Breaking the Ice (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

A couple of days pass,
and I keep the secret. No one says anything else about the Zamboni, but I feel guilty each time I see Greg. Which is every day.

Braedon. I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. He seems to have forgotten about the whole thing. He's laughing and acting completely normal. Not that I'm talking to him at all. Addison probably thinks I've agreed to stay away from him, even though I haven't.

But every time I start to blame Braedon, I hear that little voice in my head reminding me that it was my choice to go along with him.

“What's wrong?” Miyu asks as we wait for Karilee and her boom box to show up for off-ice class on Saturday. “You've been acting really weird ever since the party.”

I shrug. “Just nervous, I guess.”

Miyu scoots across the floor so that she's sitting right in front of me. “That's not it. I can tell. So what's going on with you and Braedon?” she asks, like that's a better topic to talk about. “You guys were practically inseparable, but I haven't seen you even look at each other since the party. I thought you really liked him.”

Luckily, the noise level in the lobby is so high that no one could've heard what Miyu just said. Because I'd die of embarrassment if anyone knew how I felt about Braedon. Or used to feel about him, that is.

Miyu's just sitting there, legs crossed, looking genuinely concerned about my relationship with Braedon. The guy who's pretty much ruined my life. Suddenly I have to tell
someone
about the Zamboni. I cross my fingers and hope she'll still be my friend once she knows.

“Promise you won't tell anyone?”

She scoots closer. “What are you talking about?”

“Just promise?”

“Sure. What happened?”

I take a deep breath and twist my hands together. “You know how someone crashed the Zam at the send-off party?”

“It was Braedon,” Miyu says.

I stare at her. “How do you know?”

“No one else would be stupid enough to do that. I figured it had to be him.”

I wait until Samantha's walked past us before I talk. “But why didn't you say anything to Greg?”

“I didn't know for sure. I can't just go blaming someone. But it was him, wasn't it?” Miyu slides the locket on her necklace back and forth as she waits for my answer.

“Yeah. It was. But I was sitting next to him.” I shut my eyes and relive that moment. My crush on Braedon dis­appeared the second the Zamboni hit the wall. “You were right. I can't believe I went along with him on all those stupid things. Being late to off-ice, leaving your sleepover, skipping dance, and now crashing the Zam. If anyone finds out, I'll get kicked out of the club.”

Miyu shakes her head. “No, you won't. Because you didn't do anything. Yeah, you shouldn't have been sitting on the Zam, but you didn't run it into the wall. Braedon's the one who'll be in trouble.”

“Do you think I should tell? What if they kick
him
out?”

“I don't know. But they won't make him leave. Greg wouldn't do something like that.”

I remember how Greg agreed to coach me when no one
else would, and I know Miyu's right. “There's more. Addison knows I was there and is threatening to tell Greg if I don't stay away from Braedon.”

Miyu looks like she's eaten something sour. “That little . . .”

I can't help but giggle. That's the closest I've ever heard Miyu come to swearing. “I don't care about Braedon, but I hate the idea of Addison thinking I'm not talking to him because that's the way she wants it.” I'm not entirely sure I don't care about Braedon, but maybe if I say it enough, I'll start to believe it.

“I'm with you there,” Miyu says.

I take a deep breath and tell her what's been on my mind since I woke up this morning. “There's only one thing I can think of to do.”

“What's that?” Miyu leans in a little closer.

“Tell Greg I did it. Just me. I'm not going to say anything about Braedon.”

She's silent for a moment. “Wow. I don't know if that's crazy or brave. No, wait. It's crazy.”

“I don't want to rat out Braedon, but I can't let Addison use the whole thing to get what she wants. And I have to stop keeping these secrets. Even if it means that Mom will never let me out of the house again. Or agree to let me go to school.”

“Do you want backup when you tell Greg?” Miyu asks.

I stop picking at my yoga mat. “You'd do that for me?”

“Of course!”

I shake my head. “I think this is something I have to do myself. But thank you.”

“No matter what he says, at least you'll have it off your mind before Regionals,” Miyu says.

Regionals. I can't believe the competition is next weekend. The whole thing with the Zamboni made me forget all about it. Until now. “Hey, I could use your help planning something for everyone before the competition.”

“Sure. What are you thinking of? More bracelets?” Miyu scoots back around to my side as Karilee plugs in her boom box.

“Not a bracelet or anything like that. More like something to show everyone our club is just as good as any other club.”

Her eyes get wide, and then a slow smile spreads across her face. “I'm in.”

I find Miyu, Jessa, Samantha, Tom, Addison, and a whole bunch of other skaters in the Vocker Rooms before the four o'clock session on Monday. At least Braedon didn't show up. He's the last person I want to see right now.

“Hey, everyone! Kaitlin's here. She's going to tell you all
about her plan,” Miyu announces to the group.

Everyone's looking at me. I run my sweaty palms down the sides of my pants and take a deep breath as Braedon jogs in. Great.

“Go on, Kaitlin.” Miyu elbows me in the side.

I force my mouth open and start talking. “Okay. So, you know how no one takes any of us seriously? All of the mean things they say when they think no one else is listening? The stuff that goes missing from our bags at competitions?”

A low grumble rolls through the group, and a few people nod.

“Miyu and I decided it's time we did something about that.”

Miyu gives me a grin.

From his spot in the back of the group, Braedon raises his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile. I look past him and keep talking.

“I thought we could throw a party on Friday night at Regionals. Invite all the skaters. Show them that we like them and that we're fun to be around.” I cross my fingers behind my back.

For a moment, no one says anything. Then Addison pipes up.

“A party?” She's standing off to the left in a red sweater and matching skating skirt. “Why would we want to throw a
party for people who don't like us? Why don't we just have a party for ourselves?”

Some of the others nod in agreement.

“I know it's kind of a weird idea,” I say. “But if we ever want things to change, I think we have to be the ones to make it happen.”

“Sort of like taking the high road,” Miyu adds.

“Exactly. If we're really nice and friendly to them, how can they keep being so mean to us?” My fingers are tingling, but I keep them crossed.

“I guess that makes sense,” Tom says. “Sort of.”

“It's not a sure thing, but our only other choice is just to let things go on as they are. And I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather try throwing a party.”

No one says anything, but they're all looking at me like they're waiting to hear more.

“So if we do this, we have two big problems we need everyone's help with,” I say.

“How to get people who hate us to come to our party?” Samantha asks.

“That's one. The other is where to have it. We'd have to pay to hold it in a restaurant. And no one's parents would want it in their hotel room.” I don't add how much I wish
Mom was the type who'd jump at the chance for her daughter to host a party. That would be so much easier than keeping this whole thing secret. And I have to, because no way would Mom go for this when it might distract me from preparing for competition.

“There's zero chance my mom will let me go to a party the night before I have to compete,” a girl in a blindingly white dress says.

Others murmur in agreement. I try to block out images of Mom steaming mad after finding out I organized this whole thing. Across from Miyu, Addison's face is paler than pale. If there's any mom who'd be madder than mine, it would be hers.

“I can't tell my parents either,” I say. “So maybe we should keep this a secret. Just invite the skaters. If they have fun, and they start being nicer to us, maybe their parents will too.”

“But what if our parents find out?” the same girl asks.

I clear my throat, but my voice still trembles when I talk. “Look, guys, you know how mad my mom would be if she learned about the party, but I still want to do this. It's worth the risk to me to at least try to change everyone's minds. If we get other skaters thinking about how we're just like them, just as good as them—that we deserve it when we skate well and win—maybe they'll respect us. Maybe they'll stop calling us
the Fall Down Club, and taking our things, and cutting us off in warm-up. We could actually have fun going to competitions if it wasn't for all those things.”

I can't believe I said all that. The little girl in white is nodding and whispering to another girl next to her.

“Everyone who votes yes, raise your hand,” Miyu says.

Every single hand shoots up. Did I just convince everyone to throw a party with me? Who am I, and what happened to the real Kaitlin?

“But how are we going to invite all the skaters?” Jessa asks. “If we go around and ask them, they'll laugh in our faces.”

“Leave it to me.” Braedon steps forward. “I know how to get an invite to every skater without them knowing who's throwing the party.”

Miyu's glaring at him. I swallow the urge to say a bunch of rude stuff. If he can really do that, I need to let him. “Fine. Braedon will take care of the invitations,” I say without looking at him.

“I still think it's a stupid idea,” Addison says, leaning against the lockers.

“You voted yes,” Miyu says.

Addison shrugs. “I like parties.”

“Look, you don't have to be in on this.” Miyu puts her
hands on her hips. “We can all do it without you.”

“Yeah, go sit at the snack bar while the rest of the club takes a stand,” Jessa adds.

I'm totally with them. Who wants Addison's help? If she could even help at all, that is. She'd probably just stand around and complain that the party decorations are too cheap or the cupcakes aren't frosted fancy enough.

Addison narrows her eyes. “You're not leaving me out. Besides, I'm the only one who knows how you can have your loser party at the rink hosting Regionals. But if you don't want my help, then have fun standing around and eating Doritos in your hotel rooms alone.”

I blink at her.

“What do you mean?” Miyu finally asks.

Addison shrugs. “I used to skate at the club there. I've been a member of almost every club in the region. And gotten uninvited from all of them too, thanks to my mom. Fallton was the only place left that would take me.”

“How does that help anything?” I ask.

She smirks. “I was friends with one of the rink manager's daughters. She can probably get us one of their really nice party rooms.”

The whole group is practically gaping at her. Who knew
Addison could be the savior of Fallton?

If
I ask nicely, that is.

“People would be way more likely to show up if they're already where the party is,” Miyu says.

Addison nods and examines her nails, as if all the attention she's getting right now completely bores her.

“Would you call your friend and see if she can get us that room?” I ask as I cross my fingers behind my back again.