Page 48 of Jinxed

‘Thought I’d try something...’ I look around for the naughty baku, panic growing on my face.Jinx, stop it – you’re drawing attention to yourself.

>>Are you kidding? It’s working.

And it does seem to work. This time, Ashley and Jupiter run through the course cleanly, her fist pumping the air at the end. ‘Thanks, Lacey,’ she says, giving me a high five as she bounds over to us in triumph.

‘No... problem?’

‘Or should I really be thanking Jinx,’ she says, slyly.

‘Oh... um... what?’ I say with a nervous laugh. Does she suspect thetruth: that it’s Jinx all along, and I have nothing to do with it?

But she winks at me and grins. ‘He’s the one that managed to squeeze in to where the speakers are, right?’

‘Right.’ I breathe a sigh of relief.

As each baku steps up to run his paces, Jinx chooses a song and blasts it. All the bakus – including Aero – complete the task in record time. At the end, Jinx plays the latest pop tracksat top volume from the speakers, so we end up laughing and singing along and dancing under the floodlights.

Aero spreads his wings one more time, showing us all the time. It’s late. When Aero closes his wings, Jinx shuts off the music.

‘Catch you later, guys!’ says Kai, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. Oka pants at his side.

‘Lacey, can you hold up a sec?’ Tobias asks me as I prepareto follow Kai, River and Ashley out towards the main road.

‘Oh, sure.’

I hang around the edge of the rink while Tobias packs up the obstacle course. He seems to be taking his time, waiting for a gap to build up between us and the rest of the team. Finally, he walks over to me, carrying a duffel bag full of equipment. Aero takes it out of his hands and flies with it towards the road.

Tobiasgrins at me. ‘Look, I’m glad you came today. I wanted to let you know that I’m going to ask Ashley to step down from the fighting team. Is that okay?’

‘What?’ I stare at Ashley’s retreating back, the spring in her step – and Jupiter trotting at her side. ‘You want to replace Ashley?’

‘Ash and Jupiter are great, but you and Jinx are better – especially with that boost collar I gave you. And ifCarter can fight, then so can you.’

I take an involuntary step backward, my back colliding with the boards. I put my arms out to steady myself, avoiding Tobias’s gaze. ‘No, you can’t do that. I’ll... I’m fine on the sidelines.’

Tobias takes a step forward, then reaches out and puts his hand on my arm. ‘Hey, it’s okay. Ash will get over it – I don’t think she wants to risk Jupiter again anyway.’

‘But it might stop her from being chosen on a team again...’

His hand travels down from my arm to my hand. He interlaces his fingers in mine, and pulls me close. ‘You’re the best companioneer I’ve ever met, Lacey. What you can do... it’s incredible. You’re so in control of your baku.’ I almost laugh at that, but stop myself just in time. ‘And I get to pick the team. I’m the captain.’

My heart pounds, my brain unable to compute that Tobias Washington is holding my hand. But also I hear a resoundingnoin my brain – I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to risk Jinx. I don’t want...

>>Wait, you don’t want this? I thought this was what we’ve been working towards?Jinx’s voice whines in my head.

I can’t risk you. What if you get ripped apart? All that hard work...

>>I won’t lose. I want to fight.

‘No!’ I don’t realize I shout the word out loud until I catch Tobias’s shocked expression.

‘Hey, I get it,’ he says, and he takes a step back. ‘I won’t push it. I thought maybe it was what you wanted...’

I look up at him, our eyes locking. My mouth opens to speak, but I’m not sure that any words really come out. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought you wanted...’ Hismoss-green eyes shine in the bright light of the floodlights. Without waiting for a second beat, he leans forward and kisses me, pressing his soft lips against mine. I melt back against the boards of the hockey rink, and for a moment it doesn’t matter that my baku is having an existential crisis, that my mom doesn’t understand me and things have changed.

Because Tobias Washington is kissing me.And in that moment, I am perfectly and completely happy.

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