Page 115 of Cruel Legacy

Because he’s wearing them in his social media pictures, but there’s no way I’m confessing to looking at his profile in a moment of weakness when I was slightly curious about him.

“You’re not gonna tell me, are you?”

“I can’t tell what I don’t know.”

He smiles. “Fine, Pet. Keep your secrets. But one day you’re gonna tell me everything.” He turns and starts walking. I fall into step beside him. He’s got the tickets and I want to see this show. I’ll reimburse him, of course.

“The day I tell you anything is the day you fall to your feet in a crowd and publicly pledge your undying love and devotion to me, and we both know that’ll never happen.”

The actual exhibit doesn’t open until after sunset. I was coming early to get tickets, but since I don’t need to, I have a few hours to kill. I hope I’m not about to make a huge mistake. “Look, I, um, appreciate you getting in line early to get me a ticket. I guess the least I can do is feed you before you head back to campus.”

“I didn’t just get you a ticket, Pet.” He holds up his hand and fans the ticket out, showing there’s two of them. “Why do you look so surprised?”

I’m here alone, because LJ had to cancel and Austin wasn’t interested. “I didn’t think this was your kind of thing.”

“Ask anyone who was here for my skateboard era. They’ll tell you this is totally my kind of thing.”

“You had a skateboard?”

“Still do. I just don’t use it anymore.”

This is the first time Finn and I have actually ever talked, and I admit I’m curious about him. “Why not?”

He shrugs. “Because it was time to grow up.”

“I don’t think there’s an age limit on skateboarding. The X games let you compete forever.” We dart across the street, trying to outrun a car. When we get to the other side, I say, “I never quite got into any forms of skating. I was more of a bicycle and motorcycle kind of girl. But if I knew how, I’d be using it to get around campus.”

“When we first moved back from Europe, I was really into skate culture. Going down the hills felt like flying. Then I started learning and mastering flip tricks. Canyon Falls doesn’t have a skate park or ramp, so I was using any structure I could to get those same angles and heights.”

Those are the same things we did to make bike ramps.

“Eventually, my dad had enough with the broken bones and convinced me to find a hobby where I’d land on my feet. That’s when I started taking my Parkour training seriously, and I never looked back.” He looks over at me. “That’s how I know Carsello is passable. I used the buildings on that street to get here.”

I gape at him. “You did not.”

“I did. It’s how I get around most of the time when I don’t have my car. I’d do the same thing on campus, but there’s some liability issues associated with that.”

Nothing about Finn says rule follower. I noted that character trait the first day we met. “So you’re saying you’ve never done it?”

He grabs my arm, pulling me up to face him. “You want me to tell you all my dirty little secrets, Pet?”

“I don’t know. How dirty are they?”

“Absolutely filthy.”

I chuckle. That’s doubtful.

“You don’t believe me?”

“I can’t say one way or the other. Filth is in the eyes of the listener.”

His thumb strokes cross my shoulder. “I’ll share something with you, but you’ll have to do the same.”

I back away and resume our journey towards our destination in search of food. “I don’t wanna know anything about you.”

“What if I say I’ll tell you a secret about the campus?”

I pivot around and walk back towards him. “Keep talking.”

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