“Why’d you do it?” I grab hold of the thick iron bars, shaking them as hard as I can, but the gate refuses to budge.
He drops his skateboard to the ground and places his foot on the deck. “Don’t bother.” He motions toward my futile attempt. “You’re not going anywhere, Nick.” He reaches into his pocket and wags the trolley ticket in my face. His eyes narrowed, his grin crooked and wide, he milks the moment for all he can. “Figured you’d blame Tinsley and Ezer once you caught on to their reality game. Which took you a ridiculously long time, by the way. All those failed attempts to kiss her because Ezer interfered—you think that was a coincidence?” He shakes his head. “Anyone could see she was using you, but you were so hung up on your fantasy version of Tinsley you chose to ditch me, your best bro, just so you could spend more time with a girl who never even liked you. I was willing to let it go for a while, since I figured you’d wise up soon enough, but then I overheard you talking to Tinsley about how you got here and how much you want to return….”
He thrusts the ticket toward me until it’s almost within reach, but just as I make a move for it, he yanks it back again.
“You seriously thought I’d let you rob me of this life?” He looks at me like I’m the biggest moron he’s ever seen. “We had everything—an all-access, red-carpet, VIP pass to the whole entire world! But apparently that wasn’t good enough for you, since you can’t wait to leave it all behind. Tell me, Nick, out of all the time you’ve spent feeling sorry for yourself, did you ever stop to think about me? Did you ever once consider what might happen to me when you leave?”
I can’t meet his glare, so I stare down at my shoes. There’s no denying he’s right. I didn’t think about him. He never once factored into my decision.
“And now, thanks to you, I’m about to become a complete and total nobody.” He shakes his head and scowls. “No, scratch that, I’ll be worse than a nobody—I’ll be a joke—a has-been—the celebrity suck-up who got dumped by his best bro on TV. Nice work, Dashaway.”
“You can always try to get in good with Mac Turtledove….” The second it’s out I regret it. I meant to present it as a viable option, but it sounded more like an insult. “Dougall, listen—” I rush to cover, but he won’t let me finish.
“All you had to do was stick with Ezer’s plan for a couple more years, three at the most. Just keep riding the fame wave until the tide turned and someone new took your place. Is that too much to ask?”
I study him for a long moment. Deciding to go with the truth. “As it turns out, yes.”
He flips his skateboard up with his foot, then angrily slams it back down. “Wrong answer, Nick. Anyway, enjoy living the rest of your life as a nobody. I know I won’t, but if I’m going down, I’m taking you with me.” He shoots me a sickly grin, tucks the ticket into his pocket, and speeds down the street, disappearing from view.
38 Minutes and 18 Seconds till Christmas
SK8TR BOY
I shake the gate again, but it hardly even moves. And since there’s no one inside Ezer’s house who would be willing to help, I hoist myself onto one of the thick iron scrolls and use it as a foothold to heave myself up.
“Well, one thing’s for sure, we’ll definitely break all existing records as the most talked-about season finale.”
Tinsley.
“Nothing like a little controversy to raise the ratings and get people talking. And just so you know, it’s already gone viral. Ezer has had the crew feeding clips to YouTube since the whole thing fell apart—all done anonymously, of course. But I know you no longer care about that.”
I focus on the gate and continue to climb.
“The someday ring was ridiculous, completely over-the-top.”
I heave myself up, but the gate is so tall, there’s still a long way to go.
“And, just so you know, I really did try to talk Ezer out of going through with it. I mean, we’re not even thirteen!”
“Tins—” I turn to find her fidgeting with something inside her pocket, which only confuses me more. What could she possibly be hiding? What kind of game is she playing? I already know Dougall stole the ticket.
“Then again, even though it was dumb, it definitely worked. Whatever you may think of him, he is a genius when it comes to making headlines.”
I heave a frustrated sigh, making no attempt to hide my annoyance. Tinsley is seriously starting to get on my nerves.
“Still, I want you to know that, while the ring may have been fake, my feelings for you weren’t—or at least, not entirely. Remember that day on the beach? Remember what I said to you?”
I center my foot and reach for a handhold, pausing long enough to remember the day she looked at me and said, Promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll remember this moment….
“I really did mean it. I really did want to kiss you.”
I close my eyes briefly. Five days ago I dreamed of hearing Tinsley Barnes say those words.
Today they’re just another delay I cannot afford.