Starboy

Chapter 43: Winter Things

He nods.

He tries standing up with his skates on and loses his balance. "How can this be hard for you? I've seen you skateboard and that is much harder."

"Well, I'm shit at skateboarding if you didn't notice."

"That's not true. You're good at everything," I say.

"I'm really not," he disagrees. "I just had confidence. If you act like you're good at something, people won't question you. It's what I've been doing my whole life, and see, it works. Even you believed it."

"Don't worry, by the end of this, you will be a pro, I promise."

We skate around the rink and his hands cling tightly to mine. He almost loses balance again and wraps his arm around my waist to ensure he doesn't fall. I'm shocked to see something he doesn't immediately master. My whole life I figured everything just came to him and that he didn't have to work for anything. Maybe I just assumed.

A girl rushed past on her skates like a pro, which freaks Benji out. "Shit!" He yells as she zooms past. I laugh and make hold onto him extra tightly to make sure he doesn't fall.

"I was wrong. Really wrong," I say.

"About what?"

"I think you're a lost cause, Benji. You are absolute shit at skating." I laugh.

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "Shut up."

We continue to skate in a big circle again and again until he finally picks up the tiniest sense of how to skate. "Are you ready for me to let go?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Yes. No. Yes. No... yes?" He decides.

"So which is it?" I wonder.

"Yes," he finally says.

I let go and he starts doing it all on his own. "You're doing it!" I yell proudly. "You're actually doing it, babe!"

"Don't jinx it!!" He shouts as he skates further away from me.

I laugh. "I'm going to get us some hot chocolate. Will you be okay on your own?"

He doesn't answer because he doesn't hear me. He is so caught up on skating, and so incredibly focused. I smile to myself and hop out of the rink. I get in line for hot chocolate before I'm next in line and the kind woman takes my order.

"Two hot chocolates, please. Thank you," I say as I hand her a bill.

I stand on the side as I wait for my order and watch Benji struggle to keep balance. I chuckle and shake my head.

"Brandy?" A voice says and I turn around to see where it was coming from.

"Miles?" I say. "What are you doing here?"

He chuckles. "Skating?"

"Oh, shit." I laugh awkwardly. "Duh. How... how are you?" I haven't spoken to him, basically since Benji's disastrous nineteenth birthday party.

"Good, good. How are you?"

"Cold," I say. "Hence the hot chocolate."

"And the three layers of jackets." He laughs.

"I don't do well in cold weather," I admit. "Are you here alone?"

"Actually, I'm here with my girlfriend," he says, which surprises me to hear.

"You—you have a girlfriend?" I stammer.

"Jamie," he says. "I met her at school... pretty much right after Benji's party."