Page 24 of Beneath the Surface

I did not halt my steps, so he had to jog to catch up to me.

“Are you really okay, Ava?”

“None of us are okay.” There wasn’t a point in lying. “But tomorrow is a new day, and we can get some answers then.”

When we got to my car, Micah waited for me so I could get in. It was very sweet of him to do so. Without thinking, I leaned up to kiss his cheek.

“Night,” I told him.

As I left the parking lot and looked in my rearview mirror, I could see Grayson was still watching me.

Growing up was testing how many times you could press the snooze button without being late. I was really debating if I should go to my sorority house meeting. It was the same shit every year. If I coached kids on the weekends, I could get the extra fifty I would need for the fine and then some.

I sat up straight and then everything else came rushing back at me. I was fucked in more ways than one. I avoided thinking about that damn text. My list of priorities included going to the house, then tracking Cruz down.

Fuck.

If word got around that I had been seen with Grayson at the races—and then back at his hockey house, I was in for a shit show at the sorority house.

I really wanted to skip, but it was better to get it over with.

Augh.

Grabbing a pair of leggings and one of my sorority T-shirts, I walked down the stairs. The smell of pancakes instantly filled the air, and I stilled.

“Dad?” I called out to him, knowing he was the only one who could be cooking.

“Hey, baby girl!” he yelled back.

When I made it to the kitchen, sure enough, he was there wearing a Barracudas apron, a spatula in one hand, and a stack of pancakes on the counter next to him.

Despite everything going on, the smile that graced my face was genuine.

“What’s all of this?” I motioned to the food as I reached for a paper plate. Since Daddy and I were both busy, when either one of us cooked, we opted for the easier option.

Yay for no dishes.

“I’ve been busy with the shop. You’ve been busy with skating and getting settled into your new classes.” My dad shrugged as he loaded my plate with two pancakes. “I figured we could at least try to eat together every other day.”

My throat clogged.

Why was I so damn sentimental lately?

“I’d like that, Daddy.”

In this moment I was reminded that despite everything, I still had him, but it killed me to know that if this went bad, he would be so disappointed in me.

15

MICAH

The human brain was amazing. The fact that I could compartmentalize the absolute fear that threatened to freeze my body every time I thought about the texts and the events of the summer, and still be able to function? Ava, Grayson, Cruz, and I were receiving those fucked-up texts that had to do with the lake—otherwise, why would we be targeted? We’d never all hung out together otherwise. That was enough to keep me up at night, but yet here I was, with the same fucking worries that always played on my mind. Will I ever live up to my dad’s expectations? Unlikely. Am I going to get the grades I need? Hopefully. Will Grayson Cross ever stop being the bane of my existence? Also unlikely. Unless my dad stopped worshiping the ground he walked on?—

Speaking of.

“Good. Again.” My dad’s voice boomed across the rink, the semblance of a smile on his face as he watched Grayson skate from one end of the rink to the other in swift, powerful strokes, his stick connecting with the puck that Smith shot in his direction. My dad didn’t even look away from the action as hesnapped his fingers in my direction. “Micah. Make sure you get all of this.”

I obediently lifted my camera, capturing the brutal grace of the Barracudas as they executed their drills with perfect precision. There might have been more pictures of Grayson than anyone else, but that was to be expected, with him being the captain and star player.

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