The beach is loud with cheers, but I barely notice it as I turn toward the judges table, adrenaline still flowing through me as I look into the eyes of the judge that gave Kairi a low score, daring him to be anything but honest with his scoring. He seems likethe type to screw with me too, just so that the team she’s on doesn’t win.
“Ladies and gentlemen, that might be the biggest move we’ve seen all day!” the announcer shouts. “Judges are locking in their scores now, but this could be huge for The Shredders!”
I rip my gaze away from the judge and stare at the scoreboard, chest still rising and falling from the ride. I’m not surprised when a few minutes later a perfect score appears across all five judges, including that asshole.
I let out a slow breath through my nose, rolling my shoulders as the tightness in my chest finally starts to ease.
“There it is! A perfect ten!” the announcer roars. “And just like that, the Shredders jump into first place for the men’s division—and possibly the whole team.”
I jog up the beach, water dripping from my wetsuit, barely feeling the burn in my legs. I spot Kairi standing under the team tent, and her face lights up the second she spots me.
“Colton!” she calls, bouncing on her toes. “That was insane! Your landings were perfect.”
“Good job, kid,” Gabriel says beside her. “Was not expecting a performance like that out of you today.”
I ignore him, my eyes trained on Kairi as I close the distance between us. She barely has time to react before I pull her into me tightly, arms locking around her like I need to anchor myself to her.
She lets out a surprised sound against my shoulder. “Woah,”she laughs.
I don’t say anything as I hold her there, and a few seconds later her hands come up, hesitating for a beat before she relaxes and hugs me back, her arms wrapping around my back. The heaviness in my chest completely melts away and I want to stay like this forever.
“Alright,” Gabriel says beside us. “I’m going to go…anywhere but here.”
Kairi tries to pull away, cheeks faintly flushed, but I pull her back in.
“Get out,” I call after him.
He laughs. “Already gone.”
A few seconds of us hugging passes before I speak again. “Still upset I called out the sponsor for you?”
She looks up at me, smiling softly. “Not as much as I was.”
“Good,” I say, finally letting my hands drop from her as we pull apart and stare into each other's eyes.
The moment between us doesn’t last long as a group of guys stop behind me, clearing their throats loudly. I turn around and find my old team, The Rip Raiders, and I know this won’t end well. One of the reasons I wanted to leave them was because of how dirty they play at competitions.
“Well, well,” one of them drawls. “Didn’t think you’d show your face here, man.”
“Yeah. We figured you’d be halfway back to daddy’s ranch by now,” another adds with a laugh. “Or did they kick you out again for being too soft?”
I exhale slowly through my nose, trying to let it roll off because they’re not worth my time.
“Why don’t you worry about your own shit scores instead of running your mouths?” Kairi says, surprising me.
They go quiet and look her over, as if just realizing she’s there. I reach over and tug her behind me, pressing her against my back to shield her from them.
Davis Anderson, the unofficial leader of the team, smirks as he watches me.
“Didn’t think you were into…half-breeds,” he says, lip curling with disgust. “Guess this team really is more your scene afterall.”
Kairi goes still against me, and something inside me snaps clean in half. I walk up to him so that we’re face to face.
“What’d you just say?” I growl.
“Colton, don’t!” Kairi warns, grabbing my arm, but I yank it out of her grip.
“I called thatbitchexactly what she is.” He grins. “Half. Bree?—”
