Where is she?
We breakfor water and I’m about to skate to the bench when I see her.
Juliette, standing at the glass. She’s not trying to hide or be invisible. She’s just there, watching.
Almardon skates up beside me. “She came.”
“Yeah.”
“You going to go say hi or just stare at her like a creep?”
“I’m not staring like a creep.”
“You’re definitely staring like a creep.”
I skate over to where she’s standing. She sees me coming and smiles, and that smile hits me harder than any check I’ve taken.
“Hi,” I say through the glass.
“Hi.” Her voice is muffled but I can hear the warmth in it. “You’re really good.”
“I’m alright.”
“Romeo, you just made that goal look easy.”
“That’s because it was easy. Coach chewed me out for it.”
“Why?”
“Because I should have passed. I was showing off.” I lean against the boards. “For you.”
Her cheeks go pink. “You don’t need to show off for me.”
“I know. I want to anyway.”
Someone slams into the boards behind me. Dex, being obnoxious.
“Stop flirting with your girlfriend and get back to drills!” he yells.
Juliette is laughing now and the sound makes everything worth it.
“I should let you get back to practice,” she says.
“Stay. Please. I’ll skate better knowing you’re watching.”
“You’ll skate worse. Your coach already yelled at you once.”
“I’ll risk it.”
Barrett’s whistle cuts through the air. “RODRIGUEZ! STOP MAKING OUT WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND AND GET YOUR ASS BACK ON THE ICE!”
Juliette’s eyes go wide. “Oh my god, he just?—”
“Yeah.” I’m grinning. “Everyone knows. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine. Your coach just yelled at you because of me.”
“My coach yells at everyone. It’s kind of his thing.” I tap my stick against the glass. “Stay. Watch. I promise I’ll focus.”
