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I expected him to remove his hand from my hip in revulsion atwith me, I knew this, but I sure did enjoy it If the principal had walked by just then and sensed what I was thinking, I would have gotten detention

“Four years is a long time for us to be separated,” he crooned “We’ve both had a chance to think about e really want from our relationship”

This was true Over the four years since we’d been together, I’d co realization that no boy in my school was as hot as Nick, nobody was as much fun, and nobody was nearly as enerated fire-crotch comments about me as I passed his table in the lunchroom yesterday

Remember when another heir called a certain red-haired actress a fire-crotch on camera? No? Well, I reasp, because we knew The jokes boys stocking would finally stop, as we’d always hoped, only to be replaced by so infinitely worse

So when I heard fire-crotch whispered in the lunchroom, I assulanced at His mouth was closed as he listened to the conversation at the lunch table However, when there was commentary around school about ht not have made the comment, but I knew in my heart he was responsible

Now I chose not to relaytrial separation, lest he take his war you didn’t sign the papers, so our divorce was never finalized?”

“I’s and try a reconciliation” A strand of his dark hair came untucked fro the hair out of his eyes Oooh, I loved it when he did that! I had so of a Nick problem

His hair fell right back into his eyes Sometimes when this happened, he followed up the head jerk with the pinkie flick, but not this ti Oops I’d forgotten I was staring at him in awe

A reconciliation? Probably he was just teasingo with him before he asked me directly? This was how Nick worked He had to win He never took a bet that wasn’t a sure thing

And if he’d been listening to everyone in class prodding hi was perfect, if I did say so irlfriends (not that I kept up with his dating status) and therefore free to get together with me Everett Walsh, my boyfriend of two ht I was brazen (no!) Therefore I was free to get together with Nick

Playing it cool, I relaxed against the wall and gave his poofy parka a squeeze, which he probably couldn’t feel through the padding With ers in his lap and touched the engraving on his signet ring, which he’d told er family crest It depicted bloodthirsty lions and the antlers of the hapless deer they’d attacked and devoured—which seerade, but not for our relationship now, in eleventh I was no deer in the headlights Not anymore Coyly I said, “I’ll mention it to my lawyer” Ha!

He eyed one awry and foa over But Nick was never truly uneasy He was just taken aback that I hadn’t fallen at his feet Then he asked, “What are you doing for winter break?”

Winter break was next week We lived in a ski resort town It seemed cruel to lock us up in school the entire winter They let us out for a week every February, since the basebreak in April

Was he justaway our last few minutes of incarceration at school, or did he really want to knohat I was doing during our days off? Again I got the distinct and astonishing impression that he wanted to ask me out Perhaps I should notify Ms Abernathy of a safety hazard in her cheas just before she kicked me out

“I’ers “To with Liz Actually, Liz skis rather than boards, but she keeps up withfro squad on Monday—”

Nick laughed “Basically, anyone ill board with you”

“I guess I get around,” I agreed “I’ after a while, which I do not understand at all And then on Tuesday, I’ve entered that big snowboarding competition”

“Really!” He sounded interested and surprised, but his hand underneathI had to say He slid his hand, and oing off the juhts?”

So he’d been listening to me after all

My friends knew I’d brokenwhen I elve That actually led, in a roundabout way, to my family’s ot so interested in my physical rehab that he and my mom decided to open a health club Only they didn’t think they could make it fly in Tennessee The best place for a privately owned health club specializing in physical rehab was a toith a lot of rich people and broken legs

Thoughhad healed by the time we moved, I was still so shell-shocked fro if o withhiotten pretty good Any girl would get pretty good trying to keep up with a boy snowboarder three years younger as half insane

And that’s how I became the world’s only snowboarder with the ability to land a frontside 900 in the half-pipe and with a crippling fear of heights Not a good combination if I wanted to compete nationally

“This co war the soft denim of my jeans “For once, the only events are the slalo that would involve a juive me if I didn’t enter this one”

“You’ve got a chance,” Nick assured ood coulars on the mountain”

I shrugged—a se his hand froh “Thanks, but I expect some random chick from Aspen to sweep in and kick my ass” And when that happened, I sure could use soony of defeat, hint hint But Nick was only toying withwith me I could repeat thisacross lefest Sometimes I wished I were one of those cheerleaders/prom queens/rich socialite snowbunnies who seemed to interest Nick for a day or two at a tiers rubbing across their jeans, and whether I would too, if he asked