A wide call like that isn’t going to produce anything useful.
Not at this level.
If someone good enough to play with us suddenly appears out of nowhere…
It would be a miracle.
LEONORA
My heart is already racing and I’m not even at the rink yet.
I stand in front of the dorm mirror, turning sideways and then back again, trying to see what everyone else will see.
A stranger.
Hopefully.
The baggy practice jersey Willow found hangs loose around my shoulders, long enough to hide the shape of my hips. Underneath it I’m wearing two layers and a compression shirt, trying to flatten everything that might give me away.
It’s not perfect.
But it’s… passable.
Maybe.
Willow stands beside me, tucking every stray hair into the skullcap like this is the most normal morning activity in the world.
“You look great,” she says.
“That is not the word I’d use.”
She glances up.
“Intimidating?”
“Suspicious.”
She laughs.
“Trust me. Half the guys there will still be half asleep.”
I pull the skullcap down tighter over my hair. When the helmet goes on, nothing will be visible anyway.
That’s the theory.
“Remember,” Willow says, standing up and brushing her hands together, “don’t talk unless you absolutely have to. You’re not there to be friends with those guys.”
“I know.”
“And keep the helmet on.”
“I know.”
“And don’t panic.”
I give her a look. “That one might be difficult.”
She grins. “Just skate.”
