Page 39 of Switching Skates

Mason looks at me, worried, not interrupting me until the laughter turns into a sigh, and I tip my head back, looking at the sky.

“You know how you had a favor to ask of me? I have one I need to ask you.”

I sit up. “What is it?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Hopefully, everything will go back to normal in the morning, and we won’t have to worry about it. But on the off chance it doesn’t, I need you to cover for me.”

Nerves start to eat me alive. “Doing what?”

“I’m supposed to scrimmage with the guys on Thursday at three in the afternoon.”

In the blink of an eye, I debate whether to answer with the honest fear racing through me or the smart-ass comment I always have locked and loaded when it comes to him.

I choose the latter. “Oh, you just need me to play for you?Easy.”

He chuckles and bites down on his bottom lip, and even though I’m looking at my face, I can imagine what it would look like in his own body. “Easy, huh?”

I shrug. “Yeah. Unless you want me to call and pretend to be sick?”

Hope blooms in my chest that he might do just that so as not to risk his reputation as a star goalie. But my hope is shortly crushed.

“Oh, no. If you think it’s easy, then by all means, you’ve got this,” he challenges me.

Shit.

“Orrrr I could purposely embarrass you and ruin your career.” I cock my head to the side with a cruel smile.

He squints at me. “You wouldn’tdare.”

Stretching my arms over my head, I nonchalantly say, “You want to bet? You have no idea what I would or wouldn’t do, Mason. You know a version of me that doesn’t exist anymore.”

The mention of the reality waiting for us after we resolvethisslams into me like a freight train.

He sinks into the seat, his eyes saddening. “I’m sorry.”

“Just forget about it for right now.” Ugh, this conversation got heavy quick, and I came out here to escape it. “Let’s just hope we switch back and we won’t have to worry about your scrimmage. And if we don’t, then … we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you,” he mutters softly and turns to look out at the lake. “Look.”

His face lights up, and I follow his gaze and pointer finger to the small flashes of yellow light illuminating the air. God, I haven’t seen them since I was a kid.Fireflies.

A memory flashes in my mind, back when we were thirteen and fifteen, a moment like this, only Mason and I were happily together and not sitting side by side, but miles apart. We could still be lovingly together...or rather we could’ve been.

How can I forgive him for what he did? And how could I trust that he would never do it again?

“You see it, Daph?” Mason asked me, pulling me tighter into his side.

“Wait, where?” I asked, desperately searching for whatever he saw.

Lifting his arm, he wrapped it around my shoulders and gently cupped my cheek, guiding my head. “Right … there.”

A flash of yellow light appeared, glowing midair, and I gasped. “A firefly!”

He chuckled and watched me in awe. “First one of the season.”

I watched the darkness intently, waiting for it to glow again, and a moment later, I saw it a few feet away.

We sat here, on the Holts’ back porch, for hours, giggling, talking, and secretly falling in love.