Sindre sto og hutret i skolegården ved Fjellheimen Videregående Skole.

Sindre stood shivering in the schoolyard at Fjellheimen Videregående Skole.

Snøen dalte rolig ned fra himmelen, og fjellene rundt skolen var kledd i hvite tepper.

The snow was gently falling from the sky, and the mountains around the school were covered in white blankets.

I dag skulle hele klassen dra til de nærliggende skibakkene på skoleutflukt.

Today, the entire class was going to the nearby ski slopes on a school trip.

For Sindre var dette både spennende og skremmende.

For Sindre, this was both exciting and terrifying.

Han så bort på Emma.

He looked over at Emma.

Hun lo sammen med venninnen sin, Kari.

She was laughing with her friend, Kari.

Emma hadde et smil som kunne lyse opp selv den mest grå vinterdagen.

Emma had a smile that could brighten even the most gray winter day.

Sindre hadde lenge vært forelsket i henne, men hadde aldri turt å si noe.

Sindre had been in love with her for a long time but had never dared to say anything.

Nå håpet han at denne skituren ville gi ham sjansen til å imponere henne.

Now he hoped this ski trip would give him the chance to impress her.

"Har du med skiene dine, Sindre?

"Do you have your skis with you, Sindre?"

" ropte Kari over til ham.

Kari shouted over to him.

"Klart det!

"Of course!"

" svarte han.

he replied.

Sannheten var at Sindre aldri hadde vært på ski før.

The truth was that Sindre had never been skiing before.

Han hadde lånt skiutstyr av en gammel onkel i håp om å skjule hemmeligheten sin.

He had borrowed ski equipment from an old uncle in the hope of hiding his secret.

Bussen nærmet seg skibakken, og Sindre kunne kjenne nervene stramme seg i magen.

The bus approached the ski slope, and Sindre could feel the nerves tightening in his stomach.

Han bestemte seg for at han måtte ta sjansen på den bratteste bakken for å vise at han var en ekte skiløper.

He decided he had to take a chance on the steepest slope to prove he was a real skier.

Han kjente viktigheten av å passe inn, spesielt med Emma i nærheten.

He felt the importance of fitting in, especially with Emma nearby.

Klassen delte seg opp i grupper da de kom frem.

The class split into groups when they arrived.

Sindre snek seg bort til Emma og Kari.

Sindre sneaked over to Emma and Kari.

"Skal vi ta den største bakken sammen?

"Should we take the biggest slope together?"

" spurte han modig.

he asked bravely.

Emma nikket ivrig.

Emma nodded eagerly.

Sindre satte i gang, full av frykt og spenning.

Sindre set off, full of fear and excitement.

Han hadde ingen anelse om hva han skulle gjøre, men han visste at dette var hans mulighet.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he knew this was his chance.

Da han sto på toppen av den bratte bakken, ble realiteten klar for ham.

When he stood at the top of the steep slope, reality became clear to him.

Han hadde mistet kontrollen før han i det hele tatt startet.

He had lost control before he even started.

Skiene hans virvlet ut av kurs, og plutselig suste han nedover med en hastighet han ikke kunne kontrollere.

His skis swerved out of course, and suddenly he was hurtling down at a speed he couldn't control.

Midt i løpet mistet han balansen og falt i en stor haug av snø.

In the midst of the run, he lost his balance and fell into a large heap of snow.

Hele klassen så på, inkludert Emma.

The whole class watched, including Emma.

Sindre lå der et øyeblikk, redd for alles reaksjon.

Sindre lay there for a moment, afraid of everyone's reaction.

Men så hørte han et kjent latter.

But then he heard a familiar laugh.

Emma kom bort til ham, med et åpent og vennlig smil.

Emma came over to him with an open and friendly smile.

Hun hjalp ham opp mens hun ristet på hodet.

She helped him up while shaking her head.

"Du hadde ikke trengt å late som, Sindre," sa hun og lo.

"You didn't have to pretend, Sindre," she said, laughing.

"Vi kan alle lære sammen.

"We can all learn together."

"Sindre følte en tyngde løftet fra skuldrene hans.

Sindre felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

I det øyeblikket skjønte han at han ikke trengte å late som å være noen han ikke var.

In that moment, he realized he didn't need to pretend to be someone he wasn't.

Han kunne være seg selv, og det var nok.

He could be himself, and that was enough.

Han smilte tilbake til Emma og sa takk.

He smiled back at Emma and said thank you.

Det var begynnelsen på en ny type selvtillit for Sindre.

It was the beginning of a new kind of confidence for Sindre.

Og fra den dagen skjønte han at det å bli kjent og akseptert for den man virkelig er, var mer verdifullt enn å forsøke å være noe man ikke er.

And from that day on, he realized that being known and accepted for who he truly is was more valuable than trying to be something he's not.

Han så opp på fjellene rundt seg, og for første gang så han på dem med glede, i stedet for frykt.

He looked up at the mountains around him, and for the first time, he gazed at them with joy instead of fear.

Han gledet seg til å lære å kjøre ski, denne gangen på ekte.

He was looking forward to learning to ski, this time for real.