‘Move your asses and get over here!’ Rory yells from the rink, her words descending into a squeal as Wyatt grabs her hands and starts spinning her around. Her ginger waves become a blur, melting into the strobe lighting that flashes around the rink.
For a moment, I forgot they were here. What I thought was an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Duke outside of the bar when he’d texted me suggesting we try ticking off roller-skating from my bucket list, turned into agroup outing. When he picked me up today, I discovered Wyatt and Rory already in his truck.
‘You don’t mind that I invited the others, do you?’ Duke had asked when I opened the door, then let me know that FlissandWolfman would also be meeting us at the roller rink.
‘The more the merrier,’ I’d replied with a measly attempt of a smile, my cheeks aching by the time we got here from trying to stop my face from dropping.
But it’s fine. I’ll get over it.
‘Coming!’ I shout back to Rory, finishing tying up my skates and reminding myself that today is about ticking an item off the list,notspending time with a guy.
Wobbling far more than I’d like to, I bring myself up to a stand, spotting where Wolfman and Fliss have just skated onto the rink. Fliss takes to the floor so easily, skating to the rhythm of the music as blissfully as a bird soaring along the breeze. With a too-cocky grin for someone who’s only ever skated once before, Wolfman follows. He keeps relatively close to the edge with the rest of the people on the rink but manages to stay steady on his feet. He shouts, ‘Show off!’ at Fliss.
She throws him the middle finger as she rockets past, hair billowing behind her.
Rory, on the other hand, is pouting at Wyatt like a little kid, begging him to come rescue her from where he’d pushed her into the centre of the rink after spinning her around. His laugh rings out, almost as loud as the music, where Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ is currently playing. The sight warms my heart as I know Wyatt would never have been that bothered about coming roller-skating before meeting Rory. Yet now, I’ve never seen him do and smile so much.
‘Ready to shake it, Baby Hensley?’ Duke slides up beside me where I’m now at the opening to the rink, clutching the wall for dear life. I mentally prepare myself for the incredibly high likelihood that I’ll be falling on my ass, or even face-planting, at some point today. In front of Duke, to make it worse.
But I’ll survive. Besides, didn’t Kelly Clarkson say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger? And that’s why I’m here. To make up for all those roller-skating parties I missed when my epilepsy started, which left both me and my parents with a silly fear of me falling.
I swallow down a reassuring breath, before nodding. ‘Let’s shake it.’
‘For the catfish swimming down deep in the creek?’ Duke asks with a stifled smile along with the chorus, pretending to detest this song, even though I’ve seen him tapping his foot to the beat plenty of times when it’s been playing from the jukebox at the bar. He gestures ahead of him for me to step onto the rink first.
‘Obviously,’ I add with a chuckle, plonking my feet onto the rink and praying that I last at least thirty seconds before collapsing. I throw one last glance over my shoulder at Duke, and the tangle of nerves in my stomach is met with a shot of confidence at the way he’s watching me. Maybe I can do this, knowing he’s there behind me. ‘Don’t forget the crickets and the critters and the squirrels, too.’
‘Of course,’ he responds.
I turn back round and school my features into determination, waiting for that unexpected burst of motivation to start moving.
Except, it doesn’t, but I do move forward – because Duke suddenly gives me a shove, rolling me further into the rink. I let out a rather loudwoah!as I scramble to get my balance, probably looking like a spider on a hot plate.
I’m instantly in the middle of the flowing sea of people skating in a clockwise direction around the rink, denim and plaid whipping past as they try to dodge me. My heartrate skyrockets at the chaos.
But it forces me into unexpected action, and I have to start taking long strides to fall into pace with everyone so that I’m not holding people up or cutting them off.
I want to look behind me to shoot a daggered look at Duke but there’s no way I can take my eyes off my path without toppling over right now. My legs are all wobbly like a little foal’s first steps. My heart rattles behind my ribcage as I try to remind myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other to the beat of the music. But I’m still upright, and that’s what matters.
Because I can do this.
I let out a chuckle of disbelief.
Warm pride bolsters me, straightening out my shoulders and giving me extra drive with each stride I take. Damn Duke, because as annoyed as I am at him for pushing me, I’m not sure I would’ve picked this up as quickly without it.
‘What the hell are those?!’Somewhere in the background, Wyatt’s and Wolfman’s laughs bellow out, filtering through the music and skating crowds, presumably as they caught sight of Duke’s flashy skates.
‘Oh my God! I want a pair!’ Rory’s voice then rings out.
Fliss suddenly blasts past me, somehow already skating backwards, and hollers, ‘Woo! You go, Cherry!’
She circles back, slowing down to skate leisurely by my side and hook an arm through mine. ‘You’re doing way better than I expected,’ Fliss admits, her grin shining.
‘Thanks for the belief,’ I laugh through long breaths, half-focused on the direction I’m heading.
‘I only say that because I fell flat on my ass the second I got on the rink during my first time.’ She shrugs. ‘But that’s how you learn to get back up.’
Right. That’s what this is all about. Getting back up from where I let myself drop to all those years ago.
