Page 19 of Chasing The Alpha's Son
I turn and push my way through the crowd. I don’t even know what I’m doing when I find Tobias Volk standing at the bar.
“Hi,” I say, interrupting his conversation. “I volunteer as tribute.”
“Pardon?” He stares at me with a puzzled brow.
“I want to race. Sign me up.”
HOT AND COLD
“WHAT?!” Mom shouts at me from my bedroom door.
“I told you I signed up for the Race of Fire and Ice,” I say from where I’m sitting on my bed, sketchbook in hand.
“But you—you don’t even like sports!”
Mom’s face is more flushed than that time I thought it would be a great idea to repaint the living room using peanut butter when I was five.
I dig my toes deeper into my comforter and press my head back against the wall.
“Max, what is going on?”
Honestly, I can’t even think of a good lie right now. She’s totally right. The most interest I’ve shown in competitive sports was the last Olympics when that cute British diver won gold and, thinking back, that was probably more about how he looked in a Speedo than the actual diving. Plus, no one knows better than Mom how little stock I put in the importance of lunar events—or did, until the last one turned my life completely on its head. She’s waiting for an answer and all I can offer is a halfhearted shrug.
She sighs in frustration and lets her head droop forward for a moment.
“Fine,” she says eventually. “You’re a teenager, I get it. You need your space. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you go running off to get injured in some death sport.”
I lean forward and drop my sketchbook. “Mom!”
“No, Max! This isn’t a discussion. You’re grounded until after the race.”
“You don’t understand.”
“No I don’t, but I’ve tried to.”
There’s just a hint of a wild sort of anguish in the corners of Mom’s eyes as she grabs the handle of my door and slams it shut.
Why can’t I just speak to her when it would solve so many problems?
I grab my phone and text Katie.
Mom grounded me so I can’t race.
Immediately, my phone begins to ring.
“What?!” Katie bellows when I answer. “Oh Max, I’m sorry. I know you had your heart set on it.”
Something about her tone tells me she isn’t so disappointed.
“Why do you sound kind of relieved?”
There’s a weird staticky pause. “Look, I know why you signed up, but I wasn’t exactly bowled over at the idea of my best friend being flash frozen.”
I laugh. “Okay, understandable. It’s just…it feels like everyone is obsessed with my safety right now.”
Another pause.
“What?” I ask.
