Unknown: What would the thousands of people watching you perform think if they knew they were watching a murderer and a slut? Would they lose their heads like your latest victim? I told you to break it off with them. The clock is ticking, bitch.
I throw my phone into my locker and slam the door shut as if the metal door could protect me from the threat in that text message.
“Tar-Tar,” Jodie looks concerned. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
A shiver works its way up my spine, and I mask it by pretending to shake to loosen my muscles. “I’m fine, Jo-Jo. I’m just nervous about the dance.” I hope she buys my excuse.
I was hoping the first message was just a fluke, but now it seems that someone really knows about what happened in Hemlock Beach. I should tell Jodie since she put everything on the line for me. But we need to go out into the arena for our first show, and there’s no time.
“Let’s smash it out there.” I force a smile on my face, and for a second it almost looks like Jodie wants to insist.
“Yeah. And don’t forget to have fun out there. Luckily, Gen isn’t dancing in your line.”
“True. You make sure you watch your back, ok? Hopefully she won’t try anything stupid tonight.”
Jodie pulls me into a hug, and that’s all the courage I need to face thousands of people filling the Cove Knights’ arena.
After the dark of the staircase that leads us to the platform, the bright lights of the ice rink are almost blinding.
As the black metal platform is lowered onto the ice, I look up at the mechanism that’s working above our heads. Could someone have tampered with that?
I exhale a breath of relief when we get to the ice without any incidents.
“City of Star Cove,” the mayor is standing right in front of our platform with a microphone in his hand. “I have the pleasure of introducing to you the Star Cove Shooting Stars. They’re performing tonight to kick start the pre-season for our beloved team, the Cove Knights. Please welcome the Stars with a big round of applause.”
The noise the fans make is deafening and infectious. I should be ecstatic that their applause is for me and my teammates.
Instead, I look at the thousands of faces in the stands, wondering if the person who’s been sending me those threatening messages is watching me right now.
It could be anyone.
I need to shake off the fear that’s giving me goosebumps, or my performance will be a disaster.
My gaze wanders away from the stands and lands on the two teams lined up facing the mayor and our platform.
My eyes meet Tucker’s dark blue ones. The corners of his lips curl into a smile as he checks me out.
Colsen is right next to him. He doesn’t smile, maintaining his serious game face, but when the mayor is about to conclude his speech, he winks at me.
Mack is there too, his smile warm and encouraging.
Another hockey player attracts my attention at the end of the line. Nash’s green eyes are fixed on me too, their intensity searing into me like a branding iron. His jaw ticks as he looks at me, and I can’t help but wish that things were different and that he would fight for me like Colsen and Tucker are doing.
“And now,” the mayor says into the microphone. “Without further ado, the Star Cove Shooting Stars. Go Knights!”
That’s the cue for the music to start, and once I begin dancing, everything else fades into the background.
COLSEN
The noise in the locker room is deafening as we celebrate our first victory of the pre-season.
“Frozen Four, Frozen Four!” my teammates are chanting.
They’re getting rowdier with every passing second. Vaughn and Davis lift Mack into the air, carrying him around the locker room on their shoulders.
“Hail to King Shayba,” Vaughn yells. “I can’t believe you scored a hat trick tonight.”
Davis agrees. “The rest of us were a little slow, like it’s expected in the pre-season, but you were on fucking fire.”
