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Chapter One

Who the hell would be pounding on the door at 7:05 am?

Three tiny knocks on oing to chew their butts for interrupting herroutine

“Cohwas hellish, but I’d already calculated how far I had to go to co the rest of rees, and human ice sculptures were overrated, so Colorado at Christmas meant it would be treadmill city Yay, me

Gus’s strawberry-blond curls popped through the sles froave his seven-year-old, puckered-up-in-frustration face a more mad scientist vibe “What’s up, buddy?” I asked

“Eed

I turned down thefrom my laptop “The door?”

He nodded, nearly losing the goggles My lips twitched, fighting the sh “I’o to hockey, and Mom won’t answer the door for carpool,” he said

I put on lanced back at the clock “Okay, Gus, but it’s only seven, and I don’t think you have hockey until the afternoon Moets a practice” I’d inherited my type-A nature from somewhere

He let out an exasperated sigh “But what if it’s early?”

“Six hours early?”

“Well, yeah!” He gaveme the stupidest sister ever

“Okay, buddy” I caved like always The way he’d cried when I left for college last year pretty n overoff schedule for

I checked Skype oneI’d see Dad pop online He’d been gone three“He’ll call today,” Gus pro They always get to call for their kid’s birthday”

I forced out a sed his scrawny body It didn’t matter that I turned twenty today, I just wanted to hear froain “Morabbed a hair tie offhair back in a pre-run ponytail

“I told you,” he mumbled into my side “She won’t answer It’s like she wants me to miss hockey, and you know that means I’ll suck forever! I don’t want Coach Walker to think I suck!”