Page 58 of At the Edge with You

Skyye’s face lights up as she wiggles on the ice. I help her unhook and ask, “Have you been running?”

She nods. “Every morning.”

I groan. “I might need to join. I need some motivation.”

We skate toward the boards for a break. “Please, I’d love that.”

“Where are you running?”

“At school.”

“Prep or public?”

Skyye scoffs. “My dad is a fire chief, and my mom is a teacher. We can’t afford Prep.”

Now, my cheeks flush with color. I hate that about Prep. It’s so ungodly expensive that only old money can afford to attend. We have a lot of kids who come in from North Carolina and Knoxville since it’s one of the best schools in the state. I wish it were more affordable, but the 1% like having better toys than everyone else. “The track?” I ask, not able to comment on her statement. I think Dean and Missy work hard, and it’s frustrating that’s not enough.

She nods, excitement in her eyes at the possibility of my running with her. “Yup, every morning at six.”

I groan again, and she laughs loudly. I take a long pull of my water, but I notice that Skyye keeps looking to the left. I look for what has her attention, to find it’s only her dad, Liam, and Jett. The three are tearing out the bleachers so the new ones can be installed. Liam and Dean are hard at work, but Jett is leaning against a pole, his eyes on me.

I flush from head to toe, and all he does is grin.

“I think Coach Cook likes you.”

A startled sound leaves my lips as I whip my gaze to her. “What?”

“Coach Cook is into you. All he does is stare and smile at you. Like, all the time,” she says, laughter tingeing her words. “I’ve known him my whole life, and I think I’ve seen him smile four times before you got here. Now, it’s all he does. But it’s a weird smile, like all sneaky. It’s gross.”

I rather think it’s hot, but my preference is way different from a fourteen-year-old’s. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re friends, old partners.”

She sets me with a very serious look. “He wants to Netflix and chill, Coach, or hockey game and chill, or whatever you old people do.”

I feign hurt. “Whoa, I’m not old.”

She shrugs. “He is!”

“We’re the same age!”

Her face scrunches up at that. “You look really good, which is why he wants to smash.”

“For the love of God, what are they teaching you at this public school?”

She snorts. “It’s not the school, it’s the kids, and everyone is looking for a sneaky link.”

Sneaky link? The hell? “Not you, though.”

A look of pure incredulousness covers Skyye’s sweet face. “No way. I’ve got goals, and they don’t include getting pregnant and stuck in Thistlebrook.”

I pat her shoulder. “That’s my girl.”

She sends me a proud grin. “But for real, he’s into you.”

I look over, watching as Dean holds an old plank in his hand while Jett hammers the nails down so that no one pokes themselves when they are transferring them. Jett gives Dean a dark look and then mutters something that only has Dean grinning from ear to ear, reminding me of Skyye.

“I don’t know.”

“I do,” she sings, skating toward the harness. “And I think you like him.”

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