Trailing Stars (Trailing Stars #1)

Chapter 3

I still feel Mom watching me as I walk toward the lake. I stand at the edge and take in the expanse of ice, everything else falling away. The cold air biting at me. The sun reflecting off the blinding white snow. Any and all worried eyes looking in my direction. It's just me and the ice.

I inhale and slowly let out a breath in one long stream, forcing the anticipation to build up. When it's at its peak and it feels like I'm about to burst, I step on the ice. The second I do, I take off. I almost can't remember why my chest feels so heavy. It's just me right now. I don't even register that I pass by both Kate and Dad in the middle of their race until Kate calls my name. Even then, I don't stop until I reach the edge of the lake. And when I do stop, I'm buzzing on my high, heart racing and blood pumping. Something I haven't felt in a while.

"Did you start in the middle of the lake?" Kate asks, coming to stop next to me.

I arch an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

She scrunches up her face. "Because there's no way you could've passed both me and Dad unless you did."

I look past Kate at Dad. He laughs, shrugging. I look back at my sister, feeling the corners of my mouth turn up. "I'm pretty sure I started at the other end. You probably just need more practice."

Kate scoffs, straightening. The corners of her mouth clearly start to turn up, but she fights it. "Maybe I just need new skates."

I shrug. "That could be it, too."

A pause. Kate's smile wavers before completely falling, making my own smile slip. I know this isn't how our usual banter goes, but I haven't been able to meet those standards in a long time. Not since Morgan died. And definitely not with Kate. She's so much like Morgan, it makes me think one second we're bantering and the next she'll be gone. Just like that.

Just like Morgan.

But I didn't realize how obvious it was that I'm not trying. It has to be, though, because Kate nods and skates away. I start to skate after her, but she's already taking Dad's hand and dragging him away. When she looks up at him, I see her smile, so maybe I don't need to say anything. It's probably better that way, too, in case I mess up more.

I try to get lost in skating for the next few hours, attempting tricks and winning races. I just stick a landing when I hear someone call my name. I spin in place until I see... Clara. She waves at me, a smile on her face. I wave back and skate over, stopping right where the ice meets the snow.

"You're amazing on the ice," she says.

I smile, my head still fuzzy from my high. "Thanks."

"Did you used to figure skate or anything?"

I shake my head, some of the fuzziness seeping out of me, evaporating into the cold air. "No. Just skated for fun and picked up a few tricks." Clara starts to ask me another question, but this is too much conversation about me. I note the name tag on her shirt. Perfect. "Are you on break right now?"

Clara shrugs. "Kind of. I wanted a break, so I took one. Nathan's mom goes easy on me since I've known her since I was like seven, so it's whatever. Nathan jokes about firing me sometimes—not that he can—but he probably doesn't even notice I'm gone when I do this on Saturdays."

"How do you know?"

"The open mic is tonight, so he's always busy practicing reading his poems aloud." She rolls her eyes. "Not that he needs to."

A hint of affection in her voice tries to find its way out of the annoyance. There's that familiar feeling again... I try to push it aside to focus on the conversation. "I'm guessing he's really good?"