The words land somewhere between a joke and something else entirely. I stretch the bracelet to place it on her wrist, and my fingers linger for a second longer than they should. She stills suddenly, only for a second, but I feel it. The slight catch in her breath. The shift in the air between us. Like something just tilted off balance.
Her hand slips from mine, quick, almost like she didn’t meanto let me hold on to it in the first place. She then turns back to the room a little too fast.
“Okay,” she says, clapping once, a touch off rhythm now. “Okay, you guys, so, um, the part we talked about. The trophy. Let’s all huddle in a circle in the middle to talk about it.”
The girls move instantly, dragging chairs, gathering in a loose circle, still buzzing from the bracelet exchange.
She glances over at me, just for a second. Then back to them.
“You know what, Ty?” she says, voice steadier now. “I can take it from here with the girls if you need to do anything out in the arena.”
I look around, like I’ve got somewhere to be. Like there’s a plan I’m stepping back into.
“Yeah,” I say, pushing to my feet. “I’ll, uh—go get things ready. Pick up out there.”
She waves a hand, already turning back to the group as I step out into the hallway. The noise of the room softens behind me as the door swings closed.
And for a second, I just stand there, then I glance down at my wrist.
Peace.
I let out a quiet breath and start down the hall. I’ve learned a lot in the last hour.
About groups of girls.
About how fast things can change.
And definitely about Vivian.
CHAPTER 9
VIVIAN
Ashower at the end of a day has always been my ideal way to unwind. Some people love a hot bath, but I get bored. For me, the water needs to be hot enough to exfoliate my skin, and blasting me hard enough so it can count as therapy.
I stand under the showerhead a second longer than necessary, eyes closed, letting the spray drum against my shoulders like it’s applauding me. Which, honestly, it should be. Especially for today.
“That,” I say to absolutely no one, “was a good session.”
I reach for the shampoo, working it through my hair, replaying the afternoon in little flashes. The girls crowded around the table. The way they’d leaned in when I showed them how to loop the thread. The tiny, serious crease between one girl’s brows that disappeared the second her bracelet came together.
And the trading. Oh, man, the way they got into the trading!
They’d been so earnest about it. Careful. Intentional. Like the words mattered. Like giving one away meant something.
By the time I rinse out the conditioner, I’m smiling. Properly smiling. The kind that shows your teeth and settles in your chest and makes everything feel a little lighter.
They’d left buzzing. Arms full of color and tiny words and new inside jokes already forming. Win.
I reach for the tap, turn the water off, and step out onto the bath mat. Wrapping a towel around myself, I’m startled when my stomach grumbles.
“Pizza,” I murmur, patting my own shoulder as I grab a second towel for my hair. “You’ve earned that pizza.”
I deserve tonight. There’s a box of something cheesy that is already on its way to my home now, slightly too greasy if I have my way, and my notebook is spread out on the coffee table for planning next week’s session. Maybe we start on the charms. Maybe we work on the trophy design the whole time. I don’t care, as long as it’s something that builds on what they started today. Something that keeps that spark going. For them, and for me.
My phone buzzes on the counter, and I lean over to check it, still blotting water from my arms.
Gran:
