Mara May was ridiculous.
Kirby looked into the bag and realized Mara had bought two pairs and labeled them. An all-black pair had Kirby’s name on it.
Jordan’s had baby pink rims.
Fuck.
Kirby called Apollo. Didn’t even think about it. She felt ready to fly apart, and the only person she could imagine talking to was him.
“What’s up?” He sounded half-asleep.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Uh… Hold on.” There was whispering on the other end of the line. When he spoke again, he seemed more alert. “I’m just chilling.”
“With who?”
“Lindsey,” he said.
“Oh. Really?” That was new and fascinating information. “Were you guys taking a nice nap together, or…”
“Yeah,or.”
Kirby loved gossip. Loved knowing secrets and matchmaking. Apollo was her best friend, and she wanted the very best for him. Lindsey was one of the most solid and genuinely kind people she knew.
“How interesting.”
“Look… Slow your roll there, KB.”
“How long has that been going on?”
“Umm. Can we chat about this later?”
“Maybe while we ski? I need a break.”
“Yep. Skate skis or classic?” he asked.
“Classic.”
“Sweet. I’ll be there in thirty. Are you okay?”
“Not really.” It was the second time she’d admitted that out loud in just a handful of days. That should have felt like progress. Or like she was doing the right thing. But it felt like ripping her own skin from the muscle.
“I’ll be there fast.”
“See you soon.”
An hour later, she and Apollo were on a trail. It was a local Predazzo flat loop trail that Coach Wu had suggested because they didn’t have access to the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium except during specific time slots. They went at a leisurely pace, enjoying the wind on their faces and sun in their eyes. She didn’t often get to ski for fun during competition season. She skied to train. She skied to practice, to optimize, to get better.
It had been a long time since she and Apollo had gone out together for no reason other than enjoying each other’s company. They synced their earphones so they both could hear the same music. He let her choose, which meant they were listening to what Apollo called “wispy sapphic Americana.” Not exactly pump-up music, but it made Kirby feel like she was in a movie with dramatic, beautiful needle drops.
After a few kilometers, Apollo paused the music and took out his earphones. Kirby did the same.
“Should we start with Lindsey?” Kirby asked.
“Sure.”
“What’s going on?”
