Page 118 of Wonderstruck

nantucket is beautiful. cora is quiet. but she’s getting better.

good. that’s really good to hear.

how’s montana?

The dots appeared, disappeared, and reappeared before his response camethrough.

refreshing. i wish you could see it.

I set the phone down as I reached for Cora’s mug on the draining board. Mychest ached in that familiar way it always did when I thought about him. Being apart wasn’t new for us—there had been stretches like this before; practically all of freshman year was like this—but something about this time felt heavier.

Probably because you’re in love with him, and this time you don’t want to keepit to yourself.

“Rory?” Cora’s voice called weakly from the conservatory.

I tucked my phone into my pocket and brought the steaming tea to her, sitting down beside her again. She took the mug without a word, her fingers trembling slightly.

“I’m here,” I said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

I’d think about my heart later. But right now, I needed to be there for Cora’s.

chapter thirty two

my second chances were like snowflakes: precious and rare

Icaught myself thinking about two things before I stepped onto the ice:

How it was getting easier to exist in these tiny, boob-death trap outfits.

The fact that there were seven years where I’d forgotten just how much of a hold this sport had over me.

It was the second one that hung around on the edges of my mind as I skated, morethan the first, but it was still there. And I suppose that was because I really felt like I could breathe when I was skating, more so than I ever could in a lecture hall, or with my head in a thousand different textbooks.

The reminder of what I’d done a few months agowas what pushed me into my double-toe loop.

Being at Liberty Grove felt like another lifetime ago, and not one part of me regretted the choice I made. I belonged here, not there, and I counted every lucky star I owned that I somehow got back on this path.

Aspen's voice echoed across the empty space as sheshouted pointers, the boom feeling that much more intense because of the silence. She was perched on the edge of the rink, clipboard in hand, her sharp eyes tracking every movement I made. Training with her was intense, but it was the good kind of hard—the kind that made me feel alive. And I liked it. Loved how she pushed me to the potential she could see in me, even on the days when I couldn’t.

It was easy to diagnose myself with impostersyndrome, especially when Iremembered that I’d barely made the cut for sectionals, which was only seven weeks away, meaning I only had now until January to naileverything.But the second I landed a perfect jump, or heldmy turns for a second longer than I did the day before, those doubts slipped away.

I glided into a spin, pushing myself to hold theposition longer and sharper. My thighs burned, and my chest heaved with every breath, but the ache was worth it. When I finally stopped, breathing hard, Aspen grinned, standing up and dropping her clipboard to the side to clap. “Not bad, Greene. Not bad at all. Take five and let’s run that combo again.”

As I skated off to the side, getting my tumbler out of my bag, my phone buzzedon the bench where I left it. After a quick sip, I bent down to get it, curiosity bubbling in my chest. When I picked it up, there was a text from Finn waiting for me.

what time do you finish practice? i’ve got a surprise for you.

I didn't think there would ever be a day this boy wouldn't make me smile.

i’ll be done soon. around 5pm

---