Page 44

“Oh, not at all. It appears that it’s been up for the past five years, and there’s all kinds of shit posted by the middle and high schoolers,” Liliana explains. “I don’t remember being such a bitch.”

“Lili,” Ignacio starts with a laugh. “Baby, you were the one people ran away from when they saw you coming. You’re a stab-first kind of girl.”

“So you weren’t joking about that?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“No,” Liliana says. “If you’re in a position where you even think you need to pull out your knife, you use it. Also, people really do call Alastair, Draven, and Ciaran the “devils”, despite it being the overall name of the school’s mascot. I bet people jump when they tell them to.”

“Alastair pissed himself,” Ignacio snorts. “They don’t build kids the way they used to.”

I can’t help my giggle as Ignacio glances up at the rearview mirror and winks at me.

“Look, they’re clearly pulling the strings at the school, so they deserve whatever you dish out,” he says.

Pulling into the parking lot, he finds a spot and puts the truck in park.

“Let’s go buy a pair of skates,” he says, grabbing the keys. “Don’t look at prices, this is a fun trip.”

“It’s also a necessity if you’re going to be skating more,” Liliana adds, unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car.

I carefully climb out as well, and shut the door as we begin walking toward the store.

“Try on a few pairs to see what works,” Ignacio suggests.

I used to have a favorite brand of skates, and wonder if they are still in business. Stepping into the store, I breathe in the scent of leather.

“Hi,” a girl with long curls says, coming over from where she’s stocking shoes. She appears to be in her early twenties and gives us a bright smile. “How can I help you?”

“We need a pair of skates for Noor,” Ignacio says. “I’m not sure of her shoe size so she’ll need to be measured. However, I would prefer something that has good balance and stability.”

That’s smart. I bob my head in agreement, and move forward to where she wants me so that she can measure my feet.

“What kind of skating are you most likely going to be doing?” she asks. “And are you a beginner or someone who’s been skating for a while?”

“I used to skate competitively as a kid, but it’s been years since I’ve done it,” I say.

“Okay. I’m Emily, by the way. My parents own the store. I’ve been skating since I was a toddler, or so it feels. Were you a figure skater?” she asks.

“I was,” I admit. “I won’t be doing that now, but I’ll be skating a lot more in the near future.”

“Mysterious, I like it,” she grins. “Okay, I have your size, let me go find some different options.”

“Is there somewhere I can sit?” I ask tentatively.

“Oh my goodness, yes!” she says. “There’s a bunch of couches at the back of the store. Get comfortable, and I’ll come find you.”

She disappears down an aisle, and I walk with Ignacio and Liliana to find the sitting area. They don’t say anything because they know standing isn’t my favorite.

Finding a spot I like, I look around the back area of the store. There are posters for both female and male hockey teams, Olympic ice games, and teams around the area that need players for pick up games.

“This place is kind of cool,” I murmur.

“Emily seems like she knows what she’s doing too,” Ignacio grunts.

“She does. I should be fine,” I say. “It’s just a matter of getting comfortable and used to my skates.”

Half an hour later, I’m trying to decide between two pairs of skates. They are both balanced well, my foot isn’t cramped, but one has an attached skate blade while the other doesn’t.

I have very narrow feet now, and the toe box feels better on the skates I tried on before. Blowing out a breath, I sit down again and pull them off.