Free Winter's Kiss by Catherine Hapka

it sure would be easier if I could talk my way out of this whole contest. “What?” I said.
    Liz was standing in front of me. She looked a bit frazzled with her damp curls in her face. Obviously she’d been trying to get my attention for a while. “I said , have you seen your butt?”
    “Is that a rhetorical question?” I craned my neck to take a gander at my backside.
    Chloe clarified, “She means you have ‘boy toy’ written across the back of your jeans.”
    “Oh.” I nodded. “They’re Josh’s.”
    “You say that as if it explains everything.” Liz cocked her head to one side and considered me while buttoning her cardigan. “My stepbrothers don’t write ‘boy toy’ across the back of their jeans. They only say the entire alphabet while burping.”
    “That’s nothing. Josh can recite the Gettysburg Address. Listen, y’all.” I pulled my hair free from the collar of my sweater. The long strands were damp, reminding me I’d just been in the pool with Nick. I could still be in the pool with Nick if he weren’t such an ass. “I want to call off this contest.”
    Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare.”
    Liz’s eyes got big as she wailed, “Hayden, you can’t!”
    “I want to call it off.” I took a deep breath before I warned them, “Otherwise, plan to buy Poser tickets for the boys. There’s no way I’ll win.”
    “Of course you’ll win!” Chloe exclaimed. “You’ll probably beat Nick in that race thing—”
    “Boardercross,” I corrected her. Chloe owned a snowboard, and that’s about as far as her knowledge of the sport went.
    “—and you’ll blow him away in the trick part.”
    “Half-pipe. And then there’s the jump.”
    They both just stared at me with their arms folded. They’d been pushing me to get over my fear of heights and go pro, so this was no way to argue myself out of my new corner.
    I started over. “Okay, here’s the real deal. I regret what I lost with Everett Walsh—”
    “Come off it,” Chloe said. “Tell us another.”
    I swallowed. “—and I want to make sure y’all aren’t making a huge mistake. I mean, I’m mad, too, but I’m always mad at Nick. Maybe you’re blowing this out of proportion with Gavin and Davis. I know both of you looked forward to seeing them tonight. Your evening with them got off to an excellent start. And now you’re sending them home early, all because of this stupid challenge? I wish I’d never said anything.” At least that part was the truth.
    “Gavin told me a dumb-blonde joke last week when he made a ninety-eight on the chemistry test and I made a ninety-seven,” Chloe said.
    “That’s just Gavin.” I couldn’t believe I was defending that jerk, but I really did think Chloe was overreacting. “Gavin would make fun of you for a hair out of place. He’s just feeling around for material.”
    “He can’t feel there ,” she said vehemently. “He can make jokes, and I’ll giggle and pretend he’s actually funny, up to a point. But if he tries to tell me I’m less of a person because I’m a girl? Or you are? That’s where I draw the line.” She pulled her bag from a locker and slammed the metal door.
    “But you can’t blame Davis,” I reasoned, turning to Liz. “He didn’t start it.”
    “He didn’t stop it,” Liz said, not looking up from tying her boots. “He was so disrespectful of you on your big day.”
    “But he didn’t mean anything by it,” I pointed out, “unlike Gavin, and definitely unlike Nick. Davis is naturally a sweet-natured person. He’s just been hanging around Nick and Gavin too long. It’s a wonder they don’t have him stealing candy from babies, or blasting rap music out of his car stereo in front of the retirement home.”
    Liz stood, shaking her head. For a moment I hoped some water had dripped down her face from her damp curls—but no. She had tears in her eyes. “My boyfriend can’t treat my friends that way.”
    “Oh God!” I exclaimed, really