Fire & Ice, page 2
I snorted. “Sounds like your typical bratty rich kid. Use you for as long as she likes, and then dropping you for her career as soon as she’s bored.”
“Is that all it was?” she said, her voice small, trembling. “Just for fun and then she was bored? I was… I was serious about her. And she said she was, too.”
“Yeah, but people lie. People who aren’t used to dealing with consequences lie even more often.”
She looked down. “I mean, it’s not like I’m perfect… I didn’t think I ever deserved her. She was probably just trying to get rid of me.”
“If she was making you feel that way, she was doing it to feel better once she dumped you.”
She sighed, hard, dropping against the back of the couch. “I’m not supposed to be mad at her. I don’t blame her for wanting to leave and just focus on her skating instead.”
I patted her on the back. “Let yourself be mad. You take the ugly feelings and put them away somewhere you can’t see them, and they just multiply. You should be pissed off.”
She put her face in her hands. “I don’t know how to go out and function normally in society. I go to classes, but I can’t pay attention to a single thing… it’s like I’m living life through a window. I hate this so much.”
I sighed, turning to the window, watching the trees in the central plaza sway in the wind. “Well… FIRE’s here for you.”
“Yeah, apparently. Kicking down my door to demand I share what’s happened.”
“Hey. You know how I operate. I’m not apologizing for it.”
She smiled thinly at me. “I’m glad you don’t hold a grudge for the whole cowboy thing.”
I clapped her lightly on the back before I stood up. “I just trust you’ve learned your lesson. C’mon, Andrea, you look like a disaster. Let’s get you cleaned up and then eating some of Ava’s stir-fry.”
“Did she agree to share?”
“Oh, yeah. Happily.” I clapped her on the back again. “Move it, I’m hungry. Like I said, FIRE’s here for you. We’re going to make sure you’re the one winning in this breakup, all right?”
∞∞∞
The party was loud and dark—my kind of environment. The crowds, the noise, it was easy for me to blend in and disappear anywhere I wanted, and I slipped through the first floor of the house to the back, where Zachary was in the kitchen with a cup of juice, chatting it up with Sooyeon. He raised a hand in greeting as I crossed the linoleum tile towards him.
“Hear you’ve been pitching in for Andrea,” he said. “Thanks, Primrose.”
“Level with me. Since when were you such a softie?”
“Softie?” He snorted. “Don’t insult me, Rosie. I’m vengeful. Somebody takes a shot at FIRE, I shoot back.”
I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets. “You just want an excuse to take down some rich kid, don’t you? And you asked me to look after Andrea just so I could see how sad she was and start resenting Giselle.”
Sooyeon, a tall Korean girl with short hair and every part of her figure screaming I play volleyball and butterfly tattoos on one arm showing through the sheer sleeves of her loose, long-sleeved crop top, elbowed Zachary lightly. “Primrose’s got your number, Zachy-boy.”
Zachary took it well, though, shoving his free hand in the pocket of his big, bulky bomber jacket, grinning at me. “All right, you got me. So get to the part where you tell me if it worked. Are you in, or what?”
The douchebag had me cornered. I didn’t want to risk blabbing about the Chris Torres thing right now, even though I still wanted to strangle him for blackmailing me with it, because I didn’t want to implicate myself in front of Sooyeon.
But it didn’t matter, aside from that I needed to find a chance to… talk with him about it later. I’d already woken up yesterday morning with a cold resolution in my heart, and I’d spent the day digging into everything I could about our sweetheart Giselle. And there was plenty more to it than just making Andrea cry.
Of course, that had been Zachary’s plan, too. And I was playing right into it. But I didn’t even mind. Maybe we were of the same ethos.
All I knew was that rich douchebags were a dime a dozen, but when they picked on FIRE, things were personal.
“Sure, I’m in,” I said, leaning back against the kitchen counter, kicking one foot up against the side. Zachary didn’t show much response, just a darkening of his eyes and his smile widening, but Sooyeon went wide-eyed.
“You’re doing it, for real? Matty and I were sure Zachary wouldn’t be able to sway you.”
“I wasn’t swayed. I decided on my own terms.” And Zachary knew just how much of a half-truth that was, but Sooyeon didn’t, and I’d always kind of liked her. Guess I wanted her to think I was cooler than that. “Zach’s promised me quite the reward. And I don’t like to see Andrea cry either. Especially since she dresses like a hobo grandma when she’s sad.”
Zachary inclined his head. “Glad to hear it, Primrose. I’m sure you’ll pull it off. I have it on good authority that she’s weak for redheads.”
“It’ll be simple enough regardless of if I check every kink in the box for her.”
“Well, I hope you have something to show for all that confidence come game time.” He tipped back the last of his juice before he set the cup down hard. “She’s got a program coming up in two weeks. Big one with big stakes—shooting for the Olympics next if it goes well, kind of stakes. I want you to pull the plug on her right before then and really hurt her.”
“I’ve got eyes. I already looked her up and figured that myself.”
“All right, then, since you’re so painfully clever, something you don’t know. I want you to show Matthew what you’re doing.”
I raised my eyebrows. “He can look online if he wants lesbian porn. I’m not doing anything that exciting with Giselle.”
“I’m not saying to give him a show. Just give him some tips.”
I wrinkled my nose. “You want to teach him to seduce people, now, too?”
“Seduction works well outside the bedroom, Primrose. I think you know that. I’m thinking he’ll be a good asset if you just show him a bit of how your thought process works. Don’t need to give him a full education, just the cliff notes.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, rolling my eyes hard. “Any other demands, then? Shall I do it with my eyes closed? Backwards, in heels?”
“I’m sure it’d turn on Giselle. She likes a talented woman.”
Everything really rolled right off this guy. It was funny when it wasn’t scary—I’d seen the way he’d intimidate people, and I only had to see him with an enemy once before I had a solid resolution never to get on his bad side.
I pushed away from the counter. “Fine, I’ll hit up Matty. Sooyeon, c’mon. You can do better than this guy. Let’s find Tan and kick up a drinking game until he passes out on the couch.”
Sooyeon laughed lightly, looking between me and Zachary. “Sounds good. I’ll be there in a sec, I’ve just got to finish complaining about something to the big boss.”
Hmph. So gossiping even got to Sooyeon eventually. I’d been in FIRE long enough to know not to ask questions. “I’m dragging him to the upstairs parlor once I find him, so catch us up there.”
“Will do.” She waved as I headed out of the kitchen and pushed back into the crowds, diving into the swell of noise, lights, music, and body heat.
Chapter 3
Primrose
“Damn, someone’s dressed to impress,” Matthew said, coming out of the back door of his dorm building.
I opened my jacket down to the slim crop top underneath, not really much more than just wearing a bra. “She’ll be the only one to get an exclusive, ‘accidental’ peek at this show.”
“So that’s lesson one?”
I nodded him towards the tree-lined path near the road, turning and walking with one hand in my pocket, the other swinging casually at my side. “I’m not planning on putting this all into easily digestible lessons, for the record, so pay attention. But sure. Rule number one is that you don’t make it look like you’re intentionally seducing them until they’ve already started wishing you would.”
“Where are we headed?” He took a few quick strides to catch up with me and settled into my pace, walking along the path—campus was quiet right now, just the occasional person going by in the other direction, the birds singing in the trees around us and not a car on the road to be seen. Typical Sunday morning.
“Ice rink. She practices every Sunday at free hours, and there’s almost nobody else at that block, from what it seems. We’re going to start making her want me, but I want to emphasize it’s starting. We’re not jumping any guns too quickly.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re going to be my date.”
He paused. “Somehow I feel like it’s wise to say no.”
I elbowed him. “Play along, sicko. If you have a problem with it, take it up with Zachary. If I’m there with a hetero date, I’m not trying to hit on her, and I have plausible deniability to play my hand a little. Put it into her head that she’s the one pursuing me. And we’re going to be a little uncomfortable and awkward as a couple, to put it in her head that maybe I want something better… I just don’t know it yet.”
He laughed, turning a corner at the cafeteria with me, heading for the sports center. “How much time have you spent crafting this?”
I couldn’t help a smile. “A reasonable, healthy amount of workshopping. Giselle’s a softie, from the looks of things. Normally I’d move quickly and make it fiery, but with her… I’m going for a slow burn. Make her fall in love, not just want to get in my pants. Now—let’s get our details sorted out before we get there.”
∞∞∞
Giselle
“Sorry to run,” I sighed, pushing away from the table. “I’ve really got to hit the ice.”
Cass gave me that tired look that made the guilt stab in my gut. “Yeah, whatever. I can handle this myself, I guess. Good luck with your skating again.”
I paused, hovering half-stood over the table. The library was quiet right now, maybe four other students here in the study hall total, lingering in the corners on laptops or working out problems at the whiteboard wall, and I felt like I was tied in a knot looking at Cass’s kicked-puppy look. She was a shorter girl with a lean figure, dirty-blonde hair messy with bedhead right now, and her big green eyes looking sadly up at me made me feel like I was committing murder by leaving.
“I just—I have a competition coming up,” I pleaded.
“Well, I have a big exam coming up,” she said, looking back at her textbook. “Here’s hoping they both go well.”
I was a terrible friend. A better friend would have found a way to make it work—maybe help her study while I did off-ice exercises, or invite her along to the rink so I could talk to her in between drills, or just… scheduling another time for later.
But frankly, I didn’t want another time later. These study sessions together were so stressful, and it always made me feel like I was doing something wrong, no matter what I did. So it probably made me terrible, but… I was looking forward to getting out of this.
“Good luck,” I said. “Text me if you have any problems, okay?”
She laughed drily, spinning her pencil in her hands. “I’d be texting you nonstop. Just go skate. Forget about me.”
So of course I felt rotten the whole way down to the rink. Why wouldn’t I? I shot off a few texts to my coach, back and forth—she wasn’t there for my practice today, since I was just doing drills during free hours, but I checked in to let her know I was getting to my practice session and got a list of drills to practice, and I was at the rink just before it opened, although Shay at the desk let me in without me even having to ask. Thankfully, as I’d expected, the rink was deserted right now—we usually got a few people coming in for the Sunday morning block, but only in the latter half of it, and even then barely enough to count on one hand. I breathed in the cold air as I sat down by the rink, doing a quick set of warmups before I fished my skates out of my bag and tugged them on. I laced them up tightly, and I stepped out onto the ice, feeling the glide as I moved away from the entrance.
Despite everything—the breakup with Andrea still feeling like molten tar in my gut, the stress of the competition, and the general feeling like I was abandoning all my friends and responsibilities by spending all my time here—in spite of it all, I was convinced there was no sensation in the world quite like getting onto an empty rink early in the morning. The tactile sensation of my skates carving the ice, the soft grinding sound of it underfoot as I moved, and that frictionless feeling—that sensation like I was flying. Cold air in my lungs, my blood starting to pump harder as I pushed lower, deeper, picking up speed going around the perimeter of the rink, it was what I lived for. This sacred space where all my fears and insecurities went away.
I’d do my drills in a minute. I let myself enjoy the space, skating freely and loosely, flying into a simple sit spin that I hardly needed practice on, doing wide and loose crossovers, and just savoring the feeling of my blades on the ice for a few luxurious minutes, and it was in the middle of a few fun, low-effort jumps when I noticed a couple coming into the rink, talking and laughing together. The woman—she was gorgeous, with long fiery-red hair and blue eyes, walking with a cool, confident demeanor—her gaze caught on me briefly from across the rink, and I flashed a nervous smile her way before I turned my attention back to the ice. I felt suddenly self-conscious, and I wasn’t sure why. She just had a piercing gaze, and even though she seemed friendly, it set me on alert so my movements got more strained, overthinking everything.
I forced myself to breathe out. I was just worrying about things too much. I’d never seen either of them on the ice before, and I was here just about every open session, so they were probably just here for the Instagram-perfect ice-skating date. Odds were they didn’t even know how to skate. Nobody was judging me. Nobody was judging me.
Coach wanted me practicing my crossovers. Said I needed more fluidity in the tighter ones, that I couldn’t transition smoothly to a double-axel because I was nervous. So I got to my drills, pulling crossovers at varying speeds in tighter circles, and I managed to get into it enough I forgot about the couple until I spotted the girl getting onto the ice wobbly on rental skates, clinging to the wall. Her date, a taller guy with brown hair just on the tasteful side of messy who looked like he was dressed for a Siberian expedition instead of the ice rink, was at least for now content just to watch from the sidelines.
Also, her ankles were not remotely supported. She was going to hit her head.
I swooped around the perimeter and glided back towards her, and I slowed to a gentle stop next to her. “First time on the ice?” I said, hoping I came across as friendly and not patronizing. The radiant smile she gave me said it worked, and I let out a breath of relief.
“Might just be. Is it that obvious from the fact that I’m holding onto the wall like I’ll die if I take one finger off?”
“It takes some getting used to. But… frankly, you’re not getting used to anything with your skates tied like that.”
Her face fell. “Oh… did I do it wrong?”
I gestured pulling laces tight. “You’re going to want it a lot tighter than that. You need support. Do you want me to show you?”
She turned her head away. “Oh, I don’t want to bother you. You look like you’re practicing for something serious.”
She really was stunningly pretty. The shape of her face in profile was flawless enough it gave me a weird feeling in my throat, but I swallowed it down. “I don’t mind. I need a break, anyway. Does your boyfriend skate?”
She laughed, glancing back at me. “He’s the one who told me to tie them like this. He’s never skated a day in his life, but he looked it up on YouTube…”
“Let’s get you back off the ice and better laced up before you break something, then,” I laughed, gesturing her back to the entrance. I couldn’t stand know-it-all guys…
She beamed at me. “You’re really sweet. Thanks so much. My name’s Primrose, by the way.”
“That’s a pretty name,” I blurted before I could think it through, which was just like me—awkwardly blurting things and then feeling convinced everyone would hate me for it. But Primrose went a little wide-eyed, like she’d never been complimented before, and shyly, she avoided my gaze.
“Do you think so? Thank you.”
“I’m Giselle, by the way.”
“Are you, like, a professional figure skater or something? You’re so good on the ice.”
I laughed awkwardly. “I do my best, at least… but I am with the team.”
She cocked her head. “There’s a team?”
“I can tell you more about it when you’re not about to fall over and break something. Do you want some help getting back to the entrance?”
I offered her a hand, and I instantly regretted it, because she looked wide-eyed at the hand like she couldn’t figure out why I was offering. “I’m—er—I should be fine.”
I kicked myself as I put my hand down, gliding to the entrance and putting on my skate guards before I followed Primrose off the ice. I never knew how to act normal around pretty girls, and I was just impressed how I managed to put my foot in my mouth even with a whole-ass skate attached.
I stood to the side as she stepped off the ice, and her boyfriend looked up from his phone as she teetered over towards the bleacher seats at the edge of the rink. “What, done already?” he said.
Did he only just now look up at her? He probably could have pieced together something was happening. Primrose shrugged, sitting on the bleachers just enough of a distance away from him to be awkward.
“I was about to trip and take out the other girl on the ice with me, so she’s making me fix my skates before I get us both injured.”
“Oh.” And with just that, he was back to his phone. I wasn’t getting in the middle of… whatever was going on here. I sat down next to Primrose, and I guided her to untie the laces.
