The Boy Next Door by Katie Van Ark

Author:Katie Van Ark
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781250061782
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

23

Maddy

Gabe just kissed me. On the ice, under the spotlights, in front of everyone. As he pulls me up out of the dip and twirls me for our bows, I can’t believe my smile doesn’t split my face right open. It’s the best Christmas present I could’ve asked for, and it’s not even Christmas yet.

We were the last number, and I don’t even remember skating the finale. All I can think of is the candlelight skate. Every year after the show, Ms. Rasgotra decks the boards around the Olympic rink with artificial tea light candles and Igor sets the spotlights to swirl soft snowflake patterns across the ice. Skating in the dark has its own allure, even if we only skate laps and simple dance patterns. I can’t wait to waltz with Gabe.

Gabe runs off to the restroom as soon as the finale’s over. By the time he gets back, the first song is already done. Impatiently, I reach for his hand.

He steps sideways, slipping his fingers away. He looks around.

“What?” I ask, but I see them, too. The photographers raise their cameras as they step toward us.

“I’m going to ask Kate to dance. Let’s not give them too much to speculate on, okay?”

Too much to speculate on? He just kissed me in front of all of them not ten minutes ago. Too shocked to say anything, I watch Gabe walk over to Kate, and escort her to the ice.

“Wanna dance?” Chris asks from beside me. He’s still dressed in his Santa Claus suit, bouncing belly and all, but that doesn’t improve my Christmas spirit.

“What did you think of the new ending?” I ask Chris as we step onto the ice.

“What new ending?”

“For our ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ number.”

“You guys changed it?” he asks. “I thought the reverse pivot was cool.”

He doesn’t even know, I realize. He and the rest of our club were waiting behind the backdrop to skate the finale. Igor and Ms. Rasgotra wouldn’t have seen, either, trying to corral the learn-to-skate kids. And everyone in the stands would just think it was part of the choreography. I put in a couple of laps and excuse myself to sign some autographs, leaving Chris to the long line of children now waiting their turn to skate with Santa.

I’ve signed one autograph book, three pairs of skates, and a couple dozen programs when my crowd disperses. Chris’s skate-with-Santa line doesn’t seem to be any shorter, and with the parents slipping him bills for hamming it up for their kids, he seems in no hurry to have his own partner back. Likewise, Gabe is still dancing with Kate. I could go out and skate by myself but I don’t want to. Wistfully, I watch Gabe lead Kate in the European Waltz as “Silver Bells” plays, the way he matches his steps to hers as they navigate through the skating parents taking laps and the solo dancers. That should’ve been my waltz, but anyone watching would mistake Gabe for Kate’s dance partner.

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