BORROWED LOVE ON ICE

SSA'

MOVE YO

lit through the ic

oulder. Cut left. Blow

ench bench muttered as I slipped thr

a!" Xavie

se he was yelling again.

ight!" he

licked the puck backw

a loud clack, and a secon

Go

. Instead, I skated back to cente

grinning like a devil. "You'r

him. "You mean I pa

mwork,

him. "Don't

u're so grumpy wh

always

ked. "Hm

pond. The whis

play.

the score was 4–1. En

or kept yelling my name over and over, like

wn with anothe

cing through the French d

e a look. "You're

nning," I

laying with m

t wrong. We did play well together. Too well.His fir

al buzzer

ile. Just lifted my st

reaming from the bleachers.

d Xavier

t, hair dripping with swe

im right there in front of ever

. I didn't care.

room smelle

e bench. My chest still heaved from the last

f his pads. "Saw you drop that guy in

me in the gu

his head. "Never seen a girl check

shru

o smile," Jay said, l

scoffed. "She's basical

eyes and pulle

say something coc

best," I

yone l

a little shit,"

s one of them. The only girl. And still the best. They didn't let me in

m wrong. Over

r to join the n

kating time

than half the

tay because the

p. Long tables, velvet chairs, silverware that

, beside Jay and across

ina, who had on one of those tight mini skirts a

o loud. Holding his h

n't look

into the roasted c

, tapping the table

Fin

he said. "Seriously. That

han

"You ever-uh-go ou

't look

quickly. "Figured maybe som

orted be

," he said. "Meli

"Just one drink. You d

not int

. "Oh. Okay.

ed again.

pt ea

scary?" Jay aske

not sc

e terri

you're ju

row. "Are you s

d to me? O

d, grinning. "You'

y on

I didn't hear. I was too busy

ooked

st o

**

ldn't

and drinks, but my mind wouldn't shut up. It never

laced my sneakers, and s

to the stadium by a private underground corrido

Alone. No yelling coach

e side door, stepp

se ther

irt damp with sweat, hockey stick in hand, f

. Clack

idn't

ked... d

d, breathing heavy

him for a se

n he

ed. He didn't l

rinks past midnight?"

now what, yes,

"Guess you'r

slowly. "What are

." He tapped a puck with hi

e edge of the ri

ated to

od. Really good. Even of

away. "Didn't peg you fo

'm n

hy sneak in at midnight?

dn't a

ck, studying me. "You

when people say

Ouc

shru

led you baby on t

"Say it again and I

hed. "The

laugh was. I hated ho

d after a beat

Wha

guys. Being t

No

Nev

"Not when I'm bett

h twitched

nfid

odded.

oment. Then he did something

d. "Are yo

ly and stepped onto the mat

there's not

ever ha

n't win cha

ound exh

skin. He wasn't just some loud-mouthed forward anymore. Not Katrina's

e w

ast and hit my head on

red, gripping the

" he asked,

ouch me,"

iled again. "Yo

, I'm

s, yo

ared a

rned and

he hell