Take It On The Run

Prologue

POV: Sloan

"Happy Birthday, Sloan," Avery beamed, holding my hand as we skated around the roller rink. The slow, sensual R&B song playing now, along with Avery's confidence made my heart thump in my chest.

A moment later, Sumner zipped up to my other side and found my free hand. I looked over my shoulder briefly to make sure Reed and Deacon were still following.

The guys insisted we were too old for skating now that we were in high school, but I still loved it. That's why I'd used my sixteenth birthday as an excuse to strongarm them into sharing my favorite pastime.

"Deacon's having a time back there," Sumner said, choking on a laugh. He whirled around, skating backward with agile grace as he took my hand again. He started rolling his hips suggestively, as though he were dancing, which was actually pretty hot.

"I heard that!"

I fought a giggle.

Deacon had fallen so many times, I'd lost count. He was the tallest kid in our class—a fact that wasn't doing him any favors today. He was more of the boxing and martial arts type, although you'd never guess it from his scrawny form. Despite being completely out of his element, though, he was still a good sport about it.

Avery squeezed my hand, inky eyes sparkling. "Okay, this is actually way more fun than I thought it'd be." He'd somehow taken to skating naturally. Reed and D not so much.

"See what happens when you put your books down for a few hours," I teased.

"I put my books down long enough to talk to you all night about vampires and ghosts don't I?" His eyes snagged on my lips, and I thought he might want to kiss me.

My cheeks heated at the thought, my palms turning clammy. I'd never been kissed before, but I didn't hate the idea of Avery being my first. In fact, I didn't hate the idea of any of the boys being my first. That probably made me a bad person, but it was the truth.

"Sloan!" my mother called from a table on the side of the rink. She was smiling at me, her pretty blond bob catching the light of the disco ball overhead. "Time to go baby. The rink is closing."

My mother had spent weeks planning this party for me. Meanwhile, my father was nowhere to be found. It had been six months since he'd abandoned us without a word or explanation. It might've hurt if I weren't so incredibly angry.

I marveled at my mother's strength sometimes, the way she made my life feel so normal when she could've fallen apart.

"Coming, Mom!" When I abruptly pivoted toward the exit, Sumner's legs tangled with mine, and we went down, taking Avery with us. Seconds later Deacon and Reed tripped over us, and the five of us were in a huge dog pile.

"Ouch," someone complained, voice muffled. I thought it might've been Reed. Any minute now, he'd go in search of the first aid kit and start patching us up.

The guys shifted until I was sitting in the middle of them. All of us were laughing our butts off now, tears streaming down my face and my belly aching. They had a way of making me forget my troubles, of making my heart feel light.

When Deacon started to pick himself up off the ground, I heard my mother say, "Wait! Don't move." He silently obeyed, sitting on the floor once more.

When I looked up, she stood a few feet away from us, camera in hand. Normally, I refused to pose for pictures, but this moment felt so perfect that I wanted to capture it—to live in it forever. I was surrounded by the people I loved, everyone who mattered. Even my father's absence couldn't ruin it.