Icing The Heart

R 1: T

y's

boards so hard the whole

e of skates and the distant shout of someone calling my name. My helmet flew off, skidding acro

ssion before that. If Jaxon Kane wan

side of my lip and confirm that, yes, the great captain of the New

cti

l. Not some desperate last-minute defensive

ot blown before I

barked from somewh

nore

ain was not new. Pain was practically stitched into the lining of my jersey. I had played through bruises,

to play fo

for diversity campaigns and then checked me li

nough to believe tal

p my helmet and

d arrogance that made people call him a natural leader

d hair damp under his helmet. Icy blue eyes narrowed like I was a math probl

etting slo

bout to say the same thing about your

him snickered. Jaxon di

ing arguments. Not when he was tearing apart my form in front of everyone. He looked

he responded. "Your

r defenders before you decided to bod

your left

tage of a practice drill

. The team had gone too quiet around us. Even the assistan

close enough that I had to t

yourself killed playin

because it had no right to do a

d. "Or worried I will break your sc

did

rief...so brief I could have imagined it if my entire body

ped back to mine,

Your.

one of you

aid. "Rook

ere like an idiot while Jaxon Kane skated aro

," he

not

lla

ounded like a warning and

His gloved hands came to my hips

y the hard line of his body behind me, the heat of him too

on, "you lose balance on the turn. You know that. You are fighti

allo

that he

ody noticed him before

ds off me," I

tely but he did not move a

. "Do you teach everyone

the stub

one might thin

eyes did that thing again.

while someone else muttered

ent and warning. Marcus was the closest thing I had to a friend on this team which mostly meant

tle cut thro

ahan. My of

d away fir

my lungs and I hate

ke old coffee, expensive

unreadable. I stood to his right, still fe

eek black bob tucked behind one ear and her tablet balanced on her knee. That was how I kn

ad, I thought and

nd a video appeared on the

bbing a man by the collar. Jaxon's

nked

explains the warm we

not react

to me. "This is

looks

" Coach

angry and wild. It was certainly not t

is already giving interviews. The cli

ng someone," Ja

im. "That part d

it didn't,"

are discussing viral disasters, your int

h sank im

d, "'The league is a boys' club with

hin. "I said

entire organizat

e skat

atening to pull out. The board is angry. The press th

to insult quiet

me. It might have been a laugh

orward. "The Titans ne

ke the way s

ween us. "You tw

reigned

s if he had gone

id and glared at me as i

s arms slowly and

d incredulously,

want to reshape it. Passion instead of hostility. Support instead of dysfunction. Jaxon looks

ther eat gl

d. "Then chew carefu

p while Jaxon

his chair. "Sell it or

harder than

d not afford to be benched. Not now. Not after t

at Coach for

asked, "

at him, not know

the media believes i

on Kane. Oh God, I w

*

was empty by the

eeded to

les but at least it was real. Everything else that w

opened

y?" Marc

he man who has been trying to end my career for two years. So,

de me. "Maybe he has been trying to end his

"Do you hea

t sa

no

h hands. "Fin

t, neither

hands on my hips. His voice near my ear.

ched me to

he said. "With Kane

wondering what he meant

one buzzed. It was f

t 7. Wear something that does not make

then typed back without

t immediately: Good.

something that was dangero

I was so