her skates as she stands up, but promises she’s gone a few times since our last outing and totally has the hang of it now.
“You can still hold onto me when we walk over there,” I assure her.
She doesn’t hesitate. “Okay good, I didn’t want to faceplant before getting to the rink.”
Zora loud-whispers on my other side, “She did that last time.”
“Whatever, Coby should have caught me. I thought surfers had better reflexes than that.”
Things are solid between Coby and Lucy at least. He graduated and I guess is working for Griffin, who is hiring like crazy to keep up with the growth and demand for Brazen products.
My phone rings as I step onto the rink.
I’d ignore it but there’s a small chance it’s Beck so I slide it out of my back pocket. An image of him competing at a contest in Tokyo last month pops up.
I must have a smitten grin on my face, because Lucy asks, “It’s Beck, isn’t it? Tell him we say hiiiii.”
“Hey, isn’t it midnight or something in London?” I ask him.
“Yeah, almost 1 AM actually.” He sounds tired.
“What are you doing up so late?”
“Are you scolding me?”
“Yes, I am. Even if it’s nice to hear your voice. But aren’t you competing tomorrow?”
“Not until the afternoon. We were up late skating. Besides, I’m all messed up switching time zones. I don’t think my body even knows what time it is.”
“I’m at Stargaze with the girls. It doesn’t seem right to be on roller skates without you.”
Beck groans. “Don’t torture me, Jordan. Do you know how many nights I thought about you on your roller skates in that storage closet?”
“Yeah, because I was doing the same thing.”
My throat feels tight for a moment as I think about all we’ve put each other through since we met. Being back in California, and at this place specifically, brings back all kinds of emotions.
Not wanting to go there, I ask how the guys are doing.
“Griff’s beat. He needs a break. He says being at the contests and networking for Brazen energizes him, but I think he’s just trying to push through while everything’s so hot. It’s like all his dreams for the company are coming true and he’s afraid to slow down.”
“He’s coming back with you too, right?”
“Yeah, the next competition isn’t for another month and it’s local. It’s good to see Moses again. He took some time off after filming ended so this is his first contest in a while.”
“Taylor?”
“The guy’s still bummed out about Ellie breaking up with him. We all went out to a bar after skating tonight, and that’s usually Taylor’s scene. He came back to the hotel alone with me though.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like Taylor. I guess I would expect him to be all about the rebound, but you know him better than I do.”
“Well, tomorrow’s a big contest for him. Maybe he’ll perform better if he’s not up half the night with some random chick.”
“What about you?” I can’t help but ask.
“I’m missing you, but not much can bring me down, Jordan. After our week together in Connecticut, I’ve basically been riding a Jordan Slattery high this entire tour.”
Cue the girly giggle that only ever comes out for this guy. “Me too. Everything’s been getting better since then. Today will be the first day I haven’t skateboarded since I saw you.” I don’t mention I’m still shying away from anything challenging, because I have faith now that will come. Okay. Not total faith, but I’m hoping skating with Beck and the others again will help.
“Okay, time’s up,” Zora zooms by and snags the phone out of my hand. She stops by the wall a few feet away. “We get her to ourselves for a few more days. Say goodbye, Beckett!”
She hands me back the phone. “Get some sleep. Good luck tomorrow,” I tell him.
“Love you. Can’t wait to see you in a few days.”
“Love you too.”
Zora starts skating backwards. “Whoa!” I call after her. “When did you learn to roller skate?”
“I found my mom’s rollerblades in the garage over spring break and stole them!”
Ellie rolls up next to me, wobbling a bit. “Yeah, she looks like a total dork rolling around campus. We even got her a fanny pack to complete the 90s look.”
“She wears them to parties sometimes,” Lucy says. “Just warning you. We’re sure it’s just one of her phases though. Hopefully she’ll be over it soon.”
“At least it’s better than some of her other phases,” Sydney says from