Except for Billie.
She fumbled the first pass. Caught it on her backhand but couldn't settle it fast enough. The puck skittered wide, and Kira had to chase it down.
"Reset," I said. Flat. Emotionless.
They lined up again.
Billie's jaw tightened. I saw it from here—the way her teeth ground together; the muscle flexing beneath her skin.
Second attempt. Better. But still hesitant. Still half a second behind where she should've been.
I didn't correct her. Didn't tell her to shift her weight forward. Didn't remind her to keep her head up on the entry. Didn't give her the one small adjustment that would've fixed everything. Just stood there. Arms crossed. Silent.
She glanced at me. Brief. Searching.
I turned away.
The rest of practice dragged. Sixty minutes that felt like six hours.
I ran them through conditioning drills. Power skating. Transition work. Everything I could think of to keep my mouth shut and my hands busy.
Because if I stopped—if I let myself slow down for even a second—I'd see her.
Reallysee her.
The way her hair stuck to her neck when she skated hard. The way her eyes burned even when she was exhausted. The way she moved like the ice was the only place she'd ever belonged.
The way she'd looked at me two nights ago. Bare and breathless andmine.
And then the way she'd kissed him.
My jaw locked.
I blew the whistle. "Water break. Two minutes."
The girls scattered. Billie stayed on the ice, bent over her stick, gulping air.
I could've walked over. Could've said something. Checked in. Done my job.
Instead, I turned my back and headed to the bench.
Coward.
Hannah skated up beside Billie. I heard their voices—low, urgent. Hannah's hand on her shoulder.
Billie shook her head. Pulled away. She straightened. Skated a slow lap. Alone.
And I hated myself for watching.
By the end of practice, she was a wreck. Missed passes. Botched zone entries. A shot that went wide by three feet. Not like her. Not even close.
The other girls noticed. Kira shot me a look—are you going to say something?
I didn't.
When the final whistle blew, Billie was the first one off the ice. Didn't wait for the team. Didn't linger.
Just gone.
