Page 44 of Wicked Serve

I drape my arm over the back of her chair. “Do you want advice, or do you just want me to listen?”

“Advice.” She kisses me softly. “And thank you for asking.”

“You’re not the whole team. That play might’ve been on you, but your teammates could have stepped up throughout the match to make sure it didn’t come to a tiebreaker in the first place.”

“Fair enough,” she grumbles.

“Plus, mistakes happen. They’ll happen again, to me and to you, and the only thing to do is get back out there and do better with your next opportunity.”

“You know how closely she’s watching me.”

“And I know that you’re rising to the challenge.” I tug gently on the ends of her hair. “Will vending machine candy make you feel better?”

When I come back with a packet of M&M’s, I see that she spread out her own books, apparently content to settle in for a late-night homework session alongside me. She smiles as she takes the candy. “I have stats homework to do. Although I’m really not good at this class. James would be, he’s great at math. Cooper and Sebastian always get straight As, too. And I’m just... ugh. I’ve never been good at it.”

I suppress the face I want to make. She compares herself to her brothers way too often, but I don’t want to upset her again by bringing it up. I know her family is competitive, but I hate the way it makes her feel inferior.

“Want help?” I say instead. “I’ve taken a lot of statistics for my major.”

“You have to write your paper.”

“It’s not due until next week.” I drag her textbook between us. “What topic are you up to?”

My phone buzzes on the table. I glance at it, stomach tightening at the number. Dad, calling yet again. If he had his way, I’d be in Russia for a tour with SKA St. Petersburg over Thanksgiving break. I silence the phone and slide it into my pocket.

“Do you need to get that?” she says.

“It’s nothing. Spam.” I clear my throat, peering at the textbook. I wish I could say for certain that I won’t be returning the call, but I know I will. Just when I’m alone. “Oh, variable data. Riveting.”

She fiddles with her pen—pink, of course; my heart squeezes with fondness—giving me a look that lingers longer than I’d like. “Are you sure? You already helped me tonight.”

“So? I can keep going.” I lean in, delighting in the way she shivers as my breath washes over her ear. “All night, sunshine.”

She jabs my side. “Don’t you dare try to make math sexy.”

“That sounds like a challenge to me.”

She glares, but I catch the way her lips twitch. “Fine. Teach me about variable data.”

I’m about to answer when I remember the fall festival in Moorbridge that she mentioned to me in passing the other day. Going into town together would be risky—there’s a reason why we go to the pool so early, and why we’re careful about who sees her come to my dorm—but she’d love it. I know we’re just friends, and I ought to be reminding myself of all the reasons why I could never be with her, but for an evening, it’d be nice to pretend we’re more.

“If you promise to sneak out with me tomorrow.” I can tell she’s intrigued by the way her eyes light up. “Maybe you can finally give me that tour of town you’ve been promising before the festival.”

Chapter 21

Nikolai

“I still can’t believe you haven’t really been downtown,” Isabelle says, balancing on the edge of the sidewalk like she’s walking a tightrope. Overhead, the last vestiges of sunset fade out in favor of the stars. “Do you do anything but school and hockey?”

“Well, there’s you.”

She wobbles in place, her mouth dropping open. “Oh, that’s dirty.”

“You walked right into it, sweetheart.” My lips twitch as I steady her with a hand on her back. She’s wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a pumpkin-patterned top with an oversized yellow cardigan. Her hair’s loose, held away from her face with clips. When I met her on the sidewalk just around the corner from her house, she looked around with exaggerated carefulness before leaping into my arms for a kiss. “Are you sure you’re not cold?”

“I’ve endured way worse for the price of being on theme.”

“Do you want my jacket?”

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