Fake Skating

Cassie meets Dani the next day and lets her know that she must attend public speaking, a required course for seniors. Cassie’s genuine kindness disarms Dani’s defenses, and she breaks her rule about not revealing too much about herself to new friends when she tells Cassie about her meeting with the counselor. Dani also reveals that she didn’t go to the hockey game; instead, she stayed home to unpack and call her dad. Despite her “weird, complicated” dynamics with her father, Dani misses him. Cassie regales her with a recap of the hockey game and describes Alec’s role in the team’s win. Alec holds several school records, and the NHL is watching him. Dani admits that she knows Alec from their childhood. She still can’t believe Alec is a hockey star, as he wasn’t athletic as a kid.

In public speaking class, the only free seat is next to Alec and his hockey buddies. She looks his way and catches him winking at her, a gesture that she finds ridiculous considering the way he treated her yesterday. During their separation, she had always maintained the illusion that their friendship would endure, but now she’s not so sure.