Veena’s neck hurt, so the paramedics took her to the clinic—the same one I’d visited. To make things worse, Doctor Super-Fit was on again. Her expression was suspicious as she examined Veena’s busted up face.
While she examined Veena, I texted Brown, telling him to have someone take pictures of the tramp. That thing didn’t rip; someone cut it.
And Darya was the last person on it. She could have slit it as she exited the pit, while we were talking to Sarah. As I stepped out to check the hallway, I ran into Connor. He steadied me as I bounced off of his shoulder.
“Nic! Nate told me about Veena. He’s coaching right now, so he asked me to come check on her. How is she?” He wore ski pants, a coat, and snowboard boots like he just rode here off the mountain.
“She’s okay. Her neck hurts, but I don’t think anything’s broken. The doc’s in with her now.” I could see them from here, still talking, so I let myself pause for a second.
He leaned against the wall, relief on his face. “How did it happen?”
“The tramp ripped.”
“Ripped? They check the training equipment religiously.”
I shrugged. I wouldn’t spread my theories around to anyone outside my team. But as the adrenaline burned out, I sank into a chair. Connor sat next to me, looking concerned.
“It freaked me out,” I admitted. “She hit her face hard. She looked unconscious at first—or worse.”
“Veena’s one of the toughest riders I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Watch, she’ll be in the pipe as soon as the doctor clears her.”
That wasn’t exactly my biggest concern. If Darya tried this, what was next?
“Did anyone call Veena’s parents?” Connor asked.
Shit, the Venkatesans would want to know. “I don’t know.”
I rested my head in my hands. After this, I could be gone tonight with Veena whisked home to the family estate where she could be properly protected. And I wouldn’t blame her parents a bit.
Connor patted my shoulder. “She’s lucky to have such a good friend.”
The side of my mouth slid up with the irony. Friends was actually the last thing we were supposed to be.
The doctor emerged from Veena’s room and eyed me disapprovingly. “You can go in.”
Veena was propped on a couple pillows, bandages over her upper lip and the bridge of her nose. The skin under her bloodshot eyes was bruising. She looked awful, but she tried to smile. At least her teeth were intact.
“Hey, guys.” Her words were slurred thanks to puffy lips.
“Seriously, Veena. You didn’t have to go this far to throw that double V,” Connor said. “You have other tricks.”
She laughed and winced when her face moved. I must have grimaced, because she said, “I’m okay, Nic. Or I will be.”
Connor checked her out, his eyebrows pinched with sympathy. “When’s your next media event?”
Media event. I’d forgotten about those. Everyone from USA Today to foreign newspapers wanted to hear from VV and get her smiling picture. Please let her be a fast healer.
“I don’t know, at the Grand Prix in Copper, I think. Wait, what if the doctor says I can’t train? My run won’t be ready for the contest!”
He pulled a chair next to her. “Yes, it will. You have a couple weeks. From what I saw yesterday, most of your tricks are set. And if you want to save the double V for the Games, you can, right? You’ll still be top three at Copper without it, no problem. You worry about healing. Nate can worry about your run.”
She slumped back on the pillow. “How did the tramp go out like that?”
I didn’t say anything, but my lips were thin as knives. Her eyes widened.
“Darya,” she said.
Connor’s head swiveled between us. “What about her?”
Veena started to answer, but I cut her off.
“Nothing,” I said.
Nothing, except Darya was to blame. Forget going to Muth again. That girl was going to answer for this. And I’d be the one asking the questions.
Nine
That evening, with Veena safe in her room and Kovitch on point, I caught up with Darya in the game room. A few students played Ping-Pong. Others gamed on a PS-4. Darya was alone, as usual, watching TV. I stood beside the worn overstuffed chair where she lounged.
“I want to talk to you,” I said.
A boy getting popcorn from one of those freestanding machines with the red and white stripes glanced over at me.
“No.” She kept staring at the screen on the wall; the colors flickered over her face.
I squatted next to her sporting my most menacing stare. It wasn’t hard to pull off. I lowered my voice. “I know what you did to Veena today.”
Her face was all innocence. “Did to Veena? She did that to herself.”
“You slit the tramp so she’d fall.”
Amusement crossed her face. “Is that what you think?”
“Yeah, I do. And I’m telling you now to stay away from her.”
She faced me, pulling a knee up to her chest. A flicker of curiosity lit her expression. “Who are you? Why are you here? You can’t ski or ride. What are you doing here?”
“I’m Veena’s friend. That’s all you need to know.” In that moment, it felt uncomfortably true.
When Darya leaned toward me, still smiling that dead smile, my fingers found the special cat-shaped keychain in my hoodie pocket. I’d love to show her how this cat scratched.
“Listen up, Veena’s friend. I. Didn’t. Do. Anything.” She turned back to the TV.
After a few seconds I stood. This wasn’t going anywhere, but at least she got the message. Before I walked away, her lips curved into a nasty smile.
Slowly, I climbed the stairs to our room. I had a ton of homework, but I needed to calm down. Clearly Darya wasn’t easily intimidated. Or she was innocent. I’d have to watch her, figure out which.
As I opened the door to our room, music and some kind of
