Jannah aren’t close with her and Rose definitely doesn’t like her.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Jannah says. “I pretty much slept the whole ride.”
“I wish,” Bazine groans. She sits up and looks over at Rey and Rose before her eyes land on Kaydel’s borrowed outfit.
“Isn’t that your jacket, Kay?”
Rey sighs. Here we go .
“Yeah. I’m letting Rey borrow it,” Kaydel says.
Bazine cocks a perfectly arched eyebrow at Rey. “Couldn’t afford your own gear?”
Rey grits her teeth. “I don’t ski often. It doesn’t make sense to buy things I’ll barely use when I can rent them.”
Bazine’s face twists in disgust. “Ugh, I could never wear clothes strangers have worn.”
“Good thing she doesn’t have to,” Rose bites.
She sneers at Rose. “So, Rey, you looked awfully cozy sitting next to Ben on the bus this morning.”
Ah, so that’s why she’s here , Rey thinks. It’s no secret to everyone at Coruscant that Bazine is into Ben. Apparently, their families have been close for decades, so she’s been wanting to go out with him since they were young. For three torturous years, Rey had to endure Bazine shamelessly flirting with Ben while she could do nothing more than melt into a puddle every time she got near the guy. Bazine would sit next to him at lunch, touch his arm when he said something funny, pretend he had something in his hair so she could run her hands through it--all while Rey watched from afar, wishing it were her that got to laugh at his jokes, stroke his waves, and be able to be that close to him without falling mute.
He never did go out with Bazine, though. It always surprised Rey considering how long they’ve known each other and how pretty Bazine is. She’s tall and slender with short, silky black hair and glowing amber eyes. She also has the confidence Rey wishes she had. Bazine isn’t afraid to do anything, and as much as Rey despises her, she can’t help but admire her a little bit for it.
Rey turns her back to Bazine and starts to unpack. “Um, I mean, not really. The only open seat left was next to him when I got there, so I just--you know--took it.”
“ Right , because you showed up late.” Bazine laughs like it’s funny. “You two must have talked for a while then.”
It’s really none of your business , Rey thinks, even though there isn’t much to tell. Still, she’s annoyed at Bazine’s prodding. What gives her the right to think she’s the only person allowed to go after Ben? For years, anytime a girl other than her so much as glanced at him in the hallway, Bazine would be there to scare them off. He doesn’t even go to Coruscant anymore, and yet she’s still here trying to get Rey to back off like she owns him. Surely if he actually is interested in Bazine, he would have asked her out by now, right?
Rey doesn’t know exactly what makes her do it. Maybe she’s sick and tired of Bazine thinking she has some sort of claim on Ben, or she’s just finally done dealing with her attitude, but she feels courage surge through her as she turns around to look Bazine in the eye and say, “We did, actually. He offered to teach me how to ski.”
She’s not really lying since it’s true (she hopes). She’s just not being totally honest about who made the offer. All Bazine will care about is that Ben is giving Rey a lesson anyway, and Rey hopes it makes her angry enough to go away.
And it does make her angry. She tries to hide it, but Rey notices the slight twitch in her eyebrow and the clench in her jaw. “He did?”
Even though she wants to look away, Rey forces herself to maintain eye contact. “Yep.”
“That’s so nice of him.” Bazine’s words are positive, but her tone is the opposite. It’s high-pitched and fake. She collects herself quickly though, because she leans in and, in a low, sultry voice, says, “You know, he taught me once upon a time, too. He’s very skilled.”
Rey knows she’s only saying it to get under her skin, but her insides still twist at the thought of her and Ben alone together on the slope. She tries her best not to let it show, but can tell she’s failing by the way Bazine smirks.
“ Anyway ,” Bazine continues, “I’m sure you guys will have a blast. That is, if you can show up on time.”
Rey’s jaw drops as Bazine turns on her heels and heads for the door. “See you guys later!” she calls out over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her with a loud THUD!
Kaydel is gaping. “She’s so pissed.”
“She’s livid ,” Rose adds, and says in a pinched, mocking tone, “‘He’s very skilled.’ What a bitch.”
Rey can only stand there, frozen in her spot. Anxiety begins to replace her sudden bout of bravery and her throat goes dry as she wonders what on earth she’s just gotten herself into. All she wanted to do was have a relaxing weekend with her friends before they all graduated, and now it’s becoming anything but .
“Is it true?” Jannah asks Rey. “That Ben is going to teach you how to ski?”
“I mean, sort of?” Rey admits. “Hux told me and Rose that he and Ben want to give us a lesson , but part of me thinks it’s just another one of his tricks to get Rose alone and that Ben won’t even show up.”
“I mean, we all know Hux will say anything to spend some time with Rose,” Jannah points out and Rose groans. It’s true--during their freshman year, Hux once told Rose the student council meeting had moved from one of the classrooms to the computer lab, and when she got there and noticed it was empty except for him, he tried to kiss her. She kicked him so hard between the legs he couldn’t sit right for a week. “But he normally doesn’t drag Ben into these things. If Hux says Ben’s going, I think he’ll show.”
“He’d better,” Rose threatens. “I’m not afraid to whoop his ass. And Hux’s for lying.” She throws in an air kick in for good measure.
Rey hopes it won’t come to that. If Ben bails, not only will it be humiliating, but Bazine will never let her live it down.
In serious need of a distraction, Rey grabs her toiletry bag and heads for the bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll meet you guys downstairs.”
She closes the door behind her and turns on the faucet. While she waits for the water to warm up, she grabs her travel-size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash out of her bag and sets them on the edge of the tub. She also pulls out her toothbrush and tube of toothpaste and finally gets rid of her horrid morning breath.
She gets a good look at herself in the mirror, too, and knows she’s seen better days. Her hair is frizzy and there’s purple bags under her eyes. It’s a wonder Ben could even look at her this morning. If only she hadn’t stayed up so late last night, she might have been able to wake up on time to make herself look somewhat decent. Then again, it’s not like she knew beforehand that Ben was coming. She probably would have still looked like this anyway, but at least she would have been able to hide from him in the back of the bus so he wouldn’t see her. Hopefully the shower will help. She strips down, takes her hair out of it’s messy bun, and steps into the warm flow of water.
When she gets out of the shower, she uses the hotel hair dryer on her hair because the last thing she wants is it freezing once she goes outside. The room is empty when she leaves the bathroom, so Rey pads over to her bag in just her towel and pulls out a pair of leggings and several long-sleeved shirts to wear under Kaydel’s outfit. She pulls everything on except the jacket and grabs a pair of boots from her bag. They’re Maz’s old ones. Rey likes them because they’re already worn in and a little beat up, so they mold to her feet perfectly.
Just as she’s getting ready to go downstairs, Rey spies a familiar bag peeking out of Rose’s suitcase. She’s seen that bag enough times to know it holds Rose’s makeup. Rose has been pestering Rey for years to let her put some on. Rey did let her once. Rose promised she wouldn’t go overboard like Rey has seen many other girls do. Instead, she applied some mascara to Rey’s lashes and brushed a little blush on her cheeks. She finished the look off with a clear lip gloss. Rey remembers looking in the mirror after and seeing a version of herself she isn’t used to seeing. The minimal makeup subtly brought out some of Rey’s features; the mascara drew attention to her long eyelashes and the blush made her freckles pop. The gloss also made her thin lips look plump and pouty. She actually looked pretty.
Rey wonders if Ben would think she’s pretty if she wore some makeup. She sends a quick text to Rose asking if she can borrow some, and Rose sends back a very elated “YESSSSS!!!” Rey grabs the bag and heads back into the bathroom. She digs through it and pulls out the same products Rose used on her the last time and quickly goes through the motions of applying them all. When she’s done, she studies her reflection. This girl looks totally different from the one this morning. The shower helped wake her up, so her dark circles aren’t as prominent. Her eyes look especially striking with her long lashes and the blush gives her cheeks some much needed color. She looks fresh and alive.
She hopes it’s enough.
Rey makes sure she has her room key tucked away before heading down to the cafe. She carries Kaydel’s coat because she’s already sweating beneath all the layers. When she makes it there, she sees a group of her classmates and the deputy headmistress sitting at a collection of tables in the back corner by the windows. Kaydel and Jannah are chatting away with a few other girls in their class, and Rey spots Rose and Poe seated across from each other at a table by themselves. Both have open seats next to them for her and Finn, who still hasn’t come down yet. Bazine is here, too, looking pristine in all-white ski pants and a jacket with a fur-lined hood. She’s sitting with some of her friends, and Rey vows to keep her eyes trained forward while she makes her way to hers.
“Miss Johnson, how wonderful of you to join us on time,” Holdo says when she sees Rey.
Rey ducks her head and keeps moving, but she hears Bazine and her friends snicker when she walks past their table.
She makes it to her friends and takes the seat next to Poe, tossing Kaydel’s jacket over the back of her chair. She notices four muffins on the table, two being eaten by Poe and Rose and two untouched. She takes the blueberry.
Poe smirks at her. “You clean up nice.”
“For once be serious,” Rose chides. “You look great , sweetie.”
Rey smiles appreciatively. She takes a chunk out of her muffin and stuffs it in her mouth. “Where’s Finn?”
“He should be down soon. Poor bastard got stuck in a room with Hux. Dude’s probably grilling him about what to say to Rosie.”
“Don’t remind me.” Rose points a finger at Rey. “You owe me big time for this.”
“The sacrifices we make so our friend has a chance at romance, eh?” Poe throws his arm around Rey’s shoulders supportively.
Rey blushes and shoves another huge chunk of muffin past her lips. “It’s just a ski lesson. I doubt it will be romantic.”
“ Au contraire ,” Poe challenges, “there are plenty of ways a ski lesson can be romantic. For example--” he clears his throat dramatically “--he might place his hands on you to bend your legs so you’re in the correct stance.”
Rey’s face burns. “Bend my what ?”
“Poe,” Rose sighs, “please stop.”
But Poe ignores her and continues. “Maybe you trip a few times and he has to catch you so you don’t fall over. Or maybe you do fall and bring him down with you, and your limbs are all tangled together and you’re struggling to get up, and that’s when you realize your faces are this close--” he holds his pointer finger and his thumb so close together there’s barely any room between them “--and if you move another centimeter towards each other, you’ll be kissing, so you just stare at each other for a while, waiting to see which one of you will move first.”
Rey is fairly certain she’s as red as a tomato by now. She didn’t think about any of that--the touching--when she agreed to this. She can barely carry a conversation with the guy--what is she going to do when he starts putting his hands on her? It’s not like she can say, “No thanks!” and just fumble around on the slope while he watches from a few feet away. And it’s not like she doesn’t want him to touch her--to kiss her even. She’s just never experienced any of that before. It’s kind of embarrassing, but Rey spent so much of her time in high school drooling over Ben that she didn’t--and still doesn’t--want to do that with anyone else.
All of a sudden, her chest starts to feel tight and she can’t breathe. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. She doesn’t need to learn how to ski. She can just spend the whole weekend inside the lodge. Apparently they have a fantastic spa, so maybe she can spend some of her savings on a facial or--
“OW!” Poe’s sudden cry brings Rey back to reality. Poe is clutching his shin and Rose is staring daggers into him.
“You’re scaring her,” Rose hisses. Then, in a lower voice, she adds, “Worry about romancing your own boyfriend.”
Poe lets his shin go and looks at the table. “I don’t think that’s going to happen this weekend.”
“Why not?”
Poe actually blushes a little, which surprises Rey. Before Finn, Poe had his fair share of hookups and had no problem dishing details, but he’s awfully bashful when it comes to Finn. He must really be smitten. “I’m not sure if we’re willing to risk it.”
The girls exchange a glance, and Rey sees regret in Rose’s eyes. Sometimes they forget Finn and Poe are keeping their relationship on the down low until after graduation. There really isn’t anyone openly “out” at school, and they certainly don’t want to be the first. It opens the door to all kinds of questions and comments neither of them want to deal with. Poe and Finn officially started dating over the summer, so they had time to enjoy each other’s company before the term started. Rey can’t imagine it’s easy hiding something like that every day.
She grips Poe’s hand in reassurance. “We’ll find a way for you guys to get some alone time, too.”
Poe squeezes her hand back. “Speaking of alone time, here come your instructors.”
Relief is the first thing she feels when she sees Ben--because he came, he actually came --but it’s followed swiftly by panic because oh god, he actually came and now she has to spend time with him . He’s walking over with Hux. Both are dressed entirely in black ski gear, and Rey has to admit that black looks very good on Ben. Very very good. He’s carrying his own skis and helmet because of course as an instructor he would have his own equipment. He hasn’t seen her yet because he’s busy saying something to Hux, but his friend eventually points her table out and his eyes are on her. His lips curl into a small smile and she really hopes she’s smiling back and not just gawking like an idiot. He and Hux are walking towards them then, and her heart starts pounding.
Rey is suddenly self-conscious about her appearance for a different reason. What if Ben notices the makeup and thinks she’s trying too hard? It’s not like they’re about to go on a date or anything. He’s probably just being a good friend to Hux by keeping Rose’s best friend company so he can spend time with her. Oh god--if he notices, he might think she might think it’s a date. She wishes she could run upstairs and wipe it all off.
But it’s too late. Suddenly, they’re both standing here and Ben’s looking at her. She thinks he says hi, but she’s too petrified to speak, so she gives him a small smile back.
This is going to be a disaster.
She’s so worried about trying to remain calm in front of Ben that she didn’t even notice Finn came over until he’s moving to sit in the chair across from her. He grabs the last muffin on the table and shoves half of it into his mouth.
Hux completely ignores everyone else at the table and keeps all his attention on Rose. “Are you ready for your lesson?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Rose says through a fake smile and clenched teeth. “I just hope you’ll be professional .”
“I wouldn’t be anything but,” Hux declares. “Same with Ben here. We’re the epitome of professional. You’re in excellent hands.” Hux wiggles his flaming red eyebrows suggestively.
Poe and Finn look like they’re trying very hard not to laugh. Rose rolls her eyes and Rey tries hard to think about anything but Ben’s hands.
Thankfully, Holdo claps to get everyone’s attention and they all turn to look at the deputy. “It’s time to head out to the slope,” she announces. “For those of you renting equipment, I’ll be taking you over to the shop where you can get fitted. Everyone who brought their own may feel free to suit up themselves. After you’re all geared up, you have free reign of the slope until one o’clock. Please meet me back here at that time and I’ll be taking you to lunch. Have fun!”
Everyone starts moving. Poe and Finn get up and start walking towards the group going to the shop, and Rey and Rose linger by Ben and Hux for instruction.
“We’ll meet you guys at the chair lift after you get your equipment,” Ben says.
“Unless, of course you’re in need of some assistance getting fitted,” Hux offers. “I’d be more than happy to--”
“No thanks,” Rose says quickly. “We can manage. We’ll just meet you over there.”
She turns swiftly to follow Finn and Poe without another word. Hux sighs longingly.
“Feisty one, isn’t she?” he comments before stalking off.
It’s just Ben and Rey left then. She wants to say something, anything , to him, because she wants him to know that--underneath all the nerves--she’s excited that he’s going to be teaching her, that she’s looking forward to it. But before she has a chance, Bazine is rushing towards him and throws her arms around his neck. “Benny! It’s so good to see you.”
Rey clenches her jaw. Just perfect .
Ben stumbles back, clearly caught off-guard. It takes him a second to return her hug. “Uh, good to see you too Bazine.”
She unwinds her arms and looks hopefully up at him. “You and I have to go down the slope together today. It’s our tradition.”
Of course they have a tradition , Rey thinks. Great. Now she’s going to have to deal with Bazine trying to whisk Ben away on the slope while Rey tries not to fall on her ass.
“Well, we already went down during Christmas,” Ben explains, “and I promised I’d give Rey a lesson, so maybe we can just wait?”
Judging by the look of shock on Bazine’s face, she was not expecting that response. Rey just gapes. Did he actually just pick her over Bazine? Hardly anyone says no to her without her making a full blown scene. She once threw a fit in class when Mr. Kenobi told her to put her phone away during a test. Rey can only imagine what dramatic nonsense is about to go down.
She braces for the worst, but Bazine just smiles sweetly and says, “Of course, Benny! We have all weekend. Hope you two have lots of fun.”
She skips away cheerfully, and Rey stares after her in confusion. She was expecting Bazine to put up more of a fight. Why didn’t she? But as much as it bothers Rey, she doesn’t have time to think about why Bazine didn’t have a complete meltdown. The group is leaving, and if she falls behind Holdo will have her head. “Um, see you later?”
Ben nods. “See you later.”
He turns to leave, but she calls out, “Wait!”
He looks at her, eyes searching, and before she can chicken out, she says, “I’m really excited. For the lesson, I mean. I’ve always wanted to learn how to ski, and I really appreciate that you’re offering to teach me.”
Her heart is beating a million miles a minute and she hopes she didn’t say too much, say the wrong thing. But she knows she said exactly the right thing when he smiles so big his eyes wrinkle at the corners just the way she likes. “It’s my pleasure. We’re gonna have fun, I promise.”
Rey beams at him, feeling like if she wasn’t being weighed down by all these layers she would positively just float away. She tells him goodbye and turns to go, but as she does, she catches Bazine’s eye, and the look she’s giving Rey is anything
but
sweet.