Page 105 of Salto

I could sense that she didn’t mean it.

Beside me, Rove suddenly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees in the same position as me.

His shoulder brushed mine.

“She got a 14.0 on bars,” he said.

My face heated.

I turned to look at him.

His hair was swept back from his face, a towel slung around his neck. The ink on his arm was even more prominent in this light. He looked relaxed yet somehow also a little menacing.

“Whoa, nice Scarlet,” Dean commented from across the fire.

“That's amazing,” Lexi added.

I glanced back toward Sloane.

“Good for you, Shortcake,” Sloane said, her smile tight.

The nickname felt like a slap in the face for the first time ever. Maybe because it was what Laney and Mia usually called me. And it had been a term of endearment. One that no one else in this circle knew.

“Shortcake?” Miles asked, his brow furrowing.

Sloane looked entirely too pleased with herself.

“Old nickname Scarlet used to have on our NCAA team,” Sloane explained.

“Yeah, because you know I’m a redhead and I’m short,” I said dryly. “Super original, isn’t it?”

“I like it,” AJ said.

I resisted the urge to groan.

“Nah, Red’s better,” Rove said suddenly.

My heart stuttered, and I looked over at him again, my eyes widening.

“Red's cool. Way better than the nickname I got. What if I don’t want to be called Dean the Machine?” Dean complained.

“Too bad,” Rove said with a smirk. “It’s a coach perk. We get to hand out the nicknames.”

Dean tossed a marshmallow at Rove from across the fire.

His aim was off, and it sailed toward me.

Rove caught the little ball of sugar before it could hit me, then popped it into his mouth.

His eyes met mine.

And he winked.

I shook my head, fighting a smile, then pretended to be very interested in the fire again.

The conversation topic moved onto nicknames, and everyone started talking about their own. Thankfully, the attention on me seemed to have faded, and I found the perfect moment to escape the circle.

I stood from my chair, glancing over at Rove.