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“Fine,” Ari snapped, jumping off the bench and skating out onto the ice.
We continued our practice, but I was sloppy, rage and frustration muddling my movements.
"Hey, Lincoln, did you forget how to skate?" shouted Dalton, grinning when a rut in the ice almost took me down.
I rolled my eyes, trying to calm down.
I was about to take a shot when Ari's body slammed into mine. It was a hard check, and it sent me flying across the ice.
As I got back up, I saw Ari skating towards me, his fists clenched and his face contorted with anger. I knew what was coming next, and I braced myself for impact. We collided, and suddenly we were both throwing punches, trading blows as we circled each other.
I was faintly aware of shouting and lots of whistling, but my adrenaline was pumping too hard to stop as I landed a punch on Ari's jaw. He stumbled back, but quickly regained his footing and retaliated with a punch of his own. We were both breathing heavily now, our faces red with exertion and anger.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Ari yelled as my shoulder barreled into his stomach, taking us both down.
The coaches were on us a second later, yelling and pulling us apart as we struggled to keep fighting. Disgust with myself was coursing through my veins as I glared at Ari, still itching for a fight. But the coaches were too determined, and soon enough, we were dragged apart, our jerseys ripped and sweat dripping down our faces.
"Get to the locker room, both of you! You're done for the day!" Coach yelled at us, his voice booming across the rink.
I glanced back at Ari, still angry, but the coaches were pushing us towards the door. As we left the ice, I could hear my teammates joking and laughing about the fight.
With a huff, I stomped towards the locker room.
Ari and I entered the locker room, and he immediately exploded. "What the fuck was that?" he growled, his chest heaving with breath and a bruise already forming around his right eye.
The anger was fading quickly, replaced by guilt.
And the day had started out so promising.
I collapsed onto a nearby chair, my head drooping low in shame. A long minute passed before I glanced up, raking a hand through my hair to clear it from my face.
“Fuck. I’m sorry,” I finally sighed.
“Well, I’mnotsorry for that hit,” Ari announced stubbornly, a shadow of a smile on his face though.
I shrugged. “It was a pussy hit anyway,” I teased.
Comfortable silence finally settled between us…until Ari cleared his throat.
“Ari,” I growled. “I really don’t want to hear it.” I pulled off my skates and slipped on some running shoes.
He stood and leaned against the wall, a stubborn tilt to his chin.
“What are you going to do if he has something to say about your girl?” he said, his eyebrows lifting in challenge. “Going to just let him walk all over you? Because I’msosure he’ll be cool with you falling for a girl without seven figures next to her name.”
“You’re a fuckhead,” I snapped, grabbing my bag and stalking out of the locker room without a look back.
The whole drive to my parents, though…I knew Ari was right.
* * *
I pulled up to my parents' mansion, a towering white structure that loomed over the other houses on the street. The imposing gates creaked open, revealing the sprawling estate that I had grown up in. The mansion itself was a grand, three-story building with white columns and a wraparound front porch. It was surrounded by well-manicured lawns and towering oak trees that spanned three acres, giving the impression of a well-established family that had been living there for generations.
Appearances were everything to my parents. The mansion was just a symbol of their wealth and status in society. Every detail of their lives was meticulously planned to maintain their image, from the designer clothes they wore, to the lavish parties they hosted. It was a life built on appearances, and it hid all the darkness that lived between these walls.
What the neighbors would think if they knew my mother was fucking the gardenerandher tennis instructor… And that my father had probably been snorting cocaine with five hookers in his office last night.
And then, of course, there was Tyler. The ghost of him was everywhere.
