y

le doors that led into a wall of freezing air. The cold hit me like a slap, seeping straight through deni

e bar TV with the sound muted. This was loud. This was violent, even before anyone had started playing. Every scrape of ska

d cheerfully. "And the house. And, if I remember

p, but my teeth were chattering. This pla

trailing in behind Milo, someone let out a whistle. "Careful, don't lose her

w of them laugh harder. Whatever. Let them try me. I'

pack of overgrown, overconfident boys threw themselves at each other for fun. Within the first two minutes of the practice match starting, someone got checked into the boards hard eno

, wincing as another body slammed in

h the mild interest of someone checking the weather

ray of blood that stained a bright, alarming red against the white. I made a small, horrified noise. T

I asked, my voice a little high

id, unbothered. "The

sto

at him properly

the ice, jaw tight in a way that didn't

hey heal fast, they're.

too late to sound conv

the boards close enough that I flinched backward instead of pressing the question. When I glanced back a

small and nagging, like an itch I couldn't quite reach. My instinct

ll he was good. He was fast and controlled, weaving through bodies twice his size like they were standing still. He scored, and the guys on his side e

tching. He didn't smile, not exactly, but something in his expression shifted, and my stupid traitor heart rea

, smug all over again like the weird moment from

g, definitely not watching Alex skate back into posit

slide, telling myself I'd imagined the w

hey called it only a practice. My nerves felt like I'd run a marathon in heels, and

eaded toward the locker rooms, my legs

and something fli

you practi

and smirked. "

ed. "Ti

benched. I prefer tempor

did yo

ng entirely too pleased with himself.

nd

sn't an

re context that clearly wasn't

the locker room door, holding it for me with an exaggerated

eeply uns

that

ever met when Alex emerged from the tunnel, hair damp, jersey slung over one shoulder, looking entire

pping in front of me

," I said. "Certif

face, like that was exactly the answer he'

nt it, but it came out lighter t

ay down the hall. "Give it a week. She'll be di

small, traitorous part of me suspected he might actually be right. And as m