e's

ve hit so

heel, replaying the way Aria Lang had looked at me like I was the reason her whole life was falling ap

el's idea of a peace trea

y skull: one more fight and the scouts would dry up. Northridge wasn't exactly crawling with Division-I eyes, but a couple had

n't scre

ith a text from m

ady to murder the fi

back.

n't f

ed in my chest. The same something I locked up years ago. The part that still remembered how to move on a clean edge, how to

ccident. Buried it under muscle and r

anymore. I hit, I pr

ole world was watching and judging every breath. A girl with fire

uble shift meant she wouldn't be back until after sunrise. I moved quiet so I wouldn't wake my little bro

s. Still scuffed from the last pairs se

them

ace when Patel delivered the verdict-shocked, furious, trappe

t day I was alrea

I laced my hockey skates out of pure spite and stepped on, doing hard

e side doo

a severe bun, face set like she was heading to war. She didn't look at me. Just sat on t

the red line

then stopped twenty feet away. Cold

inting with her chin. "Mine's this on

ck. "Good morning

n't

t wha

we're friends. We're

tever helps you sleep

prove. I tried to focus on puck-handling drills, but my eyes kept drifting. The way she picked up speed, the exact an

s skating

lade slipped, body twisting the wrong way. I moved without thinking-old i

the ice, chest heaving. But I was right there, clos

our half," she sn

lcome," I

t ask fo

s. You've got it. Try not to br

ght she might actually swing at me. I

ou hate figure skating.

lean check. I looked away, ja

e it," I sai

ead. I could feel the old edges trying to rise up through my feet, the ghost

t it

cholarship. You need... whatever it is you ne

Something unreadable passed behind

ea

e after that, oppos

stayed on my h

ion near center ice, her landing wobbled h

ouched her. They

ng, eyes locked on mine li

the one question

you skate like a