“Is it short for anything?”
“Annika.”
“Cool.”
Another long pause.
God. Why is my heart beating so fast? I’m in the middle of resurrecting a ghost. Talking to a boy shouldn’t make me this stressed.
I clear my throat. “And you’re Hans? Is that short for anything?”
“Just Hans.”
“It’d be funny if your last name were Some.”
“Oh, my last name is Ang.”
“Right,” I say, grateful that the ice is masking the sweat dripping down my palms. “But if it were Some, your name would be Hans Some. Gets?”
“Ahhhh, gets.”
Dani then reminds us that we’re not supposed to switch partners until the ice cube we’re holding fully melts. I suddenly wish I paid more attention in chemistry class. Maybe I missed a lecture where Ms. Abad shared ways on how to increase your body heat.
“You might know my sister…,” Hans then mentions. “She used to volunteer for the production crew at all the Trumpets shows. Trixie?”
“Trixie Ang!” I say, excited that we finally reached a topic I can talk about.
“Is she still doing prod work? She was the reason theHigh School Musicalset was so good. Trixie has such an eye for detail and she really knows how to light a stage too.”
I go on and tell Hans about my first Trumpets musical and how Trixie went above and beyond to make sure my wig looked real for myLittle Mermaidrole.
“Your sister is super talented!” I say. “The only time that the theater acoustics sounded good was when Trixie was handling production. I’ve always liked your sister. Really, really liked her.”
Hans blinks. “Sorry, she’s uh… taken.”
“Oh! No, no, I don’t mean I like Trixie inthatway. I’m not one ofthosegirls who like other girls inthatway.”
“Um. My sister is one of those girls who like other girlsthatway.”
My face grows hot when I sense the bite in his tone.
“Love that for Trixie! L-love that for other girls too! I love that they can all love one another. We need more love. That could be a great surname too. Hans Love.”
While I’m burying myself into an increasingly deeper grave, Hans looks over his shoulder. “I think it’s time for us to switch partners.”
I glance at the ice in our hands. “I don’t think it’s melted yet…”
Hans nevertheless moves on and leaves me with a half-melted ice cube. To be honest, I don’t blame him. It’s for the best.
Before anyone else notices that I’ve been abandoned, Seph swoops in and joins me as my ice game partner.
“Nice to meet you.” He reaches out his hand. “I’m Seph Love.”
I bite my lip, hating the part of my brain that found that remotely funny.
Dani’s timer goes off and she tells people to switch partners while handing out a new batch of ice cubes. She lingers and gives me a knowing look when she passes by Seph and me. I return her look by sticking out my tongue.
The second round of the ice game commences and everyone starts holding hands again. This time, I make sure that my hand is lifted and slightly hovering over Seph’s hand and the ice cube. I truly don’t get the point of this game. Imagine thinking sparks would fly with someone all over a block of ice.
