Page 54 of Zero Pucks Given
I’d been skating since I was old enough to walk, so I realized when it was about to happen. Before she could land on her back, I threw out an arm and caught her, pulling her into my arms.
“Who’s the dummy now?” I teased.
She glared up at me, then pushed away. “Give me a few minutes. I’m going to get the hang of it.”
Up in the stands, Manny waved down to me. They were already filming.
“We don’t have all day, so let me help,” I said.
“I don’t want your help!” she protested.
“You sound like a whiny teenager.”
Ignoring her protests, I stepped behind her and straddled her skates with my own. Holding her by the waist, I began propelling us forward across the ice, quickly picking up speed.
“I should start my own TikTok channel teaching people how to skate,” I joked as we circled the ice rink. “I bet I could get more followers than you overnight.”
“I don’t know about that,” Josie said over her shoulder. “Have you seen how my channel has done since I posted the April Fools video?”
“Exactly. Your success is thanks to my appearance. Imagine how well a channel would do if I was oneveryvideo.”
“Go ahead. I’d love to see you try to plan, film, and then edit videos yourself. Then I’d be the one gloating about how hard my job is. What are you doing? Why are you speeding up?”
“We’re barely moving,” I replied.
“We’re flying!” she insisted. “This feels like a hundred miles an hour!”
“Relax and trust me,” I told her. “I’ve got you.”
She was as stiff as a board in my arms, but slowly began to relax. I picked up more speed, enough to make her hair stream into my face. I moved my head to the side of hers, pulling her closer so I could see over her shoulder as we circled the rink.
Soon she was giggling excitedly, especially as we made a sharp turn in the corner and zoomed past the goal.
When I thought she was ready, I pushed her forward and let go. She skated by herself across the ice, her happy shouts echoing throughout the arena. I smiled proudly at the sight. She looked good wearing my number, I decided.
But then she realized that she no longer had my support. Her legs stiffened, and she waved her arms to try to maintain her balance. It wasn’t enough, and she fell forward onto the ice.
“I’m coming!” I said with a laugh, rushing to catch up. She was still sliding on her belly thanks to her momentum, eventually stoppingwhen she bumped into the wall.
“You all right?” I asked when I reached her.
“I think so,” she said, rolling onto her back. Her blonde hair was splayed out on the ice like an angel’s halo, and she smiled up at me. “Give a girl a hand?”
She reached toward me, and I took her hand to pull her to her feet.
But instead, she yanked me down to the ice.
“Oof,” I said, landing on an elbow.
“That’s what you get for throwing me forward like a missile!” she said, playfully slapping at me.
I grabbed her by the wrists and pinned her to the ice. “That’s how you’re supposed to learn. Everyone has to take the training wheels off eventually.”
“Jerk.”
“You’re the one who intentionally pulled me down! I could’ve gotten injured. If I missed the playoffs…”
“You’re fine, stop being dramatic. And let go of me.”
