Page 51 of Ice Princess

The audience cheers louder, after the short explanation.

I’m not in her line of sight, so I can’t tell how Rebel’s reacting to it. I’m hoping she likes it, if only to secure her spot with the Society.

If she doesn’t like it, well, I doubt she’s going to jump to the conclusion that the announcement came from me.

Mom, on the other hand, probably knows without me having to say a thing. She’s always been able to sniff me out. When I get home later, there’s going to be another fight and maybe some more dramatic fainting, but I was prepared for that when I asked Bobby to slip the announcement into the second intermission.

“That you?” Chance asks, pointing to the Jumbotron.

I shrug.

A brief smile tugs across Chance’s face, but he doesn’t say anything more about it.

The photo changes to an announcement of a couple celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary and I can finally focus on the last of coach’s directions.

The buzzer sounds and we’re back on the ice. Chance is in the game and I offer him my fist. Whatever’s causing this drought tonight doesn’t matter to me. I still believe he can overcome it.

He knocks his knuckles against mine in a determined fist bump and then skates into position.

At the drop of the puck, he takes off like a bullet. I’m glad to see that fire back in his eyes. It’s not long before he assists Theilan in scoring a point.

We’re in the game now.

The problem is that the other team lit a fire of their own. We’re now tied and the finish line is in sight, but their defense is like a solid brick wall.

Coach doesn’t call any more substitutions and I realize that tonight’s game is riding on every player currently on the ice.

This is it.

Chance and I pass each other and he makes a gesture with his hands. He’s going all in with an attack.

My heart slams against my chest in anticipation. This is the part of hockey I love. When all the odds are stacked against me. Pulling through in a time like this requires one thing. And it isn’t my family name or my family connections. It’s my skills on the ice.

I nod.

Theilan takes control of the puck and passes to Chance. I watch the other team swarm him, skating over the blue line.

I get into position waiting for the right moment to charge.

The clock counts down to the seconds.

We don’t have time for thisnotto work.

The goalie is locked in on Chance.

Before the other team’s wingers can converge on him, he passes to me and skates into position. I defend the puck and pass back to him just as he takes aim for the net.

The sweet sound of the puck colliding with synthetic fiber fills my ears.

Yes!

The arena comes alive with shouts of victory but, I can hear one voice much louder than the others. I swing around to the reserved section where Rebel is. I can just make out her light peach-pink blouse beneath my jacket from this distance. She’s on her feet, screaming along with the rest of the fans, her hands in the air.

The world fades around the edges. I feel this strange sense of deja vu. As if I’ve been in this exact moment before, hearing Rebel’s screams echoing over the ice.

I’m all the way across the stadium. We’re on opposite ends of the rink, actually. There’s no reason I should feel this way.

I mean, unless Rebel Hart got surgery to turn her voice into a megaphone.

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