Page 25 of The Penalty Box

“You can’t keep on doing this, Liam.”

“Evie…”

“You can’t,” I insist, shaking my head. “If you ever want us to be friends again, you have to let me go.”

“But—” He starts, but I cut him off before whatever he says can destroy what’s left of our friendship.

“Please, Liam. Go.”

He inhales on a shaky breath, his arms now holding on to me so tight I’m sure it’ll leave a mark. For a moment I’m afraid he won’t listen, but after a few tense heartbeats that feel like forever, he finally lets go and storms away.

Without his hands holding on to me, my legs wobble underneath me. I don’t even fight it, I just let go. My body crumbles on the floor just as the tears start to fall.

* * *

“You’re really good at this.”

Looking over my shoulder, I offer a weak smile at Noah. “I’ve been doing this for a while.”

Ice skating has been a part of me just like Liam, even though he’s acting like a jerk right now. Although I’ll never be as good as him—no skating backward or doing fancy pirouettes on the ice for me anytime soon or more like ever—I do enjoy skating and have been doing it every winter for as long as I can remember.

“I can see that.”

“This is the first time I’ve skated in a while, though. I kind of missed it.”

Greyford usually puts an outdoor skating rink in late November and keeps it open all winter long. And while I could ask a certain someone to find a way to sneak me into the arena, I kind of like it out here more.

There is always a lot of people, and the crisp winter air bites at your cheeks while the twinkling lights illuminate the night.

I sigh, longing, happiness and, if I’m being honest, traces of hurt still lingering, and swirling inside me. Damn, Liam and his unreasonable, caveman behavior.

Ugh… I’m doing it again. But it’s not like I can help myself.

Why does he have to be like that? So bossy and unbearable. Why did he have to come today out of all days to my house? After a whole week of zero interaction—if you don’t count a few lingering looks across the yard or hallway, which I don’t—why did he choose today?

He’s messing with your head.

Don’t I know it. I shouldn’t be thinking about him now that I’m with Noah. I shouldn’t be thinking about him atall, but it seems the harder I try not to think, the more he appears in my thoughts.

Shaking my head to clear my mind, I don’t see a boy coming in my direction until it’s too late. Shrieking, I try to move out of his way, but his shoulder grazes against mine, making me stumble on my feet. My hands fly in the air, trying to find some sort of balance as my feet slip on the icy surface.

This is going to hurt, the thought rushes through my mind as my body readies for the crash.

But as I linger in the air, strong hands grip my shoulders, steadying me. Taking one deep, shaky breath I lift my gaze to Noah.

He smiles at me, his white teeth flashing brightly.“I’ve got you.”

“Thank you,” I murmur, my cheeks flushing.This is so embarrassing.

“Little punk should be watching where he’s skating,” Noah says loud enough for the kid to hear him. He looks over his shoulder and mutters an apology as he flies past.

So much for that…I want to be angry at him, but I can’t. Not really anyway. He reminds me so much of…Nope, you’re not doing it again, Eves.I reprimand myself before my thoughts can go in the wrong direction.No thinking about You-Know-Who.

“It’s not a big deal.” I wave it off.

“He should be more careful.”

“He’s just having fun.” I shrug. A shiver runs through my body. Although I’m wearing a pair of jeans and a thick jacket, we’ve been out for a while and now that I’m not moving anymore the cold is finally setting in.

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