Author's Note: I'm thinking this is gonna be the last chapter.  I am rather depressed.  Ah well, I'll get over it. :-)

Disclaimer: I don't own Beaver Creek, the newsies, or Nirvana.  Period.

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Chapter Four

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Well.  This vacation was certainly turning out a little different from how I had imagined it.  After the first day of skiing, Dave had locked himself in his room and refused to leave because he was tired and embarrassed.  Jack wouldn't go skiing because he was also tired and embarrassed, but for a different reason.  Itey remained in the living room, singing Broadway show tunes to Mr. Freddy because he claimed he had gotten the flu when he had fallen in the snow.  (I tell you, this boy is insane.)

In the end, the only people who went skiing on the last day of our four-day vacation were Race, Spot, Specs, Dutchy, Snitch, and me.  Pathetic, ain't it?  We're a bunch of lightweight losers, if you ask me.  Tired and embarrassed ... HA!

Well there are a lot of things you can do with six college boys that you can't do with twenty-five.  I think we scared the other skiers a little bit, for good reasons.

Snitch skied over to me after we got off the lift at around one in the afternoon.  "Hey Skitts ... Race had this idea, his friends and him saw some other guys doing it when they were skiing in Vermont."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."  He beckoned me to come closer so he could whisper it in my ear, which I did obligingly.  Heh heh...

Well.  The idea was absolutely insane, but we did it anyway.

*

"Well, Betty, I used these ingenious little thumbtacks to hold up the curtain.  I think it gave it a real authentic look, you know?"

"Oh but of course, Tillie!  I never thought of using thumbtacks.  Where would I be able to buy some of them?"

"Well I went to this simply adorable little shop called 'Quill and --- Oh my gosh!"

If I hadn't been having so much fun, I would have felt rather sorry for the two elderly ladies we passed.  As it turned out, Race's 'idea' was that we all pull down our pants and ski in just our boxers with our jeans down at our ankles.  The idea was to see how long we could go before one of us fell over and got snow up his underpants.

I was skiing directly behind Snitch.

Man.

Do I even need to give details?  BABY!

Dutchy fell first.  Specs fell on top of him.  Accidentally on purpose.  Spot did a magnificent flying jump and skied right over them.  Race skied around them.  Snitch and I tried to do a jump like Spot but kind of fell over.

In any case, Specs, Dutchy, Snitch, and I all ended up with soaking wet underpants and snow down our t-shirts.  Dude, that was awesome.

And, just to add to the hilarity of it all, Betty and Tillie skied past us several minutes later and whispered, "Oh look, Tillie, it's those little oddball boys who were skiing with their pants down --- kids these days!"

Of course, Racetrack fell over from laughing so hard at being called an "oddball boy" by two plump old ladies, and Spot fell over just because everyone else was.  This did not please Tillie and Betty too much, to be sure.  The tutted loudly and skied slowly away, making smooth tedious turns.

Old ladies these days!

"Ah, that was fun..." Racetrack sighed.  He stood up and then straightened suddenly.  "OH!  SNOW DOWN THE PANTS!  AAAAH!"

"I didn't really consider the aftereffects of doing this," said Dutchy, halfheartedly trying to get up from under Specs.

"Yeah, me neither..."

"START THIS OFF WITHOUT ANY WORDS!  I GOT SO HIGH I SCRATCHED TILL I BLED!  I'M NOT THINKING ABOUT THE SNOW FREEZING OFF MY TWO BEST FRIENDS!  I'M REALLY NOT!  LOVE MYSELF BETTER THAN YOU!  KNOW IT'S WRONG BUT WHAT SHOULD I DOOOOOOOO?"

Yeah ... Ya thought we were getting funny looks BEFORE?

*

"I'M ALL ALOOOOOOONE, THERE'S NO ONE HERE BESIIIIIIIDE ME..." I sang sadly.  And it was true; I was sitting on the lift swinging my legs back and fourth all by myself.  My beloved Snitchykins had decided to go on a mogul run by himself, Race and Spot were off together on some insanely difficult double black diamond, and Specs and Dutchy were no doubt making out in the snow somewhere.

And here I was, abandoned by my friends, deserted by my true love, going up the lift alone and singing loudly.

Ah, what a pathetic life I lead.

I was just about to burst into song again when my walkie-talkie buzzed on.  "Hey, uh --- Skitts?"

"Snitch?"

"Hey."

"...Hey."

My, this was bizarre.  And rather awkward.  I was about to demand why he had called me when he spoke again.

"Um ... I think I broke my wrist."

"What?!?!?"

"Maybe I'm overreacting but..." He breathed out heavily and I could almost hear him wincing.  "It kinda kills."

"Wait --- you think you broke your wrist??  What the hell happened?"

He breathed out again.  "I dunno..."

"Whaddaya mean you don't know?"

"I fell."  He swallowed. "Some guy went over my skis and I fell and skidded sideways ... and slammed into a tree."

"YOU HIT A TREE??"

"Jesus, Skittery, it wasn't a BIG tree ... I put out my arm to stop me and---"

"Where are you?"

"Goldmine.  Double black."

"I'm comin' to get you, Snitch, don't friggin' move."

He chuckled.  "Always my savior, Skitts, eh?"

"If you wanna put it that way."

"Why not?"

"Alright ... Don't move, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Alright ... Oh and Skitts?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

I smiled and turned my walkie-talkie off.  What the hell ... Bastard.  Go over his skis, eh?  No respect for others whatsoever ... man, if I'd been there ...

After that, the lift couldn't go fast enough.  I started going the second my skis touched the snow and almost missed the turn onto Goldmine because I was going so fast.

I found Snitch curled up on the side of the run near the bottom, his gloves off and his arm resting on his lap.  He looked kind of embarrassed and gave me a half-assed smile when I stopped next to him.  "Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Lemme see your wrist," I said.  He shifted so that he could put his arm on my lap instead.  I looked at it.  There weren't any bones sticking out or anything, but I was only nineteen; I'd never been a doctor and I didn't plan on being one either.

I looked up at him to see that he had been looking at me instead of his wrist.  He tilted his head to the side.

"How much does it hurt?" I asked, trying to stay focused.

"Enough."  He almost smiled.  "I honestly don't think I broke my wrist, but---"

"But you don't wanna ski all the way to the bottom by yourself."  He nodded.  "Well."  I got up.  "I suppose that means I'm gonna have to ski you down, does it?  Here, wrap your arm up with my sweatshirt until we can get you to the lodge and call a doctor."

He smiled his thanks and took my sweatshirt from me gratefully.  "Ya know," he said slowly as he wrapped his arm up, "if I have to get a cast ... I'll get it pink just for you."

I laughed.  The corner of his mouth tugged up in the unmistakable Snitch Murphy half-smile.  I swallowed and leaned forward, unsure of how he would react if I kissed him again.  His smile faded and he turned his head.  "I --- I'm sorry."  He looked as if he wanted to say more but he couldn't figure out how to say it, so he just closed his mouth and shrugged.

I looked down, embarrassed.  "C'mon, we'd better get to the bottom so we can call the doctor about your wrist..."

*

Snitch's wrist wasn't broken, but he had sprained it.  They put it in a sling and said that he would have to keep it on for several weeks until the muscles healed.  He was not particularly thrilled, to say the least, but he was certainly relieved that he didn't have to get a cast.  (Besides, he hates pink.)

The other guys were astonished when the six of us came back to the house with Snitch with his arm in a sling.  "What did you DO?" David demanded.

"Way to end your last day here," said Snipeshooter gloomily.

"I TOLD you skiing was dangerous, it's a STUPID sport and NOBODY should do it ever again!" Jack bellowed angrily.  Nobody was listening to him, however.  They were more worried about Snitch.

"Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate?" Mush asked concernedly.

"You're such a mother, Mush," Blink laughed, messing with his hair.

"I am NOT a mother!"

"Besides, he doesn't need hot chocolate, he needs NIRVANA!" Racetrack shouted.  "Don't you, Snitch?  Wouldn't you rather listen to Nirvana than drink hot chocolate?"

"You MORON, not everybody is obsessive-compulsive Nirvana," Spot snapped.

"YES, CABBAGE HEAD!"

"I AM NOT A CABBAGE HEAD!"

"GUYS!" Snitch yelled.  "PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET IN THE CAR OR WE'RE GONNA MISS OUR PLANE!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him and then turned and glanced at the clock.  "He's right, we should probably head out," said David after a minute.

"That's tragic!" Race sobbed.  "I don't wanna leave!"

"There there," Spot said soothingly, patting him on the back.

"You don't understand!" Race cried.  "I've listened to every song on 'Nevermind' at least a hundred times, Spot!  I'm actually tired of that CD!  I'm --- I'm not ME without Nirvana!!!  What am I going to DO on the ride back??"

Spot smiled and reached into the pocket of his blue jeans.  "As stupid as I may seem, I do have a brain.  And more than just half of one."

Itey sniggered, but Spot ignored him.

"And I foresaw this coming, so---" He held something out to Racetrack.  "Here.  I picked this up for you before we left New York."

Race stared at it, bewildered.  "In Utero?" he said slowly.

"It's Nirvana's next album after Nevermind..." Spot shrugged awkwardly.  "I figured you'd like it."

"Oh SPOT!" Race cried, lunging at him and giving him a huge hug that quickly turned into a passionate kiss.  The rest of the boys catcalled and all that good stuff, but I don't think Spot or Race even heard it.

And I must say, they looked very cute together.  I've never seen either of them smile so much.

*

An hour later, I found myself squished into the back seat of a car driven by Racetrack with Spot in the passenger seat.  I was currently crushed between Snitch and Itey (again, I know, it's insane), the last place I wanted to be at the moment.

Itey was singing softly to Mr. Freddy despite the loud Nirvana music.  "All the cattle are standing like statuuuuuuuues!  All the cattle are standing like statuuuuuuuues!  That's all I know of this stupid soooooooooooooooong!  Gee I sure wish this car ride wasn't so loooooooong!  Oh what a beautiful moooooorning!" etc etc.

I glanced at Snitch from under my baseball cap to find him glancing at me the exact same way.  We both coughed loudly and quickly looked in different directions, pretending nothing had happened.

The last song on the new Nirvana album.  Race looked absolutely brokenhearted.

What else should I be All apologies What else should I say Everyone is gay

HA!  I wish...

What else should I write

I don't have the right

What else should I be

All apologies

Ah, story of my life.  What else should I be, Snitch?  HUH?  You kiss me and then you don't and then you go and sprain your wrist!  ASSHOLE!

Not really ... I still love that guy like hell.  That's the pathetic part.

The next verse made me think of Itey, somehow.

I wish I was like you

Easily amused

Find my nest of salt

Everything's my fault

"Hey Snitch?"

He turned to look at me.  Apologetic.  Longing.  Longing?  What the fuck?  Man, I was getting confused.

"Yeah, Skitts?"

I forced a half-assed smile.  "I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth, closed it, and slipped his hand around the back of my neck.  Then, to my utter astonishment, he leaned forward and kissed me.  Tongue and everything, baby.  And I'll tell you it felt twice as good against my tongue as it looked like it would, despite my confusion at what exactly was going on in Snitch's mind.

He pulled back, his hand still at the back of my neck.  "I'm sorry too," he said quietly.  "I was confused --- I'm sorry."

My mouth curved in the first genuine smile in a while.  I didn't answer but leaned in and kissed him again.

Nirvana, where would I be without you?

[the end]

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Shoutouts!!

Thumbsucker Snitch: I have a question for you, O Goddess of Snittery.  Did you actually create the pairing or did you just perfect it?  Just curious ... Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for the review, I love you!! :D

arwenevenstar88: I LOVE NIRVANA TOO!  WOO HOO! lol anyway thank you soooo much for the review, it made me incredibly happy.

queenofgondor21: Man, I love Johnny Depp!!!  Have you seen "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"?  It's an older movie but he was fantastic in that, I think that's when he first earned my respect ... Man, I sound like a GRANDMOTHER!  "He really earned my respect" AAAH!  Here, allow me to speak like the normal teenage girl I am: Johnny Depp is a sexy beast and a great actor and I love the hell outta him!  Ah, there we go.  Thank you for reviewing!

Elizabeth Krueger: I'm very VERY glad you liked it, thank you sooo much for the review!!! :D

kellyanne: Wow.  Thank you.  MAN your review made me grin, thank you so much!!  (And it's ok if you don't boweth at my feeteth for this chapter, I am well aware that it sucks.  I was having serious issues writing it today ... dunno what happened.)

Scout73: Ah, I didn't forget your shoutout on this one, at least ... :-) Sorry about that.  Thank you so much for reviewing, and I apologize for the lack of Mr. Freddy and Itey in this chapter.  Gah, the more shoutouts I write the more depressed I am!  This chapter really did suck.  I hate sucky chapters ... Anyway, thank you for reviewing, love ya!

SpotLover421: Thank you so much for reviewing, I am glad this story made you squeal! (lol) And I am sorry for this sucky chapter ... :-(

Oxymoronic Alliteration: Sweet name, man ... Definitely lovin' it.  Anyway thank you so much for the review!  I am very glad this story made you squeal, lol.

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Author's Note: If I haven't already said so in your shoutout, I am very sorry that this chapter was not that great ... ok, so it really sucked.  But I accept that, and I don't want you to think that I am actually PROUD of this writing. :-) (Half-assed smile like Skittery) Anyway, thanks to all readers and reviewers, I love you all!!!

-Saturday