Page 106 of Salto

“Can we head out?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Rove stood up, following me out of the little pavilion with the fire pit.

“Shortcake, huh?” he said when we started across the cool, damp grass. The stars were twinkling, and I wanted to curl up with a blanket on a trampoline and have an outdoor sleepover like I did when I was a kid. It was the perfect summer night.

“Sloane was trying to push my buttons,” I said.

We exited the back gate and crossed the driveway to his Tacoma.

“You mentioned something about that earlier,” he said quietly.

He let the thought hang between us, as if waiting to see if I'd say more.

“We grew up in the same gym,” I finally said. “She went elite when we were teenagers, and I went the NCAA route. She didn't make Nationals and eventually ended up joining me at UCLA.” I looked over at him and gave him an incredulous look. “And then you came along.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “I see.”

“There wasn't really any beef until elite entered our lives again.”

“The straw that broke the camel's back?” he said.

I sighed. “I guess so.”

We reached his truck, and the streetlamp overhead was blinding. After leaving the darkness of the backyard party, I felt like I was standing beneath a UFO beam and was about three seconds away from being abducted.

He stopped by the passenger door.

“Sorry,” he said. “For ruining the peace treaty.”

A reluctant laugh escaped me.

“Yeah, you do seem to have a talent for causing problems.”

“Me?” He pressed a hand to his chest, feigning an offended expression. “I'm innocent.”

“Right?” I rolled my eyes. “Completely innocent.”

He smiled, all too pleased with himself.

I glanced at the truck, then at our surroundings again. “Can we go now?” Despite the neighborhood being gated, the shadows from the bushes and the light from the street lamp were extremely eerie. “I feel like I'm about to get abducted.”

“We're in a gated community, Red.” He laughed as he unlocked the door and opened the passenger side for me. “You're not scared of the dark, are you?”

“No, I'm scared of aliens.”

He paused, processing what I’d just said. “Aliens?”

“Yes.”

He gave me an incredulous look. “You're a little weird. You know that?”

I climbed up into the truck.

“It's too late to back out of this friendship now. You signed a contract.”

He chuckled just before shutting the door. “I wouldn't dream of it.”

CHAPTER 37