She smiled at a woman with locs who gave her a thumbs-up, but once the woman left, Kaia’s face dimmed. She slipped aside, alone, while other dancers’ families crowded the stage.
Heaviness settled in my chest. She didn’t deserve this. I’d accepted my mother never watching me race because she claimed it reminded her of Dad’s accident. But Russell had no such excuse. He should’ve been here.
Before I could talk myself out of it, I moved toward her. She sat on the stage steps, feet dangling. I stopped a few inches away.
“Peque.”
Her blue eyes darted to my face, widening. “Ash? What are you doing here?”
I handed her the roses. “For you. You did great. Congratulations.”
Kaia buried her nose in the petals, inhaling deeply. “They’re beautiful, but you didn’t have to.”
I wanted to do something nice for her, but I couldn’t say that. Tension rose between us, thick and invisible. I hated how awkward it felt—how avoiding her for days and then showing up here only made it worse.
“Ash.”
Her eyes found mine. She hugged the bouquet close and gave me a smile that made me feel like I was climbing on a bike for the first time—scared, anxious, but excited too.
“What?” I asked past the lump in my throat.
“I’m glad you’re here. But we have a party now, so you can leave if you’ve got somewhere else to be.”
“Who’s taking you home after?”
She glanced toward the cluster of girls on our right. “I could ask Tessa. Or Imani, I guess.”
She didn’t sound convinced. Which meant leaving wasn’t an option.
“I’ll wait,” I said. “I can sit somewhere, and you’ll call me when you’re ready.”
“You can stay for the party. Some girls invited their boyfriends. And friends,” she added quickly.
Pink spread across her cheeks. Cute. Still, I kept my expression neutral and shrugged. “Let’s go then.”
She led me out of the hall into another room, where a table of food and drinks stood opposite a mirrored wall. Groups of dancers milled around with paper cups in hand. We dropped our things on a chair and took in the scene.
“Kaia!” a blonde girl called, raising her cup. “Come here!”
Kaia shot me a doubtful look, then slid her small hand into mine and tugged me toward the group.
The tingling in my fingertips caught me off guard. The sensible part of me said to let go, but instead I tightened my grip.
The blonde and a curly-haired guy looked me over as we stopped at the table.
“Guys,” Kaia said. “This is Ash, my—”
“Friend,” I cut in before anyone noticed her hesitation. Thank fuck she hadn’t called me her brother while her hand was still in mine.
“I’m Tessa,” the blonde said. “And this is my boyfriend, Bobby. Kaia and I have been dancing together for two years. Did you guys meet at school?”
Kaia glanced at me. “Ash graduated already.”
Tessa smiled. “Cool. I’m gonna grab something to eat. Have fun!”
Bobby followed her down the table.
Kaia slipped her hand from mine and studied the food. She picked up a taco. “Want some?”
