“She’s right here,” I say, hating the way they’re talking over me. It reminds me too much of Vera and my mom. Like they know better than I do where I should be and what I should be doing. They don’t understand; I wouldn’t be putting this much pressure on myself if I didn’t have to, if I didn’t need that scholarship.

“Sorry,” Nikki says, wiping her fingers. “I just want you to relax a little. Wasn’t that Mrs. G’s whole point? And you don’t have to do the summer program with Aleksander what’s-his-name to get into that school, do you?”

“Ilyashev. And no, but it would really help. Can you imagine his feedback? The edge it would give me when I audition with him for their college program next winter?”

“I know. Winning the Empire Classic would really help me too, give me a leg up going into my final year. Do you know how many college scouts are at that tournament?”

“I can guess,” I say, hating that she knows more about my thing than I know about hers.

“I’m just saying, don’t let one moment define you. Because there are going to be a lot of moments still to come, no matter which way things shake out.”

Nobody says anything after that; we just eat our wings and listen to the sound of balls crashing into pins and people cheering or swearing. When the conversation does pick back up, we switch gears to safer topics—complaining about school, talking about how great Emily is, and joking about how Nikki and Ty are finally together but still aren’t being super public about it.

But Nikki’s words keep buzzing in my head, and I wonder if she’s right. It doesn’t feel like she is, though. For the first time, it feels like maybe she just doesn’t get it. Like, at all. And it’s weird to feel like that about Nikki, and maybe a little about Jayla too.

CHAPTER TWENTY