AIL'

hing to escape this painfully awkward moment. I opened my mouth to respond, but ab

friends we

hat, but nothing in compar

sweatshirt and dark pant

blue polo shirt. Both we

mi

he's. s

inic answered

e? Just

sment wash over me. If onl

face composed, holding my

ected

Dominic gl

d he seemed to cat

ar girl,"

him. "Good to finally m

n Dominic so

" I shot back, "You don't

me

ke to get b

interrupted," I said, c

here are plenty of other b

r guy leane

s head slightly with a sm

se

"Dominic

l the heat

way I was staying here

a booth

rom the sea

e than necessary. "You k

" My voice was steady,

ung my bag over my shoulde

igging int

id nothing

walked out, denying him t

a

e, the weig

lled into a shop for ice

gone down. With a small cu

iet night. But as soon as

d the

a second b

he noise was coming from.

ing i

Stop, p

ile her nails clawed into

ely knew

wouldn't h

ometimes I forgot she even

for me to leave

have to

deline said low, inten

e leaned over Daphn

irl, prob

ose by, sticking near as

ld you thi

uttered, her fac

anted to

pered, her eyes still

cene scream

o guess that Daphne's fri

ed pi

going on

ing fully in

ked up, try

i," she said, a littl

ealing the pan

the strain

ser. "Is

ally,"

"They tried piercing at

sigh; my g

l-pink, swollen, and bl

y? Can s

hook her

ttle deeper and spoke so

ssional, not

aned in pa

cushion like it might s

listen,

. "We need to stop the

ded quickly

while I stayed by Daphne's

handed me a cold compress

e's b

bit too mu

it to urgent care might sp

ect

ant me to

d as neutrally as possi

ra

ed up at me

d nodde

n't thin

estions?" Daphn

hy you thou

t that's not our main con

lp." Adeli

aphne stan

while Adeline g

believe how

but there was no

NIC'

f my blades

the rink as I sprinted d

ck. My team was in the mid

the Furies were not lett

was moist

of their defenders, slip

my veins, my muscles tens

nced along

going on instinct. I heard

ars. My vision tunneled i

to the background. Nothin

Just t

crape of sk

as closing in. Fast. But I

sent the puck flying stra

ang of the ba

o

ploded acro

teammates were yelling a

he point. I raised my

ard the ben

n spreading across his fa

id onto the be

shot,

heavily from the last

igh

man," I

Jake kept

ll able to win ag

ening, I de

im, I mean if anyone ha

Jake. Mus

most cost us t

Dude, I

arried us

shrugged n

d you ign

e didn't fall apart becaus

ro

tep forwar

ol

om. We wo

my moves

shrugging

no bi

sn't ju

team Jake. You can't just

lied, my eyes narrowing

thick with

of the team had started

he realized I was

his arms ov

g defe

rong with

t the whole game. I'm sim

o

n, my voic

tt

em? We al

ed the spotlight. You can

erything's o

f you we

as trying to keep momentum

plays?" Jake turned to

d clenched

blistered through my vei

et the adrenaline still r

f inside me, pressing at t

red with that telltale glo

yself to sta

closer, vo

ad

he capt

tart thinking about the t

you follo

guys. We

eal than it is. It's ove

g through t

, lighten

em. Maybe if you weren't

hing, we'd play a h

y provoked

h

s struck a

up in my stomach. I felt

-lashing ready to be let

his voice

, man. Le

re, my ches

a grip. Jake's words hun

this? It was far from ove

ace, I bit down the urge t

m right

't. Instea

, jaw clenched, le

r

t's get out of here,

eaving the

my locker,

ed it into my backpack. Sl

m, but then I heard Jake's

w dumb he acted, and my g

was going to check h

s, looking

my body was screaming at

did anything too extreme

me suspended, and that wo

ked

rth it. But

im a w

to him, dr

I grabbed him by the coll

wa

er talk t

gain,

up against

the coach filled it. His

er r

e hell's

re

zen, my han

had his stare fixed on m

ifted from tension to une

g for what was

leased my g

him to th

r fucking p

chest, his face

ould respo

ough the room

n my offic

sion s

re hit me l

for argument. I had no