Chapter Sixteen

My phone buzzes on the kitchen counter top as Boyd and I finish off breakfast. As it spins he grabs hold with lightning reflex before I've even the chance.

"Frankie?" He squints at the screen like he might need glasses to read it. "Whose Frankie?"

My heart jumps. I reach out and snatch the phone back, holding it tight against my chest waiting for it to implode. "No one."

"Doesn't sound like no one," Boyd says, his voice rising and falling with curiosity. "I mean, you're blushing like mad Syd."

"Am not. It's just a friend."

He wiggles his eyebrows. "If you say so."

"Well I am. She's... a girl I met on Main Street." I watch as his attention shifts at the mention of Frankie being a she. "She gave me directions to the nearest drugstore and she was friendly and I took her number so we could hang out maybe in the future or something. I mean, I was just being polite."

Boyd lets me ramble. Then he cocks his head aside and I'm not sure if he believes me or just thinks me totally insane. "Sure OK, whatever. I don't really care."

I roll my eyes at his casual shrug and how he shuffles off the counter stool. He reaches out for his crutches nearby and signals a two finger salute.

"Gonna bounce," he announces. I stare down at his cast. Boyd offers a weak laugh. "Well, yeah, not literally."

I don't say anymore. I want the house to empty, so I can gather my bag, board and nerve and leave without having to look over my shoulder.

"You back for dinner?" Boyd asks as he reaches the doorway.

I offer a frown. How does he know I'm going anywhere in the first place?

"Your new friend, Frankie. She's asked if you're still on to meet for lunch?"

My mouth goes all dry and I barely get the words come out. "Oh, did she?" I check my phone and the message sent from her and squeeze the truth tight, still hiding it all away. "I'll be back for dinner."

"Cool."

"Cool."

I wave and smile like I'm not counting the seconds until he's sitting in the waiting car outside the cottage, off to check out the new official Bloom Skate Jam merch. Tees and stickers are more important than practice apparently.

"Have fun," I say, wishing the time away.

Boyd hovers by the porch door offering a wonderfully bright, white smile that leaves me feeling the tiniest bit guilty again for lying. "Catch you on the flipside, Syd."

***

In the stockroom of Burt's, which is also now a holding-pen for the old neon signs Burt Kerrhart was so fond of, Frankie announces that she has something important to announce and that we should all stop to listen.

Finn straightens his back as he leans against the wall. Taylor continues to slump her arms over the back of an old desk chair. I unfold my arms and open up my attention too.

Frankie stands in the doorway of the fire door, the breeze whipping through her hair as she relays the beginning of her day previous, and just why it's so important.

"So, like I was at the skate shop down on Main to get some tape grip and I see that the town's doing an official Skate Jam contest at the bowl," Frankie says, her big, blue eyes lighting up as she clasps her hands together in excitement.

"Yeah, they used to do it every year until funding was cut," Taylor says briefly cutting in, "Guess it's back again."

"Well it is," Frankie says, continuing, "I saw the poster and thought that's cool, but then that Bloom kid in the leg cast and his little buddies saw me looking at it. He said that it's for the pro's and locals only."

I glance at Finn, and then at Taylor, both scowling like they know how this story will go.

Frankie sighs hard, "They were total douches. Especially when I asked for a signup form."

"Wouldn't expect anything less from a Bloom." Taylor rolls her eyes hard and Finn half-nods in agreement or out of being polite, I don't really know.

"What's his name again, the Bloom kid?" Frankie asks.

"Boyd," Finn offers, like it's poison on his tongue. And I start to believe that maybe this whole it's them, not us issue is baloney. I think back to the first time I ever saw Finn, at the bowl and how he'd skated away with his finger held high. But I keep quiet about that for now. I feel deflated by Boyd's attitude, though I suppose I should know how the story ends too.

"And like, I stood there and just thought - fuck you."

"Right on," Taylor stops slumping and spins herself round in the chair to stand. "Fuck them."

Frankie's spirit seems lifted by the solidarity, she takes a step in. "That Boyd guy, he said it's a male dominated sport anyways."

"Yadda yadda yadda, oh dude, I got the same speech from my dad when I said I'd rather a new board than go and shop at the mall for my birthday. Like, he doesn't understand it at all," Taylor shakes her head hard, her cheeks now red too.

"Back in my old town I was the only girl at the bowl," Frankie confesses, and I realize I had no idea that she was new to Sunset Cove. Very quickly, I also realize that outside of skating and the odd conversation I really know nothing about two thirds of the people I'm sharing a lunch break with.

"Same here."

"It sucks," Frankie's voice falls low but there's something building in it too and my tummy wobbles with what might be next on the tip of her tongue. I feel like I know what she's about to say before she does, though it doesn't make it any less surprising.

"And because I'm so tired of it sucking and because that Boyd guy and his goons made me feel like, three feet tall I decided to go ahead and sign us up for the Skate Jam, because well you know - fuck them." Frankie looks to Taylor, who throws her hands up like it's the best idea she's ever heard and then at Finn, who offers a thumbs up.

"Us?" I hear my voice waiver but I can't help it.

"Yeah, us," Frankie's hand points at each of us in the corners of the stock staff room. "I thought it would be cool to like, do it for Burt's too. You know like Burt's can sponsor us and it'll drum up some exposure for you Finn."

He smiles and nods, "That is a pretty cool idea. Thanks Frankie."

"Dude, I'm in," Taylor says, twisting her fiery red hair up into a ponytail as if ready to compete right away. "I've always wanted an opportunity to wipe the smug smile off that douchebags face."

All eyes soon turn to me. And it is a nice idea, in theory. In practice, it means having to come face to face with Boyd and the Bloom skate team and Marienne and I feel the guilt swell inside again.

"I... I don't know if I should," I say weakly. "But it's cool if you guys want to."

"But we need four of us to enter, like officially," Frankie says.

Taylor side-eyes Finn, as if to show her total annoyance that I've thrown a spanner in the works. Finn just offers a small shrug, like he's no idea what to do about me.

"I just don't think it would go down too well, because I'm like... staying at the Blooms and I know Boyd. We're... I guess you could say we're friends and, well he wouldn't be happy about it."

"Did he ask you to be in his team this year Sydney?" Taylor turns to me, her arms now folded.

She's onto me. She knows that he never did. I swallow hard. "Well, no but that's because of the locals only thing." She doesn't buy it. I don't either.

"So code for no girls allowed, right?"

"Well-"

"This so called 'friend' of yours. Did he think about how'd you feel? Did he even consider you?"

"Did you know there's never, like ever been any girls in the Skate Jam?" Frankie says softening the mini confrontation, "and that should change. At least I think it should."

I look to Finn, who raises his hand with a smile and says, "For the record I'm proud to support as an honorary member of this history-in-the-making girls skate team, but I also support Sydney's decision, should she decide not too."

"Whatever. You're in Finn, and so am I and Frankie, obviously, so Sydney, you in or are you gonna allow him to keep you out of this team too?" Taylor isn't messing around and I know I shouldn't either. Not when it means so much to them, and I suppose if I let it, me too.

"If you think he'll get all mad about it, just like, don't tell him," Frankie says, as if she knows I'm good at lying. Which I am. It's got me this far.

Finn leans in close and his shoulder bumps mine. "I know it's a potential conflict of interest - skating for Burt's, but he didn't pick you for his team and that's his loss. Because you're great, Sydney."

"You really are, like is he blind? Has he not seen you skate?" Taylor chimes in, and I decide to take her compliment and the way it makes me feel and run with it. My head nods before my mouth can catch up.

"Okay, I'll do it," I say, feeling nervous and excited and bold and terrified all at once, my heart thumping a million times with each second that passes between Frankie's squeal of delight and Taylor's surprise hug and Finn's wonderful grin.

I start to picture myself four weeks into the future. The rush of skating the bowl in front of hundreds of people. I picture my dad and Daniel stood on the sidelines watching me. Maybe news will travel back to my mom. Maybe her and dad will agree on something for once - how proud they are of me, win or lose, no matter that I've been lying this entire time and sneaking around behind everyone's back.

"It'll be okay Sydney, we've got your back," Frankie says, the wide smile on her face infectious.

Finn nods, "Exactly what she said."

Taylor brings her hand into the space between us all. Frankie places her hand on top, then Finn and finally, mine, still shaking from the leap of faith I have to take to believe that it will be OK.