Page 113 of The Baller

Radley rammed an elbow into my ribs. “Youdoknow, we’re looking for Scout.”

“Who’s Scout?”

“Parker’s unrequited love interest.”

Millie rubbed her hands together with ill-concealed glee; the exact same look Tanner got when he was up to something. “Oooh, where is she?”

“There,” pointed Tanner, “in the green fluffy coat.”

“Don’t make it so obvious,” snapped Parker, still hiding behind me.

“It’s not obvious if none of us can find her.”

We all stood there, our eyes slowly scanning through the crowded ice, playing our own version of Where’s Waldo; the real-life version iswayharder. Everyone was moving, falling, and passing behind other skaters. It took a minute filtering out the dozens of other colors dotted across the ice until we found the green coat and the girl inside it with pale blonde hair, slowly skating alongside a tall-ish guy dressed in black.

“Oh, she’s pretty.”

“I know,” gritted out Parker, who ducked down again as she skated past, even though there was at least ten yards and fifteen people between us and her. “Fuck, I can’t believe this. What are they doing here?”

“Skating.”

Parker shot Tanner a death stare he could only have learned from Special Agent America. “I’m getting outta here.”

Radley crouched down to where he was still hiding. “No! Parker, don’t go. Don’t let them ruin your afternoon when we’re having so much fun.”

“I don’t want to be here while they’re all couple-y, and I’m just reminded that I was too much of a pussy to make a move. Goddamn Christmas couples,” he grumbled, looking right at me like it was my fault.

“You know,” Millie began as she tapped a bright pink nail against her cheek while she stared through the crowd to where Scout was, “she doesn’t look that happy, or couple-y.”

Parker nearly slipped over from the speed he stood upright, only just saving himself from landing on his ass. Tanner tried to stop his snort of laughter, but instead, he knocked himself off balance. For several seconds, the pair of them flailed about, their arms spinning like rotor blades before they dropped in a heap on the ice.

“Why are my friends so embarrassing?” I muttered, holding out both hands to help them up.

“They’re hilarious, what are you talking about?” barked out Millie, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “I would pay money to see that again.”

But Parker wasn’t amused in the slightest. The second he was balanced again, his eyes scanned around the crowded rink. “Where is she?”

“There.”

We all turned – carefully – in the direction Millie was pointing.

“I dunno,” Parker sighed, with a long sorry-looking shake of his head. “They look couple-y to me.”

“I’m telling you, she’s not happy. Rads, don’t you think?”

Radley’s eyes narrowed. “I agree. They don’t look happy.”

“Yeah, that’s a cuffing season romance if I ever saw one.”

Tanner, Parker, and I all turned to look at Millie. I did the honors. “A what?”

“Cuffing season.”

“What is cuffing season?”

Her eyes fixed on us one at a time, her brows shooting up until they disappeared under her bobble hat. “You know, when the weather starts getting colder and you find someone to get all snuggly with in the winter, when you want to stay in more.” She banged her wrists together. “Cuffing.”

Tanner thumbed to Radley and me. “Like these two?”

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