Page 34 of Beneath the Surface

“I never knew this was here.” Micah finally broke the ice.

“If you follow the creek for half a mile, it will lead into the lake. It’s easier to do in the fall since most trees have lost their leaves. The trail stops just ahead in the summer.”

From the corner of my eye, I could see Micah nodding as he put his hands in his pockets.

“You have problems with your old man?”

I don’t know why I asked. His family problems weren’t any of my business, but they were something that had always fascinated me. Watching family dynamics was interesting to me and to many kids who grew up without parents.

His silence spoke louder than any words could. I let myself look at him and was surprised by the anger in his eyes.

“It’s complicated.”

“At least you have that,” I said bitterly. “My mother dropped me off to get rid of her complication.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

A humorless chuckle left my lips.

“Why do people do that? Apologize for shit they had nothing to do with? That’s the problem with the world nowadays. Too many people are saying sorry, and they don’t even know what for.”

Micah didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he leaned down, took a stone, and skipped it in the water. He was actually pretty good at it because a few seconds later, I tried, and it fell flat.

“You’re pretty good,” I told him.

Since we’d kissed, he finally looked at me… He let himself see me. There was a sad smile on his lips.

“I’m just not talented in the areas my dad wants me to be.”

He didn’t need to say more. I understood what he was trying to say, and his weird dynamic with Grayson was more than brewing sexual tension. Hell, it might have started off as actual hatred at one point, but there was just one fine little line between hate and the best sex you’ve ever had.

We didn’t talk about what happened in the car. We didn’t talk about my fucked-up family life or his dad. We stayed there at that creek, skipping rocks until night fell. The lack of speaking should have been a problem, but it was nice knowing that someone was with me in that moment and no words were needed.

21

AVA

It was reckless to be out on the ice when I knew the guys all had classes, but I just needed a moment to think, and the only place I found clarity was in the rink. Every time my blades made contact with the ice, I felt languid, like all my problems had disappeared. In that hour of practice, it was just me and pure silence.

Micah’s dad was still in his office, which made me feel better. It wasn’t like I was alone in the building. I used to do that all the time. It didn’t matter how early it was or how late it went when I wanted to silence my thoughts. I was ready to hit the rink, but after that accident, I became cautious. Actually, that wasn’t the word for what I became. It was more of a recluse. It was something akin to a guilty person on trial waiting to get convicted.

At some point after the incident, I started to live my life like I was on borrowed time, but instead of living, I kept on burying myself with lies.

One foot in front of the other, I moved forward, stretching my legs and ending in a Biellmann spin.

Livy and the rest of my sorority sisters had been appeased for now. Micah was charming and trustworthy, and they fell prey to his lies. Lies that I was grateful for because the next time I saw Miller, I would end up choking him. Now Livy had an exposé in the paper showing off our house, which should keep her entertained until the Halloween party.

My goal was simple: I needed to stay away from Grayson. It sounded easy enough to say, but damn if it was getting harder to do each day, and it wasn’t just because we were navigating the same dark waters—I didn’t want to.

I almost groaned thinking about that damned party. Upping my speed, I decided to cross that bridge when we got there. When I landed my double jump, I heard a door slam shut. Slowly, I began to pivot my body to see who was there. I knew it wasn’t Coach Pierce because his office was on the other side of where the noise came from.

“Hello?” My question hung in the air.

Despite my warm clothing, I felt a chill spread through my body.

You’re being paranoid.

Calling it quits for today, I quickly took off my skates and made my way to my car. I was relieved to find that the sun had yet to set; something about being out in the daylight made me feel safer. It was delusional of me to think that monsters only came out at night.

---