For a brief moment, Damien’s expression faltered, like he was debating something internally. Adonis did not drop his gaze. Damien might be older and might have the power here, in the sense that he was a coach and Adonis was a skater, but Adonis had never surrendered power unwillingly. And he never would. He would not give an ounce of power to Damien Zelinski.
He knew Damien would read that in Adonis’s steely eyes.
“Fine,” Damien said coolly. He played the song and embarrassed himself in an attempt to execute Adonis’s routine. Adonis stood, arms crossed, on the ice. Whatever power Damien thought he had was Adonis’s power, and Adonis wouldn’t give it up.
“Like that,” Damien said, out of breath, when he was done.
“Thank you,” Adonis said. “I understand perfectly, now.” He glanced at his wrist, even though he wasn’t wearing a watch. “It’s time for me to go. Anamária will let you know if we’re practicing again.”
He left the ice without another word.
He was in the locker room when his hands finally started to shake.
——
“He didwhat?” Clarisse said, slamming her latte down on the café table, causing foamed milk to slosh onto the wood. It was a week after the incident with Damien, and Adonis and Clarisse were having a homework night together in one of Bellford’s on-campus coffee shops.
Until now, Adonis had kept to himself what Damien had done. He didn’t want to tell his mother, and was certainly not going to tell Bash (he didn’t know why that thought had even crossed his mind), but he at last decided to tell Clarisse. She was his best friend, and she would have good advice for him.
If he could convince her not to string Damien up by his Achilles tendons.
“That motherfucker,” Clarisse hissed. “I’ll kill him. Actually, no. I won’t kill him. Death is a mercy. But Iwillcastrate him with a blunt figure skate, and then I will take him to the Disciplinary Office and I’ll—”
“Clarisse, wait,” Adonis said with a sigh. “That’s not how I want to handle this.”
“Howdoyou want to handle this?”
“Well, I’m not sure I really want tohandleit. I think I did a pretty good job of setting a very clear boundary with him after it happened, letting him know that putting his hands on me in that way was inappropriate and wouldn’t fly with me.”
“Did you say that exactly?”
“No, but unless he’s as stupid as he looks, I think he got the message.”
She made a face. “That rat. I’m sorry that happened.”
“Me, too. It makes me worried that it might’ve happened with other skaters.”
“Unfortunately, I worry that it might’ve,” Clarisse said. “This shit is too common. Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
“Good. Then Iwouldcastrate him.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Nowyou realize that?”
“Let’s change the subject. We’ve given that rat enough brain power.”
“We have. What should we talk about? I don’t want to study.”
“How are things with Robbie?”
Clarisse shrugged. “They’re fine. How are things with Bash?”
Adonis almost spat out his coffee. “What things with Bash?” he said as casually as he could muster.
“Please, I’m not blind,” Clarisse said. “The two of you are obviously fucking.”
