Page 58 of Cloudless
My spine straightens to an impossible level as I almost levitate out of my seat. “No one said anything aboutlove!”
She dismisses me with a wave of her hand before she continues. “Semantics. And third, you’re not an imposter.”
I raise my eyebrows as my spine relaxes a fraction of its tension. “You’re not going to give me a reasonwhyI’m not an imposter?”
She stuffs another handful of popcorn into her mouth. “Nope. I can’t give you all the answers to life’s problems.”
I roll my eyes at the girl who is quickly becoming my best friend. “What would I do without you?”
She shrugs her shoulders as her eyes roam up and down my polished form. “Look like a hot mess. Still hot, just a mess.” A look of concentration takes over her face as she digs around in her bag of popcorn. “Have you heard from your grandparents anymore?”
I sigh as I think back to the phone call I shared with Victoria a few days ago. “Yeah. They want to watch the twins for a few hours after the game tonight. They think it’ll help them ‘bond’.” Air quotes accompany my eye roll.
Her eyebrows go up and a stray popcorn kernel falls to her lap as her hand stalls halfway to her face. “And how do you feel about that?”
I shrug as I turn my attention to the ice. My eyes immediately lock onto Kam as he skates laps around the rink. “It’s terrifying, but that’s what the judge told me to do. I don’t see any other option.”
She nods as her eyes flood with sympathy. “You should come to The Penalty Box tonight after you drop them off. It’ll help keep your mind off things. You deserve a night off every now and then.”
I blow out a thankful breath. “That would be great.”
She picks the stray popcorn kernel off her lap and tosses it over my head at Jasper before turning back to me like nothing happened. Jasper’s head swivels around, looking for the culprit as Ellie hides her popcorn bag under her arm. “And you’re sure you don’t have a long-lost aunt or something you can contact instead?”
“Not that I know of, unfortunately.”
Her eyes light up and I can practically see the light bulb above her head switch on. “You can do an at-home ancestry genetic test and try to find relatives that way! This girl in my economics class found out she had a half-brother by doing one of those. Let’s just say her mom was not very happy when she found out.”
“I thought about that already. That’s not guaranteed to show any results or that the relatives I find would be interested in meeting us.” Her eyes flare as I steal a piece of popcorn. “Plus, they take weeks to get back. I need to build a relationshipnow.”
Her expression falls as she resumes digging in her popcorn bag. “Ah. That’s a bummer. I hate to say it, but I think you’re just going to have to give your grandparents a chance.”
My resigned sigh gets lost in the voices surrounding us. “I know. I’m just going to make the best of it. People can change, right?”
She rolls her eyes as she looks over at the empty seat next to her. “I’m beginning to doubt that.”
Sympathy constricts my heart. I would give anything to have my mom sitting next to me, but Ellie and Kam’s mom can’t bother showing up. “Does she ever come to his games?”
I watch as Ellie stows away her sorrow. The action is so seamless and practiced, I’m not sure she realizes it even happened. “She only tries when it’s convenient.” She shrugs like that’s not the saddest thing in the world. “You get used to it after a while.”
I clench my teeth as my fingers dig into the armrest between us. “Yeah, but you shouldn’t have to.”
Her eyes follow her brother on the ice as a small smile lifts the corners of her lips. “That’s why we always show up for each other. Kam and I. We have to be there for each other if no one else will.”
My heart aches as I watch my brother and sister share a box of Skittles next to me. Every time Jasper pulls out a red one, he hands it to Posey because he knows it's her favorite. It doesn’t matter that it’s his favorite, too.
I can’t help but smile. “That’s what family does.”
Her eyes turn away from her brother to search my face. “You’re family now too, L. I hope you know that.”
I’m starting to.
CHAPTER 28
PROUDEST SISTER MOMENT
LILA
An electrifying current flows through the air as the lights dim. My ears ring as the emcee’s voice booms through the pulsing arena. A sea of red and white flashes by the glass in front of me as the players take the ice.
