“Sorry,” I said, walking up to him and watching as he hobbled over to the bench and sank down with defeat. “Have you been training this hard all day?” He shrugged. “I’ve got another match tomorrow, and my skills are slipping. I’d still be practicing if I didn’t just break my stick.” I was silent f
Nina Enzo and I spun on the ice and laughed together until we became so dizzy that we spun out of control and fell down. This only made us laugh harder, and as I regained my composure, I pushed myself up onto my palms and couldn’t help but smile down at Enzo. He smiled back up at me as well. For a
A small gasp escaped my lips as I watched. They stayed like that for some time, just silently showing their solidarity with Enzo at the center of the line. They stared quietly at the protesters until the protesters finally got escorted out by security. The rest of the crowd cheered once they were a
Nina Out of nowhere, Enzo kissed me. He kissed me hard and fast, and it was over as quickly as it began. I continued to crouch in front of him, blinking dazedly as I processed what just happened. His hands, which he’d cupped on either side of my cheeks, dropped down to his side. He stood suddenly
The feeling of anxiety in my stomach returned. I picked up my pace as my building came into view and glanced over my shoulder, still feeling as though I was being watched. “What for?” I asked. “Well, I’ve been thinking of visiting your aunt overseas. You have next week off of school, right? Would y
Nina I cocked my head. My mother smiled up at me and pushed the plate containing my sandwich into my hands. “Eat up, honey,” she said. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.” “U-Um… I’ve just been stressed.” I picked my sandwich up off my plate and took a bite, chewing for a
Nina My door swung open. Enzo’s eyes went wide as he looked at something behind me, and when I turned, my own eyes widened too. My mother was standing in the doorway, her nostrils flaring angrily and her eyes full of fiery fury, and she was holding a baseball bat. Before I could stop her, she rushe
Nina “Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go with you.” My mom let out a relieved sigh. Without a word, she rushed over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt myself tense under her touch for a moment before I relaxed and wrapped my arms around her. For a long time, we held each other, crying, and eve
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied