“The judge?”
Jane was the official whose harsh artistic score cost Heath and me a medal at Nationals. And now there she was, laughing with the Lins like they were old friends.
“Don’t tell me you thought this sport wasfair,” Ellis said. “That’s adorable.”
He pointed out a few other guests. “She’s a judge too. And him. And that guy’s the current second in command at the U.S. Figure Skating Association, but if Sheila has her way, he’ll have the top job by the start of the season.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I pay attention.” He raised his glass in a sweeping gesture. “You want to win on the ice, you have to win here first.”
I didn’t want to believe him. I thought my talent and hard work would be enough.
That’s how young and foolish I was.
—
As the sun faded and the temperature fell, all the partygoers who’d been on the patio retreated indoors. The doors were pulled shut against the night air, and what had been a pleasant hum of small talk and soft music became a cacophony, ricocheting off the vaulted ceiling.
Still no sign of Heath. A headache brewed behind my eyes, from the noise and the too sweet mocktail and all that smiling, so I left Ellis trading Parisian nightlife tales with Arielle’s partner, Lucien, and slipped into the backyard alone.
The night might have felt freezing to the Californians, but it was balmy to me. And quiet, despite the distant thunder of fireworks displays farther down the coast. I slipped off my shoes and let my feet sink into the grass.
I didn’t miss my house. I certainly didn’t miss my brother. But I had missed that feeling. Breeze on my skin, blades of grass between my toes, waves crashing in the distance. I shut my eyes for a moment, savoring the calm, steeling myself to go back inside.
When I opened them again, I saw her.
Bella Lin. She perched on the stone wall bordering the in-ground swimming pool. Her hair was down, tumbling past her shoulders—the first time I’d seen it loose.
She hadn’t spotted me yet. I weighed my options. If I was quick, I could sneak back inside before she noticed my presence.
Too late. Bella looked up, and I braced myself for another scathing glare.
It never came. Her eyes were softer than I’d ever seen them, and her usually ballet-perfect posture was slumped. But it wasn’t simply weariness.
Bella Lin looked lonely.
I took a step toward her. She’d removed her shoes too, and her bare feet dangled over the water, her shiny pedicure reflecting the eerie blue of the pool lights.
“What are you doing out here all alone?” I asked.
“Well, I’m not alone now, am I.” Her voice was flat, impassive.
There I was, trying to be nice—okay, maybe notnice,but civil, at least. And she was throwing it back in my face. The longer I let heranimosity go unchallenged, the more power she’d have over me. Better to get it all out in the open.
“Look.” I folded my arms. “I know you don’t like me. I ran into you at Nationals—whichwasan accident, by the way—and you don’t want me here. At this party, or at the Academy.”
Bella stared at me. It was the same unreadable expression Sheila wore during training.
“But I’m not going anywhere,” I continued. “So we’re going to have to learn to get along, or at least to—”
“You’re wrong.”
“Excuse me?”
“Idowant you here,” Bella said.
I scoffed. “Really.”
