Page 119 of Hide and Keep

More stunts, more tumbling, more insane athleticism at an insane pace.

Standing on Nathen’s shoulders, Ever runs her hands down over her hair, her torso, her hips, all while swaying her body to the rhythm of the song, then she points at the crowd to accentuate the lyrics, getting a fucking roar of applause from the now riveted audience. It’s sexy.Toosexy.

One corner of my lips quirks. She’s sexy. Too sexy. Even without Kota’s help fixing her hair, she would’ve been. No matter if she’s trying or not, she commands everybody’s attention.

I blink and she’s off Nathen’s shoulders, on the floor in front of him, doing something… I can’t see her because Eighmey’s doing a bunch of flips across the stage.

Fucking move.

By the time I get eyes on Ever again, she’s about to do another basket.

Airborne, ankle grab, spread eagle—Jesus fuck, I’ll be dreaming about that later—then she’s landing.

One left. That’s it. One gravity-defying aerial trick.

Still in her trio’s arms, they flip Ever from her stomach to her back. Her legs spread wide open, they fling her up to sitting on the shoulders of another girl who’s standing on a guy’s shoulders.

I press a fist to my mouth as my own stomach drops out my fucking ass. That’s too high, too many people, too many ways this shit can go wrong.

Another person runs over to help keep the girl Ever’s on steady. Ever sticks her arms up in a V, smiling as she scans the crowd, her passion for this evident.

Is that a tear in her eye? It might just be.

Leaning far forward, the other girl’s head dips as her hands push up on Ever’s feet, allowing Ever to do a front flip off her, landing into a mass of arms—

Oh shit! It happens so fast I’m not even surewhathappens just that someone’s down.

Someone’s fucking down.

Ever.

I don’t see her, just bodies. Lots and lots of bodies as they all falter in their routine and start to congregate toward whoever got hurt.

I’m hopping onto the stage before I even know I’m moving, shoving those same bodies out of my fucking way.

“Ever? Where’s Ever?”

My eyes spot her midnight hair before her face. She’s standing. Thank fuck she’s standing.

“Are you okay?” I ask, going over to cradle her face.

Without answering, she stares up at me blankly.

“Are you okay?” I repeat.

Barely above a whisper, “No,” leaves her lips.

“What—”

I don’t know if she jerks back or someone bumps into her in the commotion, but she’s out of my hold, my fingertips still tingling.

“Jesus, there’s blood everywhere,” someone says.

Blood? I search Ever, finding no blood whatsoever.

The huddle beside us parts enough to reveal a crying Eighmey on the ground, her hands up to her mouth as blood seeps between her fingers.

Holy shit. There is fucking blood everywhere.

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