Page 102 of Law Maker
“Te lo prometo.”I promise.
I didn’t make many promises—never ones I couldn’t keep. Racing had always come first. Winning meant focus, sacrifice.
But in the months I’d spent with her, everything shifted. Now it was racing and her. I couldn’t imagine a future without both.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Kaia
Everyone but the school staff had left while I lingered, performing my own kind of goodbye ritual—walking the empty hallways one last time.
There was nothing for me here anymore. I wasn’t sure there’d be anything at boarding school either.
I belonged nowhere. It should’ve been freeing. Instead, it terrified me.
A quiet sniffle cut through the silence. I froze by my old locker, listening. The sound came from the staircase. I followed and stopped in the doorway.
Mandy sat on the steps. Her tear-filled eyes lifted to mine. The hurt I’d buried resurfaced, and I started to back away. She’d avoided me for months. She’d never apologized. I shouldn’t be here.
“Don’t go.” A fat tear rolled down her cheek. “Please.” She shifted, making room beside her. I hesitated, then sat, hugging my knees.
“So, you’re leaving,” she said.
I nodded. “Boarding school.” By now everyone knew. I was famous for repeating a year and more notorious for supposedly hitting on my best friend’s crush.
Mandy exhaled shakily, rubbing her wet face. “I know it’s late, but… I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you.”
Listened to me? After all this time? “Why?” I asked anyway.
She clasped her hands on her knees, nails bare, fingers trembling as she stared at them. “Dean and I had sex two days ago. He pushed, and I thought if I said yes, he’d stay with me after graduation. And today”—her voice cracked—“I saw him kissing someone else right here. Then he told me it was never serious, that it would’ve ended anywaybecause we’re going to different colleges. He said it like it was nothing, but I thought…”
More sniffles, more tears streaking her cheeks. She was such a fool—but so was I, for Asher. All the harsh words she deserved for choosing Dean over me vanished, leaving only pity.
“You’re better off without him,” I said, covering her hand with mine.
She squeezed my fingers. “I’m sorry for how I treated you.”
Too late. The trust was gone. I was done carrying friendships where my feelings never mattered.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I’m sorry too, Mandy. Good luck in college.”
***
I labeled today the day of goodbyes. Saying them to Imani and the girls at hip-hop hurt infinitely more than leaving a school full of struggle and few happy memories.
“Promise me you’ll keep dancing.” Imani gripped my shoulders, eyes fierce, as if she could brand the words into me. “No matter how or where, find a way. Don’t give up what brings you joy.”
There was no place for hip-hop at the snobby, exclusive school my father chose. Still, I nodded so she wouldn’t worry. She pulled me into a hug, holding on for a few beats. When we stepped apart, her eyes shone like mine. Goodbyes sucked.
I swept my gaze over the gleaming wooden floor and the mirrors reflecting us both. “I was lucky to have you as a teacher,” I said. “I’ll visit.”
Imani pulled me into a one-armed hug and kissed my cheek. “You better. Now go, unless you want one last dance for old times’ sake.”
If I did, I’d break down. There were only so many goodbyes I could take, and the hardest one was still ahead.
A warm breeze brushed my face as I stepped out of the studio. Almost summer. I should’ve been looking forward to beach days with Asher. Instead, I’d be hours away, locked in a boarding school for girls. Just the thought unraveled every pep talk I’d given myself.
“Peque.”
