But Reid can barely walk in skates, never mind skate in skates. His eyes go wide as soon as his feet touch the ice, like, What is this witchcraft and why are all these twelve-year-olds so good at it? He tries to take one step and when he almost goes down hard, decides he won’t let go of the side of the rink.

He’s not going anywhere any time soon, so I skate over to say hi to everyone at the opposite end of the rink.

“Reid’s having a blast,” Lacey says.

I roll my eyes. “I didn’t know he’s an ice virgin.”

Makayla laughs. “I’d say go put him out of his misery, but this is fun to watch.”

“This is fun,” Logan admits, gesturing at the glory that is theater and band intermingling on the ice. “We were going to skip for a movie night. I’m glad Reid brought us.”

“Really?”

Huh. Reid told me this afternoon that the band was all in.

Lacey nods. “We’re masters of holding a grudge.”

“I didn’t mean to ruin the Harvest Festival. I’m really sorry about that. And Nationals—”

Lacey cuts me off. “You couldn’t have known that would happen. Honestly, the school could’ve found another reason to not send us. It’s been easier to blame you for the band’s problems than reckon with our own entitlement.”

“We’re not better than anyone else,” Logan adds. “We can act that way. I’m sorry too.”

This is not the direction I thought this conversation would go. The whole reason I have waited so long to approach the band is because their frustration is valid. I mean, Reid and I derailed their year with a prank war that got out of control.

“You’re not supposed to be apologizing right now!”

Lacey shrugs. “We just want Melted to be great. For everyone.”

“Does the rest of the band feel that way?” Henry asks.

“They will,” Logan says. “We’re the first chairs. They’ll follow our lead.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“Thank Reid. He’s the one who called us out,” Lacey says.

I look back at Reid as he lets go of the wall, takes two steps forward, and falls back on his ass. Henry and Makayla double over laughing. The instinct is there, like muscle memory, but I don’t, because Reid is trying something new—without the guarantee that he’ll be good—just because I seemed excited. Also, he got the band here! I skate over to him, and his butt is still firmly planted on the ice when I get there. I hold out my hands and he takes them.

“So, definitely not a prodigy,” Reid says.

I laugh. “We can’t have it all.”