"What stuff?" I ask, a little alarmed by just how red Bits' face is. Maybe I shouldn't have said that we were dating? But he also didn't seem to like it when I didn't. I sit down next to him with a furrowed brow, but they rise up towards my hairline at what he says next. "Oh, was she? I didn't even notice. And even if I had, it doesn't matter."

I pull of my sneakers and open my bag, staring down at my skates. Bits cleaned them for me after I got here, and they're gleaming brightly. I swallow hard. "I'm with you, okay? I'm with you, and we're gonna skate."