Page 22 of Ice Princess

My insides coil tight.Don’t. Don’t you dare…

“Bell.”

I swerve around, heated. “Why are you bringing that up now?”

Gunner’s eyes lift briefly to meet mine. I startle at the eye contact. His irises are a pale,paleblue. Like all the vibrancy was strained from the sky and only the faintest thread of color remained.

There’s something otherworldly about those eyes. Which is probably why the fangirls in town swear he’s some kind of fairy prince from another realm.

“So much time has passed, it seems like a dream,” Gunner says steadily. “But there was a moment when we didn’t hate each other.”

“Yeah, when I was five.” I stomp up to him and gesture between the two of us. “If you haven’t noticed, your family and I are mortal enemies. Have been since I was a kid. Andyoustopped talking tomefirst. This is the longest conversation we’ve had in years.”

Rather than answer me, he looks at the treehouse. The structure is made of logs and held together with enough rope and nails to keep it sitting tight in a hurricane. The tree leaves nearby formed a natural roof, but it’s overgrown and unkept, ivy trailing down the sides. The small balcony that wraps around the entire structure is filled with fallen leaves and debris.

Silence washes between us as we stare at the eyesore. It’s a perfect parallel for me and Gunner. Whatever affection I had as a child for him is as abandoned as this old spot.

“I can get you a seat at the table,” Gunner offers. “My mom is a woman of her word. She might regret what she said at the party, but it’s out there now. She’ll honor her promise to let you into the Society.”

“I have my own plan.” Sure, that plan involves joining the knitting society, networking with the ladies there, finding a recommender, and then jumping through a bunch of hoops but…

“Rebel—”

“I don’t need you,” I insist. “I’ll figure it out on my own.”

He frowns at me. “You’re being stubborn.”

“Kind of comes with the name.”

“Let me help you.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like it either,” he says.

My eyes shift to Gunner again.

“The way only one side of town gets help and attention.” He frowns as if it really bothers him. “The way the Ladies talked to you, none of it. A lot of my teammates are from the southside. They find time to train for hockeyandgo to work at the factory after the games. They didn’t grow up like me, but they’re good people. They don’t deserve to be discriminated against.”

My eyes shift between his. “Youcare about fairness and justice?”

“You asked me why I did it.” He shrugs.

I chew on my bottom lip, considering my options. On the one hand, I can continue pricking my hands and eventually join the knitting club so I can ask around for a recommender.

Or I can take the golden ticket and skip right into the Lady Luck Society.

Silently, I weigh my hatred for Gunner Kinsey against my desire to join the Ladies. It’s a tempting offer, but can I really put my disgust aside and convince the town that I’m dating a Kinsey? It’s a well-known fact that Gunner and I can’t stand each other.

Plus, I don’t expect Stewart Kinsey or Carol Kinsey to sit back and do nothing when they see me parading around with Gunner.

The giant hockey player draws closer to me and, this time, I don’t step back. “Come on, Rebel,” he whispers, “this is your chance to use a Kinsey to get what you want. Are you really going to pass that up?”

When he puts it like that…

I do relish the thought of torturing the Kinseys with the fact that I’m dating their golden child.

But more than that, there’s so much good I could do at the Society. Once I start bringing attention to the people, roads, and buildings that need the most help, it’ll all be worth it.

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