by Kelly Oram
“Libby…” His face morphed into an expression I’d never seen on him before. I didn’t recognize it as vulnerability until he muttered, “You don’t have to do that for me.”
“You’re right; I don’t,” I said gently. “But I want to. You’ve helped me so much, and I’ve been trying to think of a way I could repay you for everything. This is something I can do. So for my twelfth step, my attempt to carry the message I’ve learned of loving myself to others will be to help you be happy with yourself, too. If that means helping you catch up with everyone who had opportunities you didn’t, great.” I flashed him a wicked grin. “And if that’s not enough, and it takes your dream girl falling head-over-heels for you instead of staying with His Holy Hotness? Even better.”
Adam’s eyebrows flew up—both of them. After his surprise faded, his face broke into a grin. “Head-over-heels, huh?”
I shrugged, playing up my nonchalance. “Maybe. It’s a possibility. I guess we’ll have to see, won’t we?”
“Oh, we’ll definitely see.” He put both hands on the counter and leaned toward me. “Challenge accepted. Your head’ll spin from how fast I make you fall. You’re mine, Cider Chick.”
He growled the last half of that speech at me, as if it were a threat. Sanctified sea dragons, was he ever hot when he got all possessive like that! Yummy with a side of finger lickin’ good. The joke was on him, though, because I’d already fallen.
“Um, gross.” Kate’s exaggerated gagging noises broke up the moment.
Laughing, I picked up the folder I’d brought with me. “Actually, this time you’re mine, Coffee Man.” I pointed to a table in the corner of the shop. “I’ll be waiting for you right over there.”
I took a seat, prepared to sip my cider and wait for Adam to take his break, when Kate slid into the chair across from me. She looked pissed again. “Can you really help him get his GED?” she whispered, glancing at Adam to make sure he wasn’t paying attention to us. He was busy helping a customer.
“Of course. It’s actually not that difficult. Adam’s a smart guy and a hard worker. I bet I could have him ready to take his test within a couple of months.”
Kate shook her head and stole another look at her brother. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts. “You have no idea how much that would mean to him. He’ll never admit it to anyone, but he hates that he had to drop out of school. It’s his biggest insecurity because he’s really smart. He’s just never had the chance to prove it. If you could really help him get his high school equivalent…” Kate sucked in a breath and wet her lips. “You’d change his life, Libby.”
“Good,” I said. “He changed mine first. This is the least I can do.”
Kate watched her brother again with a look that I didn’t know how to describe. I was touched by the concern she had for her brother. I didn’t have any siblings so I had a hard time grasping the true depth of the connection Adam and Kate shared, but the love they had for one another always amazed me when I saw it. It occurred to me then that I did have one more person to make amends to. “Kate. I’m sorry I hurt Adam.”
Kate’s attention came back to me, and she scowled.
“I messed up,” I said. “I messed up huge. I hate that I hurt him, but I give you my word that it will never happen again. I—” I cut myself off, surprised I’d been about to say a word that I hadn’t even said to myself yet, let alone Adam. “Just trust me. I know how lucky I am. I don’t deserve him, but I want him. I promise you I’ll make sure I’m worthy of him.”
Kate sat there, debating for an eternity, and then said one word. “Why?”
“Why what?”
Kate looked ready to pummel me. “Why do you want him now? You had a chance to be with my brother. You blew him off. What happened that made you have this change of heart? Why are you suddenly so sure it’s Adam you want and not Owen? How do you know?”
I watched Adam hand a latte over to a customer, and smiled. “I knew I wanted Adam the moment Owen told me I looked hot in my prom dress.”
Kate looked at me as if I were insane. I shook my head. “You weren’t here prom night, so you didn’t see the look on Adam’s face when I came in all dressed up. I asked him if I looked hot, and he said hot wasn’t the right word. He said I was beautiful.”
Kate scoffed. “So you want my brother because he flatters you? That’s completely shallow, Libby.”
I shook my head again and my eyes drifted back to Adam. It wasn’t because Adam flattered me. “After dinner, when we were in the limo heading to the dance, Owen was all over me. When I wasn’t responding to him with as much enthusiasm as he wanted, he told me that my dress looked really hot. He was trying to take it off at the time.”
“Gross. I don’t need the specifics of what happened next.”
I laughed. “What happened next was he said I looked hot, and even with his hands and his mouth doing what they were doing, all I could think about was the look on Adam’s face when he said hot was the wrong word to describe me. Owen has looked at me a lot of ways, but he’s never looked at me the way Adam did.”
When Kate said nothing, I tore my eyes away from Adam to find her waiting for me to continue. I shrugged my shoulders. “At first, I didn’t know why it upset me so much. Owen was just being Owen. But suddenly I didn’t want him touching me. Everything he was doing and saying just felt so…empty. When he asked me what was wrong, I told him to close his eyes and tell me what color my dress was. The dress that he’d just told me was so hot. He couldn’t do it.”
Kate’s jaw dropped. “He didn’t know what color your dress was?”
“Not completely. But his getting the answer wrong was only proof of what I already knew, what I’d figured out through dinner when I was getting what I wanted and wishing I’d gone home with Adam to watch cheesy movies.” I glanced across the shop again. “Hey, Adam?”
He looked over, his eyes bouncing curiously between his sister and me. “Yeah?”
“What color was my dress?”
I didn’t have to specify what dress I was talking about. “The top was black and the bottom was light pink. Why?”
“No reason. Thanks.” I looked at Kate. “It’s not because he tells me I’m beautiful. It’s because he genuinely believes I am. After the way he made me feel that night, I knew what Owen offered me would never be enough anymore.”
Kate chewed on my speech for a long time, but eventually her hard exterior softened and she gave me a grin to rival one of Adam’s. “Okay, fine. You’re allowed to date my brother. Just…be careful, please. Because I kind of like you, and I’d really hate to have to kick your ass.”
I laughed. “I believe I’d find that very unpleasant, too.”
Adam
The number of people who had come out for the Underground Boards grand opening shocked me. The parking lot in front of the store was packed and a line of people had already formed at the front door, even though there were still twenty minutes until they opened. I guess that’s what happens when an X Games gold medalist skateboarder and an Olympic silver medalist snowboarder open a shop together and advertise an autograph signing. There were fans from all over Utah waiting to get in.
I was glad for the great turnout for Sean’s and Kendrick’s sake, but my stomach churned with nerves. Kendrick had asked me to come today and make my first appearance as an Underground skater. I tried to ignore the stares as I rolled past the crowd to the front doors, but I could feel their curiosity when they noticed the Underground T-shirt I wore. I really hoped I didn’t make an ass of myself today.
I knocked on the locked door and breathed a sigh of relief when Kate let me in. As I stepped inside, she peeked outside at the crowd of people behind us. “Can you believe this? Are you excited?”
More like terrified. But I wasn’t about to say that out loud.
Libby appeared, and my nerves faded when she smiled at me. Between her finals and getting ready for today, I’d hardly seen her in the last couple weeks. She’d promised me we’d start my tutori
ng sessions after the grand opening, and I was looking forward to that if for no other reason than I needed to spend more time with her. “Congratulations on graduating last week,” I said. “I’m sorry I missed it. I would have come, but I couldn’t take the time off because I needed today off.”
Libby waved away my apology and dragged me toward the back of the store. “You didn’t miss anything. A few really boring speeches and a bunch of us being herded across a stage like cattle.”
“Didn’t your friend Aiden give one of the speeches?”
She snorted. “Like I said. Boring. Dad. Kendrick. Look who I found.”
Both men were standing near the register talking to Libby’s mom, Avery, and Grayson. All of them gave me huge smiles. “Hey, superstar,” Avery teased, knowing I’d hate the attention. Judging from the way everyone chuckled, I’m assuming my cheeks flamed.
“Did the shirt fit okay?” Kendrick asked. “We’ve got a couple other sizes in the back, if you need one.”
“Nah, it’s good.” I tugged at my shirt and then looked at everyone else.
Kendrick was wearing the same Underground Skate shirt I was, and Kate was wearing a girl’s version of the same shirt. Sean and Libby’s mom were wearing the Underground Snow shirts. Libby, Avery, and Grayson were wearing Underground Free shirts to promote the store’s freeboards. “The shirts all look great.” I glanced around the shop. “Actually, everything does.”
The last time I’d been in here, all the walls had been a bare white. Now they looked like the outside of an abandoned building in a rough neighborhood; every square inch was covered with colorful graffiti. The lighting was set a little dim, and a couple of the store’s lights had been replaced with black lights, making the white graffiti pop. “This place looks amazing,” I said. “It’s a whole new store.”
I glanced back just in time to catch Sean’s and Kendrick’s proud smile. “Your friend Rafe is a lifesaver,” Sean said. “He’s practically lived here for the last three weeks.”
“Rafe did all this?”
“Most of it, but Kate helped a lot.”
“Kate did this?” My head whipped around to Kate, and she beamed a smile at me. I was stunned. I knew she liked to doodle in her notebooks, but this was a work of art. “You really did this?”
When she shrugged, trying to be modest, I surprised her by scooping her into a big hug. “It’s awesome.”
“Yeah, well, you know… I’ve had lots of practice tagging buildings with that gang I joined behind your back.”
I knew she was joking, but my stomach still clenched up. I pulled her hair and scowled. “Real funny.”
She grinned up at me. “You love me.”
I rolled my eyes but, like always, cracked a smile. Throwing my arm around my sister’s shoulders, I looked back at Kendrick. “So what would you like me to do?”
This was the magic question, because everyone snapped into motion. There were only ten minutes until the doors opened, and it seemed everyone had a job to do—even Avery and Grayson had been recruited to help for the day.
In the back of the store was a lounge area with a couple of couches near a counter where people could come and have a shop pro help them assemble or tweak the boards they bought. Today there were three small tables set up in the lounge area, each with a different banner hanging above them. Sean went to sit beneath the Underground Snow banner while Kendrick dragged me to the Underground Skate table. My eyes bulged when I sat and found a stack of small Underground Skate posters sitting in front of me. Kendrick laughed at the look on my face. “Pretty sick, huh?”
I studied one of the photos in utter shock, but a smile broke out on my face. “Is that seriously us?” After I’d signed with Kendrick, he’d dragged me out to a skate park to skate together and had a photographer take pictures. The photo on this poster was of the two of us both midair. It was freaking sweet. “That’s crazy.”
Kendrick laughed again. “Welcome to professional skating.” I shook my head, still amazed at how insane my life was all of a sudden. I couldn’t believe I was sitting next to Kendrick Abbey, about to sign autographs as an up-and-coming pro skater.
“So today should be easy,” Kendrick said. “We’ll just chill here, sign some autographs, answer questions, pimp the new boards, and talk about the new team. Once the line dies down, we can head out into the parking lot and mess around a little for the crowd. You saw the ramp and the rails set up out there, right?”
My stomach rolled as I nodded. I must have looked as sick as I felt, because Libby walked up and giggled. “Nervous, superstar?”
The nickname made me smile but didn’t erase the butterflies in my stomach. “There’re a lot of people here.”
“And you’re going to blow all their minds with your mad skateboarding skills.”
“Or I’m going to eat pavement and make an ass of myself.”
Kendrick burst into laughter. “It happens to us all eventually.”
Libby winked at me. “Don’t sweat it, Coffee Man. You’re gonna kick some serious derrière.”
I hoped things would go well, but for now, talking about it was only making me more anxious, so I changed the subject. I pointed at the freeboard table set up next to mine. On the table was a tablet set up playing videos of Libby and her dad riding freeboards, next to stacks of fliers and a clipboard. “What’s all that?”
Libby’s face brightened, and when she smiled at me my mouth dried up. “Well, someone told me putting together a freeboard team could be a great use of my time.”
My chest tightened. She’d taken my advice. “You’re really going to do that?”
“I’m mostly going to see if there’s any interest. With as many snowboarders as we have in Utah looking for summer hobbies, we should be able to get a team together. I was thinking if I can get enough talent, we’ll start making videos and stuff to help pimp Dad’s freeboard line. And if we’re good enough, we could challenge those California guys to some kind of competition, maybe get the sport a little recognition.”
She was really going to go for it. I had no doubt she’d have half the country crazy for freeboarding by the end of the summer. They’d probably all start wearing cat and unicorn stickers on their gear, too. Leaning back in my chair, I lifted both my hands behind my head and grinned at her. “You’re the coolest girl I know, Libby Garrett.”
“Back atcha, Coffee Man. You’re not just awesome, you’re neon cat awesome.”
You’d think I’d be used to the Libbisms by now, but they still usually startled me. I laughed. “That’s a good thing, right?”
Libby nodded gravely. “Of course. Haven’t you ever seen neon cat?”
“Uh…no?”
Libby sighed as if I were a hopeless case. “I’ll show you after the opening tonight when you take me out on our first official date as boyfriend and girlfriend. It’ll blow your mind.”
I started to laugh, but then I realized what she’d said. “When I what? As what?”
Libby placed her hands on the table in front of me and leaned forward with a wicked look in her eyes. “You heard me. I’m done waiting. My head’s as straight as it’s ever going to be, so I’ve decided it’s official. You and I are now a very sexy item.”
Libby Garrett was insane. In the very best possible way. But after a speech like that, I couldn’t just give in to her. Managing to keep my face serious, I leaned back in my chair, folded my arms, and raised my eyebrow at her in that stubborn way that drives her crazy. “Is that so?”
“Oh, it’s so. It’s so very, very so.” Libby’s gaze dropped to my lips and my mouth went dry. “We’re a couple. Deal with it. And kiss me. Now, if you please.”
Kendrick cleared his throat, reminding Libby of his presence. She looked at him and laughed. “Sorry, Ken. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
Then she turned back to me, grabbed my face, pulled it to hers, and planted a firm kiss on my mouth. She let go and leaned back before I had time to figure out what was
happening and kiss her back. She dropped one eyelid in a slow wink and grinned at me. “Knock ’em dead today, superstar.”
I watched, shocked, as she pranced back to her own seat at her own table and blew me one last kiss from her seat. Beside me, Kendrick chuckled. I knew my face was as red as a tomato, and I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“I think you’ve got some trouble on your hands,” Kendrick teased. “Sean’s wild little firecracker is crazy.”
I nodded but smiled too, and finally looked at Kendrick. “Completely insane,” I agreed. “But I’ve had to raise Kate. I can handle a little trouble.”
Kendrick laughed again, and then, suddenly, the store was open and things got chaotic. Time flew by. I met dozens and dozens of people, signed autographs, and talked equipment and skating tips—which was easy to do because skating was my favorite thing in the world. People were friendly and excited to talk to me, and even a little bit awed. A lot of people even asked about my eyebrow ring and complimented my tattoos. It was exhausting, but very cool at the same time. I’d never fit in with a crowd of people so well in my life.
It was so strange to be treated not only like an adult, but like someone who could be taken seriously. As if I was a guy to be admired. Every time some little kid told me how cool I was and how he wanted to be like me when he grew up, I got overwhelmed. Both Kate and Libby noticed every time and would smile encouragingly. Their obvious pride in me was twice as hard to swallow. But after a few hours, I started to feel more comfortable and I realized I loved my new job as a sponsored skater.
By the time I had to go skate in front of the crowd for the first time, I was ready. It started when Joey Stinson came over to meet Kendrick. After getting his autograph, he looked at me and did a double take. He covered his shock well and sounded almost casual when he said, “You signed with Kendrick Abbey?” I nodded. “Cool.”
“Is that new board you’ve been using all week one of theirs? I noticed you’ve been getting more air with your jumps.”
“Yeah, man. Sticking a lot more of my landings, too.” I reached behind me and handed him my new skateboard. “Hell of a lot better than the piece of crap I was using before. The deck’s bamboo, so it’s a lot lighter and pops a little when I jump it. And since I can use the old board for cruising, I was able to put the smaller SPF wheels on this one. Makes all the difference in the world.”
