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I could barely speak “Is that all?”

“No I think youand piano at fourteen when you left home to train with Bree across the country You don’t think you can do both and succeed So you picked skating because you did love it You still do deep down even if it’syou e, that peace and joy I saw on your face? That’s what skating should be too Yeah, of course training is hard, and nothing is all good all the time But you don’t need to try for the Olympics if you don’t really, really actually want to”

My chest heaved I sahite spots

Sam lifted his arms and let them fall “Okay Cry or yell at me or I dunno what”

All I could do was lunge for hi him off his feet as we kissed He loved h to tellhishis arms around me

He was asped against his lips as we stumbled out of the bathroom

On my back in that perfect bed, I opened for him the way I had in rowing confidence as we kissed and clutched each other Had it only been twenty-four hours since the first time?

I supposed that was another truth I had to accept even though it felt like I’d been kissing Sam forever

Bree teased me about Sam on the walk to the arena and as we laced our skates She was thankfully having a good concussion day We were early and alone at thewith her as we sat on one of the benches backstage in our stretchy warm-up clothes

Mya speech What I wanted to tell her What I was terrified to tell her

I knew she didn’t like it in Hackensack Still, butterflies flapped in my acidy stomach Maybe I should wait Tomorroas New Year’s Eve We’d only have an afternoon show, and then we could celebrate with Ti to ruin that?