The first thought that occurred to me as I walked into the living room of my house was Gee, my dad sure does not look happy. This was definitely not a good sign. I knew my dad was bound to be upset about destroying the sign, but this surprised even me.

He stood near the back wall, arms crossed, face scrunched up in disappointment. Next to him was a woman with dark brown hair that was extremely curly that gave tumbleweeds a run for their money. And directly next to the woman was her son, who I didn't need to glance twice at to know his identity. Will Cloud, once a champion with huge potential who now spent all his time talking to dogs. His gaze is full of fury, hatred, and aggravation. I can't really say I blame him. I'd be pretty annoyed with myself too.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you've finally graced us with your presence, Kayla." My dad said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, dad." I apologize, my tone making it clear that the apology had a double meaning.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Will. You broke his sled."

"I'm sorry, Will. I broke your sled, and it totally wasn't cool of me. I hope you can forgive me."

My dad's expression told me that he could tell my apology was half-assed. I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.

"I'll take care of the damage done to the sign, but you're going to have to pay for Will's sled on your own."

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked in horror, feeling extreme disbelief.

"You heard me Kayla. You will be working for Will Cloud and his mother at Hotdoggers to pay for the damage you caused."

"But that's so unfair!" I whined, mentally pleading with my dad to reconsider and re-think his rash decision.

"No. You want to know what's unfair? How careless and irresponsible you are. I have given you so much; Everything you have ever wanted, in fact. I have spoiled you. But that's going to end, starting now. From now on, you want something? You earn it yourself. You start work tomorrow at 8, so don't be late."

My father's tone made it pretty clear that this discussion was over and that he wasn't going to change his mind. I was officially screwed. My nails were going to become history, and there went any chance I had at maintaining my social life.

This was so unfair. I was being punished for something that wasn't even entirely my fault. Yes, I had ruined the sign, but Nick and his friends were just as equally guilty. They had managed to slip away without getting punished, and left me to take the fall.

Sure, I could have brought them down with me, but if there was one good about me, it's that I wasn't a snitch. So now I was going to have to endure a punishment entirely by myself. But, I would willingly have coffee with Satan before I would quietly obey.

At least I still have snowboarding I thought as I walked up to my room. That thought was the only thing that sounded even remotely endearing to me. I glanced at my alarm clock: 11:03 it read. It was probably wise to go to bed now. I had a long and disappointing day to look forward to tomorrow. I went to the bathroom and did my thing, trying my best to postpone going back to my room. But, eventually I ran out of things to do in there and I shuffled back to my room.

When I got back to my room I heard a lighting tapping outside my balcony windows. Reluctantly, I opened the door and narrowly missed a snowball hurtling towards my face. I glared at the three silhouettes lurking beneath my balcony.

"Kayla." a familiar voice whisper-yelled.

"Nick?" I asked, slightly annoyed, slightly joyous.

"What happened? Are you ok?" He asked, stepping into the light.

"I got busted, and my dad won't pay for the damage. You're looking at the newest member of the Hotdoggers Dog Kennel team." I said bitterly.

"That blows. We're so sorry-"

"For what? For abandoning me and letting me take the fall?" I practically spat, eyes narrowing in anger. Okay, I was definitely not over it.

"Babe, it's not like that. We thought you were right behind us, but when we looked back, you weren't."

"And it never occurred to you to maybe come back and look for me? Nick, I could of been injured!" I say, blinking back tears.

"I know, but we did come back. But, by the time we arrived, you were already gone. I thought maybe you had gone another direction. I'm sorry, Kayla. If there was any way to make it up to you, you know I would."

But, his words were false, and quite frankly his presence was doing little more than making me want to hit someone.

"Yeah, whatever." I muttered, turning to go inside.

"I'll call you!" Nick yelled, promising.

"Sure you will." I whispered before closing the doors and sliding into my bed. If there's one thing Nick wasn't good for, it was keeping his promises.

**New morning, Day 1 of Hell**

My alarm clock blared and I groaned, before slamming my hand down on the snooze button. Was it already time to get up? I slowly opened my eyes and sighed. Time to get ready for a fun-filled day of scrubbing flea infested mutts. I threw on jeans and a tank top and piled my hair into a messy bun.

Normally, I would take my time looking presentable, but it wasn't like the dogs cared whether I looked like an Abercrombie & Fitch model or not. A quick bagel and a caramel mocha made up my breakfast.

It was chilly outside; Fresh, crisp flakes falling noiselessly to the ground. It had snowed at least 7 inches. Of course it had to happen when I was being punished. The slopes looked awesome, and I was the only one at the resort who wouldn't get to enjoy it.

It was a short drive over, and I dreaded every approaching minute of the destination. As you can tell, I'm not much of a morning person, or an optimist. I glance around quickly to make sure that no one sees me enter, before I quickly duck into the kennel. Will is already there, his back turned to me.

I glance at him briefly, and then my eyes sweep the room. It's quite dreary, and the decor reminds me why I hate work so much. As if he has a sixth sense, Will turns around, and locks eyes with me. His eyes narrow and his face twists into a scowl. "Well, what an honor it is to have Kayla Morgan, snowboarding elite in my shop." He snarls, his tone oozing in sarcasm.

Gee… I guess he really wasn't one to forgive and forget. "Yeah, hi to you too, Will. I'm sure you're just a thrilled to have me as I am to be here. And before you take that as a compliment, I would rather spend an entire day with a ravenous carnivore in a locked room than spend a single second here." I spit back, my good mood already gone. Oh wait, it was never there to begin with.

"Ah, the princess can speak. Let's not waste precious moments then. The sooner you start working, the sooner you can get out of here, and the happier I'll be. I won't have to worry about choking to death on your hollister perfume."

I scowl, thinking of a clever comeback. But, before I can retort, he opens the gates and 8 dogs come sauntering toward me. "What the hell are you doing? I thought the whole point of having a kennel was to keep the mutts locked in."

"I'm letting them out to meet you, Einstein. If they don't meet you, they might see you as a threat, and attack. I'm pretty sure your plastic surgeon wouldn't appreciate all the work he'd have to finish."

Finish? Was he calling me ugly then? I mean, not to sound conceited, but I definitely wasn't an eyesore.

"I'll have you know, I am not ugly. And I don't know what the fuck your deal is, but you seriously need to remove the tampon from your ass. I already apologized, so I don't know what else you want me to do. Sitting here and insulting me isn't going to get the work done, and the longer we jack our jaws, the longer we both have to suffer. So how about you shut the fuck up and tell me what to start with?"

He glares at me before shoving a big bag of dog food into my chest. I let out a slight oomph, but I grip it tightly. "Feed the dogs. I'm sure even someone like you can't mess that up." He says simply, before grabbing a leash, attaching it to a mutt, and leaving. I grab my hair in frustration. It's going to be a long punishment.