เข้าสู่ระบบ110ST. JUDE'S COLLEGE AURORA It feels so good to be back in the rink. To feel the crisp, frigid air of the ice rink hit my face. I love it here and I can gladly say I have missed skating. I've missed skating so much I can't wait to get back on the ice. My blood is pumping and I'm fucking excited as I drop my skate bag onto the bench near the boards.Coach Sarah is already on the ice, gliding in effortless circles with a clipboard tucked under her arm. Her eyes lock onto me the second I step up to the barrier.There's no other person around. Which makes me wonder if she called me earlier or if she wants to talk to me about something."You're late, Aurora," she says, her voice sharp but not unkind as she skitters to a stop right in front of me, spraying a tiny spray of ice against the plexiglass."Traffic light malfunction," I lie smoothly, unzippered bag in hand. "Jayden was driving.""Right," Sarah sighs, a faint smile tugging at her lips before her expression shifts into somethin
109RED LIGHT AURORA I stare at him with wide, pleading eyes, doing my absolute best to pull off the most convincing pout I can manage."Absolutely not, babe. No." He says flatly."Jayden, please!" I groan, stepping closer and catching his wrists. "You said yourself I need to practice! How am I supposed to get my license if you panic every time I touch the steering wheel?""Sweet girl it's called being careful. You know the woman who lives two blocks away?" His brows raise."Mrs. Higgins? The baker?" "Yeah. You mounted the curb into Mrs. Higgins' hydrangeas yesterday," he reminds me, his eyes narrowing. "The poor woman was standing on her porch holding a watering can, looking at us like we were terrorists.""I was avoiding a squirrel!" I shoot back defensively, throwing my hands up. "It was an act of mercy. Besides, your passenger-side mirror survived, didn't it?""Barely," he mutters, shaking his head as he stands up from the bed. "It’s folded in right now because it's practically
108RORY DRIVING?AURORAOne... no, two days had passed and I can still remember Jayden forcing me to drink endless cups of tea, eating actual meals, and resting until my head finally stopped spinning."I'm better. Don't you dare tell me I'm not." I say, making a face at Jayden as I brush out my hair, my toes curling inwards.He doesn't even spare me a glance. His focus is entirely glued to whatever he's checking out on his laptop screen. His brows are deeply furrowed, line after line forming on his forehead and I can't help but notice the way his hair keeps falling right into his eyes."Honestly, aren't you overdue for a haircut?" I ask, leaning back against the edge of the vanity table.He taps a few keys, clicking something on his trackpad, still ignoring my commentary."Jayden," I call out softly.Silence.I set my hairbrush down with a small thud and cross the room. I walk over, stepping right into his space, and slide onto his lap, sitting cross-legged over his legs.He lets out
107MAKING OUT 2 JAYDENI tighten my grip on her waist, laughing a little as I capture her lips once more. This time, it's just us, isolated in the warmth of my bedroom, locked in our own little world.Kissing her makes me forget all about my family and also makes me forget about her family saga. Her hand's slide down my neck, her palms pressing flat against my chest before her fingers hook into the button."I want this off." She says, undoing the buttons one by one. The shirt comes off and she connects our lips again. I hum against her mouth, deepening the already deep kiss, my tongue sliding past her lips to taste her completely. She gasps, a sweet, quiet sound that goes straight to my gut, and arches her back into the touch of my hands.My palms slide up the skin of her thighs, bunching up the hem of her dress as I guide her hips to fit against mine. She shifts on my lap, her knees tightening around my waist, and the gentle friction of her body pressing right against the head of
106MAKING OUT 1JAYDENI stare up at Aurora, watching the hurt swimming in her tear-brimmed eyes, and I'm instantly angry all over again. Because... what the fuck? This girl has been through so much in just a matter of days. What happened to the care free, stubborn princess I kissed before she left to go into her dorm that night?The adults have managed to drag my girl into their shit. If only they manage to not keep fucking up. If only they know what the fuck they are doing. One minute Aurora's happy. The other she's sad. Fuck everybody.The stinging on my left cheek doesn't even exist anymore. Whatever rage is boiling under my skin towards Elena evaporates instantly. It's replaced by a cold, lethal instinct to shield the girl standing on those stairs.I don't look back at Elena as I stake a slow step backward, planting myself firmly on the bottom riser, physically blocking any line of sight between the two of them."You heard her," I say. My voice isn't loud, but it's dead and he
105GO AWAYJAYDENShe tastes like honey and the hot chicken broth I just fed her, soft and sweet and reckless. And boy, do I fucking love it.The moment her lips slam into mine, all the smug humor drains out of my chest, replaced by a white-hot surge of need. I don't give her a second to second-guess it. My hands shoot out, one gripping her waist to haul her against my chest, the other cupping the back of her head, my fingers tangling in her hair.I pull her down onto my lap, deepening the kiss, sliding my tongue past her parted lips. She lets out this tiny, breathless moan right into my mouth... a sound that goes straight to my gut and threatens to snap whatever string of self-control I have left. I pull her closer, resting my thumb right against her jaw, ready to lose my damn mind...BANG. BANG. BANG.The loud pounding on the bedroom door shatters the moment like glass.We both freeze. Aurora breaks the kiss with a gasp, her chest heaving, eyes wide.Every drop of blood in my body
005DATING 101AURORAI stare at my phone after the call ends, my reflection blurry through the tears still clinging to my lashes.Typical.Even from miles away, my mother still somehow manages to comfort me and bully me at the same time.A watery laugh escapes me before I wipe at my face again. Go
004BONDING?AURORAI can't believe how much things have changed in just one night. I don't want to think about Brian. I don't want to think about the kiss. I don't even want to think about anything.Because if I do, I'll lose it. And what better way to show a bunch of jocks that I'm vulnerable if
003HEARTBREAK HIGHJAYDENI hate days like this, man. Days where I attend all classes, show up to the gym for practice, pushing my body to its limits, and all I want to do is crash when I'm in my room, sinking into the mattress and disappear for a few hours. But then something morbid comes up and
002RULESAURORA "You're the figure skater."I stare at him. Then I narrow my eyes. "You say that like that's a bad thing.""Oh, it is," he says dryly. "When she's apparently going to be staying in my room."Excuse me? I fold my arms across my chest. "Your room?" He legs out a humorless laugh bef







