Page 81 of False Start
“Harvey hasn’t told mewhat?” My heart thunders a storm inside my chest, the thought of Harvey keeping something from me already enough to make me nauseous.
I’ve putallmy trust into her.
“Well, you know how the rink is yours and all? Well, Scott offered to buy it outright. Own the DamesandSkateland.” Mo stuffs their hands in their pockets uncomfortably.
“Back the fuck up to the part where the rink ismine and all.” Every word is sharp, my confusion slowly turning into a burning anger.
“Harvey didn’t?—”
“No, clearly Cat hasn’t told me a fucking thing, Mo. So why don’t you enlighten me?” I’m so pissed, I can’t see straight, dreading the words that are coming next even though my brain is already starting to piece it together.
“Lonnie left the rink to both of you. You and Harvey.” Mo tugs at the top of their ponytail to tighten it, clearly uncomfortable with this whole exchange. Their gaze shifts up, and I don’t have to follow it to see who they’re looking at with thatoh fucklook on their face. “I gotta go, I think. I’ll see you later, Nia.”
I’m dumbfounded, the other skaters continuing on with practice, too busy on the track to even notice me. My heart bubbles with rage, and I finally shift my eyes to where she stands with Scott.
My expression surely gives me away.
StarScreamer is skating toward us, trying to stop in her tracks like she senses the tension, but it’s far too late. She stumbles into Harvey, almost knocking both her and Scott over.
And I’m too pissed off to keep what I’m feeling inside. This goes beyond our relationship, beyond whatever the fuck we are to each other. This is about her hiding something from me that Lonnie had meant to be mine. She had no fucking right.
Harvey’s skates move toward me like anxious prey, unsure if she can approach or not, which is hilarious from someone like her. Except I’m not in a laughing mood. “Babe?” She lifts an eyebrow up, slowing down the closer she approaches me.
“Donotfuckingbabeme.” The words feel cold out of my lips, and Nancy, who’s three steps away from the locker room, does a 180-degree spin on her heels.
“Oh shit,” I hear her say in the distance as she plops her ass down on a bench, like this is about to be the best entertainment of her life.
“Whatever it is, can we talk about it at home?” Cat asks, looking around, seeing that all eyes are now officially on us.
“Yourhome. I don’t have a home in Devil Town. Oh—wait, except this fucking rink that you’ve failed to mention to me.” I’m yelling, but I don’t care. I cross my arms over my chest and immediately regret it. I’m so fucking angry, I don’t know what to do with my limbs, but maybe it’s better they’re tucked away.
“Did Morgan tell you?” She takes a step toward me, but I shake my head in warning, stepping back as well.
“It doesn’t matter who told me. What matters is thatyou’ve been lying to me since fucking day one.” I command every cell in my body to forbid the tear to form. Never in my adult life have I been in control of regulating my emotions, ofnotletting my anger turn into tears, but today, I will.
I will not cry over Cathrine Harvey.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Nia. You weren’t?—”
“Supposed to find out? Was your plan to just drive me away? Kick my ass until I gave up? Then you realized I was an addict and didn’t need your help? You were just waiting it out?” I grit the words out, hating myself for saying them but unwilling to stop.
We’re already standing in front of the meat grinder, so why not jump in?
“You get real nasty when you’re withdrawing, babe. I’d really like to do this in private,” she says calmly, likeI’mthe fucking one in the wrong here.
“Of course you would, you manipulative bitch. It’s so much easier when you can just paint me out to be the unstable one.” My arms break free from my own hold, and I clench my fists at my side.
“Ohhooooo, wow. Bite me, princess, spit in my eye. Whatever it takes, right?” She’s smirking like she’s amused, though I know she’s not. Nothing I’ve said is worth a laugh. She’s moving closer to me again, but I’m only getting more pissed off.
“Get that smirk off your face. You’re so fucking condescending.” I’m beyond my own control, overstimulated, angry, and approaching meltdown. She’s in my space, and I can’t help it. I reach out to hit, but she grabs my wrist instead, then the cast.
“It’s not condescending. You’re just kind of fucking toxic,Antônia.” She loosens her grip on the wrist that threatened her.
I lower it to my side, the sting of her words enough to quiet my voice so the others can’t hear us anymore. “Then why are you still here?”
She clicks her tongue, as if I should already know the answer to that. “I guess that’s just what I like.”
She drops her forehead to mine, but I push away.
