Renna Rose Lancaster is the girl people stare at like she belongs in a glass case, a life airbrushed into unattainable perfection.
But Renna knows her life is nothing but a golden prison coated in pretty lies that keep her muted and small.
Her day...
"I belong to you even if you never call me yours."
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If happiness had a temperature, mine would be freezing tonight.
The whole rink was white-lit and glittering, the kind of light that made everyone look like a snow-globe version of themselves-faces flushed, laughter echoing, the air humming with that stupid winter magic. It smelled like vanilla cocoa, fake pine, and overworked heaters trying to keep us from turning into human icicles.
The ice looks like glass under my blades, and honestly, I love that feeling-the slip and hiss, the whisper the ice made when it gave way under me. I used to be scared of falling when I was little. Now I sort of crave it. The loss of balance, the catch, the recovery. Feels a bit like being alive.
I was gliding. Smooth, effortless, like the ice had been carved for me alone. The cold biting my cheeks, my hair flying behind me, my skates slicing clean arcs-it all made the world feel lighter. I let my body move, muscle memory taking over, every part of me slipping into that same old dance I'd been raised for-precision, control, grace. Except this time, I wasn't under a spotlight or an instructor's hawk eyes. This time I was just me.
"Renna!" Cameron's voice cut across the rink, wobbling dangerously as he tried to skate toward me. "Renna, I swear to God, my arse is gonna split if I fall again-"
I spun in a neat pirouette and stopped just before he collided with the barrier. "Maybe don't skate like a duck having a seizure, then."
He gawked at me. "Easy for you, ballerina Barbie. Some of us weren't born half fairy, half demon."
"Speak for yourself," Isla piped up, skating past him effortlessly. "You look like you're trying to dance and die at the same time."
"Renna, tell your bestfriend she's evil," Cameron grumbled.
"Isla," I said sweetly, "you're evil."
She grinned. "Aye, but I'm better at skating than him, so it balances out."
Behind them, Gavin was already sprawled flat on the ice, laughing at Cameron. "Mate, I swear, you look like a baby giraffe trying to walk!"
"Shut the fuck up, Gav!" Cameron snapped, flailing for balance again.
Casper swooped by, nearly colliding with him. "Oi, move, man! You're taking up the entire rink!"
"Aye," Logan added, skidding to a stop next to me. "He's like a bloody traffic cone in motion."
I laughed so hard my knees almost buckled. "Cammy, they're bullying you. Want me to protect you?"
