FAZER LOGIN111DISBELIEF JAYDENI watch through the windshield until the doors of the arena swings shut behind her. The second Aurora’s figure disappears into the lobby, I let out a long, slow breath and lean my head back against the leather headrest.I stay like that for a solid minute, listening to the soft hum of the idling engine, before pulling myself together and shifting the car into drive.Ten minutes later, I'm pulling into the cavernous parking lot of the university athletic center. The smell of fresh ice, rubber matting, and stale sweat hit me the moment I push through the side entrance, heading straight past the weight room toward the coaching offices overlooking the main rink.Coach is behind his desk, surrounded by stacks of printouts, video analysis tablets, and half-empty coffee cups. He doesn't even look up from the tablet screen when I knock twice on the open door frame."You're twenty minutes late for the scheduled meeting..." Coach grunts, tapping the screen to pause a clip
110ST. 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
001ROOMIE AURORA Her side of the room is a hot mess. My roommate I mean..Clothes are hanging halfway out of drawers and the bed looks like somebody wrestled a bear on it and lost.I stand frozen in the doorway of Dorm C, Room 214, one hand gripping the handle of my suitcase while the other clu
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
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







