Page 38 of Perfectly Faked

When I reach the parking lot after my talk with Eugene, the sound of a dying motor echoes across the lot. Victoria sits in her car, worrying her lip as she turns over the sputtering engine. Each time, it groans like an animal in pain. Her panicked gaze flicks to me, then back to her dashboard, like she’s willing her car to start before I reach her.

I wait for a beat before knocking on her window.

She cracks it open an inch. “I’m fine, Leo. You can go home.”

“Your car isn’t going to miraculously start by turning it over a hundred times. You need help?”

She shakes her head.

I know why she’s not asking me for a favor. Because she’s too afraid of being vulnerable. Isn’t that what Eugene just told me?

“Why don’t you hop in my car?” I suggest.

She cranks the engine again, and it sputters and dies. “If I wait a little longer, itwillstart.”

I narrow my eyes. “You can’t afford a tow truck, can you?”

She scoffs. “I don’t need a tow truck.”

“Based on the dying-moose sound coming from under your hood, you’re not going anywhere tonight.”

“Well, do you have a better solution?” she asks, clearly frustrated.

I shove my hands in my pockets. “We could knock out Eugene’s assignment since he cut practice short.”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” she says, looking at her steering wheel. “I’m not doing Eugene’s assignment. You and I both know that one date won’t solve anything. If I can’t make this work with you, then the chance of me getting one last shot is gone.”

“Says who?”

“Says me!” She turns to face me. “Eugene knows it already—no onewants to be my partner. I might as well quit. It’s what you want anyway.”

She flops her head against the steering wheel in defeat, and I wish I could just pull her into my arms instead of standing uselessly outside her car.

“It’s not what I want,” I say firmly, remembering Eugene’s words—that she needs a friend, not someone who will walk away. “And I’m not letting you quit.”

She lifts her head off the steering wheel and stares at me. “Isn’t your goal to force me out? Then my dad will have to allow you to play again.”

I keep my eyes locked on hers. “Victoria.” I crack open her door. “This would be easier to say if you got out of the car.”

She climbs out and leans against her car, crossing her ankles. She looks defeated, like someone who’s spent her whole life fighting battles she could never win. Even though our background isn’t the same, maybe we’re more alike than different.

“So, what do you want?” she asks.

“I want to be your friend.”

Her brow furrows. “But I thought you said...”

“I know what I said,” I interrupt. “But I can’t let you give up skating. You’ve worked too hard to quit now. I’m going to stand by you as your partnerandyour friend.”

She pauses. “You’re... willing to work with me?”

“Yeah, I am,” I say, holding her gaze. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes, because I believe you can make it to Nationals this year. I’ve seen what you can do on the ice. You’re a triple threat. You’ve got everything it takes to win.”

She blinks twice, her lips parting slightly. “Really?”

“Really,” I say. “You’re one of the best skaters I’ve ever seen. You don’t just have talent—you have the drive to push yourself all the way. You just need someone in your corner, to encourage you to keep going.”

Her eyes turn watery and she blinks quickly, trying to push it back. “You’rethe first person to actually believe I can do it.”

---