Page 29 of Until We Burn
Hearing her name again makes my frustration rear its head.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I rise onto my feet, snatching my hockey stick. “I’m going to run some drills.”
I grab a puck and drop it onto the ice. My eyes shut. Visualizations of my stick dexterously controlling the puck reins my focus back and quiets down everything else.
Don’t go too fast. Control your puck. Control your skates.
I open my eyes. My knees bend into stance before I skate towards the first stickhandling aid. I sweep the puck through the slat, catching it at the other end. I zig zag through each aid in front of me. The sharp sound of my stick tapping against the ice echoes across the arena.
“Kai!”
I can almost see it again. The fans sitting in the stands, calling out my name, and waving their leis like they did when I was in first year. Pride fuels my every move. I whirl around to do the drill all over again.
“Kai!”
My skates grind to a stop.
“What the hell?”
The boys stand by the ice: Rowan is scowling, Wallace is nervously scratching the back of his neck, and Luke is smiling like a dog who just ate something he wasn’t supposed to. The reason why breaks my focus. Diana stands between them, still pristine in her heels and designer clothes, clutching a cup of coffee and a small bag of cookies from Bridgehead.
I cautiously skate towards them. “What’s going on?”
Luke’s smile grows smug as he gestures at Diana.“Well,we ran into Diana in the hallway, and she said she wanted to talk to you. So, we thought, ‘What the hell?’”
“Especially me,” Rowan mutters.
Wallace pats him on the shoulder and smiles at him. “Come on. Let’s give them some space.”
The boys begin to walk out of the arena. Luke eagerly rubs his hands together while Rowan drags him down the hallway.
Diana cranes her neck, staring at me with nervous, long-lashed eyes. The arena’s cold air brushes through the loose strands in herponytail. How soft she looks in her knit sweater, and the sharpness of her glossy high heels still has me in a chokehold.
“Hi.” Diana musters a small, embarrassed smile. “Again.”
I swallow hard, piling my hands on top of my stick. “Hey.”
“You aren’t done with practice?”
“Everyone else is. I got benched today, so I wanted more time on the ice.”
“In that case, I can stand in for the net?” she offers. “I bet it’ll be cathartic for you.”
I roll my eyes. “You piss me off, princess, but not that much.”
A bigger smile curls across her lips, making the loose strands of her hair drift against them.
The strong urge to brush it behind her ear and watch the blush rise up her cheeks burns inside.
Stay focused, Kai. You’re thinking about her hair and how fucking cute she is when you should be mad at her. Stay focused.
I breathe out and look down at my skates, nudging the little piles of ice dust into the corner. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here because I wanted to apologize.” She wiggles the cookie bag and the cup of coffee, catching my attention again. “This is typically how Asians apologize.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
Diana’s smile falls. “I’m apologizing for the way I’ve been treating you. I promise it’s not because of the rumors. I don’t believe them. I never have. It’s just…” Her fingers crinkle into the paper bag. Her eyes avoid mine as she stumbles through her words. “I-I’m grappling with so many things involving the HMG. It stresses me out, and I lash out at people who don’t deserve it.” Diana looks back up at me.“I’m sorry for how I made you feel. I really am.”
