Jasper immediately lit up. “No way. I’m competing in the Men’s Free Skate as well.”
Now I knew where Jasper looked familiar. I’d seen him a few times during practice at the rink. “I know you! Your quad jumps are fantastic.”
“Thanks.” Jasper scratched the back of his head, a bit bashful. “I’ve seen your short program, and it’s brilliant. But you have a new long, don’t you? You just started working on it.”
“That I have.” I’d changed my long program music over the summer, from Swan Lake to Romeo and Juliet. Ethan’s and I’s song…A Time For Us.
Yeah. Because I loved torturing myself, apparently.
Arthur waved us over. “Let’s take a load off, guys. My grandparents packed us lunch.”
We sat on a blanket Arthur laid out for us. I didn’t want to be weird and sit with them— I wasn’t exactly their friend— but it felt awkward not to, so I sat between Finlay and Ozzie and took a lemonade when Arthur handed it out to me. He began distributing egg salad sandwiches, which looked amazing but I knew I couldn’t eat one.
“We have extras.” Arthur offered me a sandwich, but I turned it down.
“No thanks,” I said. “I’ve got food allergies.”
“Bummer.” He gave the extras to Ozzie, who inhaled it like it was his last meal. He rubbed his stomach happily, and I noticed the fond look at him that Jasper snuck.
“You said your grandparents packed your lunch. Do you have family nearby?” I asked.
“Somewhat. My dad died when I was young, and my mother abandoned me as a child,” Arthur said. “I lived with my grandparents in Ireland until they moved to Malovia last year, when I started university. My dad is buried out by the old graveyard near the hills.”
“I know the place. It’s pretty deserted,” I said, recalling the difficult day when Ethan and I had visited my father’s tombstone.
Arthur looked down. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to work up the courage to go out there and visit, but it’s… hard.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. My dad died when I was a kid, too, so I know how it feels. My father is buried in the same cemetery. It wasn’t easy going to his grave for the first time.”
Arthur shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t know my parents. It sucks, but my grandparents are wicked awesome. They made up for not having a traditional family.”
“So what are you studying?” I desperately wanted to talk about anything that wasn’t heavy, and my dead dad was one of those subjects I avoided at all costs.
“Fae History,” Arthur replied. “I’m fascinated by ancient lore. It really gets me.”
“He’s a big nerd,” Finlay teased. Arthur punched him in the shoulder, which Finlay rubbed off with a laugh.
“And what areyoustudying that’s better?” I raised an eyebrow at Finlay, andoohswent up around the circle.
He gave a roguish grin. “Pack Communications. I’m looking for a leadership position in the wolven Faction.”
“That’sfuck boy speakfor he wants to lead around a bunch of brutes,” Jasper offered. Finlay chuckled as he nodded in agreement.
“What about you, Vara?” I asked. She’d been awfully quiet this entire time, and I didn’t want to be rude and accidentally disclude her.
“International Studies. I love learning about the world,” Vara said. “Though I have an interest in Journalism as well. I work part-time as a student reporter forThe Annual Arcanea.”
“I’m majoring in International Studies, too.” It’d be nice to have someone I knew in my classes.
“I prefer to observe.” Vara shrugged. “It’s interesting to look at people who’ve grown up in societies with different perspectives than yours.”
“I’ve always thought so. Diversity is what makes the world wonderful.”
“Exactly.” Vara bit into an apple. “It’s probably the most captivating thing about life, realizing everyone’s unique, but at our core, we’re all the same.”
Vara was cool. She and I clicked instantly. She’d be a great study partner.
“I just want to make cupcakes. Opening up a bakery would be fun!” Ozzie burst. “I want to make all kinds of muffins with magical enchantments in them. I brought some today, see?”
