Gwen rolls her eyes and waves a bored hand through the air. “Just some tennis player that no one’s ever heard of. So, what went down at the party?”
I lean back in my chair and take a big drink of my coffee. “Wyatt’s sister did a striptease on the pool table.”
“She often does that,” Aaron says.
Levi nods in agreement.
“And Wyatt was getting it on with a woman in the hot tub to such a degree I thought they were going to have sex right there and then. Really. It was cringe.”
Strangely, my friends do not respond and exchange sheepish looks instead.
“What?”
“Well…” Aaron scratches his stubble. “We avoid the topic of Wyatt to the best of our ability.”
“Okay.” They’ve aroused my interest. “Why?”
Levi and Aaron immediately look over at Gwen, but don’t say a word. When I look over at her as well, she throws her hands into the air and sighs.
“Well, you’ll hear about it sooner or later. So. Between Wyatt and me…there was something going on.”
“And?” I insist, not yet understanding why that would make the topic taboo.
Gwen bites her lower lip and casts a brief glance over her shoulder before continuing. “Back at that point… I wasn’t totally myself. In any event, I know that Wyatt wasn’t exactly disinclined. That’s why I thought the whole thing between him and Aria must’ve been over. But, well…”
My mouth drops open. “Oh, my God. You mean it wasn’t?”
Gwen presses her lips, stares into her coffee, and shakes her head.
“But afterward it was,” Levi says drily. Aaron expands, “We don’t really know what happened. Shortly after, Aria dumped him and went off to Brown, when she’d originally had Aspen University in mind.”
“There were a lot of people at the party,” Gwen mumbles. She looks remorseful. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone started a rumor about us. But…no idea. I don’t know anything for sure. Afterward, I stayed away from him.”
“God.” I look down onto the ice too stunned to say anything. Once I’ve collected myself to some degree, I shake my head. “What kind of asshole is that guy? Knox is a real lamb in contrast.”
Gwen groans. “Don’t say that. The two are like peanut butter and jelly. A real Dream Team.”
Aaron leans forward. His dark eyes focus on a point behind me, before he nods toward the stairs. I turn around to see Harper coming into the lounge in a purple outfit. She’s let out her bun, and her red hair hugs her waist with every step. “You heard about her and Knox?”
I sit up expectantly. My movement annoys me, but I can’t help it. My curiosity is simply too much. “No. What?”
Gwen beats him to the punch. “Apparently there was something there. According to Harper, they were together, but I don’t have any idea if I should believe that. Knox usually stays far away from iSkate girls.”
“Wyatt said the same thing yesterday,” I say, without letting Harper out of my sight. Her eyes look swollen and red. Has she been crying? Maybe even because of Knox? “But when I asked Knox about it, he clammed up.” I glance back to the others. “What’s the deal?”
“No idea,” Levi answers, and both Gwen and Aaron shrug, their expressions blank.
“No one knows why,” Gwen says. “Somehow it’s just always been that way.”
“Okay. Weird.” I sigh, finish off my coffee, and put the cup back on the table. “Enough about Knox. Why is your dad going to take your head off, Gwen?”
My friend rolls her eyes, pulls a hair tie off her wrist, and makes a bun. “Levi and Aaron are overdoing it.”
“If anything, we’reunderdoing it,” Levi says, making Aaron nod thoughtfully before adding, “Gwen wants to add a triple Lutz to her program at Skate America, but her dad has only planned for a double.” Skate America is the next international Grand Prix of the season and what we’re currently training for.
“Why do you want to do that?”
“Because the double Lutz is worth less than the triple and will never get a chance to win,” Gwen replies. Her voice drips withdisappointment, and I can understand her. It probably wouldn’t be any different for me, instead, I’m worried about not living up to Polina’s demands. She’s worked a combination of a triple axel and a triple toe loop into my program, and, at the moment, I really have doubts about getting it together flawlessly for Skate America.
