“Studying on your birthday? Not fun,” I said as I sat in the seat next to him.
“It’s not really studying. Just a bit of light reading,” he replied.
I looked at the giant textbook he’d propped open, which was at least four-hundred pages long. “Right.”
“By the way, happy birthday.” Arthur placed a gift on the table. “I’d nearly forgotten. Good thing it’s on the same day as mine.” He teased me playfully, a spark lighting in his green eyes.
“I have something for you, too.” I dug in my bag and put a gift beside the one he’d brought. We tore open the wrapping paper. Both of us started laughing when we pulled out identical navy sweaters with the wolven Faction symbol stitched onto the front.
“Great minds think alike, I suppose.” Arthur tugged the sweater over his head, and it mussed up his hair.
“We can match for the day!” I put the sweater on, and pulled out my phone. I snapped a couple pictures of Arthur and I making goofy faces for the camera. We really did look alike, down to the last freckle.
It felt nice to do this. It was like sharing in something special that we’d never gotten to do as kids.
“So, you ready for tonight?” Arthur asked, pushing up his glasses.
“Ready for what?” I gathered my purse and threw away the wrapping paper.
Arthur reddened, like he’d forgotten something. “Uh— Ethan’s game?”
“I mean, I guess. He’s the one playing, not me.”
Arthur bobbed his head. “Yeah. Stupid to ask that.”
“Are you hiding something?” I asked. “You get nervous when you lie.”
“Of course not,” Arthur sputtered. “I’d never dream of lying to my sister.”
“You reallyarelying, aren’t you?” He must’ve helped Ethan plan some big birthday surprise for me. I wasn’t sure what it could be.
Arthur and I suffered through a tedious meal with my mother before we made our excuses and headed out to the hockey game. I would’ve preferred to eat my birthday dinner with myentirefamily, but Mom being Mom, she still refused to see my grandparents. Arthur and I were going to see them in a few days to make up for it, but it was still vastly annoying. Why couldn’t they just make up, for Arthur and I’s sake?
When we got to the rink, I found myself standing outside of it, looking up and feeling forlorn. I hadn’t visited since we’d worked on the article, and without Ethan here at my side, this place felt empty. It was like the rink I’d once loved had nothing left for me. As if I’d outgrown it, and left it behind me. All it did was remind me of my past. I stood outside the double doors and felt too vacant to enter.
Arthur reached down and squeezed my hand. “You okay?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and forced the tears down. “Yeah. Let’s go in.”
Seeing the great expanse of white ice was even harder. I wanted the longing to go away, but I wasn’t sure it ever would. The crowd in the rink just reminded me of what it was like to perform for an audience, and it made me want to go home and sob.
But I reminded myself I was here for Ethan, not for me, so I pushed past my uncomfortable feelings and pretended like the rink meant nothing to me.
We found our friends in the stands— which were packed, by the way. Everyone wanted a ticket to the hockey game now that they’d seen Ethan’s article. We squeezed past a crowd of people, and I took a seat between Delmare and Amantha. Arthur sat behind us and wrapped his arm around Vara. Odette and Theo chatted eagerly, while Delmare bit her lip nervously, waiting for Stefan to take the ice. Ozzie and Jasper were here, but I was relieved to see, they were keeping their distance.
Probably for the best. It was so crowded here. One false move, and they’d be accused of horrible things.
A row down, Alexei had a blanket with the griffin Faction symbol draped over his legs. Kiara shivered next to him.
“Cold?” Alexei asked.
“A little,” Kiara confessed.
“Here.” Alexei wrapped the blanket over both of their shoulders, and pulled it around them. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I watched Alexei reach out to take Kiara’s hand.
“Has hell frozen over?” Delmare asked me as she nodded to them. A blush was creeping over Kiara’s cheeks.
“I’d say it’s warming up.” Alexei’s look was shy, but he still wore a smile.
