The Shot You Missed (Going Rogue #5)

Prologue

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO

INDIGO

I’m going to be pecked to death by a flock of flying rats.

“Get away from me, you disgusting creatures,” I shriek, waving the hand not holding the sandwich I just paid for. That hand is clutched close to my chest, trying to protect my lunch from the screaming birds. There must be at least ten of the things dive-bombing me.

I had to argue with my parents for almost an hour to get them to agree to let me wander the beach alone. If I come home with injuries, they’ll never let me do it again. But I’m fourteen. I’m old enough to walk a beach alone. Especially in a little tourist town like Bar Harbor, Maine.

A shriek tears from my lungs as one of the birds gets a beak-full of my hair and tugs it.

“Hey!” someone shouts, his voice cracking slightly. “Shoo! Leave her alone.”

I risk looking up just in time to see a boy who looks about my age come running down the beach, arms flailing, his dark hair flopping against his forehead.

He’s a little taller than me, with dark golden skin that hints at time spent outside and warm, brown eyes.

He’s wearing swim trunks, but no shirt, and he’s way more muscular than most of the boys my age.

My face heats. He’s really cute.

“Are you okay?” he asks, panting, once the last seagull flies away with an indignant squawk. “Those things are relentless.”

Tucking a strand of my dark blonde hair behind my ear, I nod. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“No problem. There’s a spot a little way down the beach that’s safer to eat. There are some trees that line the beach, so you can’t be dive-bombed from all sides.” When he smiles at me, my heart does a little flip. “I can show you, if you want.”

“Oh, uh, sure. That would be nice.”

“I’m Sebastian,” he says, grinning widely at me. The left side of his mouth tips up a little higher than the right.

“Indie.”

“That’s a pretty name.” Sebastian starts walking and I fall in beside him.

“Thanks. It’s actually Indigo, but no one really calls me that.”

“Indigo? That’s different.” He glances over at me and I blush harder.

“Yeah, well, my parents are weird. They had to give me an artsy name. Indigo Rose Bloom.” Such a movie star thing to do. Give your kid a name that is out there enough that they’ll never be able to truly fly under the radar. Which is all I want, really.

Sebastian studies me for a moment before saying, “I think it suits you. A unique name for a unique girl.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

He smiles. “It is.”

The sand is warm under my feet as we walk. Almost as warm as my cheeks. I’m walking down a beach alone with a cute boy.

“So, are you here on vacation?”

“The whole summer,” I tell him. “My parents rented a house on the beach. They wanted to get away from the craziness of their jobs for a while. Give me some time to have fun.”

“Really? That’s cool. I live over the bridge in Trenton. My dad is a chef on the island, and I got a summer job this year.”

He looks my age and has a summer job? I can’t imagine spending my summer break working. “Did you want a summer job?”

The cute boy shrugs. “Kinda. I wouldn’t mind not having one, but I want to help pay for my hockey gear and the camps my parents signed me up for. It’s pretty expensive.”

I’ve never met a hockey player. I guess it explains the muscles. “You play hockey?”

Sebastian stops and motions to a spot on the beach that is a bit more secluded.

He sits beside me on the sand, like he’s going to stand guard.

I guess the least I can do is offer him half of my sandwich in thanks.

And maybe it’ll get him to stick around a little longer.

It’s nice to hang out with someone my age for once.

Eyeing the sandwich in my outstretched hand, he gives me a lopsided smile. “You sure? You don’t need to share with me.”

“It’s a big sandwich,” I reply with a shrug. Satisfaction expands my chest when he takes it. “So, hockey?”

“Oh, yeah. I play goalie. The pads and equipment are pretty expensive, so I wanted to help pay for all of it now that I’m old enough to get a job. I work at the pool a few days a week. It’s not much, but my parents do so much for me, you know?” He looks so earnest as he eats his sandwich.

It’s a huge difference compared to the kids I go to school with. I think if you told one of them they had to get a job, they’d lose their minds. My world is all about how much money you have, who your parents are, how famous your family is, and what you look like.

I hate it.

“That’s really cool,” I tell him honestly. “How long have you been playing hockey?”

“Pretty much since I could walk.” He grins at me, and my heart flutters again. “It’s my favorite thing. There’s nothing better than being on the ice, stopping what should be an unstoppable shot.”

Have I ever felt that kind of love for something? I’m not sure I have. I love reading—it’s my only real escape from my parents’ world—and I’ve had fun writing short stories in English class, but Sebastian talks about hockey the way my parents talk about acting. Like he’d die if he couldn’t play.

“I’ve never watched a hockey game.”

The way his eyebrows rise is so cute. “Seriously?”

“I live in LA. Not much ice there.”

Sebastian laughs. “LA has a hockey team. The Stars. They’re a solid team. Made it into the first round of the playoffs this season.” He takes a bite of his sandwich and looks at me thoughtfully as he chews. “We could watch a game together. I can explain everything so you know what’s happening.”

He wants to hang out with me and watch a hockey game?

“Really? That would be fun.”

“And I could show you around the island. If you want. A lot of it’s pretty touristy, but there are some fun hidden spots if you know where to look.”

Butterflies take flight in my stomach, and I tell myself not to look too eager. Even though I am. “Oh, yeah. That would be cool.”

“Great. Here, let me put my number in your phone.” He holds out his hand, and I hurry to unlock my phone and open it to the contacts list. He types his number in, along with his full name—Sebastian Navarro—and then he sends himself a text from my phone.

When he looks up at me, I feel myself flushing again.

“There. Now we have each other’s numbers.

I don’t work tomorrow, but I can come in with my dad. Do you have plans?”

“Nope.” God, I hope I sounded cool and unaffected and not as nervous as I feel. I’ve never hung out with a boy this cute before. At least not one who had no idea who my parents are. Sebastian doesn’t, and he still wants to be friends with me.

“Well, you do, now, Rosebud.”

My words come out a little breathless when I say, “Rosebud?”

His laughter is warm as it rolls over me, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “Yeah. Your middle name is Rose and your cheeks are the cutest shade of pink.”

He winks at me, and I swear my whole face changes color. If anyone else gave me a nickname like that, I would hate it. But something about this boy makes it different. It feels like a compliment, not a joke at my expense.

I think I like it.

I expected this summer to be boring, even though I was looking forward to getting out of LA. But it’s only our third day here, and I’ve been attacked by a flock of seagulls and saved by the cutest boy I’ve ever met. Who gave me a nickname. And he wants to hang out with me. More than once.

Maybe this summer won’t be so boring after all.

Maybe it will even be the best summer of my life.

And maybe, just maybe, I’ve finally found someone who won’t look at me and see all the ways I fail to measure up to my parents.