Page 50 of Ice Princess

That’s right, Vicky. That Society seat is mine!

Satisfied that I won our little battle, I spin around again and pay attention to the action on the ice, only to see Gunner slowing down in front of the boards. His blue eyes are boring through the protective glass shield on his helmet and are steady on me.

Terror sinks its claws into my body when I realize he heard my possessive chant.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

Frozen, I can only stand there, mouth slack and a blush tearing through my face while wishing I could sink into the benches and disappear from the face of the earth.

Thankfully, Theilan skates up to Gunner and grabs him, pushing him forward and toward the other players. It effectively breaks our staredown, and I breathe out in relief.

Until Gunner swivels his head around to look at me one more time.

My heart stops in my chest because, for a quick, furtive second, I think… Gunner Kinsey smiles at me.

CHAPTER

SIXTEEN

GUNNER

It’s second intermission.Coach is yelling out plays for the final period of the game. I should really be paying attention.

Tonight’s been rocky. The opposing team is on a roll, and the Lucky Strikers are on… whatever the opposite of a roll is.

Chance, especially, seems to be in his head and missing shots that he’d spot a mile away any other night. Coach is being heavy-handed with the substitutions because of it and our plays keep falling apart.

I’ve tried to take up the strain. After living in the same town and playing together for years, I can read the guys with a look. That familiarity is the only reason we’ve been able to rally this far. We’re defaulting to our natural rhythm as a unit.

However, a natural rhythm and an intentional strategy are two different things. The other team is still ahead by a point and we’ll need more than scatter-brained desperation to pull ahead.

I force myself to pay attention to Coach, while keeping one eye on the Jumbotron.

An image of a little girl grinning up at the camera fills the giant monitor along with the words ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY,PRINCESS’. Music is pulsing and the announcer is interacting with the crowd, leading them in the happy birthday song.

It’s tradition to give fans a chance to post special messages on the main screen during the second intermission of a home game. Max didn’t have a choice when he bought the Lucky Strikers.

The players aren’t allowed to submit anything, since the privilege is reserved for the fans, but I begged Bobby—the stadium’s all-around maintenance man—to do me a favor.

If he succeeded, the message should come up any minute now…

“Kinsey!” Coach yells my name, along with a few, choice expletives. “Are you listening to me! Get your head in the game! I can’t have both you and McLanely running like chickens without heads on the ice.”

“Yes, coach!” Chance and I yell in tandem.

I glance at our team captain. He’s breathing hard, his head ducked and his eyes on the ground. Patting his shoulder, I get his attention and tilt my chin up in a silent ‘are you okay?’

Chance pulls his lips into his mouth and nods.

Whether he’s truly okay or not, I’m with coach. I hope he can get it together for the last period. We’ll need him if we want to finish tonight’s game with a win.

“Oh-ho! Would you look at that!”The announcer’s jovial voice perks my ears and I swing around.Congratulations to Rebel Hart on joining The Lady Luck Society!”

Warmth spreads in my chest when I spot the announcement on the Jumbotron. There’s a picture of Rebel, smiling prettily at the camera in a pink, mechanic jumpsuit. I didn’t give Bobby a photo, but I’m glad he added it, so there’s no mistaking who this announcement is for.

Applause sweeps through the arena.

The announcer explains, “For those out-of-towners, the Lady Luck Society is a staple in our town. Only the mostprestigious, pure-hearted, and worthy are allowed to join, what with it being an organization dedicated to community service. There hasn’t been a new member in over six years. Congratulations, Miss Hart!”

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